This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.

List of years in music (table)
In radio
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
In television
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
+...

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

Bands formed

  • See Musical groups established in 1986

Bands disbanded

  • See Musical groups disestablished in 1986

Albums released

January–March

Date Album Artist Notes
J
A
N
U
A
R
Y
2 Different LightThe BanglesUS
13 PremonitionPeter Frampton-
18 Made to Be BrokenSoul Asylum-
21 The Eyeball Show (Live In Japan)The Residents & Snakefinger-
27 AlbumPublic Image Ltd.-
Does Humor Belong in Music?Frank ZappaLive
28 Seventh StarBlack Sabbath-
? The Best of 10 Years – 32 SuperhitsBoney M.UK
AtomizerBig Black-
New TrailsRiders in the Sky-
Gap Band 8The Gap Band-
HeydayThe Church-
Tuff EnuffThe Fabulous Thunderbirds-
Walking Through FireApril Wine-
F
E
B
R
U
A
R
Y
3 Mean BusinessThe Firm-
4 ControlJanet Jackson-
10 Live in New York CityJohn LennonLive 1972
The Ultimate SinOzzy OsbourneUK
13 ClairvoyanceScreaming TreesDebut
Precious MomentsJermaine Jackson-
17 Fatal PortraitKing Diamond-
18 Lives in the BalanceJackson Browne-
21 King of AmericaElvis Costello-
28 Pretty In PinkVarious ArtistsSoundtrack
GreedSwans-
? CinemaNazareth-
The Big PictureMichael W. Smith-
War GamesGrave Digger-
Marilyn MartinMarilyn Martin-
Samhain III: November-Coming-FireSamhain-
M
A
R
C
H
3 Master of PuppetsMetallica-
Balance of PowerElectric Light Orchestra-
5 Guitar TownSteve Earle-
11 Headed for the FutureNeil Diamond-
12 TwitchMinistry-
14 RrröööaaarrrVoivod-
17 Black CelebrationDepeche Mode-
19 Who's Got the 10½?Black Flag-
20 RaptureAnita Baker-
21 TurboJudas PriestUS
24 5150Van Halen-
Dirty WorkThe Rolling Stones-
PleasePet Shop Boys-
27 Innocent EyesGraham Nash-
31 ParadePrince and the Revolution-
? 9½ WeeksVarious ArtistsSoundtrack
Big WorldJoe JacksonLive
Born Sandy DevotionalThe Triffids-
Candy Apple GreyHüsker Dü-
Finyl VinylRainbowLive/Studio
Flaunt ItSigue Sigue Sputnik-
Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond ExpressThe Go-Betweens-
Little Miss DangerousTed Nugent-
Monster Walks the Winter LakeDavid Thomas
& The Wooden Birds
-
The Pack Is BackRaven-
Shot in the DarkGreat White-
Gut Level MusicAltar Boys-

April–June

Date Album Artist Notes
A
P
R
I
L
1 From Luxury to HeartacheCulture Club-
Book of LoveBook of LoveDebut album
New Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block-
The Way It IsBruce Hornsby & the Range-
7 Absolute BeginnersVarious ArtistsSoundtrack
Secret Dreams and Forbidden FireBonnie TylerUS
Animal MagicThe Blow Monkeys-
14 In Visible SilenceArt of Noise-
Like a RockBob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band-
VictorialandCocteau Twins-
18 Rembrandt PussyhorseButthole Surfers-
21 Raised on RadioJourney-
The Other Side of LifeThe Moody Blues-
Russian RouletteAccept-
TinderboxSiouxsie and the Banshees-
24 Back in BlackWhodini-
28 Winner in YouPatti LaBelle-
30 The Final FrontierKeel-
? Big & BeautifulFat Boys-
Cendres de LuneMylène Farmer-
Classics Live I and IIAerosmithLive
CockerJoe Cocker-
Pleasure to KillKreator-
Rendez-VousJean Michel Jarre-
Ship of FoolsTuxedomoon-
Strength in Numbers38 Special-
M
A
Y
5 PoolsideNu Shooz-
6 Love ZoneBilly Ocean-
Standing on a BeachThe CureCompilation
7 Tom Cochrane & Red RiderRed Rider-
12 Sleight of HandJoan Armatrading-
13 Top GunVarious ArtistsSoundtrack
19 Animal BoyThe Ramones-
SoPeter Gabriel-
23 Look What the Cat Dragged InPoisonDebut
Who Made WhoAC/DCSoundtrack
26 Emerson, Lake & PowellEmerson, Lake & Powell-
The Final CountdownEurope-
Home of the BraveLaurie AndersonSoundtrack
27 Into the LightChris de Burgh-
Raising HellRun-D.M.C.-
? EvolSonic Youth-
GTRGTRUS
Live In Brussels 02/1986Blaine L. ReiningerLive
MelvinsMelvinsEP
MistrialLou Reed-
Moonlight ShadowsThe Shadows-
Obsessed by CrueltySodomDebut album
Truthdare DoubledareBronski Beat-
J
U
N
E
2 A Kind of MagicQueen-
WonderlandErasure-
3 BelindaBelinda Carlisle-
5 Afternoons in UtopiaAlphaville-
6 Invisible TouchGenesis-
Storms of LifeRandy Travis-
9 Night SongsCinderellaDebut
10 Epicus Doomicus MetallicusCandlemass-
11 The Thin Red LineGlass Tiger-
13 Criminal TangoManfred Mann's Earth Band-
16 Change of AddressKrokus-
The Queen Is DeadThe Smiths-
23 Bambini ForeverRigheira-
Every Beat of My HeartRod Stewart-
Solitude/SolitairePeter Cetera-
24 Time's IncineratorSoul Asylum-
27 Music from the Edge of Heaven Wham!-
30 The Divine PunishmentDiamanda Galás-
Fight for the RockSavatage-
RevengeEurythmics-
True BlueMadonna-
The Twelve Inch MixesSpandau BalletCompilation
? As Close as You ThinkKevin Ayers-
Back in the High LifeSteve Winwood-
Bend SinisterThe Fall-
Crowded HouseCrowded House-
If You Swear, You'll Catch No FishSNFU-
Frantic RomanticJermaine Stewart-
Daring AdventuresRichard Thompson-
Emerald CityTeena Marie-
GiftThe Sisterhood-
Home and AbroadThe Style CouncilLive
IntermissionDioLive
Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to DeathFelt-

