And so came the 80's filled with synth pop and keyboard galore. From the cheesy hair bands to the heavy metal revolution lead by many bands with Metallica being the most popular of them all. But there was still some rock acts that were born in the late 70's still hanging 'round the music scene, one of them being a hard rock band led by an energetic singer and a guitarist that could shred the lights out of every home in America. Van Halen, known for their youthful and party yet hard rockin' music released a landmark album in 1984, which was given the title "1984". A lot of 80's sounds were put into this album and you'll realize it after just one listen. From the keyboard riff of "Jump" to the synth riddled "I'll Wait", there's plenty of 80's sounds incorporated into this album that 80's fan should really enjoy. But Van Halen didn't ditch what made the band in the first place, oh no, they still rock and harder then ever I must say. "Drop Dead Legs" is nothing but a riff crunching innuedo while "Panama" is a fast riff paced rocker that will put you at the edge of your seat. So now that all of that has been said, I think it's time that I give you the details of all these songs...
Band Members:
David Lee Roth (Vocals)
Eddie Van Halen (Guitars)
Michael Anthony (Bass)
Alex Van Halen (Drums)
1. 1984 (1:07)
Not really a song, just a synthesizer and what not creating some almost space like noises which leads into the next song "Jump". I won't rate this song because, well, why would you?
2. Jump (4:04)
Right from the start you should recognize this song for a lot of reasons, first off, it was an amazing success for Van Halen, secondly, it gets a lot of exposure on the radio, although a lot of Van Halen songs get there fair share of radio time, "Jump" easily gets the most. The keyboard dominates this song and the guitar only makes an appearance a ways into the song with a nice solo. This song was supposedly written about a guy going to jump off something and the people watching were chanting him on to "jump", thus comes the title. All I can really say is that this song will get stuck in your head, even if it's a bit cheesy.
5/5
3. Panama (3:32)
Straight from the keyboards and to the guitars is "Panama". Van Halen really rocks out in this one and is a great tune to cruise along the highway or wherever with. The riff is loud but there's a quiet kind of bridge towards the end where you can hear a car or bike reving up. This is once again another classic song by Van Halen and one of the songs that really shine from the album.
5/5
4. Top Jimmy (3:02)
Eddie starts this song out with some tricky guitar playing until it turns into a party song with a nice rockin' beat. David Lee Roth seems to sing like a girl in this song to me but this song is still pretty good nothingless.
4/5
5. Drop Dead Legs (4:15)
The next song contains a bone crushing riff with some amazing guitar playing by Eddie. The lyrics are playfully silly but add a nice fun feel to the song. I think this song is the most underated song on the album, it doesn't get a lot of radio play and not really talked about much. But whatever, it rocks hard and is another great tune to blow out the stereo too.
5/5
6. Hot for Teacher (4:44)
Besides "Jump", this is the biggest hit and most popular song from the album. The drumming really stands out at first in this song and boy, Alex does a great job on the drums I must say. After awhile Eddie comes in with the guitar doin' some sweet tappin' that leads into some rockin' riffs. The verses mellows out though with some bluesy guitar playing and child like singing from the group. The singing you hear during the verses does a good job representing a school classroom. The guitar solo is out of this world, the best solo on the album and one of Eddie's greatest solo's ever. This is a classic song and of the best songs Van Halen ever did.
5/5
7. I'll Wait (4:45)
Back to the keyboards and synths we go with "I'll Wait". Almost like a ballad yet it has a hard rock vibe at the same time. Michael Anthony displays some great bass playing throughout the song. The lyrics are sung to perfection by Roth and this is just another sweet track to be found. The only complaint I have about this song is it ain't really catchy at first. It takes a few listens for it too grow on you so give it some listens.
5/5
8. Girl Gone Bad (4:35)
Easily the weakest track on the album. There's still some amazing guitar work as usual but the singing is mediocre and the chorus gets highly annoying. Once again, good guitar work and a nice solo as well. This song isn't very catchy either and is the only true let down of the album.
3/5
9. House of Pain (3:19)
This song is not hard rock, this song is heavy metal. Compared to a lot of the songs on this album it is very, very loud. It has a crunching riff like Drop Dead Legs but never lets up through the three minutes and ninteen seconds. It's also an underated song by the albums standards. Roth adds some serious vocals that fit the song perfectly. This song is great and is a fantastic song to end a classic album.
5/5
This was the last album David Lee Roth did with Van Halen, who picked up Sammy Hagar for the next album "5150". This along with their self titled debut is probably Van Halen's best and most successful album. There's plenty of 80's in this album but there's still plenty of guitar riffs that will set your pants on fire. "Hot for Teacher" has become a true Van Halen masterpiece and "Jump" is a song that will never be forgotten in the mix of keyboard driven songs. Also, "House of Pain", "Panama" and "Drop Dead Legs" do plenty of hard rockin' to keep the good 'ol fans listening. The only weak spot is maybe the opener if it annoys you or the forgettable "Girl Gone Bad", otherwise...this album is just another classic album in the Van Halen catalogue.
Pros (+)
+ Eddie tears it up again (As usual)
+ "Hot for Teacher" features some excellent drum work by Alex
+ David Lee Roth on most of the songs is top notch
+ Great album flow from song to song
+ Superb keyboard work by Eddie
Cons (-)
- "Girl Gone Bad" is really the only weak song
- A lot of use of synth and keyboards may not appeal to you
