The ranking of the best albums of 1986, turning 40 this year, according to Paste

Masterpieces turning forty years old. There are plenty of important albums blowing out forty candles this year. Paste magazine has gathered 25 of them in its new ranking. "Compared to 1984 and 1985, 1986 is probably the least brilliant year of the trio," argues the Paste staff in their introduction. "The previous twenty-four months had seen the release of albums like 'Purple Rain', 'Songs From The Big Chair', 'Like A Virgin', 'Born In The U.S.A.', 'Hounds Of Love' and 'Rain Dogs', while the months immediately following would bring artists like The Smiths, Paul Simon and R.E.M. to their creative peaks. At the same time, as this ranking shows, forty years ago rock, country, hip hop, post-punk and pop had by then reached a nearly equivalent level of importance." 1986 was nonetheless a pivotal year, as the magazine recalls: the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held, "We Are The World" won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Queen played 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 in the Eighties, we've selected the best albums released in 1986, despite the overall limitations of that year. We hope this ranking leaves you as curious as you are ready to argue about our choices. Live albums and EPs are excluded."

So here is the ranking of the 25 best albums of 1986, according to Paste (full feature 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-D.M.C. – “Raising Hell”
3. R.E.M. – “Lifes Rich Pageant”
2. The Smiths – “The Queen Is Dead”
1. Janet Jackson – “Control”

Ultimate Classic Rock's 1986 ranking

Recently, Ultimate Classic Rock magazine also selected its 40 favorite albums of 1986. "The cultural melting pot stirred up by mid-Eighties musical tastes brought to the surface styles and genres that were almost nonexistent just a decade earlier," notes Michael Gallucci in the introduction. "By 1986 it was no longer so rare to find music as disparate as heavy metal and world music sharing the same space as long-established staples like pop and hard rock. MTV deserves significant credit here. By the middle of the decade, the network devoted to music videos played a decisive role in launching artists from very different backgrounds to mainstream audiences. Its influence helped broaden the mass appeal of many of these thirty albums selected by our staff. The year's most important records — career-defining efforts from Bon Jovi, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, among others — are rooted in distinct genres: pop-metal, art-rock and world music. Yet in 1986 they managed to coexist within the same sonic landscape. Over the following 12-18 months that landscape would gradually narrow, with artists moving toward more clearly defined territories. Still, the lasting impact of many of the key albums released in 1986 has never fully faded: their influence can still be felt in contemporary pop, indie rock, hip-hop and heavy metal," concludes Ultimate Classic Rock.

So here is the ranking of the 40 best albums of 1986, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full feature here).

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. R.E.M. – “Lifes Rich Pageant”
4. The Costello Show – “King Of America”
3. Peter Gabriel – “So”
2. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
1. Paul Simon – “Graceland”

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