Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 1986

[Saturated Fats]

1965: The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966: The Beatles - Revolver
1967: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970: Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1971: Led Zeppelin - IV
1972: Neil Young - Harvest
1973: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
1974: Supertramp - Crime of the Century
1975: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1976: Eagles - Hotel California
1977: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
1979: Pink Floyd - The Wall
1980: AC/DC - Back in Black
1981: Rush - Moving Pictures
1982: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
1984: Metallica - Ride the Lightning
1985: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
1987: Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
1988: Metallica - ...And Justice for All
1989: Pixies - Doolittle
1991: Nirvana - Nevermind
1992: Alice in Chains - Dirt
1995: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
1996: (TIE) Soundgarden - Down on the Upside // Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
1997: (TIE) Radiohead - OK Computer // Foo Fighters - The Color and the Shape
1998: (TIE) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill // System of a Down - System of a Down
1999: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
2000: Radiohead - Kid A
2001: The Strokes - Is This It
2002: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
2004: (TIE) Madvillain - Madvillainy // The Killers - Hot Fuss // Green Day - American Idiot
2005: Coldplay - X & Y
2006: Tool - 10,000 Days
2007: Radiohead - In Rainbows
2010: The National - High Violet
2011: No definitive winner
2012: (TIE) Kendrick Lamar - good kidd, M.A.A.D. city // Deftones - koi no yokan
2014: Behemoth - The Satanist

2009: Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures (5 votes)

2nd Place: 5 albums tied with 4 votes (Sunn O))); Phoenix; Mastodon; The Antlers; Green Day)

Hardly a democratic consensus, but I'll give TCV the win, as I set the minimum threshold at 5 votes for a win. Not an album I particularly enjoyed, which was disappointing to me, considering that it features three musicians I love. Nonetheless, I can see the appeal.

1986 is a great year, no bones about it. Some classic albums, and a lot of delicious stuff on the menu. There's an obvious favourite based on voting trends on HF, and I would be very surprised if it didn't win... but democratic votes have been surprising of late. We'll see what happens.

11/6: 1968
11/8: 2015
11/10: 1993

Click to read more...

 

[Eisen]

Iron Maiden- Somewhere in Time
New Model Army - The Ghost of Cain
Motörhead - Orgasmatron
Destruction - Eternal Devastation

 

[kook10]

Others:
Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc Etc
The Cramps - A Date With Elvis
Love & Rockets - Express

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

This is quite a rock heavy list

 

[Saturated Fats]

This is quite a rock heavy list

If you've been keeping up with my lists, you'll see that I am as diverse as possible in my option distribution. I am a lover of hip-hop, electronic, ambient, pop... This is just, for all intents and purposes, a rock-heavy year. Most years prior to 1989 were.

Also, scrolling down from option 1, we don't get our first 'rock' option until, what... Big Black? 8 options in?

 

[saluki]

Skylarking is one of my favorite albums of all time.

 

[kihei]

Talk Talk: The Colour of Spring
Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman: Song X
Sting: Bring on the Night
John Lennon: Live in NYC
The Four Tops: Anthology
REM: Life's Rich Pageant
Crowded House: Crowded House
The Pretenders: Get Close
Youssou N'Dour: Nelson Mandela
Steve Winwood: Back in the High Life Again

 

[Mescaleroman]

Andy White - Rave On
Billy Bragg - Talking to the Taxman About Poetry
the Chameleons - Strange Times
the the - Infected
Guadalcanal Diary - Jamboree
the Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4

Hunters & Collectors - Human Frailty
the Call - Reconciled
the Mighty Lemon Drops - Happy Head
the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy - Distressed Gentlefolk
Peter Gabriel - So

HM's
REM - Life's Rich Pageant
Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
World Party - Private Revolution
the Screaming Blue Messiahs - Gun Shy

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Love The Queen is Dead and Brotherhood has one of my all time favorite songs on it, but I only voted for Graceland because I want it to win so bad.

graceland is definitely in my upper echelon of favorites. The bass work on that album is seriously phenomenal.

 

[Chili]

Graceland

Added:

The Moody Blues-The Other Side of Life
Bruce Hornsby & The Range-The Way it is
Ric Ocasek-This Side of Paradise
Red Rider-Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
Steve Winwood-Back in the High Life
Crowded House-Crowded House
The Pretenders-Get Close

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

If you've been keeping up with my lists, you'll see that I am as diverse as possible in my option distribution. I am a lover of hip-hop, electronic, ambient, pop... This is just, for all intents and purposes, a rock-heavy year. Most years prior to 1989 were.

Also, scrolling down from option 1, we don't get our first 'rock' option until, what... Big Black? 8 options in?

I should've been more specific. I meant the entire list, as voted.

 

[Teemu]

Paul Simon - Graceland
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I had The Big Gundown in my 1985 ranking, but you are right and it should have been here... I'll give it first spot. I've included a few live albums in here too.

