Pulp’s musical style at this time was varied, approximately described as “a cross between ABBA and the Fall “. A local fanzine also noted this eclecticism, describing them as sounding “as if they listen to the John Peel show every night in an endless quest for influences”. Indeed, in October…
Read More
October was released in October 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes. The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. It debuted at number 11 in the UK, but sold poorly elsewhere. The single ” Gloria ” was U2’s first song to have its music video played on MTV ,…
Read More
R.E.M. recorded the Chronic Town EP with Easter in October 1981, and planned to release it on a new indie label named Dasht Hopes. However, I.R.S. Records acquired a demo of the band’s first recording session with Easter that had been circulating for months. The band turned down the advances…
Read More
The band’s follow-up album, Get Lucky , released in October 1981 when it was opening for Journey , included the hit tracks ” Working for the Weekend “, ” When It’s Over “, and “Lucky Ones”. It became the group’s best selling album in the U.S., reaching No. 7 on…
Read More
Black Sabbath’s second studio album that was produced by Martin Birch and featured Ronnie James Dio as vocalist, Mob Rules , was released in October 1981 and was well received by fans, but less so by critics.
In October 1981, their second album Underneath the Colours was released and became a hit in Australia peaking at No. 15.
In October, Queen released their first compilation album, titled Greatest Hits , which showcased the group’s highlights from 1974 to 1981. The best-selling album in UK chart history, it is the only album to sell over seven million copies in the UK. As of July 2022, it has spent over…
Read More
the October 1981 album El Loco
By October 1981, the band had opted to change their name to King Crimson.
Bauhaus released their second album, Mask , in October 1981. The band employed more keyboards, and a variety of other instruments, to add to the diversity of the record. The front and back cover of the album was an impressionistic drawing created by Ash.