<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0According to an article entitled <\/span>The Class of 1986<\/span><\/i> in <\/span>Guitar World<\/span><\/i> magazine (Vol 47 Issue 3 March 2026), \u201886 was a pivotal year for iconic albums.\u00a0 In this issue, <\/span>GW <\/span><\/i>Editor-in-Chief Damian Fanelli recounted some of the recent losses (deaths) the music world has already had this year and then he cut to the chase.\u00a0 He noted that <\/span>GW<\/span><\/i>‘s banner headline stated, \u201cThis issue\u2019s main attractions;\u00a0 a guide to some of the greatest and most interesting guitar albums of 1986.\u00a0 I say \u2018some of\u2019 because, obviously, there are so many other albums we could\u2019ve – and still could – cover.\u00a0 The year is young!\u00a0 Whether you love them or hate them (or have never heard of them), they are mementos and reminders of an already-distant time that is slipping further and further away with every passing second.\u201d\u00a0 For space purposes, we can\u2019t look at all twelve of <\/span>GW\u2019<\/span><\/i>s choices (which span 22 pages of the magazine), so we will direct our attention to seven of the albums cited.\u00a0 The backstories from the guitar players involved in the creation of these albums add some interesting highlights to what we remember about 1986.\u00a0 That makes sense as it is a guitar magazine, after all.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0First out of the blocks, we find Aerosmith\u2019s Joe Perry sharing his memories of recording one of their most famous tracks, <\/span>Walk This Way.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Okay, <\/span>Walk This Way<\/span><\/i> was originally released as the second single off their 1975 album <\/span>Toys in the Attic<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 The version Perry talked to <\/span>GW<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Andrew Daly about was the revamped version Perry and Steven Tyler recorded with hip-hop act Run-D.M.C in 1985.\u00a0 Aerosmith\u2019s fortunes had taken a decided downturn due in part to the lack of commercial success of their comeback album, 1985\u2019s <\/span>Done With Mirrors<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Well, that and the on-going personal tensions in the band coupled with their use of mind altering substances.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t referred to as \u2018the Toxic Twins\u2019 for no reason.\u00a0 It was producer Rick Rubin who had the idea to revisit the track and after he convinced the skeptical Run-D.M.C. guys, the Aerosmith boys were all in:\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s try it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Perry and Tyler flew into Queens, NY (they were on tour in North Carolina at the time).\u00a0 Rubin said to Run-D.M.C., \u201cYou\u2019re using the drums to rap to anyway, you might as well take it all the way.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try it.\u201d\u00a0 He was right and with the drums laid down, the rest of the track fell together quickly.\u00a0 After listening to the mix, they decided Perry should add a bass part, but there wasn\u2019t a bass guitar at the studio.\u00a0 One of three younger guys hanging out in the studio offered to run to his apartment a few blocks away to get his bass.\u201d\u00a0 The \u2018guys\u2019 turned out to be The Beastie Boys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are a couple of reasons Perry still likes what they did with the track:\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re just proud to say it was a meeting of two styles of music.\u00a0 We got Black rappers on MTV. \u00a0 The only Black cat on MTV at that point was Michael Jackson, at least, that is what we heard.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>GW\u2019<\/span><\/i>s Bill DeMain sat down with The Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson to hear her thoughts about their <\/span>Different Light<\/span><\/i> album.\u00a0 The LP produced five charting singles but the one they opened their conversation with was the third release, <\/span>Walk Like an Egyptian.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Peterson told DeMain, \u201cThose moves [from the video] still follow us.\u00a0 But fun as it is, I remember thinking the label would never release it as a single, because it\u2019s just too weird.\u201d\u00a0 Some criticize The Bangles for recording songs for the album that they didn\u2019t write. \u00a0 Peterson says they were touring so much behind their 1984 album (<\/span>All Over the Place<\/span><\/i>) that they just didn\u2019t have the time to write new material.