Val Halen

1984 (Reviewed by 80s hair):

This has to be one of my favorite albums of all time!! The only thing I would change is the length. Only 9 tracks!!

Track List:
1. 1984 - A chance for Eddie Van Halen to show off on the keyboards.
2. Jump - This was Van Halen's only #1 US hit in their career. One of the staples of the 80s.
3. Panama - A #13 smash in the US. Also my favorite V.H. song in the world. I love Eddie's guitar playing on this track. Every time I hear it I am put in a good mood.
4. Top Jimmy - A very tongue in cheek song about a rock star. You can almost hear some of David Lee Roth's story in this song.
5. Drop Dead Legs - V.H.'s tribute to great looking Legs! As my wife puts it after hearing this one "A dude song!"
6. "Hot For Teacher" - Another hit single, #13 on the US charts, for V.H. The video is first class for this track.
7. I'll Wait - Once again you hear Eddie coming through on his new toy, the keyboards. A very good song!
8. Girl Gone Bad - A flat out rocker!! Crank it up load.
9. House Of Pain - A song that V.H. had around from the early days. It was one of their original demo tracks from the late 70s. I was very happy to see this one on the album. They rocked it big time!!

This was the last album with David Lee Roth. The sound quality was dated on CD at one point. But now it is out "Remastered" and sounding better than ever!!

Response to this review by Iluvthe80s: I really enjoy listening to this album also. I have always liked the song "I'll Wait" which didn't seem to get as much radio airplay as some of the other singles.

Response to this review by Ironeagle1: In 4th grade our teacher let us play the tape in class during school hours. It was one of the few freedoms we had in that class.I really got my introduction to Van Halen by listening to this album.

Response to this review by Zel: This was the last of the great van halen albums. Its probably why I love it so much. When David Lee Roth left the band just wasn't the same. 1984/Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher are my favorite tracks from this LP.

Response to this review by Caligula: Loved this album, almost a good as their second album, favorite songs were I'll Wait and Panama... ooh for a bit of nostaligia. My friends and I got stuck in a traffic jam on a bridge because they had someone who was threatening to jump. As mean as it sounds now, my friend cranked his car stereo up to the song Jump... it was even mentioned on the radio the next day what someone had done.

Response to this review by JimVII: Van Halen rules, plain and simple. 1984 is one of there best. VH with Dave was the best, although I have to admit I did like 5150 (half of the songs were meant for Dave) and even a few from OU812. After that... forget about it. Rumor has it they have already recorded songs for a new album, but then Ed got cancer. Hopefully Ed will get well, and they will go on tour.

Response to this review by Trixter: This is Van Halen's best album, sadly their last in my opinion. After the departure of David Lee Roth, the band was never the same and Sammy Hagar or even Gary Cherone (sp?) are sad replacements! 1984 spawned some of the best songs and hits for the band, my favorite of all time is "Panama", just hearing that song conjures up the 80's experience. What a time that was!

Response to this review by Cartoon_Chris: This was big in just about every sense of the word. Big sales, big sound, big videos...and do you remember the size of Alex's kit at this time? In hindsight, this album is quite good but left the DLR era unresolved.

Being literally released right at the turn of 1983-84, the synthy opening track in my imagination is a 2001 "dawn from space" of the New Year 1984. Stepping into the brave new world and Orwell and all that. "Jump" is an '80s Big Rock classic that does show how Eddie's keyboard effects did manage to add something to the VH sound without ruining the album.

From there it's a lot more of the usual fun and games at various speeds until three darker tunes close the record out and bring the mood more into line with the back cover than the front. "I'll Wait" is a song I didn't care for at first, but its atmosphere grew on me over time. And "House of Pain" is one I never really noticed that much until I heard the remaster. The "gronk, gronk" guitar over Alex's percussive attack is the last of many highlights, and this remake of an old demo is the closest thing to a full-circle conclusion of the DLR era we have.

So while I think it's slightly overrated, it's still a strong album with good experimentation after the laziness of "Diver Down". I give it an 8 out of 10!