Best of '86

Classical

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3 (L'Oiseau-Lyre). Christopher Hogwood leads the "Eroica," exhilaratingly performed on period instruments by the Academy of Ancient Music.

BERG: VIOLIN CONCERTO; THREE ORCHESTRAL PIECES (CBS). Violinist Pinchas Zukerman and Conductor Pierre Boulez in two powerful 20th century landmarks.

JOHN ALDEN CARPENTER: COLLECTED PIANO WORKS (New World). Denver Oldham plays robust, romantic keyboard music by a neglected American master.

COPLAND: SYMPHONY NO. 3; QUIET CITY (DG). Fanfare for the uncommon man: the composer's finest symphony, brilliantly led by Leonard Bernstein.

ELGAR: SYMPHONY NO. 1 (Philips). The great A-flat symphony, nobly conducted by Andre Previn.

GLASS: SONGS FROM LIQUID DAYS (CBS). Linda Ronstadt and the Roches combine for a minimalist songfest.

HOROWITZ IN MOSCOW (DG). The return of the native: a live recording of the year's most thrilling event.

PLEASURES OF THEIR COMPANY (Angel). A cozy recital by Soprano Kathleen Battle and Guitarist Christopher Parkening.

SCRIABIN: SYMPHONY NO. 1 (Angel). Visionary music, handsomely served by Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5 (RCA). Soviet grandeur meets American dynamism in Leonard Slatkin's explosive reading.

Pop

BODEANS: LOVE & HOPE & SEX & DREAMS (Slash). Down-home rock, fresh from the Midwest -- and from the heart.

DAVID + DAVID: BOOMTOWN (A&M). Suicide notes you can dance to: spooky cameos of lowlife in L.A.

BOB DYLAN: KNOCKED OUT LOADED (Columbia). For one epic song, one of Dylan's greatest: Brownsville Girl, co-written with Sam Shepard.

STEVE EARLE: GUITAR TOWN (MCA). Country songs with a cutting edge and a Texas twang.

THE EVERLY BROTHERS: BORN YESTERDAY (Mercury). Some thirty years on, and they still sing rock's best harmonies.

PETER GABRIEL: SO (Geffen). Convex melodies surround songs that sound like a travel diary of a spiritual netherworld.

THE PRETENDERS: GET CLOSE (Sire). No messing around. Ruthless rock that goes for the throat.

PAUL SIMON: GRACELAND (Warner Bros.). Transcendent spirit under African skies.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND LIVE/1975-85 (Columbia). A personal history and a summing up, this record shows that the Boss, better than anyone, knows both the grim secrets of America and the taproots of its pride.

RICHARD THOMPSON: DARING ADVENTURES (Polydor). Love songs with sawteeth and a strong chaser of rue.