\u00a0 The record buying public apparently didn\u2019t care and sent their sophomore album to No. 2 on <\/span>The Billboard <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Cash Box Top 200 <\/span><\/i>charts.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The single that got the most tabloid space was <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> because everybody wanted the rumours of a romance between Susanna Hoffs and Prince to be true (they were not).\u00a0 Prince had penned the song for a project he was producing (Apollonia 6) but gifted it to The Bangles after seeing them perform.\u00a0 Prince passed a cassette on to the band but instead of simply adding their vocals to his recorded track, they worked up their own arrangement.\u00a0 He ventured into the studio only one time to check how it was going.\u00a0 Upon hearing how Peterson adapted the opening keyboard riff to guitar, he gave them a thumbs up and left.\u00a0 Whenever their paths crossed, Prince made it a point to show up at one of their gigs and play a few songs with them.\u00a0 In our continuing battle against relying on A.I. too much, be aware that a web search for <\/span>Manic Monday<\/span><\/i> attributes the \u2018song and lyrics\u2019 to The Bangles).\u00a0 As I always told my students, \u201cNever rely on only one source when researching a topic!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>GW\u2019<\/span><\/i>s Henry Yates visited with Europe guitarist John Norum about their first big album to cross the Atlantic, <\/span>The Final Countdown.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Slow album sales of their first two records made them the unlikely \u2018next big thing\u2019 destined for the American market, but Norum said all of a sudden, \u201cEverything clicked with <\/span>The Final Countdown<\/span><\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 They signed with Epic Records, hooked up with Journey producer Kevin Elson, and saw the album rise to No. 8 on the <\/span>Billboard<\/span><\/i> charts behind a string of singles.\u00a0 The album included <\/span>Rock the Night<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Carrie<\/span><\/i>, but forty years down the road, the one track everybody wants to talk about is the title track.\u00a0 People either love it or mock it, but the 753 million streams prove it to be a song with legs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Originally, Norum wasn\u2019t all that impressed when singer Joey Tempest first played them a demo of the song:\u00a0 \u201cI thought it was dreadful and was irritated by hearing that keys lick over and over again.\u201d\u00a0 He worried that the hard rock band he co-founded in 1979 was, \u201cturning into Depeche Mode.\u201d\u00a0 What changed his mind?\u00a0 He told Yates, \u201cI\u2019m a huge UFO fan so that galloping feel came from Michael Schenker\u2019s playing on <\/span>Lights Out.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0 As for the blistering solo, Norum says, \u201cThe technique comes from Ritchie Blackmore and I was friends with Yngwie Malmsteen.\u00a0 My guitar style was a lot more frantic back then.\u201d\u00a0 I do not know that you will remember Norum\u2019s solo off the top of your head, but I am sure by now you are humming the synth riff that opens <\/span>The Final Countdown <\/span><\/i>and repeats many times down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A quick guitarist quiz – Can you name the guitarist who replaced Warren Cuccurillo in Frank Zappa\u2019s band, Yngwie Malmsteen in Alcatraz, became David Lee Roth\u2019s guitarist when the singer broke away from Van Halen, and replaced a slew of six-stringers who came before him in Whitesnake?\u00a0 Note the use of the singular word \u2018guitarist\u2019 in the question.\u00a0 The answer is Steve Vai.\u00a0 Not only did he help propel Roth\u2019s 1986 solo debut <\/span>Eat \u2018em and Smile<\/span><\/i> album up the charts, he also gained a lot of props as the devil\u2019s hand picked picker in the guitar battle from the 1986 movie release <\/span>Crossroads.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Truth be told, Vai\u2019s devilish guitar player muffed a passage and lost the battle to Ralph Macchio\u2019s character, but he really won the battle – Vai had also performed the licks that Ralph \u2018played\u2019.\u00a0 For the record, Ry Cooder is credited with the slide guitar parts used in other parts of the movie.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vai told <\/span>GW\u2019s <\/span><\/i>Andrew Daly that he had been lucky enough to join bands on the heels of some fantastic players, but he never got any backlash.\u00a0 Of course, people were going to compare him with Edward Van Halen when Roth brought him into his solo band (along with bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Greg Bissonette).