Speaking of the Talking Heads and 1986 - True Stories...Not their finest hour

Oh yeah, it is a good record, just that the EP and first full length were so great and then they had a couple killer later albums, along with a couple duds that this one gets lost in the shuffle for me. But, actually, thanks for bringing it up because now I probably will throw it on. And really, I find that most of their stuff seems to hold up pretty well to me.

Funny, I only know this from the board, don't LOVE or HATE it, but it was the first album I thought of.

I have no fucking clue what came out in 1986, I lived in Germany half the year, Kansas the second half, and attended 3rd/4th Grade.

The cardiologist gave me one of VM's stents; it raised the irascibility quotient immensely. I would have kissed her, but she was fat. And ugly as a home-made bar of soap.

looking back this is a fairly mature and brooding album for an 10 year old to obsess over.



Some of the beats on here still blow my mind. "Peter Piper" in particular is such a brilliant use of a sample and scratching.

Well, there was this...

queue the "I like that better than anything else mentioned so far" comment.

54-40 - 54-40



I saw these guys more than any other band in the late 80's and early 90's, so they'll always have a place in my heart.

Don't hate them because Hootie and the Blowfish covered "I Go Blind".

I don't have much from '86. I was definitely big into the Beasties/Run DMC that year. Others for me are Forgotten Rebels' Pride & Disgrace, Springsteen's Live 75/85, Dylan Knocked Out Loaded, Color of Money soundtrack, Prince Parade; I still stupid love for Billy Idol's Whiplash Smile and PiL's Album. The former I just bought on vinyl off ebay and then bought a backup copy at the local record store. The latter is just ridiculous with Steve Vai's guitar, but it still brings me pleasure outside of nostalgia.

I'll add on to the Graceland love.

Probably the only thing I can think of that is both very obscure and any good from 1986:

Hot Pants - Loco Mosquito



French Punk/Jangle Rock band featuring Manu Chao.

Well, if you're lookin' fer singles comps, etc. you can't go wrong with these:

For true albums, hard to top this one:

Easily the winner so far, although True Believers. Robyn Hitchcock, and XTC are right up there.



And I don't know what you guys are talking about when it comes to the quality of '86. Pretty great year, really. Not even sure where to start.

How about...

Giant Sand - Ballad of a Thin Line Man



The sophomore album by Howe Gelb's Giant Sand certainly warned of the singular oddness that was to come. In a weird way, Ballad of a Thin Line Man has a relation to country and western in its wild west imagery and palpable sense of the Arizona desert. But that's typically twisted Giant Sand country and western, which means forget about any simple two-steps and nasal drawls. Instead, push play and hold on to your socks. For the early Giant Sand songs were merely launching pads for Howe Gelb's equally flamboyant flights of lyrical fancy and guitar pyrotechnics. Epics like "Thin Line Man", "A Hard Man to Get to Know", and "Desperate Man" absolutely burn with axe-shredding momentum, while comparatively sedate ruminations like "Graveyard" and "Body of Water" bring the peyote to the party. The album also features interesting covers of Dylan's (by way of Hendrix) "All Along the Watchtower" and Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory", and it speaks sufficient volumes that Gelb decided to pay tribute to that unholy trinity of precursors, because Dylan's lyrical ambitions, the guitar heroics of Hendrix, and the messy spontaneity of Thunders were all overt elements on this album.

Not my link, plus it's the Valley of Rain/Ballad of a Thin Line Man two-fer. Thin Line Man is probably on the second part.
Pt. 1
Pt. 2

If I had a list back then undoubtedly the 1 spot that year for me. I'll be listening to it tomorrow if I can dig it out.

Pretty close. I'd probably rank that Church album and Love and Rockets higher

(I can't believe I didn't think of that one, but it's been an odd week)

The Beat Farmers - Van Go



The second album by San Diego's Beat Farmers wasn't quite up to par with their first, but not many albums were. This one still includes the seriously great "Riverside" as well as "Blue Chevrolet" and "Gun Sale at the Church". Country Dick does his thing on "Big Ugly Wheels", which includes the immortal line "her mustache caked in vomit and teeth marks on her butt." Also features their version of Neil Young's "Powderfinger". Van Go was the last album with Buddy Blue in the band, and it marks a time when the Beat Farmers weren't quite the circus side show they developed into. This same year they put out the excellent Glad and Greasy ep.

Jr. Gone Wild - Less Art, More Pop



Along with Jason and the Scorchers and the Long Ryders, Jr. Gone Wild hit on the early cowpunk sound with pretty incredible results. A little more overtly pop than either of those bands - and considerably drunker and more smartass - this album mashes Byrds jangle with punk snottiness and it somehow worked.

Yoakam's Guitar, Cadillacs . . .

Three albums from this year that would be in my top 20, some in top 10:

the already mentioned Strange Times by The Chameleons, Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express by The Go-Betweens and The Big Shot Chronicles by Game Theory.

I also really like the Billy Bragg album, In the Pines by The Triffids, Forever Breathes the Lonely Word by Felt, and Heydey.

Plus this is the year the comps Kaleidoscope World (already mentioned) and Compilation by The Clean came out.

Was 9 at the time... didn't listen to any of these then.

I can up anything...

Man oh man, for me the easy winner is:

Sonic Youth - EVOL (which has been mentioned a few times already, but I think sans picture)
What I consider to be the first great SY album in their ridiculously great repertoire. It hints at a lot of ideas they would explore on the follow-up album, Daydream Nation (which only went on to change music as we know it)--though I prefer this one to the critical darling.

A lot of albums from this year intrigue me, but haven't really heard them yet... so these aren't so much recommendations as curiosity:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Your Funeral, My Trial
The Art of Noise - In Visible Silence (anyone have a download for this perchance?)
Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To
KUKL - Holidays in Europe

YO!


GO!


Well, seems to me 1986 was a great year for music. NEVER to get any praise from the average Obnerian, both Graceland and So are monumental events. The Van Morrison No Guru is the album of his I play more than any other. The two Elvis Costello's are my favorites of his. The Jazz Butcher is just one of the greatest underappreciated bands and this one was great. I still play that Feelies often and loud. The Cure. The Giant Sand... what a range of good music.

The Pretenders - Get Close ("don't get me wrong" is, to me, the greatest "hit" of the year).
Crowded House
Miles Davis - Tutu (not well respected at the time, interesting now)
This Mortal Coil - Filigree and Shadow
Dead Can Dance - Spleen

1986, definitely not a great year for music

is this true? I don't think i've ever met anyone who didn't like either album. Except maybe Los Lobos.

Yeah, I've never heard anyone say a bad word about Graceland. I bet even Radcliffe doesn't hate it.

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