Vol. 8: 1986 of the comprehensive On Record series captures the British synth-pop duos (Pet Shop Boys) and bombastic hard-rock acts (Europe’s “The Final Countdown) making an impression on the charts, the sexiness of Madonna and Berlin, and seminal videos (Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”), as well as the year’s greatest releases from pop, R&B, country and jazz stars. The On Record series is a year-by-year, comprehensive look at the evolution of popular music from 1978 to 1998.

Colorado Music Experience founding director and author G. Brown covered popular music at The Denver Post for 26 years, interviewing well over 3,200 musicians, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, and Kurt Cobain, all of whom recounted their escapades and reminisced about what their time on the charts meant to them personally and musically. Over the decades, G. also amassed an archive of close to 15,000 rare promotional photos.

Each volume of the On Record series presents nearly 200 rare archival images and 100 interviews with an array of performers, from the late Jerry Garcia and Dave Matthews to Bono and Santana. Beautifully crafted, these books belong in the library of every music fan and music institute.

Proceeds from book sales benefit Colorado Music Experience.