Tag Archives: Decades 1986

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Song of the Day #6,304: ‘The Boy with the Thorn in His Side (Live)’ – The Smiths

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…

#2 – The Queen is Dead – The Smiths

If you’d told me The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead wouldn’t be my #1 album of the year it came out, I would have called you crazy. And yet, that’s where we stand, with one of my all-time favorite albums serving as salutatorian.

I’ve sung this album’s praises so much on the blog that all ten of its tracks have already been featured, requiring me to post a live version today. But I’ll scribble down a few more words of praise.

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Song of the Day #6,303: ‘Poisoned Rose’ – Elvis Costello

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…

#3 – King of America – Elvis Costello

Last week I noted that Blood & Chocolate was one of two great albums Elvis Costello released in 1986. The other, King of America, might be the best thing he’s ever done.

Costello has had a prolific and wide-ranging career, dipping his toe in every conceivable genre and teaming up with a laundry list of unlikely collaborators. But I’ll be boring and say the early to mid-80s remains the high point of his impressive catalog. My three favorite Castello albums — Get Happy!!, Imperial Bedroom, and this one — all came out during that span.

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Song of the Day #6,302: ‘I Believe’ – R.E.M.

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…

#4 – Lifes Rich Pageant – R.E.M.

Few bands had as a good a run in the 80s as R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant was the band’s fourth album in as many years and every one was a masterpiece.

Following up the murky folk rock of Fables of the Reconstruction, Pageant found the band in full rock mode, putting the muscular sound of their live shows on record for the first time.

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Song of the Day #6,301: ‘That Voice Again’ – Peter Gabriel

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…

#5 – So – Peter Gabriel

My top five albums of 1986 are all-timers. Each one would be on the long list of my favorite records. It’s pretty crazy that they all came out the same year.

English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel had modest U.S. success with his first four albums (all self-titled), but his fifth release — given the throwaway title So after the record label asked for something easier to market — was his breakthrough.

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Song of the Day #6,298: ‘Crimes of Paris’ – Elvis Costello

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…

#6 – Blood & Chocolate – Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello had such a good 80s run that my #6 album of 1986 was just his second-best release that year. I’ll get to the other one next week.

After a series of genre exercises (country, baroque pop, 60s soul, New Wave, Americana), Blood & Chocolate was a muscular rock-n-roll album, Costello’s first since 19878’s This Year’s Model. When Costello snarls out the album’s title in the opening moments of first track ‘Uncomplicated’ to the strains of an aggressive electric guitar, you know you’re in for a wild ride.

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