July–September

Date Album Artist Notes
J
U
L
Y
7 The FinalWham!Compilation + New Songs
Eat 'Em and SmileDavid Lee Roth-
Made in U.S.A.The Beach BoysCompilation
Oh, My God!Doug E. FreshDebut
14 Knocked Out LoadedBob Dylan-
Rage for OrderQueensrÿche-
The SeerBig Country-
22 The CollectionAmy GrantCompilation
Word Up!Cameo-
25 The BridgeBilly Joel-
The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are2 Live Crew-
Lightning StrikesLoudness-
28 Landing on WaterNeil Young-
Lifes Rich PageantR.E.M.-
Rat in the KitchenUB40-
? OrgasmatronMotörhead-
QR IIIQuiet Riot-
DestinyChaka Khan-
54–4054-40-
Bring on the NightStingLive
Color in Your LifeMissing Persons-
East of MidnightGordon Lightfoot-
Montana CafeHank Williams Jr.-
No Guru, No Method, No TeacherVan Morrison-
Should the World Fail to Fall ApartPeter Murphy-
Sound of ConfusionSpacemen 3-
Sub Pop 100Various ArtistsCompilation
Then & Now... The Best of The MonkeesThe MonkeesCompilation + 3 new recordings
True ConfessionsBananarama-
A
U
G
U
S
T
4 Designer BeatnikDr Calculus-
5 Dancing on the CeilingLionel Richie-
11 Now That's What I Call Music 7Various Artists-
13 Feel My PowerMC Hammer-
18 ABBA LiveABBALive
Kicking Against the PricksNick Cave and the Bad Seeds-
Silk & SteelFive Star-
Slippery When WetBon Jovi-
True as SteelWarlock-
19 Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.Dwight Yoakam-
20 Fore!Huey Lewis and the News-
22 FahrenheitToto-
25 GracelandPaul Simon-
Press to PlayPaul McCartney-
26 In the Army NowStatus Quo-
? Camper Van BeethovenCamper Van Beethoven-
Vinnie Vincent InvasionVinnie Vincent Invasion-
High Priest of LoveZodiac MindwarpEP
In the PinesThe Triffids-
Nasty NastyBlack 'N Blue-
Three Hearts in the Happy Ending MachineDaryl Hall-
S
E
P
T
E
M
B
E
R
1 Gone to EarthDavid Sylvian-
Reivax au BongoHector Zazou-
2 EmotionalJeffrey Osborne-
5 Mind: The Perpetual IntercourseSkinny Puppy-
8 Break Every RuleTina Turner-
Bouncing off the SatellitesThe B-52's-
CrashThe Human League-
11 The Sport of KingsTriumph-
15 Blood & ChocolateElvis Costello and the Attractions-
ExpressLove and Rockets-
This Side of ParadiseRic Ocasek-
True ColorsCyndi Lauper-
True StoriesTalking Heads-
19 Give Me the ReasonLuther Vandross-
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?Megadeth-
22 Blind Before I StopMeat Loaf-
Filigree & ShadowThis Mortal Coil-
24 Dancing UndercoverRatt-
26 Third StageBoston-
VigilanteMagnum-
29 BrotherhoodNew Order-
Chicago 18Chicago-
The Pacific AgeOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark-
Somewhere in TimeIron Maiden-
? The Age of QuarrelCro-Mags-
Another ViewThe Velvet UndergroundOuttakes compilation
Back to the StreetPetra-
Dangerous GamesAlcatrazz-
DuotonesKenny G-
Fields of FireCorey Hart-
Forever Breathes the Lonely WordFelt-
Inside the Electric CircusW.A.S.P.-
Menace to SocietyLizzy Borden-
Talking with the Taxman About PoetryBilly Bragg-

