# List of UK top-ten albums in 1981

The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 1981, as well as albums which peaked in 1980 and 1982 but were in the top 10 in 1981. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top ten for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
The first new number-one album of the year was by Kings of the Wild Frontier by Adam and the Ants. Overall, seventeen different albums peaked at number one in 1981, with fifteen unique artists and two compilations hitting that position.

## Top-ten albums
### Key

| Symbol | Meaning |
| ‡ | Album peaked in 1979 or 1980 but still in chart in 1981. |
| ♦ | Album released in 1981 but peaked in 1982. |
| Entered | The date that the album first appeared in the chart. |
| Peak | Highest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart. |
| Entered (week ending) | Weeks in top 10 | Single | Artist | Peak | Peak reached (week ending) | Weeks at peak |
| Albums in 1979 |||||||
| 10 March 1979 | 32 | Manilow Magic: The Best of Barry Manilow ‡ | Barry Manilow | 3 | 10 March 1979 | 3 |
| Albums in 1980 |||||||
| 11 October 1980 | 15 | Zenyatta Mondatta ‡ | The Police | 1 | 11 October 1980 | 4 |
| 18 October 1980 | 17 | Guilty ‡ | Barbra Streisand | 1 | 1 November 1980 | 2 |
| 8 November 1980 | 16 | Hotter than July ‡ | Stevie Wonder | 2 | 8 November 1980 | 1 |
| 15 November 1980 | 33 | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants | 1 | 24 January 1981 | 12 |
| 15 November 1980 | 10 | Not the Nine O'Clock News ‡ | Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast | 5 | 22 November 1980 | 2 |
| 6 December 1980 | 10 | Greatest Hits ‡ | Dr. Hook | 2 | 13 December 1980 | 1 |
| 6 December 1980 | 4 | Inspirations ‡ | Elvis Presley | 6 | 13 December 1980 | 1 |
| 20 December 1980 | 16 | Double Fantasy | John Lennon and Yoko Ono | 1 | 7 February 1981 | 2 |
| 20 December 1980 | 6 | Barry | Barry Manilow | 5 | 31 January 1981 | 1 |
| 20 December 1980 | 4 | 20 Golden Greats of Ken Dodd ‡ | Ken Dodd | 8 | 27 December 1980 | 3 |
| Albums in 1981 |||||||
| 17 January 1981 | 5 | The Best of Bowie | David Bowie | 3 | 24 January 1981 | 4 |
| 17 January 1981 | 1 | Flash Gordon: Original Soundtrack | Queen | 10 | 17 January 1981 | 1 |
| 24 January 1981 | 4 | Imagine | John Lennon | 5 | 7 February 1981 | 1 |
| 24 January 1981 | 2 | Paradise Theatre | Styx | 8 | 7 February 1981 | 1 |
| 24 January 1981 | 2 | Mondo Bongo | The Boomtown Rats | 6 | 7 February 1981 | 1 |
| 31 January 1981 | 1 | Trust | Elvis Costello and The Attractions | 9 | 31 January 1981 | 1 |
| 7 February 1981 | 10 | Making Movies | Dire Straits | 4 | 14 February 1981 | 1 |
| 14 February 1981 | 8 | Vienna | Ultravox | 3 | 7 March 1981 | 2 |
| 14 February 1981 | 6 | Dance Craze: Original Soundtrack | Various artists | 5 | 7 March 1981 | 1 |
| 14 February 1981 | 13 | The Jazz Singer: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | Neil Diamond | 3 | 21 March 1981 | 1 |
| 21 February 1981 | 15 | Face Value | Phil Collins | 1 | 21 February 1981 | 3 |
| 21 February 1981 | 3 | Moving Pictures | Rush | 3 | 21 February 1981 | 1 |
| 21 February 1981 | 5 | Difficult to Cure | Rainbow | 3 | 28 February 1981 | 1 |
