Uncovering the Next Generation's Hall of Fame

| ⇦ 1985 | 1987 ⇨ |
The Best Music of 1986
Here is a selection of the best albums and songs from 1986. Hall of Famers are highlighted in orange.
For a list of the top artists who made their debut recording in 1986, check out this list.
| Albums (?) | Wikipedia | |
| AC/DC | Who Made Who | ☆ |
| Anita Baker | Rapture | ☆ |
| Bad Brains | I Against I | ☆ |
| Beastie Boys | Licensed To Ill | ☆ |
| Billy Bragg | Talking with the Taxman About Poetry | ☆ |
| Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | ☆ |
| Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band | Live/1975-85 | ☆ |
| Candlemass | Epicus Doomicus Metallicus | ☆ |
| Cinderella | Night Songs | ☆ |
| Cocteau Twins | Victorialand | ☆ |
| Crowded House | Crowded House | ☆ |
| Cyndi Lauper | True Colors | ☆ |
| Depeche Mode | Black Celebration | ☆ |
| Dwight Yoakam | Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. | ☆ |
| Elvis Costello | King of America | ☆ |
| Eurythmics | Revenge | ☆ |
| Genesis | Invisible Touch | ☆ |
| Hüsker Dü | Candy Apple Grey | ☆ |
| Huey Lewis and the News | Fore! | ☆ |
| Iron Maiden | Somewhere In Time | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | Control | ☆ |
| Joe Satriani | Not of This Earth | ☆ |
| Journey | Raised on Radio | ☆ |
| Judas Priest | Turbo | ☆ |
| Lionel Richie | Dancing on the Ceiling | ☆ |
| Madonna | True Blue | ☆ |
| Megadeth | Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? | ☆ |
| Metallica | Master of Puppets | ☆ |
| Motörhead | Orgasmatron | ☆ |
| New Order | Brotherhood | ☆ |
| Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds | Your Funeral...My Trial | ☆ |
| Ozzy Osbourne | The Ultimate Sin | ☆ |
| Paul Simon | Graceland | ☆ |
| Pet Shop Boys | Please | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel | So | ☆ |
| Prince & the Revolution | Parade | ☆ |
| Queen | A Kind of Magic | ☆ |
| Queensryche | Rage for Order | ☆ |
| R.E.M. | Life's Rich Pageant | ☆ |
| Robert Cray | Strong Persuader | ☆ |
| Robin Williams | A Night at the Met | ☆ |
| Run-D.M.C. | Raising Hell | ☆ |
| Salt-N-Pepa | Hot, Cool & Vicious | ☆ |
| Siouxsie & the Banshees | Tinderbox | ☆ |
| Slayer | Reign In Blood | ☆ |
| Soda Stereo | Signos | ☆ |
| Sonic Youth | Evol | ☆ |
| Steve Earle | Guitar Town | ☆ |
| Steve Winwood | Back In The High Life | ☆ |
| Talk Talk | The Colour of Spring | ☆ |
| The Bangles | Different Light | ☆ |
| The Georgia Satellites | Georgia Satellites | ☆ |
| The Smithereens | Especially for You | ☆ |
| The Smiths | The Queen is Dead | ☆ |
| Tina Turner | Break Every Rule | ☆ |
| Tommy Keene | Songs from the Film | ☆ |
| Van Halen | 5150 | ☆ |
| Various Artists | Pretty in Pink (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ☆ |
| Various Artists | Top Gun: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ☆ |
| XTC | Skylarking | ☆ |
| Yanni | Keys to Imagination | ☆ |
| Songs (?) | Wikipedia | |
| AC/DC | Who Made Who | ☆ |
| Alice Cooper | Teenage Frankenstein | ☆ |
| Anita Baker | Sweet Love | ☆ |
| Anita Baker | Caught Up in the Rapture | ☆ |
| Aretha Franklin feat. George Michael | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | ☆ |
| Bad Brains | I Against I | ☆ |
| Bananarama | Venus | ☆ |
| Beastie Boys | (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) | ☆ |
