By Era · 1980–1989

1980s Vinyl

MTV, synthesisers, cassette culture, and the peak of vinyl's commercial era — a decade still endlessly plundered.

Synth-PopNew WaveMetalHip-HopPopBollywoodElectronicR&B
Synth-popRD BurmanAsha BhosleNew WaveDisco BollywoodJagjit SinghLata MangeshkarHeavy MetalNazia Hassan

Defining Voices

Artists of the 1980s

Global Music Scene

The World in the 1980s

1982

Thriller — Michael Jackson releases the best-selling album of all time

1983

Compact discs launch commercially — vinyl's first commercial rival arrives

1984

Prince's Purple Rain, Springsteen's Born in the USA, Van Halen's 1984

1986

Run-DMC meets Aerosmith — hip-hop breaks into the mainstream

1987

U2's The Joshua Tree; Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction

1989

Madonna's Like a Prayer; Nirvana records Bleach — grunge is coming

India · Subcontinent

India in the 1980s

1981

Disco Deewane by Nazia Hassan — India's pop era begins

1983

Bappi Lahiri's Disco Dancer — synthesiser Bollywood at its most iconic

1985

Tezaab, Karma, Ram Teri Ganga Maili — 80s Bollywood golden wave

1987

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak — Aamir Khan and a new generation of Hindi music

1989

Maine Pyar Kiya — Salman Khan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal's massive hit album

Own A Piece Of History

1980s Music In Stock

Calcutta Records holds one of India’s largest collections of 1980s original pressings — vinyl, CDs and cassettes from that defining decade.

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