October–December

Date Album Artist Notes
O
C
T
O
B
E
R
1 Eye of the ZombieJohn Fogerty-
2 Whites Off Earth Now!!Cowboy JunkiesDebut album
6 The DarkMetal Church-
Scoundrel DaysA-ha-
7 Reign in BloodSlayer-
UnitedCommodores-
13 Count Three & PrayBerlin-
Rock the NationsSaxon-
One to OneHoward Jones-
14 MosaicWang Chung-
17 Better Than HeavenStacy Q-
DreamtimeThe Stranglers-
20 LiverpoolFrankie Goes To Hollywood-
Get CloseThe Pretenders-
Whiplash SmileBilly Idol-
Whispering JackJohn FarnhamAustralia
21 Polka Party!"Weird Al" Yankovic-
Stars & Hank Forever!The Residents-
23 Blah-Blah-BlahIggy Pop-
24 Radio MusicolaNik Kershaw-
To Hell with the DevilStryper-
27 ArethaAretha Franklin-
SkylarkingXTC-
31 Beyond the GatesPossessed-
Pearls of PassionRoxetteCanada, Sweden Only Release
? ConstrictorAlice Cooper-
TrilogyYngwie Malmsteen-
Alive and Screamin'KrokusLive
Can't Hold BackEddie Money-
Fame and FortuneBad Company-
Greetings from Timbuk3Timbuk3-
London 0 Hull 4The Housemartins-
No. 10, Upping St.Big Audio Dynamite-
RepossessedKris Kristofferson-
Shake You DownGregory Abbott-
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R
1 MedusaClan of Xymox-
3 Another StepKim Wilde-
Christmas with The JetsThe JetsChristmas
ForeverKool & the Gang-
Leather JacketsElton John-
Menlove Ave.John Lennon-
Your Funeral... My TrialNick Cave and the Bad Seeds-
4 They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants-
5 Raw, Uncut and X-RatedToo Short-
10 Live/1975–85Bruce Springsteen and The E Street BandLive Box Set
Morbid VisionsSepultura-
The Whole StoryKate BushCompilation
11 HeartbeatDon Johnson
15 Jazz from HellFrank Zappa-
Licensed to IllBeastie Boys-
Live AliveStevie Ray VaughanLive
17 Through the BarricadesSpandau Ballet-
Darkness DescendsDark Angel-
InfectedThe The-
Think VisualThe Kinks-
Saint of the PitDiamanda Galás-
20 Holy MoneySwans-
21 Mad, Bad and Dangerous to KnowDead or Alive-
NotoriousDuran Duran-
24 AugustEric Clapton-
Now That's What I Call Music 8Various Artists-
Utter MadnessMadnessCompilation
? 3.VZebra-
The 20 Greatest Christmas SongsBoney M.Compilation/Remix
Between Two FiresPaul Young-
Brighter Than a Thousand SunsKilling Joke-
Chronicle, Vol. 2Creedence Clearwater Revival-
Deep in the Heart of NowhereBob Geldof-
The DoctorCheap Trick-
Famous Blue RaincoatJennifer WarnesCanada
Hot TogetherPointer Sisters-
I Against IBad Brains-
No More the FoolElkie Brooks-
PowerKansas-
Strange CharmGary Numan-
Strong PersuaderRobert Cray-
Trick or TreatFastwaySoundtrack
Stand TallKiller Dwarfs-
D
E
C
E
M
B
E
R
1 Live MagicQueenLive
5 AnythingThe Damned-
8 Hot, Cool & ViciousSalt-N-Pepa-
Mechanical ResonanceTesla-
9 Good MusicJoan Jett and the Blackhearts-
16 Electric CaféKraftwerk-
Live ?!*@ Like a SuicideGuns N' RosesLive EP
? Chris IsaakChris Isaak-
Eine kleine NachtmusikVenomLive
What Do You Know, Deutschland?KMFDM-

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1986.

