NME Top Singles of 1986

[Darkness_Fish]

Woah, a big change from the white-wash of the previous year. Three absolute monster hits, Ciccone Youth, and a bunch of shit I've never heard before.

1. Kiss - Prince


2. Word Up - Cameo


3. Into The Groove(Y) - Ciccone Youth


4. Walk This Way - Run Dmc


5. Bang Zoom! Lets Go Go! - The Real Roxanne


6. Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent - Gwen Guthrie


7. Pain - Betty Wright


8. Kiss - Age Of Chance


9. Levi Stubbs Tears - Billy Bragg


10. Still Smokin' - Trouble Funk

[Darkness_Fish]

Long list:

1. Kiss - Prince
2. Word Up - Cameo
3. Into The Groove(Y) - Ciccone Youth
4. Walk This Way - Run Dmc
5. Bang Zoom! Lets Go Go! - The Real Roxanne
6. Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent - Gwen Guthrie
7. Pain - Betty Wright
8. Kiss - Age Of Chance
9. Levi Stubbs Tears - Billy Bragg
10. Still Smokin' - Trouble Funk
11. Almost Prayed - The Weather Prophets
12. Baby I Love You So - Colourbox
13. Nasty - Janet Jackson
14. Who The Cap Fit - Shinehead
15. Rise - Pil
16. I Want You - Elvis Costello
17. Galveston Bay - Lonnie Hill
18. Psk (What Does It Mean?) - Schoolly D
19. Human - Human League
20. A Screw - Swans
21. No Conversation - View From The Hill
22. Sweet Bird Of Truth - The The
23. Panic - The Smiths
24. Sweet Love - Anita Baker
25. Starpower/Expressway To Your Skull - Sonic Youth
26. Some Candy Talking - Jesus And Mary Chain
27. World Shut Your Mouth - Julian Cope
28. Love Can't Turn Around - Farley Jackmaster Funk
29. Ask - The Smiths
30. Living To Late - The Fall
31. Safety Net - Shop Assistants
32. Mr Pharmacist - The Fall
33. Time Is Money (Bastard) - Swans
34. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
35. Sho’ Nuff Bumpin’ - Eu
36. Diggin’ Your Scene - The Blow Monkeys
37. Hard Left - Gary Clail
38. What Have You Done For Me Lately? - Janet Jackson
39. Saturday Night - Cherrelle & Alexander O’neil
40. Sorry Somehow - Husker Du
41. Rock The Bells - Ll Cool J
42. Wide Open Road - The Triffids
43. Greetings - Half Pint
44. I’m Chilln’ - Kurtis Blow
45. Heartland - The The
46. Do Fries Go With That Shake? - George Clinton
47. Lady Soul - The Temptations
48. Rubberband Man - Youssou N’dour
49. Once More - Wedding Present
50. She’s On It - The Beast Boys
51. Poguetry In Motion Ep - The Pogues
52. Therese - The Bodines
53. Mind At The End Of The Tether - Tackhead
54. E=Mc2 - Big Audio Dynamite
55. Basslines - Mantronix
56. Jump Back(Set Me Free) - Dhar Braxton
57. Bahia Girl - David Rudder
58. Rumors - Timex Social Club
59. Velocity Girl - Primal Scream
60. Whistling In The Dark - Easterhouse

[naughty boy]

The Real Roxanne! still got the 12 inch oooerrr

the Ciccone Youth was a blast, too

and Run DMC

[Dayodead]

Pretty easy vote on this one...Prince, Cameo, CY...

My top singles from 1986:
1. REM- Fall on me
2. The Smiths- Panic
3. New Order- Bizarre love triangle
4. The Smiths- Ask
5. Husker Du- Don't want to know if you are lonely
6. Concrete Blonde- Still in Hollywood
7. Alien Sex Fiend- Smells like 
8. Camper Van Beethoven- Take the Skinheads bowling
9. The Cramps- What's inside a girl ?
10. Public Image Limited- Rise

The Bats- Made up in blue
Shop Assistants- Safety net
14 iced bears- Inside
Egg Hunt- Me and You
Skinny Puppy- Dig it 
X- Burning house of love 
REM- Superman
New Order- Shellshock
The Smiths- Bigmouth strikes again /  Some girls are bigger than others
Violent Femmes- Children of the Revolution
Husker Du- Sorry somehow
Funeral Party- Dream of Embryo
Love and Rockets- All in my mind
Felt- Rain of crystal spires
Sonic Youth- Starpower
Prince- Kiss / Girls & Boys
Ciccone Youth- Burnin' up
Cocteau Twins- Love's easy tears
The Replacements- Kiss me on the bus / Swingin' Party
Television Personalities- How I learned to love the bomb 

[naughty boy]

Husker Du

[sloopjohnc]

Kiss
Word Up
Walk this Way

[Count Machuki]

Pretty easy vote on this one...Prince, Cameo, CY...