| Beastie Boys | No Sleep Till Brooklyn | ☆ |
| Beastie Boys | Brass Monkey | ☆ |
| Beastie Boys | Paul Revere | ☆ |
| Berlin | Take My Breath Away | ☆ |
| Billy Idol | To Be a Lover | ☆ |
| Billy Joel | A Matter of Trust | ☆ |
| Billy Joel | This is the Time | ☆ |
| Billy Ocean | When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going | ☆ |
| Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band | Like a Rock | ☆ |
| Bon Jovi | Livin' On A Prayer | ☆ |
| Bon Jovi | You Give Love A Bad Name | ☆ |
| Bon Jovi | Wanted Dead or Alive | ☆ |
| Bon Jovi | Never Say Goodbye | ☆ |
| Boston | Amanda | ☆ |
| Bruce Hornsby & the Range | The Way It Is | ☆ |
| Bruce Hornsby and the Range | Mandolin Rain | ☆ |
| Cameo | Word Up! | ☆ |
| Carly Simon | Coming Around Again | ☆ |
| Cheap Trick | Mighty Wings | ☆ |
| Chris de Burgh | The Lady in Red | ☆ |
| Cinderella | Nobody's Fool | ☆ |
| Cocteau Twins | Fluffy Tufts | ☆ |
| Crowded House | Don't Dream It's Over | ☆ |
| Crowded House | Something So Strong | ☆ |
| Cutting Crew | (I Just) Died in Your Arms | ☆ |
| Cyndi Lauper | True Colors | ☆ |
| Depeche Mode | A Question of Time | ☆ |
| Depeche Mode | Stripped | ☆ |
| Don Johnson | Heartbeat | ☆ |
| Duran Duran | Notorious | ☆ |
| Dwight Yoakam | Guitars, Cadillacs | ☆ |
| Dwight Yoakam | Honky Tonk Man | ☆ |
| Eddie Money | Take Me Home Tonight | ☆ |
| Erasure | Sometimes | ☆ |
| Eric Clapton | It's In The Way That You Use It | ☆ |
| Europe | The Final Countdown | ☆ |
| Eurythmics | Thorn In My Side | ☆ |
| Eurythmics | Missionary Man | ☆ |
| Genesis | Invisible Touch | ☆ |
| Genesis | Land Of Confusion | ☆ |
| Genesis | Tonight, Tonight, Tonight | ☆ |
| Genesis | Throwing It All Away | ☆ |
| Genesis | In Too Deep | ☆ |
| Glass Tiger | Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) | ☆ |
| Hüsker Dü | Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely | ☆ |
| Huey Lewis & the News | Stuck With You | ☆ |
| Huey Lewis & the News | Doing It All For My Baby | ☆ |
| Huey Lewis and the News | Hip to Be Square | ☆ |
| Iggy Pop | Real Wild Child (Wild One) | ☆ |
| Iron Maiden | Wasted Years | ☆ |
| James Brown | Living in America | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | Nasty | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | What Have You Done For Me Lately | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | The Pleasure Principle | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | Control | ☆ |
| Janet Jackson | When I Think Of You | ☆ |
| Joe Cocker | You Can Leave Your Hat On | ☆ |
| John Farnham | You're the Voice | ☆ |
| Judas Priest | Turbo Lover | ☆ |
| Kenny Loggins | Danger Zone | ☆ |
| Kim Wilde | You Keep Me Hangin' On | ☆ |
| Koji Kondo | Overworld (The Legend of Zelda) | ☆ |
| Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram | Somewhere Out There | ☆ |
| Lionel Richie | Dancing on the Ceiling | ☆ |
| LL Cool J | Rock The Bells | ☆ |
| Madonna | Papa Don't Preach | ☆ |
| Madonna | Open Your Heart | ☆ |
| Madonna | La Isla Bonita | ☆ |
| Madonna | Live to Tell | ☆ |
| Madonna | True Blue | ☆ |
| Marshall Jefferson | Move Your Body (House Music Anthem) | ☆ |
| Megadeth | Peace Sells | ☆ |
| Metallica | Master of Puppets | ☆ |
| Metallica | Battery | ☆ |
| Metallica | Welcome Home (Sanitarium) | ☆ |
| Metallica | Orion | ☆ |
