4 Debut Albums That Made a Huge Impact on the Music World in 1981

The start of a decade always seems to present an opportunity for newer artists to make a splash. After all, the music scene seems to redefine itself during those stretches, giving newcomers a chance to play a role in that. These four debut albums from 1981 include two bands who were just breaking through. And there are also two solo acts who were stepping out from their established groups for the first time.

‘Beauty And The Beat’ by The Go-Go’s

When they first started playing together, The Go-Go’s fell into line with the punk movement of the late 70s, at least in terms of their sound. When they signed up to a major-label deal, producer Richard Gottehrer helped sand off some of the rougher edges for a mainstream pop vibe. It’s likely the band was headed in that direction anyway, as evidenced by the pop smarts of lead single “Our Lips Are Sealed”. The stomping “We Got The Beat” solidified their hold on the music world. Beauty And The Beat features a deep roster of excellent songs, from moodier tracks like “This Town” and “Lust To Love” to more anthemic numbers like “Can’t Stop The World”. An incredible start to their amazing career.

‘Duran Duran’ by Duran Duran

Duran Duran started to separate themselves from the other post-punk bands that formed in the late 70s when Simon Le Bon was hired as lead singer in 1980. Le Bon brought a melodic sensibility that the band might otherwise have spurned had someone else taken the gig. That allowed them to follow a much more pop-oriented path than some of their peers. On their self-titled debut album, their formula for world domination was already in place. It just took a while for them to show it off outside the UK. Nonetheless, early singles “Planet Earth” and “Girls On Film” brim with the band’s signature mix of high drama and swinging grooves. With the Duran Duran record, this quintet set the table for the massive worldwide success in the years to come.

‘Face Value’ by Phil Collins

We know him now as one of the biggest pop stars of his era. But before he made Face Value, Phil Collins didn’t move the needle much among anybody but diehard prog rock fans. Even he himself didn’t really consider himself a singer-songwriter per se, at least until a divorce squeezed it out of him. Realizing that the songs didn’t fit the Genesis playbook, he made Face Value as an outlet for them. Mixing up the approach from song to song, Collins was just as likely to drop some peppy horns into the mix as he was apt to ladle on some austere synth beds. “In The Air Tonight” was a revelation, and several other tracks on the LP, especially the tortured ballads, rise to the occasion as well.

‘Bella Donna’ by Stevie Nicks

For the first time (but far from the last), the Buckingham-Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac needed some time apart after the prolonged process of making their 1979 album Tusk. That set them free to pursue solo projects. Stevie Nicks proved the readiest of the bunch to tackle that assignment. It helped that her producer (and then-boyfriend) Jimmy Iovine surrounded her with outstanding session talent. And it certainly didn’t hurt that Iovine managed to squirrel “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” from Tom Petty, another client of his. But Nicks ultimately rules the day with her touching songwriting (“After The Glitter Fades”) and high-wire vocal performances (“Edge Of Seventeen”).

(Photo by David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)