# Artist Title Year Country Chart entries
1Falco"Rock Me Amadeus"1985AustriaUK 1 – Mar 1986, US BB 1 – Feb 1986, Canada 1 – Dec 1985, Sweden 1 – Aug 1985, Sweden (alt) 1 – Sep 1985, Austria 1 – May 1985, Germany 1 – Jun 1985, Republic of Ireland 1 – Apr 1986, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1986, France 2 – Nov 1985, Switzerland 2 – Jun 1985, Netherlands 3 – May 1986, South Africa 3 of 1986, Norway 6 – Apr 1986, Italy 18 of 1985, US CashBox 19 of 1986, Poland 24 – Jun 1985, POP 29 of 1986, US BB 30 of 1986, Germany 50 of the 1980s, RYM 63 of 1985, Scrobulate 65 of 80s, KROQ 74 of 1986
2Madonna"Papa Don't Preach"1986United StatesUK 1 – Jun 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Sweden 1 – Aug 1986, Norway 1 – Jul 1986, Italy 1 of 1986, Republic of Ireland 1 – Jun 1986, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Mar 1987, Netherlands 2 – Jun 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jul 1986, Poland 2 – Aug 1986, Germany 2 – Jul 1986, Austria 4 – Aug 1986, Australia 9 of 1986, US CashBox 18 of 1986, US BB 19 of 1986, POP 35 of 1986, 37 in 2FM list, RYM 43 of 1986, Germany 215 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 761
3Berlin"Take My Breath Away"1986United StatesUK 1 – Oct 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Netherlands 1 – Sep 1986, Sweden 1 – Sep 1986, Republic of Ireland 1 – Oct 1986, Oscar in 1986, Switzerland 2 – Oct 1986, Germany 3 – Sep 1986, Austria 4 – Nov 1986, Norway 4 – Oct 1986, Poland 4 – Nov 1986, Australia 6 of 1986, POP 7 of 1986, US BB 13 of 1992, RYM 16 of 1986, US CashBox 21 of 1986, Italy 37 of 1986, TOTP 37, Scrobulate 80 of 80s, OzNet 251, Germany 310 of the 1980s
4Pet Shop Boys"West End Girls"1985United KingdomUK 1 – Nov 1985, US BB 1 – Mar 1986, Norway 1 – Jan 1986, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1986, US CashBox 2 of 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jan 1986, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1986, Sweden 3 – Jan 1986, Germany 3 – Jan 1986, Austria 5 – Feb 1986, France 7 – Oct 1985, KROQ 11 of 1984, Poland 14 – Jan 1986, RYM 15 of 1985, US BB 16 of 1986, South Africa 18 of 1986, Scrobulate 32 of 80s, POP 43 of 1986, Germany 232 of the 1980s, WXPN 478, OzNet 694, Acclaimed 890

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Song title Artist(s) Release date(s) US UK Highest chart position Other Chart Performance(s)
"Absolute Beginners"David BowieMarch 19865321 (Europe, Finland, Ireland)See chart performance entry
"Addicted To Love"Robert PalmerJanuary 1986151 (Australia, United States)See chart performance entry
"All I Ask of You"Cliff Richard and Sarah BrightmanSeptember 1986n/a31 (Ireland, South Africa)24 (Australia)
"All I Need Is a Miracle"Mike + The MechanicsFebruary 19865535 (United States)See chart performance entry
"All the Things She Said"Simple MindsApril 19862894 (Ireland)See chart performance entry
"Amanda"BostonSeptember 19871841 (Canada, United States)See chart performance entry

Other Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Song title Artist(s) Release date(s) Other Chart Performance(s)
"Behind the Wall of Sleep"The SmithereensJuly 19868 (UK Indie Chart) - 23 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Bigmouth Strikes Again"The SmithsMay 198626 (UK Singles Chart) - 38 (Belgium)
"Wide Open Road"The TriffidsFebruary 198626 (UK Singles Chart) - 64 (Australia)

Other Notable singles

Classical music

Opera

Jazz

Musical theater

Musical films

Musical television

Music festivals

Births

Deaths

Awards

Charts

List of no. 1 hits

See also

  • Record labels established in 1986

References

  1. "1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony".
  2. "1986 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour". Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  3. "Queen Knights Bob Geldof, but Don't Call Him Sir Bob". Associated Press. June 10, 1986. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  4. Emery, Mark. "1986 flashback: Remembering the year of the Mets' last title, from Reagan to Ruxpin". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  5. "Metallica History Part 2". Metallica. Archived from the original on August 3, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  6. Cary Ginell (August 1, 2013). Mr. B: The Music and Life of Billy Eckstine. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4803-6679-4.
  7. Greene, Andy. "Flashback: The Smiths Play Their Last-Ever Gig". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
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