| Metallica | The Thing That Should Not Be | ☆ |
| Michael McDonald | Sweet Freedom (Theme from Running Scared) | ☆ |
| Midnight Oil | The Dead Heart | ☆ |
| Motörhead | Built for Speed | ☆ |
| Najee | Sweet Love | ☆ |
| New Order | Bizarre Love Triangle | ☆ |
| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | If You Leave | ☆ |
| Ozzy Osbourne | Shot in the Dark | ☆ |
| Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald | On My Own | ☆ |
| Paul Simon | You Can Call Me Al | ☆ |
| Paul Simon | Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes | ☆ |
| Paul Simon | Graceland | ☆ |
| Pet Shop Boys | Love Comes Quickly | ☆ |
| Peter Cetera | Glory of Love | ☆ |
| Peter Cetera with Amy Grant | The Next Time I Fall | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel | Sledgehammer | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel | In Your Eyes | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel | Big Time | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel | Red Rain | ☆ |
| Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush | Don't Give Up | ☆ |
| Prince | Sometimes It Snows in April | ☆ |
| Prince & the Revolution | Kiss | ☆ |
| Public Image Ltd. | Rise | ☆ |
| Queen | Who Wants to Live Forever | ☆ |
| Queen | A Kind of Magic | ☆ |
| Queensrÿche | Walk in the Shadows | ☆ |
| R.E.M. | Fall on Me | ☆ |
| R.E.M. | Superman | ☆ |
| Reba McEntire | Whoever's in New England | ☆ |
| Ric Ocasek | Emotion in Motion | ☆ |
| Run D.M.C. | My Adidas | ☆ |
| Run-D.M.C. | It's Tricky | ☆ |
| Run-D.M.C. feat. Aerosmith | Walk This Way | ☆ |
| Salt N Pepa | Push It | ☆ |
| Salt N Pepa | I'll Take Your Man | ☆ |
| Siouxsie and the Banshees | Cities in Dust | ☆ |
| Skinny Puppy | Dig It | ☆ |
| Slayer | Raining Blood | ☆ |
| Slayer | Angel of Death | ☆ |
| Sonic Youth | Starpower | ☆ |
| Spacemen 3 | Losing Touch With My Mind | ☆ |
| Spectre General | Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way | ☆ |
| Stacey Q | Two of Hearts | ☆ |
| Steve Earle | Guitar Town | ☆ |
| Steve Winwood | Higher Love | ☆ |
| Steve Winwood | Back in the High Life Again | ☆ |
| Suzanne Vega feat. Joe Jackson | Left of Center | ☆ |
| Swing Out Sister | Breakout | ☆ |
| Talking Heads | Wild Wild Life | ☆ |
| The Bangles | Walk Like an Egyptian | ☆ |
| The Bangles | Manic Monday | ☆ |
| The Bangles | If She Knew What She Wants | ☆ |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Tuff Enuff | ☆ |
| The Georgia Satellites | Keep Your Hands to Yourself | ☆ |
| The Human League | Human | ☆ |
| The Monkees | That Was Then, This Is Now | ☆ |
| The Moody Blues | Your Wildest Dreams | ☆ |
| The Pogues | A Rainy Night in Soho | ☆ |
| The Pretenders | Don't Get Me Wrong | ☆ |
| The Smithereens | Blood & Roses | ☆ |
| The Smiths | There Is A Light That Never Goes Out | ☆ |
| The Smiths | I Know It's Over | ☆ |
| The Smiths | Bigmouth Strikes Again | ☆ |
| The Smiths | Panic | ☆ |
| They Might Be Giants | Don't Let's Start | ☆ |
| Timbuk 3 | The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades | ☆ |
| Tina Turner | Typical Male | ☆ |
| Van Halen | Why Can't This Be Love | ☆ |
| Van Halen | Dreams | ☆ |
| Wang Chung | Everybody Have Fun Tonight | ☆ |
| XTC | Dear God | ☆ |
| XTC | Grass | ☆ |
| Yngwie Malmsteen | You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget | ☆ |
| ⇦ 1985 | 1987 ⇨ |