1986 albums

Forty years after its release, Wham!’s final studio album Music From The Edge Of Heaven remains a key document of the duo’s farewell year, capturing the last recordings from George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley before one of pop music’s most famous break-ups.

Forty years after its release, David Bowie's soundtrack for Labyrinth remains one of the most enduring entries in his catalogue, bridging his commercial 1980s peak with his work in film and helping transform a box office disappointment into a multi-generational cultural phenomenon.

Forty years after its release, The Smiths' landmark third album The Queen Is Dead remains one of the most influential records in alternative music, its reputation continuing to grow long after the band's brief career ended.

Peter Gabriel's 1986 album So remains one of the defining records of the decade, bridging experimental art rock and mainstream pop while delivering some of the biggest songs of Gabriel's career.

Four decades on, Billy Ocean's Love Zone remains a cornerstone release that cemented Billy Ocean's global chart dominance and crossover appeal in the mid-1980s

Four decades on, Prince's Parade stands as a pivotal release for Prince, reshaping his sound and marking the final chapter with The Revolution