Hitwave '81 was a various artists "hits" collection album released in Australia in 1981 on the Polystar record Label (Catalogue No. 6878-088). The album spent 1 week at the top of the Australian album charts in 1981. It was the first 'various artists hits' compilation album to make the number one spot on the Kent Music Report

Kent Music Report

The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

 charts in its history.

Side 1

1. "Stars on 45" - Stars On 45
   Stars on 45
   Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was briefly very popular in the United Kingdom, throughout Europe, the United States and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the U.K. and Ireland it was known as Starsound...
   
   
2. "This Ole House" - Shakin' Stevens
   Shakin' Stevens
   Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
   
   
3. "Keep on Loving You" - REO Speedwagon
   REO Speedwagon
   REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
   
   
4. "Gotta Pull Myself Together" - The Nolans
   The Nolans
   The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom...
   
   
5. "Who Can It Be Now?" - Men at Work
   Men at Work
   Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
   
   
6. "Shout & Deliver" - The Reels
   The Reels
   The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...
   
   
7. "How Come" - The Sports
   The Sports
   The Sports were a popular Australian rock group that performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981.Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the group released a number of successful singles and albums. Their sound fitted well with both 1970s British pub rock bands and British New Wave...
   
   
8. "Fade to Grey" - Visage
   Visage
   Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
   
   
9. "Jealous Guy" - Roxy Music
   Roxy Music
   Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
   
   

Side 2

1. "Turn Me Loose" - Loverboy
   Loverboy
   Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
   
   
2. "Antmusic" - Adam and the Ants
   Adam and the Ants
   Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
   
   
3. "Celebration" - Kool and the Gang
4. "Hip, Shake, Jerk!" - The Quick
   The Quick
   The Quick were a mid-1970s pre-new wave/power pop band based in Los Angeles. In their initial phase in late '74, The Quick proudly wore on their musical sleeves inspirations drawn from 1960s British Invasion bands: ; and were modeled heavily on the Angelenos-cum-British expatriates, Sparks...
   
   
5. "Into the Heat" - The Angels
   The Angels (Australian band)
   The Angels are a hard rock band that formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1970. The band later relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success until well into the 1990s. For the purposes of international release, their records were released under the names Angel City and later The...
   
   
6. "History Never Repeats" - Split Enz
   Split Enz
   Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
   
   
7. "Falling In & Out" - Mi-Sex
   Mi-Sex
   Mi-Sex was a New Zealand new wave rock band active from 1978 to 1984. Led by Steve Gilpin as vocalist, they were best known for their singles "Computer Games" in 1979 and "People" in 1980.-History:...
   
   
8. "Nobody Wins" - Elton John
   Elton John
   Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
   
   
9. "The Wild Colonial Boy" - Dr Hook

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1981	Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...  Albums Chart	1