An article about albums turning 40 this year, including Human Frailty by Hunters and Collectors.

Author:  Matt Neal, ABC News.

Date: 11 January 2026.

Original URL: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-11/1986-albums-turning-40/106186462

Article Text

From Madonna to Metallica, these are the big albums turning 40 this year

In 1986, the world of popular music was in an incredible state of flux.

The industry was looking back in a serious way for the first time — in the US, the newly established Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first musicians (all men), recognising the first wave of rock’n’rollers who changed music in the 50s.

Meanwhile MTV was becoming all-powerful, and the era of the video clip had well and truly dawned, sending pop music into the stratosphere.

But two other musical genres — metal and hip hop — were about to make a splash into the mainstream in a big way, yielding two of the biggest albums of 1986.

The Big Hitters

Pop music was the dominant force in the 80s, aided by the rise of MTV.

If you had the look to go with the sounds, chances are you were on your way to the top.

And the top in 1986 featured some of the biggest names of all time.

True Blue — Madonna

Slippery When Wet — Bon Jovi

Graceland — Paul Simon

Different Light — The Bangles

True Colours — Cindy Lauper

So — Peter Gabriel

Control — Janet Jackson

Revenge — Eurythmics

Invisible Touch — Genesis

Hip hop

Hip hop had been bubbling away for over a decade by 1986 — long enough for a so-called “new school” of rappers to have emerged and help take the genre to new heights.

Licensed To Ill — Beastie Boys

Raising Hell — Run DMC

Hot, Cool & Vicious — Salt-N-Pepa

Metal

Hip hop wasn’t the only genre having a moment in 1986.

Heavy metal, reborn as thrash metal, was suddenly faster, heavier and more brutal than it had ever been… and had weirdly become more popular than ever.

Master Of Puppets — Metallica

Reign In Blood — Slayer

Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? — Megadeth

Iconic Australians

1986 was quite a year for Australian music, though one album by a certain J Farnham overshadows everything else.

Whispering Jack — John Farnham

Born Sandy Devotional — The Triffids

Human Frailty — Hunters & Collectors

Emerging from Melbourne’s pub-rock scene, the “Hunners” had shed their krautrock-infused post-punk origins by their fourth studio album, with frontman Mark Seymour admitting to triple j he had told his bandmates “we should try and make a commercial record”.

Boasting a cleaner sound, Human Frailty bubbles with the ups and downs of Seymour’s relationship at the time, and became the band’s first top 10 record.

While Say Goodbye’s refrain “you don’t make me feel like I’m a woman anymore” made it a fan favourite, it’s the second single Throw Your Arms Around Me that has become an Aussie classic, and is the only song to appear in six different triple j Hottest 100s (seven if you count Paul McDermott’s glorious cover).

Gossip — Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls

Crowded House — Crowded House

Cult favourites

Chart success isn’t everything, and the 80s are filled with bands that didn’t sell millions, but did something even more important — they inspired a whole generation of fans and musicians.

1986 is particularly filled with great influential releases from cult acts; bands such as They Might Be Giants, Talk Talk, Billy Bragg, Depeche Mode, The The, Bad Brains and Sonic Youth.

But here are six particularly important records.

The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths

Skylarking — XTC

Throwing Muses — Throwing Muses

Candy Apple Grey — Hüsker Dü

Pretty Little Baka Guy — Shonen Knife

Lifes Rich Pageant — R.E.M.

Soundtracks

In the wake of Saturday Night Fever selling an estimated 40 million copies a decade earlier, soundtrack albums had never been bigger.

While 1986 wasn’t exactly a banner year for movies, it did yield a few great soundtracks.

Top Gun — various artists

Parade – Music From Under The Cherry Moon — Prince & The Revolution

Footrot Flats – The Dog’s Tale — Dave Dobbyn

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