Best 1981
The 1981 clash between Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard is remembered as one of boxing’s most dramatic encounters. Held on September 16th, it was a welterweight title fight where Leonard secured victory through a knockout in the fourteenth round. This stoppage unified the WBC and WBA titles, earn...
Released in 1981, 'Moving Pictures' is the eighth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush. The record represents the band's commercial peak, successfully distilling their complex progressive rock style into more concise, radio-friendly hard rock compositions. It features some of their most recog...
STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1) was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, launched on April 12, 1981, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission was crewed by Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen, who orbited the Earth 37 times over the course of 54.5 hours...
"Tin Drum" is the fourth and final studio album by the English art-pop band Japan, released in November 1981 by Virgin Records. The album integrates electronic percussion, fretless bass, and synthesizers with distinct Eastern and Asian musical influences, specifically drawing from Chinese and Japane...
The August 21, 1981 boxing match between Salvador Sánchez and Wilfredo Gómez was a WBC featherweight championship fight held in San Antonio, Texas. The undefeated Gómez, who had made 17 defenses of his WBC super bantamweight title, moved up in weight to challenge Sánchez. Sánchez dominated the fight...
Juju is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1981 by Polydor Records. The album features the band's classic lineup, notably introducing guitarist John McGeoch and showcasing the intricate, tribal drumming style of Budgie. Characterized by its d...
Penelope Spheeris’s 1981 film documents the raw energy of the Los Angeles punk rock scene in its final stages. Featuring performances by bands like Germs and Black Flag, it offers a stark portrait of a rapidly changing musical landscape and the disillusionment within that movement. The documentary p...
Carolyn Forché’s *The Country Between Us* is a powerful poetry collection examining the devastating impact of the Salvadoran Civil War. Published in 1981, the work documents human rights violations experienced by civilians and offers a stark portrayal of conflict's consequences. It is notable for it...
João Gilberto’s 1981 album *Brasil* showcases the iconic singer-songwriter's masterful interpretation of classic bossa nova and jazz standards. Gilberto’s delicate vocals and understated guitar work exemplify a refined style that blends Brazilian musical traditions with American harmonic sensibilit...
Chick Corea's *Three Quartets* (1981) is a landmark jazz album notable for its innovative fusion of classical instruments – cello and viola – with sophisticated post-bop improvisation. The work demonstrates Corea’s compositional skill and his ability to create intricate, layered musical textures. It...
Sons and Fascination is the fourth studio album by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, originally released in September 1981. The record was produced by John Leckie and captures the band transitioning from their early atmospheric post-punk style toward a more accessible, synth-driven sound. It was...
The Marshall JCM800 2203 is a British tube amplifier released in 1981. It’s notable for its powerful sound and significant influence on genres like hard rock and metal during that era. Featuring two channels – clean and high-gain – it offered guitarists a versatile platform for achieving distinctive...
The Roland Jupiter-8 is a significant analog synthesizer released in 1981. Its eight voices offered rich, complex soundscapes, notable for its extensive modulation options including multiple filters and LFOs. This instrument became central to the creation of iconic synth-pop music during the 1980s a...
Love and Rockets presents ongoing stories about Ricky and Guido Sprague, brothers navigating life in California’s East L.A., alongside Magritte Rampérez, a captivating woman from Spain. Created by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, the magazine is recognized for its complex characters, detailed world-buil...
The Quad ESL-63 is a highly regarded British loudspeaker renowned for its extended frequency response and detailed midrange reproduction, achieved through its unique transmission line design and large diameter electrostatic driver. It was initially released in 1977 and remains a popular choice amon...
The Oberheim OB-Xa is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 1981 by Oberheim Electronics. It’s notable for its rich, complex sound generated through discrete transistor circuitry which offered a unique warmth and depth compared to contemporary digital synths. Musicians seeking powerful, evolvi...
Kraftwerk’s *Computer World* is a seminal 1981 new wave album exploring themes of automation and technology. The German group's minimalist approach, utilizing synthesizers and drum machines to create stark, robotic soundscapes, anticipated the rise of digital music and its impact on society. It rema...
And Don't the Kids Just Love It is the 1981 debut album by English post-punk band the TV Personalities, led by singer-songwriter Dan Treacy. Recorded with a deliberately lo-fi aesthetic, it is noted for its influence on the later C86 indie pop movement and on subsequent lo-fi and bedroom pop artists...
Wilder is the second and final studio album by the English post-punk and neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes, released in 1981. Fronted by vocalist and bassist Julian Cope, the album continued the band's exploration of swirling keyboards, horn sections, and catchy pop melodies. It features th...
"Pindrop" is the 1980 debut studio album by the English post-punk group The Passage, a band led by multi-instrumentalist Dick Witts. Diverging from conventional rock structures, the album is distinguished by its avant-garde integration of synthesizers, prominent percussion, and spoken or chanted lit...
Queen: Rock Montreal is a concert film featuring the British rock band Queen performing at the Montreal Forum in Quebec, Canada, on November 24 and 25, 1981. Directed by Saul Swimmer, it was initially released under the title We Will Rock You and was one of the first concert films shot entirely on 3...
Introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1981, the HP-12C is a pocket-sized programmable financial calculator designed for real estate, accounting, and banking professionals. It distinguishes itself by utilizing Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) for data entry, a system that eliminates the need for parentheses...
"Nude" is a 1981 concept album by the British progressive rock band Camel. The record is based on the true story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who hid in the Philippines for nearly 30 years, unaware that World War II had ended. The narrative explores themes of isolation, loyalty, and the psycho...
Author! Author! is the only studio album by Scars, a Scottish post-punk band associated with the Edinburgh music scene. Charisma Records released the album in 1981, and it reached number 67 on the UK Albums Chart. Its guitar-led arrangements and angular rhythms place it within early British post-pun...
Nexus is a science fiction comic series created by writer Mike Baron and artist Steve Rude, first published in 1981. Its central character, Horatio Hellpop, receives agonizing dreams identifying mass murderers and is granted extraordinary powers on the condition that he execute them. The series comb...
The Saucony Jazz Original is a classic low-top sneaker known for its responsive cushioning and flexible upper construction, originally designed for versatile court play and now favored for everyday wear.
“Dreadnaught” depicts a disgraced former special forces operative utilizing brutal, close-quarters combat and unconventional weaponry to infiltrate a heavily fortified compound and confront a shadowy organization’s ruthless leader.
Excalibur is a 1981 British epic film directed by John Boorman that adapts the Arthurian legend, drawing primarily from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. The film features Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nigel Terry as King Arthur, and Helen Mirren as Morgana, with early film appearances by Liam Ne...
High Heeled Blues, released in 1981 on Rounder Records, features Rory Block performing acoustic Delta blues in the style of Robert Johnson and other pre-war country blues guitarists.
Butt Rockin' is a 1981 studio album by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, an Austin, Texas-based blues band formed in 1974, released on Chrysalis Records. The album features the band's blend of Texas blues, Chicago blues covers, rockabilly, and R&B, anchored by Kim Wilson's harmonica and vocals and Jimmie V...
