When I posted my 1985 mix, I suggested the following year was more “Peak Eighties”—think state-of-the-art, ultra-synthetic, BIG sounds that evoke bright neon colors, huge hair and millions spent. At least half the tracks below conform, often blatantly (Bananarama’s S/A/W-produced Shocking Blue cover, Siouxsie and the Banshees at last embracing the sparkly pop in their goth, Talk Talk bridging the gap between their new-pop past and near-ambient future) but occasionally accidentally as well. Given their timeless melodies, one can easily imagine what songs from The Bangles, Peter Gabriel (with crucial help from Kate Bush) and Eurythmics would’ve sounded like if recorded in another era.

Still, not everything in ’86 was synths and spandex (to quote another blog). British-inspired jangle guitar pop was at a shimmering peak, whether it was made by Americans (The Feelies, R.E.M.), Australians (The Go-Betweens, Crowded House) or actual Brits (XTC, The Smiths, The Housemartins.) In the earlier essay, I also alluded to another “underrated, pastoral, anomaly-within-the-artist’s-catalog ballad”: ‘Til Tuesday’s “Coming Up Close” not only transcends 1986, it’s the song of theirs that most closely predicts Aimee Mann’s unlikely (at the time) solo career.

As always, I love the year’s true oddities, from an ingeniously cheeky track off of They Might Be Giants’ debut album to the rise of innovative producers Jam/Lewis via Janet Jackson and The Human League to more sophisti-pop from Simply Red and The Blow Monkeys to Everything But The Girl’s brief departure into orchestrated Burt Bacharach splendor. Also, actual one hit wonders like Timbuk 3’s goofy/caustic rave-up and the immortal “I Can’t Wait” by the terribly-named Nu Shooz, which both reeks of 1986 and also could’ve come out yesterday.

Go here to listen to my favorite songs of 1986.

1. The Feelies, “Let’s Go”
2. Nu Shooz, “I Can’t Wait”
3. They Might Be Giants, “Number Three”
4. The B-52’s, “Ain’t It A Shame”
5. The Go-Betweens, “Spring Rain”
6. The Housemartins, “Think For A Minute”
7. Erasure, “Oh L’Amour”
8. Bananarama, “Venus”
9. Pretenders, “Don’t Get Me Wrong”
10. R.E.M., “Fall On Me”
11. Billy Bragg, “Honey, I’m A Big Boy Now”
12. The Smiths, “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
13. Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Cities In Dust”
14. The Blow Monkeys, “Digging Your Scene”
15. Crowded House, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
16. The Human League, “Human”
17. Janet Jackson, “What Have You Done For Me Lately”
18. Husker Du, “Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely”
19. Pet Shop Boys, “Love Comes Quickly”
20. The Smithereens, “Blood and Roses”
21. ‘Til Tuesday, “Coming Up Close”
22. Rubber Rodeo, “Souvenir”
23. Love and Rockets, “All In My Mind”
24. Talk Talk, “Life’s What You Make It”
25. Peter Gabriel, “Don’t Give Up”
26. Madonna, “Live To Tell”
27. Everything But The Girl, “Cross My Heart”
28. Simply Red, “Holding Back The Years”
29. New Order, “All Day Long”
30. The Chameleons, “Swamp Thing”
31. Prince, “Kiss”
32. The Bangles, “Manic Monday”
33. Timbuk 3, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”
34. Cameo, “Word Up”
35. Paul Simon, “The Boy In The Bubble”
36. XTC, “Earn Enough For Us”
37. Eurythmics, “Thorn In My Side”
38. Cocteau Twins, “The Thinner The Air”
39. Hunters & Collectors, “Through Your Arms Around Me”
40. Concrete Blonde, “True”