| 21 February 1981 | 1 | The Gospel According to the Meninblack | The Stranglers | 8 | 21 February 1981 | 1 |
| 28 February 1981 | 4 | Stray Cats | The Stray Cats | 6 | 14 March 1981 | 1 |
| 14 March 1981 | 3 | Journeys to Glory | Spandau Ballet | 5 | 21 March 1981 | 1 |
| 21 March 1981 | 2 | The Very Best of Rita Coolidge | Rita Coolidge | 6 | 21 March 1981 | 1 |
| 28 March 1981 | 2 | Never Too Late | Status Quo | 2 | 28 March 1981 | 1 |
| 28 March 1981 | 3 | Face Dances | The Who | 2 | 4 April 1981 | 2 |
| 28 March 1981 | 4 | Sky 3 | Sky | 3 | 4 April 1981 | 1 |
| 11 April 1981 | 11 | This Ole House | Shakin' Stevens | 2 | 16 May 1981 | 1 |
| 18 April 1981 | 4 | Come an' Get It | Whitesnake | 2 | 18 April 1981 | 1 |
| 18 April 1981 | 1 | Intuition | Linx | 8 | 18 April 1981 | 1 |
| 25 April 1981 | 4 | Future Shock | Gillan | 2 | 25 April 1981 | 2 |
| 25 April 1981 | 2 | Hit and Run | Girlschool | 5 | 25 April 1981 | 1 |
| 2 May 1981 | 3 | Chartblasters '81 | Various artists | 3 | 2 May 1981 | 2 |
| 2 May 1981 | 2 | Living Ornaments '79 and '80 | Gary Numan | 2 | 9 May 1981 | 1 |
| 9 May 1981 | 3 | Roll On: 16 Great Disco Hits | Various artists | 3 | 9 May 1981 | 1 |
| 16 May 1981 | 3 | Wha'ppen? | The Beat | 3 | 23 May 1981 | 1 |
| 16 May 1981 | 3 | Bad for Good | Jim Steinman | 7 | 16 May 1981 | 1 |
| 16 May 1981 | 8 | Chariots of Fire | Vangelis | 5 | 13 June 1981 | 1 |
| 23 May 1981 | 13 | Stars on 45 – The Album | Starsound | 1 | 23 May 1981 | 5 |
| 23 May 1981 | 1 | The Adventures of Thin Lizzy | Thin Lizzy | 6 | 23 May 1981 | 1 |
| 23 May 1981 | 1 | Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam | Bill Nelson | 7 | 23 May 1981 | 1 |
| 23 May 1981 | 8 | Hi Infidelity | REO Speedwagon | 6 | 22 August 1981 | 1 |
| 30 May 1981 | 9 | Anthem | Toyah | 2 | 6 June 1981 | 1 |
| 30 May 1981 | 9 | Disco Daze and Disco Nites | Various artists | 1 | 4 July 1981 | 1 |
| 30 May 1981 | 2 | Long Distance Voyager | The Moody Blues | 7 | 30 May 1981 | 1 |
| 6 June 1981 | 4 | Themes | Various artists | 6 | 6 June 1981 | 3 |
| 6 June 1981 | 1 | Heaven Up Here | Echo & the Bunnymen | 10 | 6 June 1981 | 1 |
| 13 June 1981 | 10 | Present Arms | UB40 | 2 | 13 June 1981 | 1 |
| 13 June 1981 | 2 | Magnetic Fields | Jean-Michel Jarre | 6 | 20 June 1981 | 1 |
| 27 June 1981 | 7 | No Sleep 'til Hammersmith | Motörhead | 1 | 27 June 1981 | 1 |
| 27 June 1981 | 2 | Juju | Siouxsie and the Banshees | 7 | 27 June 1981 | 1 |
| 27 June 1981 | 10 | Duran Duran | Duran Duran | 3 | 5 September 1981 | 1 |
| 4 July 1981 | 13 | Love Songs | Cliff Richard | 1 | 11 July 1981 | 5 |
| 4 July 1981 | 12 | Secret Combination | Randy Crawford | 2 | 18 July 1981 | 3 |
| 11 July 1981 | 6 | Kim Wilde | Kim Wilde | 3 | 18 July 1981 | 1 |
| 1 August 1981 | 1 | Cats | Original London Cast | 6 | 1 August 1981 | 1 |
| 8 August 1981 | 7 | Time | Electric Light Orchestra | 1 | 29 August 1981 | 2 |
| 8 August 1981 | 4 | Classic Rock – Rock Classics | London Symphony Orchestra | 5 | 8 August 1981 | 1 |
| 8 August 1981 | 2 | KooKoo | Debbie Harry | 6 | 15 August 1981 | 1 |
| 15 August 1981 | 4 | The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding | Various artists | 1 | 15 August 1981 | 2 |