Same, but I would have voted for that Anita Baker I've I'd had the option. Grown Folks Music of the highest order.

[the masked man]

Prince, Cameo, Gwen. Three obvious standouts.

[the masked man]

... but I would have voted for that Anita Baker I've I'd had the option. Grown Folks Music of the highest order.

...or, alternatively, unexciting bland fare for the wine bar crowds....

[naughty boy]

oooh somebody not liking something!!

[toomanyhatz]

Electro-funk. Not very funky. Finally even music based on groove lost its groove.

I will just come right out and say this - "Levi Stubbs' Tears' is probably Mr. Bragg's finest song. It is leagues better than anything else here.

Prince in a very distant 2nd.

All I can say about the pick of the rest is that it's not Age of Chance...

[Goat Boy]

Clueless.

Nice to be reminded just how much of a useless talentless cunt Bragg is.

Kiss and Word Up are both mighty

[Georgios]

Word Up very noticeably runs out of gas around half way - never understood why it was so highly rated. The other single from that album Candy is much better. Respect to Larry Blackmon obviously.


Why is that pair of heavy shitted Y-fronts Bragg in this list?

[sloopjohnc]

Pretty easy vote on this one...Prince, Cameo, CY...

Same, but I would have voted for that Anita Baker I've I'd had the option. Grown Folks Music of the highest order.

I like her too.

[naughty boy]

Word Up very noticeably runs out of gas around half way - never understood why it was so highly rated. The other single from that album Candy is much better. Respect to Larry Blackmon obviously.

Exactly right.

Why is that pair of heavy shitted Y-fronts Bragg in this list?

I thought it was just a passing fad, but apparently some people think it's the best thing here!


this is my ESSENTIAL GUIDE to the rest of the list:

hear it now

11. Almost Prayed - The Weather Prophets
23. Panic - The Smiths
25. Starpower/Expressway To Your Skull - Sonic Youth
27. World Shut Your Mouth - Julian Cope
30. Living Too Late - The Fall
31. Safety Net - Shop Assistants
39. Saturday Night - Cherrelle & Alexander O’neil
51. Poguetry In Motion Ep - The Pogues



pretty damned good

24. Sweet Love - Anita Baker
32. Mr Pharmacist - The Fall
36. Diggin’ Your Scene - The Blow Monkeys
46. Do Fries Go With That Shake? - George Clinton
52. Therese - The Bodines
28. Love Can't Turn Around - Farley Jackmaster Funk
15. Rise - Pil
19. Human - Human League

[The Modernist]

86 and 87 were slightly dodgy years -both for music and for the NME, whose credibility as tastemakers was starting to look very precarious indeed (epitomised by their desperate promotion of the hopeless Age of Chance). There was some good US hip hop and contemporary soul in that year, but it's not really represented in this hodge-podge of a top ten.
Anyway I went for Prince and Cameo obviously, they stand out a mile from the pack. I was slightly stuck for a third, but plumped for Trouble Funk as I liked the band, although this is one of their weaker cuts.

[The Modernist]

Same, but I would have voted for that Anita Baker I've I'd had the option. Grown Folks Music of the highest order.

Same here -'Sweet Love' was a massive track. They must have had their head in their arse not to pick it in the top ten.

[Georgios]

39. Saturday Night - Cherrelle & Alexander O’neil

You can't fuck with the Jam and Lewis era stuff on Tabu records. There's a 7CD box set for the label kicking around which I recommend if you can find it cheap enough. Surprised how much i enjoyed it.

[toomanyhatz]

Some people!

[Georgios]

Same, but I would have voted for that Anita Baker I've I'd had the option. Grown Folks Music of the highest order.

Same here -'Sweet Love' was a massive track. They must have had their head in their arse not to pick it in the top ten.

Rapture ended up selling a gazillion copies though. I mean it hasn't stopped them picking Prince here but you always suspect the influence of Inkie politics and snobbery are never far away with these lists.