– Throwing Muses – THROWING MUSES

Released: September 1986 – debut LP
AllMusic: “Throwing Muses’ self-titled 1986 debut is still a startling collision of punk energy, folky melodicism, and Kristin Hersh’s mercurial voice and lyrics… A powerful debut, Throwing Muses puts the work of most self-consciously “tortured” artists to shame; its fluid, effortless emotional shifts may not make for the most accessible music, but they’re unquestionably genuine.” Score: 5/5.

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– Licensed to Ill – BEASTIE BOYS

Released: 15 November 1986 – debut LP
AllMusic: “Perhaps Licensed to Ill was inevitable, a white group blending rock and rap, giving them the first number one album in hip-hop history. But that reading of the album’s history gives short shrift to the Beastie Boys; producer Rick Rubin, and his label, Def Jam… The Beastie Boys fueled this record through their passion for subcultures, pop culture, jokes, and the intoxicating power of wordplay.” Score: 5/5.

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– Brotherhood – NEW ORDER

Released: 29 September 1986 – fourth LP
AllMusic: “This was a New Order with nothing more to prove – witness the tossed-off
lyrics – aside from continuing to make great music… the songs and the band’s production
had reached such a high level. Score: 4/5.

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– Candy Apple Grey – HÜSKER DÜ

Released: March 1986 – fifth LP
AllMusic: “Moving to a major label doesn’t affect Hüsker Dü’s sound greatly — although the production is more full-bodied than Spot’s razor-thin work, the Hüskers don’t change their blazing attack at all.” Score: 3.5/5.

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– Your Funeral… My Trial – NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

Released: 3 November 1986 – fourth LP
AllMusic: “The Bad Seeds turn from the interpretive triumph of Kicking Against the Pricks to another strong high, the mostly-original ‘Your Funeral…My Trial’… Arguably Cave and company have by now so clearly established their overall style that the album is much more a refinement of the past than anything else, but so good is their work that resistance is near impossible.” Score: 4/5.

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