The ranking of the 40 best albums of 1986, which turn 40 this year, by Ultimate Classic Rock
13-02-2026
Classics turning 40. In 2026, a wealth of landmark albums will hit their fortieth anniversary. The magazine Ultimate Classic Rock has picked its 40 favorite albums of 1986 in this new ranking. "The cultural melting pot stirred up by the musical tastes of the mid-Eighties brought to the surface styles and genres that had been almost nonexistent just a decade earlier," notes Michael Gallucci in the introduction. "By 1986, it was no longer so rare to find such disparate sounds as heavy metal and world music sharing the same space as established staples like pop and hard rock. MTV deserves a lot of the credit here. By the middle of the decade, the video-driven network played a decisive role in breaking artists from wildly different backgrounds through to the mainstream. Its influence helped widen the mass appeal of many of the thirty albums our staff selected. The year's most important records — career-defining statements from Bon Jovi, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, among others — are rooted in distinct genres: pop-metal, art-rock and world music. And yet, in 1986, they all managed to coexist within the same sonic landscape. Over the following 12 to 18 months, that landscape would gradually narrow, with artists drifting toward more clearly defined territories. Still, the lasting impact of many of the major albums released in 1986 has never fully faded: their influence can still be felt in today's pop, indie rock, hip-hop and heavy metal," Ultimate Classic Rock concludes.
Here, then, 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"
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”
2. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
Ultimate Classic Rock has also recently published its ranking of the best albums of 1976, set to turn fifty this year, in 2026. We're sharing it below (full feature here).
40. Rod Stewart – “A Night on the Town”
39. Blondie – “Blondie”
38. Bad Company – “Run With the Pack”
37. Wings – “Wings at the Speed of Sound”
36. Funkadelic – “Hardcore Jollies”
35. The Rolling Stones – “Black and Blue”
34. ZZ Top – “Tejas”
33. Patti Smith Group – “Radio Ethiopia”
32. ABBA – “Arrival”
31. Miles Davis – “Pangaea”
30. Kansas – “Leftoverture”
29. Al Stewart – “Year of the Cat”
28. Marvin Gaye – “I Want You”
27. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band – “Night Moves”
26. Warren Zevon – “Warren Zevon”
25. Ramones – “Ramones”
24. Judas Priest – “Sad Wings of Destiny”
23. AC/DC – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
22. Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
21. Kiss – “Rock and Roll Over”
20. Genesis – “A Trick of the Tail”
19. Kiss – “Destroyer”
18. Bob Dylan – “Desire”
17. Rush – “2112”
16. Queen – “A Day at the Races”
15. Billy Joel – “Turnstiles”
14. Electric Light Orchestra – “A New World Record”
13. Joni Mitchell – “Hejira”
12. David Bowie – “Station to Station”
11. Boz Scaggs – “Silk Degrees”
10. AC/DC – “High Voltage”
9. Peter Frampton – “Frampton Comes Alive!”
8. Steely Dan – “The Royal Scam”
7. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers”
6. Jackson Browne – “The Pretender”
4. Aerosmith – “Rocks”
3. Led Zeppelin – “Presence”
2. Eagles – “Hotel California”
1. Stevie Wonder – “Songs in the Key of Life”
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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Fabretti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
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