Vinyl in the 1980s: The Peak of the 12-Inch Single
The decade's early blockbuster albums are pressed in colossal quantities: Back in Black in 1980, Thriller in 1982, Purple Rain and Born in the U.S.A. in 1984. It's also the reign of the 12-inch club single, the engine behind Chicago house, Detroit techno, and hip-hop. The Technics SL-1200MK2, released in 1979, becomes the worldwide DJ standard and makes scratching possible. Then comes the break: the CD arrives in 1982-1983, Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms becomes its showcase in 1985, and by 1988 it overtakes vinyl in the US. Major labels scale back production toward the end of the decade. The practical upshot: early-'80s titles are plentiful and cheap, often $10 to $20, while some limited-run 1988-1989 pressings have become genuinely rare.
Built To Last
by The Grateful Dead
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
by Tom Waits
This Note's For You
by Neil Young, The Bluenotes (5)
Crossroads
by Eric Clapton
Angel Of Harlem
by U2
In The Dark
by The Grateful Dead
Концерт
by Billy Joel
The Bridge
by Billy Joel
Rain Dogs
by Tom Waits
Edge Of Darkness
by Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen
Rocking The Castle
by ZZ Top
Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II
by Billy Joel
Asylum Years
by Tom Waits
White Boy Blues - Classic Guitars Of Clapton, Beck & Page
by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page
Dynamite
by Jermaine Jackson
Saints & Sinners
by Whitesnake
Tube Snake Boogie
by ZZ Top
Come An' Get It
by Whitesnake
Rock And Roll Diary 1967-1980
by Lou Reed
King Biscuit Flower Hour [Airdate: June 15, 1980]
by ZZ Top