In the 80's I was probably listening to more records from the 60's and 70's but this is a list of current 80's records I listened to a lot. I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting. Most of these are good records unless you hate the band or the style.
For the first five years of the 80's I lived in a small town with one "rock" station that played Huey Lewis and the News twelve times a day. That's why I was mostly listening to older records by Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Beatles, plus many random discoveries because I had friends that listened to things like Brian Eno and Fela Kuti.
1980 - Neil Young - Hawks and Doves, Talking Heads - Remain In Light, AC/DC - Back in Black, The Pretenders, Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Oz, Rush - Permanent Waves, Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue, David Bowie - Scary Monsters and Super Creeps
1981 - The Police - Ghost In The Machine, Rolling Stones - Tattoo You, The Pretenders - Pretenders II, Agent Orange - Living In Darkness, The Cars - Shake It Up, Neil Young - Re.act.or, Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman. New Order - Movement, Van Halen - Fair Warning, King Crimson - Discipline
1982 - Prince - 1999, Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance, Pink Floyd - The Final Cut, Rush - Signals, Van Halen - Diver Down
1983 - New Order - Power, Corruption, and Lies, Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues, David Bowie - Let's Dance, The Police - Synchronicity, Bob Dylan - Infidels, U2 - War, Suicidal Tendencies
1984 - Prince - Purple Rain, The Smiths, Van Halen - 1984, Roger Waters - The Pros And Cons of Hitchhiking, The Cars - Heartbeat City, Rush - Grace Under Pressure, U2 - The Unforgettable Fire, King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
1985 - Bob Dylan - Empire Burlesque, The Smiths - Meat Is Murder, New Order - Low-Life, Run-DMC - King Of Rock
1986 - The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead. Pet Shop Boys - Please, Neil Young - Landing On Water, New Order - Brotherhood, Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill, Run-DMC - Raising Hell, Metallica - Master of Puppets
1987 - Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses, The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come, Guns'N'Roses - Appetite For Destruction, R.E.M - Document, Pet shop Boys - Actually, U2 - The Joshua Tree, Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me, Sonic Youth - Sister
1988 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, Morrissey - Viva Hate, R.E.M. - Green, Depeche Mode 101, Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, Dinosaur Jr - Bug, Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today
1989 - Neil Young - Freedom, The Cure - Disintegration, Madonna - Like A Prayer, New Order - Technique, Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique