1985

In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev took over the Soviet Union in March, Live Aid filled Wembley and Philadelphia in July, and Coca-Cola reformulated its famous drink only to bring the old recipe back within three months. Fifty-six people died in the Bradford City stadium fire in May, a grim day in English football.

Metal was getting faster and nastier, and the vault shows it. Slayer's Hell Awaits arrived in April, Megadeth's Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! in May, and Anthrax's Spreading the Disease in October. Iron Maiden's Live After Death landed a fortnight earlier, a fitting souvenir after their turn at Rock in Rio in January, where AC/DC also played to a crowd of 1.5 million. AC/DC followed with Fly on the Wall in June. Further down the bill, Pantera's I Am the Night, Faith No More's We Care a Lot and Sepultura's Bestial Devastation hinted at what was coming. The newly formed lists included Guns N' Roses, Candlemass, Carcass and Dream Theater, then calling themselves Majesty. Dee Snider also testified at the Senate hearings on rock censorship in September.

The drama was considerable. David Lee Roth left Van Halen after months of squabbling and released Crazy from the Heat. At Live Aid, Led Zeppelin reunited with Phil Collins on drums, while Black Sabbath got back together with Ozzy Osbourne. Mercyful Fate called it a day, and David Byron, once of Uriah Heep, died in February.