There’s been a meme going over on Threads lately about it being the 40th anniversary of several great albums released in 1986, and of course this means that I’d need to get in on that nonsense. That was an interesting year for fifteen-year-old me for a few reasons. One, I would soon be finishing my very first completed novel (aka the Infamous War Novel, a bit of juvenilia with heavy Red Dawn vibes) that would set off a future career that’s still with me to this day. Two, it was right about the time I’d started moving away from commercial pop and rock radio and more towards AOR and other genres. And of course, it was also the pivotal year when I discovered college radio. [And because I wouldn’t do the third until April vacation and thus not discover a lot of bands until much later in the year, several of these songs would grab my attention at that time.]
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The Church, Heyday, released January 1986. I’d heard of the band before, various music magazines having sung their praises for a few years by then, but “Tantalized” was probably the first track I’d heard, most likely on WMDK (the local AOR station I’d started obsessing over) and later when I started watching 120 Minutes on MTV.
The Call, Reconciled, released February 1986. I remember really liking “The Walls Came Down” from their 1983 album Modern Romans, which got some decent play on MTV and WAQY, but it was the song “I Still Believe (Great Design)” that blew my mind. Yes, I know, most of you remember this from The Lost Boys and the be-mulleted/abs-for-days Tim Cappello, but that version doesn’t even come close to the power and strength of the original. I’d pick up the album at Strawberries soon after and listened to it quite often.
Public Image Ltd, Album, released 3 February 1986. Yeah, I know he’s become a bit of a bigoted prick these days (this is what usually happens when your only superpower is being an insufferable contrarian), but back then it was great to hear such a call to arms in the Reagan/Thatcher days like the thunderous “Rise”.
Janet Jackson, Control, released 4 February 1986. Meanwhile, waaaaay on the other side of the spectrum, Michael’s little sister finally breaks the glass ceiling with the help of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and becomes a powerhouse of constant hits that last for years. At the time I didn’t think too much about picking this album up, but all the big singles grew on me and I just couldn’t resist. The whole record is a banger from start to finish.
Stan Ridgway, The Big Heat, released 10 February 1986. The former Wall of Voodoo singer shows up unexpectedly with a leftfield favorite with “Drive, She Said” which got a lot of play on AOR stations like WMDK. This album was really hard to find for me for some reason, and I wouldn’t own it until years later when I found it in a discount bin during my college years.
Talk Talk, The Colour of Spring, released 20 February 1986. This remains on my list of all-time-favorite songs, simple though it may be. I remember kinda liking it but being blown away by the video when it was introduced by one Elvis Costello on MTV one day. It’s also a song I remember crossing over all over the place, not only on the music channel but on rock radio, AOR, and even on the pop stations.
Elvis Costello (as The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates), King of America, released 21 February 1986. I remember WMDK playing his loungy cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” quite a bit, even though the album itself didn’t do much of anything in the States at the time. It’s an odd one in his discography, done more for his own enjoyment than any attempt at popularity.
The Pogues, Poguetry in Motion EP, released 24 February 1986. Another track I heard a lot on WMDK was “A Rainy Night in Soho”. I’d heard of the band and most likely heard their more spirited tracks from Red Roses for Me a year or so previous, but I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely this track is. I’d pick up the EP on vinyl not long thereafter.
Soundtrack, Pretty in Pink, released 26 February 1986. If anything, this is probably my second favorite John Hughes film, just after The Breakfast Club. I know I’d seen it in the theater and enjoyed it, but it was maybe some time later when I watched it again on video (we’d finally jumped on the bandwagon, bought a VHS player and started renting movies as a weekend entertainment). My copy of the soundtrack was dubbed (Side B of a ninety minute cassette, with The Breakfast Club soundtrack on the other side), but I’d eventually own my own copy later on.
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More to come!
Walk In Silence 