Continuing their heavy schedule of touring and recording into the 1980s, the band gradually began to gain fame outside the Swedish borders. Already established in Norway and some parts of Denmark, the band soon expanded their tours to include all of Scandinavia, quickly becoming the most popular and best selling "dansband" ever. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, Vikingarna's music and repertoire was often seen as a standard for the "dansband" sound by music fans around Scandinavia. As the band began work on "Kramgoa Låtar 13" in 1985, longtime guitarist Jörgen Arnemar announced his retirement from touring and recording, instead focusing on managing the band, a job he held until their disbanding. He was replaced by experienced "dansband" musician Erik Lihm, a previous associate of Sjögren. "Kramgoa Låtar 13" saw the band's first ever release in the Soviet Union, selling 40 000 copies. The band would later become the first Scandinavian act to perform in the country. Throughout the eighties, the band kept going at a now well-established formula. They would record and mix an album during winter, release it during spring, before following with a six-month tour to support it. The band and their associates would then be writing new material during touring, and repeat the formula. From 1979 to 1992, they released one album every year, following this schedule.