Forty year long masterpieces. There are many important albums that blow out forty candles this year. Paste magazine has collected 25 of them in its new ranking. “Compared to 1984 and 1985, 1986 is probably the least brilliant year of the triptych – claims the Paste staff in the introduction – The previous twenty-four months had seen the release of albums such as 'Purple Rain', 'Songs From The Big Chair', 'Like A Virgin', 'Born In The USA', 'Hounds Of Love' and 'Rain Dogs', while the immediately following ones would have brought at the creative top artists such as The Smiths, Paul Simon and REM At the same time, as this ranking demonstrates, forty years ago rock, country, hip hop, post-punk and pop had now reached an almost equivalent level of importance”. However, 1986 was a crucial year, as the magazine recalls: the first induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was held, “We Are The World” won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Queen held their last concert with Freddie Mercury and Metallica bassist Cliff Burton tragically lost his life in a tour bus accident in Sweden. To celebrate this singular moment of the Eighties we have selected the best albums released in 1986, despite the overall limitations of the year. We hope this ranking leaves you both curious and ready to discuss our choices. Live albums and EPs are excluded.”
Here, then, is the ranking of the 25 best albums of 1986, according to Paste (full report here).
25. Steve Earle – “Guitar Town”
24. Felt – “Forever Breathes The Lonely Word”
23. Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Tinderbox”
22. XTC – “Skylarking”
21. Beastie Boys – “Licensed To Ill”
20. Big Black – “Atomizer”
19. Throwing Muses – “Throwing Muses”
18. Slayer – “Reign In Blood”
17. Dwight Yoakam – “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.”
16. New Order – “Brotherhood”
15. Arthur Russell – “World Of Echo”
14. Bad Brains – “I Against I”
13. Pet Shop Boys – “Please”
12. Sonic Youth – “EVOL”
11. Hüsker Dü – “Candy Apple Grey”
10. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
9. Anita Baker – “Rapture”
8. Peter Gabriel – “So”
7. Randy Travis – “Storms Of Life”
6. Madonna – “True Blue”
5. Paul Simon – “Graceland”
4. Run-DMC – “Raising Hell”
3. REM – “Lifes Rich Pageant”
2. The Smiths – “The Queen Is Dead”
1. Janet Jackson – “Control”
The 1986 Ultimate Classic Rock chart
Recently, Ultimate Classic Rock magazine also selected its 40 favorite albums of 1986. “The cultural melting pot stirred by the musical tastes of the mid-Eighties brought to the surface styles and genres that were almost non-existent just a decade earlier – underlines Michael Gallucci in the introduction – In 1986 it was no longer so rare to find heterogeneous music such as heavy metal and world music sharing the same space with consolidated classics such as pop and hard rock. attributed to MTV. In the middle of the decade, the television network dedicated to video clips played a decisive role in launching artists from very different fields towards the general public. Its influence contributed to broadening the mass appeal of many of these thirty albums selected by our editorial staff 1986, they managed to coexist within the same sonic landscape. Over the next 12-18 months that landscape would progressively narrow, with artists moving towards more defined territories. However, the lasting impact of many of the major albums released in 1986 has never fully faded: their influence is still perceptible in contemporary pop, indie rock, hip-hop and heavy metal,” concludes Ultimate Classic Rock.
Here then is the ranking of the 40 best albums of 1986, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (here is the complete report).
30. Miles Davis – “Tutu”
29. Madonna – “True Blue”
28. Ratt – “Dancing Undercover”
27. Ozzy Osbourne – “The Ultimate Sin”
26. The Georgia Satellites – “Georgia Satellites”
25. Billy Joel – “The Bridge”
24. Motörhead – “Orgasmatron”
23. Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet”
22. Billy Idol – “Whiplash Smile”
21. Pretenders – “Get Close”
20. Steve Winwood – “Back In The High Life”
19. Poison – “Look What The Cat Dragged In”
18. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – “Live/1975-1985”
17. Genesis – “Invisible Touch”
16. XTC – “Skylarking”
15. Hüsker Dü – “Candy Apple Grey”
14. Megadeth – “Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?”
13. New Order – “Brotherhood”
12. Iron Maiden – “Somewhere In Time”
11. Slayer – “Reign In Blood”
10. Elvis Costello And The Attractions – “Blood & Chocolate”
9. David Lee Roth – “Eat 'Em And Smile”
8. Van Halen – “5150”
7. The Smiths – “The Queen Is Dead”
6. Prince And The Revolution – “Parade”
5. REM – “Lifes Rich Pageant”
4. The Costello Show – “King Of America”
3. Peter Gabriel – “So”
2. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
1. Paul Simon – “Graceland”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