1. John Zorn - The Big Gundown
2. Spontaneous Music Ensemble – Quintessence
3. Last Exit – Last Exit
4. Butthole Surfers – Rembrandt p***yhorse
5. Steve Beresford, David Toop, John Zorn & Tonie Marshall – Deadly Weapons
6. Henry Flynt – You Are My Everlovin / Celestial Power
7. Slayer – Reign in Blood
8. Evan Parker – The Snake Decides
9. Diamanda Galas – The Divine Punishment / Diamanda Galas – Saint of the Pit
10. Blurt – Poppycock

HMs:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Your Funeral ... My Trial
XTC – Skylarking
Skeleton Crew – The Country of Blinds
Big Black – Atomizer
SPK – Zamia Lehmanni - Songs of Byzantine Flowers
NoMeansNo – Sex Mad
Swans – Public Castration Is a Good Idea / Swans – Real Love (weird year for Swans, these are two very good live albums, they also have two subpar studio albums from '86)
Alice Cooper – Constrictor (not a very good album by Alice, but you've got Teenage Frankenstein and He's Back in here, classics for any horror films fan)
Coil – Horse Rotorvator

Curiosities:
Arthur Russell – World of Echo
News From Babel – Letters Home
Jojo Takayanagi – Experimental Performance With John Zorn (would have been great, but sounds terrible)

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc. - Dwight Yoakam
Crowded House - Crowded House
Steve Winwood - Back In the High Life

 

[WetcoastOrca]

1. Graceland
Other:
2. Steve Winwood: Back in the Highlife
3. Pretenders: Get Close
4. Crowded House: s/t
5. Bruce Hornsby: The Way it is
6. Peter Gabriel: So
7. Journey: Raised on Radio
8. Genesis: Invisible Touch
Edit: Add.
9. Van Morrison, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

 

[frisco]

Other than Life's Rich Pageant, Guitar Town:
Heyday-The Church
Lives In The Balance-Jackson Browne
Raised On Radio-Journey
A Kind Of Magic-Queen
Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine-Daryl Hall
Third Stage-Boston
Live 1975-85-Bruce Springsteen
Back To The World-Dennis DeYoung
When Seconds Count-Survivor
The Bridge-Billy Joel

My Best-Carey

 

[Cas]

Getting the obvious metal choices on the poll out of the way, I can also mention:

Cirith Ungol - One Foot in Hell
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian
Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver
Holy Moses - Queen of Siam
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
King Diamond - Fatal Portrait
Manilla Road - The Deluge
Razor - Malicious Intent
Saint Vitus - Born Too Late
Sepultura - Morbid Visions
Sodom - Obsessed by Cruelty

I'm going with Epicus Doomicus Metallicus as metal album of the year.

 

[Ouroboros]

Slayer - Reign In Blood [Thrash Metal]
Pierre Boulez - Trois Sonates Pour Piano [Claude Helffer] [Modern Classical/Serialism]
Kreator - Pleasure To Kill [Thrash Metal]
Merzbow - Antimonument [Noise/Musique Concrète]
Grim - Folk Music [Noise/Electronic]
Swans - Public Castration Is A Good Idea [Noise Rock/Industrial]
Stephan Micus - Ocean [Ambient]

 

[reckoning]

1) Life's Rich Pageant - R.E.M.
2) The Knife Feels Like Justice - Brian Setzer (not on poll)
3) Bad Pumpkin - Fetchin Bones (not on poll)
4) Boomtown - David & David (not on poll)
5) Live 1975-1985 - Bruce Springsteen (not on poll)
6) Shelter - Lone Justice (not on poll)
7) Guitar Town - Steve Earle
8) Live Alive - Stevie Ray Vaughn (not on poll)
9) Count Three And Pray - Berlin (not on poll)
10) So - Peter Gabriel

I'm usually not a fan of live albums, but really enjoyed the two that made my list.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

1) Life's Rich Pageant - R.E.M.
2) The Knife Feels Like Justice - Brian Setzer (not on poll)
3) Bad Pumpkin - Fetchin Bones (not on poll)
4) Boomtown - David & David (not on poll)
5) Live 1975-1985 - Bruce Springsteen (not on poll)
6) Shelter - Lone Justice (not on poll)
7) Guitar Town - Steve Earle
8) Live Alive - Stevie Ray Vaughn (not on poll)
9) Count Three And Pray - Berlin (not on poll)
10) So - Peter Gabriel

I'm usually not a fan of live albums, but really enjoyed the two that made my list.

That Bruce Springsteen live album is amazing

 

[plank]

1. Live - George Thorogood
2. Life's Rich Pageant - REM
3. Guitar Town - Steve Earle
4. Strong Persuader - Robert Cray
5. So - Peter Gabriel
6. German Afternoons - John Prine
7. 5150 - Van Halen
8. No Guru, No Method, No Teacher - Van Morrison
9. s/t - The Georgia Satellites
10. Different Light - The Bangles
11. Mean Business - The Firm

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

1. The Queen is dead : best album from a group who couldn't record a bad song
2. True Blue : best album from the most successful female popstar ever
3. Master of Puppets: 2nd best album from the 2nd best metal band ever. First cassette bought by MakeTheGoalsLarger

Quite a few other artists released their most reknown album that year: Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Bon Jovi, Paul Simon.

Big year for music

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Slayer - Reign In Blood
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Megadeth - Peace Sells

 

[Sombastate]

I gotta go:

Peter Gabriel
Paul Simon
The Smiths
Steve Winwood

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I wish I had time to give "Reign in Blood" a proper write-up. An extraordinary album.