ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 192 VAN HALEN - 1984 (30TH ANNIVERSARY)

[RJhog (Admin)]

 

Artist: Van Halen

Genre: Hard Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes (2007)

Album: 1984

Producer: Ted Templeman

RJ's Top 5 Tunes: 1. Hot For Teacher...2. I'll Wait...3. Jump...4. Top Jimmy...5. House Of Pain

Disclaimer:  All "facts" come from wikipedia.com unless otherwise noted.

Disclaimer #2:  I'm on an 80's kick for the next 10 weeks.  I'm covering an 80's album from each year of the 80's decade, though not in chronological order.  Some of these may be well known to me, some may not be.  But they were all pretty big sellers that left a mark. Out of these ten, I actually had to purchase two of them to feature them here.  I think Scott and Jon are along for the 80's ride as well, maybe.

 

Everybody likes Van Halen, right?  Except my wife.  She hates 'em (likes Van Hagar though).  That's okay.  I don't make her listen to Van Halen and she doesn't make me listen to Cher.  Fair deal.  Anyway, this week we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of what we always thought would be the last VH album with Diamond Dave on vocals.  That would be 1984.  And although I like it, I only rank it around 5 or 6 in my personal Van Halen Top 10.

 

But it was huge.  It had great videos and contained some outstanding songs. It also featured one of the best drum intros I've ever heard.  Here are some statistics:

 

• 1984 reached number 2 on the Billboard charts.
• It is certified Diamond (sales in the U.S. in excess of 10 million copies) by the RIAA.
• It contained the bands only number one hit (Jump).
• Jump sold over 3 million copies as a single.
• Three other singles charted (I'll Wait and Panama reached number 13, while Hot For Teacher topped out at number 56).
• The album cover was somewhat controversial as it featured a small child smoking.

 

So what do you think of the album?  I will add that it was released during my senior year of high school.  And I certainly remember Jump being played quite a lot.  Finally, possibly my favorite video ever is Van Halen's Hot For Teacher.  I'll include it below for a little stroll down memory lane.  Enjoy.

Side One:

1. 1984

2. Jump

3. Panama

4. Top Jimmy

5. Drop Dead Legs

 

Side Two:

6. Hot For Teacher

7. I'll Wait

8. Girl Gone Bad

9. House Of Pain

[TageRyche]

5 songs that I remember very fondly. I used to have this but don't own a copy of the album anymore.

[Jon]

Remember the world premiere video of "Jump". Didn't we all gather around the tv on New Years Eve of '83 waiting for it on MTV? When it was over didn't we look at each other and try to figure out what in the hell was going on with Van Halen?

After the shock wore off, I guess we all accepted that song. And then when the album released we all were happy, at least most of us. Great album, but an album I did get tired of after awhile, but laying it aside for a few years and then listening to is again made me appreciate it even more.

Fine album, fine pick!

[Scott]

So ya..  this was pretty good you know?  Pretty much dominated the airwaves for like 2 years and stuff.  Probably cracked my dashboard playing air drums to Jump and Panama.  I remember this one time when we were out at the park kickin' the hackeysack - which was way cool to do in 84 - and a big group of us jammed on this for like, a good long while!  Wore that cassette down!!  Know what I mean?

Nice choice dude, brings back memories, or at least bits and pieces of them....

[Jon]

were you at the park or at band camp?

[Scott]

PARK...  silly

[Niels (Mod)]

I was dissapointed over "Diver Down", so this was an improvement, but it was not as good as "Mean Street".

Like Jon, I got tired of it pretty fast, but the album was still populare everywhere. Just like when KISS released the awefull "Unmasked", this album became the breakthrough for VH in these parts of the world. Some of my friends, that had nada interest in or knowledge about music, were suddently interested in borrowing it from me. So just like "Unmasked" marked a turning-point for me as a KISS-fan, this one made me loose interest in VH. I didn't really care, when Roth left the band.

Kind of just to piss all the "fans" around me, I told them, that my favorite track was "Girl gone Bad" right from the beginning, and frankly, I still think it is. It's another one of those waaayyy overplayed albums, but after all these years, and since this kind of music now is Classic Rock, I accept it as the last real good VH-album. And no, the one, they released a couple of years ago, wasn't good or real for that matter. Not without Anthony.

[Gordon Williams]

I've gotten tired of this one, as well. It's good, but I just dont listen to it much anymore.

But I do disagree with Niels on the last VH album. I thought it was outstanding...including the bass playing of the younger Mr. Van Halen. Michael Anthony's vocals are missed (I bet especially live in concert), but I have not gotten tired of "A Different Kind Of Truth" at all yet.

On a side note, isn't it funny how time has changed albums? Back in the 80's, you could count on 8 t0 10 tracks, and anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes of music. These days, a lot of new releases come with 12 to 15 tracks or so.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Precisely one of the problems with today's albums...they are too long.  Thirty to forty minutes is good to shoot for.  Many of these bands that put 15 songs on an album put at least 5 watered down tracks.  It's just like working on any problem.  Give it some attention for a bit, then walk away from it for a while.  You'll be much fresher when you return.  Spend a couple months working up 8-10 really good songs, six weeks recording and turn it over to the producer.  Then walk away.  Tour.  Get some fresh ideas, repeat cycle next year.

[Jon]

Unless it's an album about a raven where every song is awesome and the almost 55 min running time is too short.