| 15 August 1981 | 2 | Pretenders II | The Pretenders | 7 | 15 August 1981 | 1 |
| 22 August 1981 | 2 | Bat Out of Hell | Meat Loaf | 9 | 22 August 1981 | 1 |
| 29 August 1981 | 2 | Shot of Love | Bob Dylan | 6 | 29 August 1981 | 2 |
| 12 September 1981 | 10 | Dead Ringer | Meat Loaf | 1 | 12 September 1981 | 2 |
| 12 September 1981 | 6 | Tattoo You | The Rolling Stones | 2 | 12 September 1981 | 2 |
| 12 September 1981 | 2 | Dance | Gary Numan | 3 | 19 September 1981 | 1 |
| 19 September 1981 | 3 | Rage in Eden | Ultravox | 4 | 19 September 1981 | 2 |
| 19 September 1981 | 3 | Walk Under Ladders | Joan Armatrading | 6 | 19 September 1981 | 1 |
| 19 September 1981 | 10 | Shaky | Shakin' Stevens | 1 | 7 November 1981 | 1 |
| 26 September 1981 | 5 | Abacab | Genesis | 1 | 26 September 1981 | 2 |
| 26 September 1981 | 6 | Super Hits 1 & 2 | Various artists | 2 | 3 October 1981 | 2 |
| 26 September 1981 | 7 | Wired for Sound | Cliff Richard | 4 | 3 October 1981 | 1 |
| 26 September 1981 | 7 | Hooked on Classics | Louis Clark conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | 4 | 17 October 1981 | 1 |
| 26 September 1981 | 1 | Celebration – The Anniversary Album | Johnny Mathis | 9 | 26 September 1981 | 1 |
| 3 October 1981 | 1 | Denim and Leather | Saxon | 9 | 3 October 1981 | 1 |
| 10 October 1981 | 13 | Ghost in the Machine | The Police | 1 | 10 October 1981 | 3 |
| 10 October 1981 | 4 | If I Should Love Again | Barry Manilow | 5 | 10 October 1981 | 1 |
| 10 October 1981 | 3 | Madness 7 | Madness | 5 | 17 October 1981 | 1 |
| 24 October 1981 | 22 | Dare | The Human League | 1 | 31 October 1981 | 4 |
| 24 October 1981 | 1 | Still | Joy Division | 5 | 24 October 1981 | 1 |
| 24 October 1981 | 3 | Hedgehog Sandwich | Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast | 5 | 31 October 1981 | 1 |
| 31 October 1981 | 10 | The Best of Blondie | Blondie | 4 | 31 October 1981 | 1 |
| 31 October 1981 | 3 | Almost Blue | Elvis Costello and The Attractions | 7 | 7 November 1981 | 1 |
| 31 October 1981 | 2 | Love is... | Various artists | 10 | 31 October 1981 | 2 |
| 7 November 1981 | 14 | Greatest Hits | Queen | 1 | 14 November 1981 | 4 |
| 7 November 1981 | 2 | Exit... Stage Left | Rush | 6 | 7 November 1981 | 1 |
| 14 November 1981 | 10 | Prince Charming | Adam and the Ants | 2 | 14 November 1981 | 3 |
| 14 November 1981 | 14 | Architecture & Morality | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 3 | 21 November 1981 | 2 |
| 14 November 1981 | 2 | Tonight I'm Yours | Rod Stewart | 8 | 14 November 1981 | 2 |
| 14 November 1981 | 1 | Speak & Spell | Depeche Mode | 10 | 14 November 1981 | 1 |
| 28 November 1981 | 8 | Chart Hits '81 | Various artists | 1 | 12 December 1981 | 1 |
| 28 November 1981 | 18 | Pearls ♦ | Elkie Brooks | 2 | 13 February 1982 | 2 |
| 28 November 1981 | 7 | Begin the Beguine ♦ | Julio Iglesias | 5 | 3 April 1982 | 1 |
| 5 December 1981 | 2 | For Those About to Rock | AC/DC | 3 | 5 December 1981 | 1 |
| 5 December 1981 | 5 | The Simon and Garfunkel Collection: 17 of Their All-Time Greatest Recordings | Simon & Garfunkel | 4 | 12 December 1981 | 1 |
| 19 December 1981 | 7 | The Visitors | ABBA | 1 | 19 December 1981 | 3 |