\u00a0 Vai said, \u201cI adored Edward\u2019s playing, so from a fan\u2019s standpoint, I understood that people would be skeptical.\u00a0 But competing with Eddie Van Halen?\u00a0 You don\u2019t compete with Mount Everest – you just admire it.\u00a0 My mindset was simply to contribute something authentic, be myself, and let that speak for itself.\u201d\u00a0 Diamond Dave had a\u00a0 knack for presenting his music and manic persona in over the top MTV videos.\u00a0 Songs like <\/span>Yankee Rose<\/span><\/i> (and later <\/span>Just Like Paradise<\/span><\/i>) became the music channel’s favorites and made Steve Vai a very famous guitar player in a very short time.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Christ Hayes has fond memories of putting together the album <\/span>Fore!<\/span><\/i> With Huey Lewis and the News.\u00a0 The only problem they had in 1986 was coming up with an album to top what they had already done.\u00a0 Their third album (<\/span>Sports<\/span><\/i> – 1983) was loaded with four<\/span> Top Ten Singles <\/span><\/i>on the <\/span>Billboard 200 <\/span><\/i>chart (<\/span>Heart and Soul, I Want a New Drug, The Heart of Rock & Roll, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>If This Is It<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 They spent so much time on the road promoting <\/span>Sports, <\/span><\/i>they had a hard time getting songs together for album number four.\u00a0 I can vouch for that because we happened to catch Huey Lewis and The News at Lakeview Arena in Marquette the week the album went to No. 1.\u00a0 To add just a little more pressure, they also scored their first number one single with <\/span>The Power of Love<\/span><\/i>, a song featured in the 1985 blockbuster film <\/span>Back to the Future<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Pressure?\u00a0 Yes indeed!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hayes recalled, \u201cWe realized we were going to have to make another record so we started writing in earnest.\u00a0 At one point, our manager Bob Brown came to me and said, \u2018Hayes, I need you to write another hit!\u2019 And it\u2019s not like I could just do it whenever.\u201d\u00a0 He credits Donald Fagan\u2019s <\/span>Nightfly<\/span><\/i> album, and particularly the track <\/span>I.G.Y<\/span><\/i>, for getting him started on what would become <\/span>Stuck With You.<\/span><\/i> \u00a0 He told interviewer Joe Matera, \u201cI wanted to write something with that kind of groove.\u00a0 <\/span>Stuck With You<\/span><\/i> is kind of poppy –\u00a0 kind of a sappy song.\u00a0 I wrote the music and then Huey wrote the lyrics.\u00a0 Some of the guys made fun of it, but it ended up giving us our second number one record.\u201d\u00a0 It took a while to record <\/span>Fore! <\/span><\/i>as they hopped back and forth between touring and the studio.\u00a0 Hayes views <\/span>Fore! <\/span><\/i>as their last really great guitar record:\u00a0 \u201cBy albums five and six, radio stations were kind of moving away from guitar oriented music.\u00a0 All these metal guys were doing acoustic versions of their songs, so electric guitars were kind of going out of favor.\u201d\u00a0 Hayes would continue with The News until 2000 when he decided to get off the road and concentrate on his family and solo work.\u00a0 After fourteen more years in the band, <\/span>Fore!<\/span><\/i> wasn\u2019t exactly his swan song with the News.\u00a0 Last time we checked, he was living in Springfield, Oregon and enjoying life as a soccer dad.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Blues rock bands were on the rise in the early 1980s thanks to guitarists like Robert Cray,<\/span><\/p>\n Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Albert Collins, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.\u00a0 Meanwhile, SRV\u2019s older brother Jimmy was toiling in the background with The Fabulous Thunderbirds.\u00a0 Their four previous albums had gained them a cult-like following.\u00a0 The Thunderbirds would see their fortunes rise swiftly into the mainstream in 1986 with the release of <\/span>Tuff Enuff<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Recorded in London and produced by Dave Edmunds, it was definitely a turn toward a more commercial direction.\u00a0 It also didn\u2019t hurt one bit to have the title song featured in two popular \u201886 films, <\/span>Gung Ho<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Tough Guys.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Once they had captured a good share of the market, they released their second single, a cover of Sam & Dave\u2019s <\/span>Wrap it Up.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Lead singer Kim Wilson didn\u2019t exactly look like MTV material, but their videos still played well.