1986

The Fall – Bend Sinister (English post-punk)

They Might Be Giants – They Might Be Giants (American new wave / alternative rock, debut album)

Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (American hip hop / rap rock, debut album)

Depeche Mode – Black Celebration (English synth pop)
Bad Brains – I Against I (American hardcore punk/ alternative metal)

Metallica – Master Of Puppets (American thrash metal)

Run-DMC – Raising Hell (American hip-hop)

“Weird Al” Yankovic – Polka Party! (American comedy music/ musical parody)

Dead Milkmen – Eat Your Paisley! (American punk rock)

Minuteflag – Minuteflag (American experimental rock, collaboration between the members of Minutemen and Black Flag)

Slayer – Reign In Blood (American thrash metal)

Camper Van Beethoven – Camper Van Beethoven (American alternative rock / psychedelic rock)

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead (English post-punk/indie rock)

Paul Simon – Graceland (American folk/worldbeat)

Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (American thrash metal)

Butthole Surfers – Rembrandt Pussyhorse (American noise rock / experimental rock)

David Bowie / Trevor Jones – Labyrinth (The Original Soundtrack of the Jim Henson Film) (Soundtrack to the musical fantasy film, also starring David Bowie)

Ministry – Twitch (American industrial dance music)
Ministry – Toronto 1986 (American industrial dance music, 2015 release of a 1986 live performance)

XTC – Skylarking (English psychedelic pop)

R.E.M. – Lifes Rich Pageant (American alternative rock)

Public Image Ltd. – Album (English post-punk / alternative rock)

Janet Jackson – Control (American r and b / dance pop)

Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time (English heavy metal)

Dag Nasty – Can I Say (American melodic hardcore, debut album)
Hüsker Dü – Candy Apple Grey (American punk rock / alternative rock)

AC/DC – Who Made Who (soundtrack to the film Maximum Overdrive, featuring three songs specifically written for the movie and a compilation of previously released material)

Schoolly D – Saturday Night: The Album (American hip hop)

Salt-n-Pepa – Hot, Cool, & Vicious (American hip hop, debut)

Candlemass – Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (Swedish doom metal, debut album)

Dwarves – Horror Stories (American garage punk, debut)

New Order – Brotherhood (English synth pop)

Motorhead – Orgasmatron (English heavy metal)

Ramones – Animal Boy (American punk rock)

Revolting Cocks – Big Sexy Land (American industrial rock, debut album)

Mr Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny (American avant-garde metal, first self-released demo)

Peter Gabriel – So (English art pop)

Stetsasonic – On Fire (American hip-hop, debut album)

The Residents – Stars And Hank Forever (American experimental music, cover album of Hank Williams and John Phillip Sousa, their last album to feature Phillip “Snakefinger” Lithman)

Talking Heads – True Stories (American new wave, companion album to the musical film of the same title)

Cocteau Twins – Victorialand (Scottish dream pop)

Cocteau Twins – Love’s Easy Tears (Scottish dream pop, EP)

Tangerine Dream – Underwater Sunlight (German electronic music)

Siouxsie & The Banshees – Tinderbox (English gothic rock)

Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Blood & Chocolate (English alternative rock / new wave)

Elvis Costello – King Of America (English alternative rock / folk rock)

The Smithereens – Especially For You (American alternative rock, debut)

Alice Cooper – Constrictor (American glam metal / shock rock)

Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin (English heavy metal)

Dead Kennedys – Bedtime For Democracy (American hardcore punk, their final studio album)

Let’s Active – Big Plans For Everybody (American alternative rock/ jangle pop)

Big Audio Dynamite – No. 10 Upping Street (English alternative dance music, featuring Mick Jones of The Clash, as well as some collaborations with fellow ex-Clash member Joe Strummer)

Big Black – Atomizer (American noise rock / industrial rock, debut album)

The Cramps – A Date With Elvis (American punk rock / psychobilly)

Queen – A Kind Of Magic (English rock, mostly songs written for the film Highlander)

Meat Puppets – Out My Way (American alternative rock / alternative country)

Flaming Lips – Hear It Is (American psychedelic rock/ college rock, debut album)

Various Arists – Top Gun (Soundtrack to the film featuring Kenny Loggins, Berlin, Cheap Trick and others)

Notes:

The conclusion of this one was delayed due to technical difficulties of a sort. The headphone jack on my phone was damaged and I couldn't use it until I got it repaired: The way I get so many albums listened to in a relatively short amount of time is to listen to them on my commute to and from work. By the time I got the issue fixed I felt ready to move on to other music, even though there were still a few things I wanted to get to - maybe I'll go into a "bonus week" soon and add more albums to the list. It wouldn't be entirely unprecedented; When I thought I was done with 1997, a Facebook friend pointed out a lot of good electronic music came out that year, so I did a bonus "electronic music week" for the year.

Top 10:

10. Run-DMC - Raising Hell
9. The Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill
8. REM - Lifes Rich Pageant
7. Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
6. They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
5. Slayer - Reign In Blood
4. Metallica - Master Of Puppets
3. Queen - A Kind Of Magic
2. XTC - Skylarking
1. Paul Simon - Graceland