Though chart domination was still a long way off for Stock Aitken Waterman in 1986, the response, both critical and with the public to the records they released in this year was very positive. Brilliant released their SAW produced album KISS THE LIPS OF LIFE to good reviews along with the singles LOVE IS WAR, SOMEBODY and THE END OF THE WORLD.

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Princess continued her success with I'LL KEEP ON LOVING YOU and TELL ME TOMORROW both reaching the Top 40, although her last SAW single IN THE HEAT OF A PASSIONATE MOMENT disappointingly peaked at #74. All tracks were from her debut album, PRINCESS.

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Established girl group Bananarama, impressed by the Dead Or Alive records, had approached SAW in late '85 and now teamed up with Mike, Matt and Pete for the start of a long association. The first single, a hi-NRG cover of Shocking Blue's VENUS, reached #8 in the UK, and hit the top spot in the USA, while the follow-up MORE THAN PHYSICAL had to make do with the #41.

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Dead Or Alive returned with BRAND NEW LOVER, the first single from their forthcoming SAW-produced album, and the team produced further singles for Haywoode and The Three Degrees.

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Hazell Dean returned to work with SAW after an unsuccessful spell with other producers with the single STAND UP.

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Mike, Matt and Pete moved into television as they wrote and produced LIVING LEGEND, the theme music for BBC1's Roland Rat - The Series. They also did a couple of other tracks for the album LIVING LEGEND-THE ALBUM.

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Georgie Fame teamed up with SAW for two projects: a solo single, SAMBA and as a guest vocalist on the Mondo Kane single, NEW YORK AFTERNOON, both proving the versatility of the three producers. The Georgie Fame-less Mondo Kane followed up with AN EVERLASTING LOVE IN AN EVERCHANGING WORLD but it failed to chart, as did O'Chi Brown's 100% PURE PAIN and Splash's QU'EST-CE QUE C'EST.

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Mike, Matt and Pete produced two singles for Phil Fearon, AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUSE PARTY and I CAN PROVE IT, although the latter single only credited SAW as having mixed the record.

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Early in '86 SAW got a call from Nick East who wanted them to work with a new act called Mel & Kim.

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Mel and Kim Appleby had tremendous energy and enthusiasm and SAW recorded a song with them called "System". After a celebratory trip to the pub SAW quickly realised that the soul songs they had in mind did no represent the girl's personality. They took influence from a new sound breaking out of America called ‘Chicago House’ and gave it a UK edge. The new direction resulted in the duo’s first release SHOWING OUT (GET FRESH AT THE WEEKEND) which shot to #3 on the chart and was a hint at the success to come.