\u00a0 Wilson eventually spun off on his own but that has not stopped him from touring with his own version of the T-Birds long after Jimmy also went out on his own.<\/span><\/p>\n When we saw Wilson and the FT\u2019s at the Calumet Theater a few years ago, the songs off the\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tuff Enuff<\/span><\/i> album were still fan favorites.\u00a0 They sounded a little ragged during the first couple of songs in Calumet and Wilson let the audience in on a little secret.\u00a0 Once the sound was smoothed out, he commented, \u201cWell, we aren\u2019t going to skip our soundcheck again!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Having already discussed David Lee Roth\u2019s escape from Van Halen, we will end our \u201886\u2019 album tour with his old band.\u00a0 Everybody was laying bets on what the future of Van Halen would be without Diamond Dave fronting the band.\u00a0 Their last LP together (<\/span>1984<\/span><\/i>) gave them their only No. 1 hit single courtesy of <\/span>Jump.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>The event that signaled the end of the original VH lineup was a disagreement about the band\u2019s future.\u00a0 Eddie wanted to get the next album out in 1985 to ride the <\/span>1984 <\/span><\/i>wave.\u00a0 DD wanted to take a year off to do his own thing.\u00a0 When Roth\u2019s departure was announced four months after he and Eddie had their un-meeting of the minds, fans and the brothers VH figured Roth would come to his senses and come back.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t and the thinking in the music press went something like this:\u00a0 \u201cOkay, they hit the pinnacle in 1984, so the only way to go from there is down!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eddie considered a few options.\u00a0 One was to record an album with different lead singers for each track.\u00a0 \u201cFortunately, Alex talked me out of it,\u201d he told <\/span>GW.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>The path forward came from a car dealership on L.A.\u2019s Wilshire Boulevard owned by Claudio Zampolli.\u00a0 Eddie had bought several Lamborghinis and in passing mentioned to Claudio he was looking for a new singer.\u00a0 When Sammy Hagar stopped by later to look at Ferraris (no wonder he <\/span>Can\u2019t Drive 55<\/span><\/i>), Zampolli mentioned his talk with Eddie.\u00a0 He gave the car dealer permission to let Ed know he would be interested.\u00a0 The VH brothers were fans of Hagar\u2019s work with Montrose and it just so happened that their producer, Ted Templeman, had worked with Hager on the albums <\/span>Montrose<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Paper Money.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>It took until July of 1985 for Eddie to finally give up on having Roth return.\u00a0 He invited Hagar to jam with them at his new 5150 studio.\u00a0 As Van Halen told <\/span>GW<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Chris Gill, \u201cWhen we played the first song, <\/span>Summer Nights<\/span><\/i>, Hagar came up with the lyrics and melody on the spot.\u00a0 In twenty minutes, we had a complete song.\u00a0 We all freaked out.\u201d\u00a0 August would find Van Halen officially announcing Roth\u2019s exit but Hagar was not confirmed to be his replacement until fall.\u00a0 Sammy announced the big news in September at his final show with his own band at <\/span>Farm Aid<\/span><\/i> right after Eddie joined them on stage.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The \u2018Van Hagar\u2019 guys wanted Templeman to produce their first record, but he had already committed to working with Roth on <\/span>Eat \u2018Em and Smile.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 VH turned to Donn Landee (5150\u2019s studio engineer) to help Eddie produce the first tracks.\u00a0 By December, they had brought in Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones to produce (he had produced all of Foreigner\u2019s albums).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to Eddie, \u201cWe were almost done with the album, but Mick helped us organize everything and polish it up.\u00a0 He changed a few things, especially on <\/span>Dreams.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The album would bear the studio\u2019s name (<\/span>5150<\/span><\/i>) and it was notable for a couple of reasons.\u00a0 It was the first VH album Eddie recorded without his \u2018Frankenstrat\u2019 guitar.\u00a0 It also saw him insert more keyboards a la <\/span>Jump <\/span><\/i>from <\/span>1984.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Behind hit tracks like <\/span>Why Can\u2019t This Be Love, Dreams, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Love Walks In<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>