Shop New & Used 80s Vinyl Records & Box Sets

Following the artistic explosions of the 60s and 70s, digital recording suddenly emerged and exploded in popularity during the 80s to drastically reinvent music. Characterized by synthesizers and new electronic sounds, the 80s melted disco, rock, and pop together to form a new breed of ultra-modern music.

Pop music took an exciting high-speed turn towards the beginning of the decade, as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Prince’s Purple Rain took top spots on the charts. In comparison, the best pop albums of the 70s can “Beat It” - there’s nothing cooler, groovier, and darker than these albums in any other era of pop music.

Artists like The Police, Billy Idol, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode embraced the new synths to create completely unique rock sounds. These space-age bands will send you a “Message In A Bottle” from beyond the “Ordinary World” unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Other stars like U2 filled the world with spacious, upbeat rock anthems that will trance you into a place “Where The Streets Have No Name”.

Besides the new, avante-garde genres that were brooding, some back-to-the-classics movements continued to develop from the 70s. Steely Dan, Steve Miller Band, and the Dire Straits continued creating pop rock music that was cooler and jazzier than ever. Arena rock bands like Journey, Aerosmith, Boston, and Foreigner kept producing their classic, uplifting hits too.

Thrash metal blended the quick tempos of 70s punk with heavy metal to create a genre that, for lack of a better expression, will totally melt your face. Some say that 1986 was the greatest year in the history of thrash, with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax all releasing iconic albums within the span of several months.

The 80s also sprouted the alternative and underground movements that would shake the music scene for decades to come. Grunge acts including Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains formed in Seattle in the second half of the decade.

No matter what kind of music you love, you can find something exciting about the reinvention and cross-over of countless genres throughout the 80s. Pick up one of our classic vinyl records, turn on your neon lamp and your disco ball, and Let’s Dance.