Various Artists - The Greatest Hits Of 1981 (1992)

UK Import

Musically, the UK had a very different 1981 than I, so while this compilation has some well-known tunes, I count five tracks with which I was previously unfamiliar. All 20 tracks were top 20 hits in the UK while only 6 reached the US Top 40.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in US

Tracks:

1. Dead Ringer For Love - Meat Loaf (#5 UK)
   This duet with Cher is an overly-long, not-so-subtle rip-off of Summertime Blues and Mony Mony best described as a long-lost outtake from the Grease soundtrack. For a Steinman tune, it's tolerable which I guess is a compliment?
2. Stand And Deliver - Adam & The Ants (#1 UK)
   I think the general consensus is that this tune is the best single Adam & The Ants ever released. And, in this particular case, the general consensus is correct.
3. Girls On Film - Duran Duran (#5 UK)
   A better video than tune. It wouldn't make my top ten list of DD tunes, but I like it just fine.
4. Kids In America - Kim Wilde (#2 UK, #25 US)
   From the first time I heard this song, I was a Kim Wilde fan. I bought her debut album through the Columbia Record Club and was subsequently disappointed in her sophomore effort. 
5. Funeral Pyre - The Jam (#4 UK)
   Not the best Jam, but not the worst. To be honest, I didn't really start to enjoy The Jam until the mid-'90s. In high school, however, I had a Jam pinback I would wear on my letter jacket because I thought the band name was cool even if I didn't listen to their music. It was part of my "I like hipper music than you" façade I was cultivating at that time.
   
   
6. Happy Birthday - Altered Images (#2 UK)
   I always sing the Beatles tune with the same title on birthdays, but I should probably switch to this one. Fun song - makes me think of the movie Sixteen Candles.
7. Reward - The Teardrop Explodes (#6 UK)
   I group this band with Echo & The Bunnymen in a category called "bands I should have listened to in the early '80s but never did." It wasn't that I wasn't exposed to them, I simply (mistakenly) chose not to listen to them much. Opportunity lost. The driving beat, the manic horns - this tune would have been right up my alley. Bonus points for the trippy muted trumpet solo.
8. The Model - Kraftwerk (#1 UK)
   I recognize Kraftwerk as an influential band. I understand they are pioneers in the field of electronic music. I understand they have had a lasting impact on the genres of industrial, dance, and rap music. They're in the Rock Hall.  I'm just ambivalent to their music.
9. Ghost Town - The Specials (#1 UK)
   While the lyrics are depressing as hell, it's got a great groove and there's no denying this is Jerry Dammers' major opus. When we first shut down for the pandemic in March 2020, this song was in my head all the time as I drove around town and I'll bet I wasn't the only one.
10. The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) - Fun Boy Three (#20 UK)
    Is it a novelty song or political statement? Both? To these ears, it might be OK for album filler, but as a single? Go figure.
11. There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis - Kirsty MacColl (#14 UK)
    We have a winner - this rockabilly romp is a blast and the wry lyrics are hilarious. There's no acceptable excuse why I haven't explored her entire catalog. Currently accepting suggestions for a starting point for that journey.
12. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (#10 UK, #1 US)
    A huge hit in 1981, winning Grammys for both record and song of the year and was like nothing else on the radio at the time; me and my friends sang along with Kim every time we heard the thing. Nine weeks at #1 and the Billboard #1 hit of the year. A great blend of synth and guitar arpeggios plus I really dig the sexy growl of Carnes' voice.
13. Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon (#7 UK, #1 US)
    Based on interviews I've seen, Kevin Cronin seems like a great guy and I'd buy him a beer if I ever ran into him; I just don't like his vocals. Nonetheless, this was the biggest power ballad of 1981 and I've heard it twice on the radio this week, so my opinions and I will just be on our way.
14. Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross (#4 UK, #7 US)
    Not a bad cover, but with all due respect to Ms. Ross, this is one of those remakes that makes me long to hear the Frankie Lymon original.
15. Easier Said Than Done - Shakatak (#12 UK)
    I've only recently been hipped to Shakatak, but I really like the piano-based R&B-lite thing they've got going on. Dig.
16. Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire (#3 UK, #3 US)
    Typical EW&F greatness - funky bass line, tasty horn licks, a bridge that's smooth as anything, and a chorus so good they start the song with it. Nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category.
17. Get Down On It - Kool & The Gang (#3 UK, #10 US)
    Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Get your back up off the wall! I just love K&TG. This was some great radio-friendly funk. Recommended.
18. Intuition - Linx (#7 UK)
    Brit funk along the lines of Level 42 or Shakatak with just a touch of calypso added for good measure. However, there's no real hook to speak of, but I like the all-too-brief soprano sax solo.
19. Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard (#4 UK, #71 US)
    I'll add my voice to the chorus of people who wonder why Richard wasn't as big in the US as he was in the UK. This is a catchy little tune that didn't get much traction over here. Shame.
    
20. Chequered Love - Kim Wilde (#4 UK)
    And the lovely Kim gets a second entry on this compilation. Man, I loved her debut album. It was in heavy rotation in my car once I got my drivers license in June 1982. (I may have driven illegally before having a license but I admit to nothing.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The Carnes, REO, Ross, K&TG, and EWF tunes I would have heard on the radio in '81.  The Ants, Wilde, Jam, Teardrop, and Duran tunes I would have heard (and probably purchased most) in 1982 or '83. I would have caught up to the cuts by Kraftwerk, Altered Images, Specials, FB3 at some point in the '90s. That leaves tracks 1, 11, 15, 18, & 19 that were new to me when I first put this CD in the tray.