Classic Pop Presents Magazine

It was a truly diverse and fascinating year for music. From the giants of pop vying for attention and bold new artists making their voices heard to the alternative scenes on the periphery and the rise of pop’s darker underbelly, big things were happening in 1986.

Across the spectrum of pop, records were made and barriers were broken: Madonna released the biggest-selling album of the year, Prince made his directorial debut while in the midst of a psych-pop transformation, Duran Duran clung on through troubled times, and a-ha revealed their true selves after the pin-up presentations of the previous year. Elsewhere, game-changing releases and videos made their mark, while chart-ready anthems of hope and freedom beamed their message loud and clear across the airwaves to raise weary spirits in the most turbulent of times.

Inside this special edition of Classic Pop Presents we retrace the year’s finest musical moments, from The Communards all-ruling chart-topper and The Smiths’ game-changing creations to Janet Jackson’s worldwide breakthrough and the rise of goth. From the Classic Pop archives we present the biggest and boldest albums of 1986, we decide on the cream of the year’s singles, as well as shedding light on a few of the lesser-known artists and records along the way.