#261 - Revisiting 1986: 40th Anniversary LPs Pt. 1

Kicking off our look at 1986, this WorkTape retrospective lands on a year that felt less like a peak and more like a turning point. As hair metal pushed further into the mainstream, hip-hop continued finding its footing, post-punk kept evolving, and artists across rock, R&B, and pop began experimenting with where music could go next. We revisit landmark releases like Licensed to Ill, Graceland, The Queen Is Dead, Master of Puppets, and So, while asking why some records from 1986 still feel remarkably current and others remain unmistakably tied to their era. If 1976 was about defining genres, 1986 might've been the year they started changing.🎧 Episode Highlights:Is Licensed to Ill still one of hip-hop's defining crossover albums?Did Run-D.M.C. permanently change the relationship between rock and hip-hop?Is The Queen Is Dead really The Smiths' masterpiece?Is Master of Puppets Metallica's greatest album?Has Invisible Touch aged better than people give it credit for?Was 1986 more transitional than legendary?