Van Halen - 1984
Band Origin: Pasadena, California, USA
Genre: Hair Metal
Label: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 49 minutes
Release Date: January 9, 1984
Best Part: PANAMA!
Favorite Tracks: Jump, House of Pain, Panama, and Hot For Teacher
Grade: 4.0
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1984 in 20 words or less:
One of the peak performances for these high-flying, colourful and long haired 80's icons.
The Band:
Recognized more today as a hard rock act, Van Halen is one of the names synonymous with the Glam and Hair Metal era of the 1980's, and for good reason - just find some old footage or pictures, or even some recent live footage of David Lee Roth and Photoshop a long mane of blond hair and you've got it - Or you can watch the video below. Formed originally in 1972 by founding members and brothers, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen, Van Halen the band would wind up exploding onto the scene with their debut self-titled release and would spend their time at the top of the charts for most of the 1980's, alongside bassist Michael Anthony who stayed with Van Halen until 2006. Van Halen would also live through certain eras, based primarily around their vocalists, of particular note, original and current vocalist as of 2006, David Lee Roth, and Sammy Hagar between 1985 and 1996. Reunions occurred with both vocalists throughout the past decade, but now Van Halen has officially reunited with Roth and their twelfth album is in the process of being mastered as of September 5th, 2011. The band has always been known for their flair and style, and of course the innovative and explosive performances of Eddie - look no further than Eruption off of their debut for proof immemorial.
And if you've never heard the tale about why Van Halen demanded a large bowl of M&M's minus the browns, at every show, you should read this article. Not only are they great musicians, but they're also clever thinkers, ensuring both their own safety and that of their fans with their elaborate stage setups.
Van Halen's other releases include: Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982), 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), Balance (1995), and Van Halen III (1998)
Jay's Take on 1984:
1984 is two things when you consider Van Halen's history. It was arguably their most successful record, in terms of sales and performances (peaking at no. 2 on charts only behind Thriller by Michael Jackson) and also incorporated some of the original speed and flair of their first records, while keeping the new elements added through their previous two records. It's also the last album recorded with before David Lee Roth before he would leave the group until their reunion twenty years later. Most people either like Sammy Hagar, or consider him the 'guy who wasn't Dave' - despite the fact I wasn't even born when this album came out, I still love me some Van Halen, and Sammy Hagar is the latter to me, he just isn't Roth. 1984 had an array of singles, each a little distinct from each other, each showcasing the ground Van Halen covers over their records, but none of them being a filler track. All nine tracks stand well enough on their own, which is what makes 1984 one of Van Halen's best works. Eddie is in peak form, providing some great licks and solos that Van Halen fans are accustomed to, while Michael's use of effects on tracks like I'll Wait really emphasized the synth driven feel of the era.
Like I said ramping up to the start of 365 Days of Metal, Hair Metal, Glam Metal, call it what you want - it counts.
Sample of the Day:
- J
p.s. Totally forgot to edit the 20 words or less when I ported the template - pretty sure Van Halen doesn't have breakdowns.
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