Van Halen's classic, not full of "Jump"s.
Van Halen's classic album, filled up with plenty of risky and innovative guitar riffs (signed of course by, what else?, guitar virtuoso and experimental Eddie Van Halen) which defined the essence of hard rock sound during the 80's.

The subtle blend between hard rock and keyboards worked really well, just for this record and its era, keeping in mind the New Wave movement invaded almost everything then. Much more of it would become tedious...

Excellent vocals, amazing guitar riffs and a few hooking songs made this one of the decade's music exponent, still good enough to enjoy almost after thirty years. However, not all of the songs are as catchy as Jump or Panama, so listener may not expect much more beyond that, but not a bad album anyway with more than a half of good songs.

Some drum sounds on a couple cuts eventually reminds Bonzo's on Led Zeppelin IV.

A must in any 80's collection.

Hailing Vanaheim...
Yeah. This was the cd that made of lot of people, prolly those VHers, sit up and pay some attention. Featuring an outrageous cherub smoking a cig, the rest of the album isn't quite so much. Given the title 1984, I can't help but think that the actual content of this record was suppressed by Big Brother. Regardless, they still managed to get some very high quality songs to the black. Well, shiny, now, not black. If that disc is even there. Point being, this is one of the most important albums out there, not just because it defined much of 80s rock, but because the songs are so frickin' good. `Jump' is about the best rock song I've ever heard, and it's not a downer. Imagine that! And I just read on wiki that Thor, er, I mean Roth, is rejoining that lot for another album! Ah, I can't wait.

One of Van Halen's Best
Giving you the rundown of where I stand, I really enjoyed "Van Halen I" and "Van Halen II." "Women and Children First" was a good record. I did enjoy parts of "Fair Warning." I know a lot of people knocked "Diver Down," but actually, I kind of liked that record. That brings us to the subject at hand. While I don't feel "1984" is quite the record "Van Halen I" is, one could easily argue that "1984" is the closest they came to repeating the magic of "Van Halen I." '1984' is a brief but interesting keyboard piece. 'Jump' is a energetic song that starts the record on a high note. 'Panama' really rocks. 'Top Jimmy' was not my favorite, but I understand it was really popular. 'Drop Dead Legs' had its style. 'Hot For the Teacher' kind of goes against my nature, but I understand it was a major hit. 'I'll Wait' is different with a more relaxed tone, but it is still good. 'Girl Gone Bad' is alright. 'House of Pain' ends the record on a pretty good note. While "Van Halen I" will always be my favorite, "1984" is a really good record and should be in the collection of any Van Halen fan. It is also great to know that Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth are FINALLY back together.

Roth's swan song, perhaps mercifully
Doing far more damage than their mega-selling debut, "1984" helped launch the mainstream explosion of the West Coast hair metal assault by proving that smooth pop hooks and synthesizers could be applied for plenty of crossover appeal without losing the so-called "edge" (though most of these bands were about as sharp as a dulled butter knife). By giving license to this sort of exercise in neon-washed mummer acting, this album can take a greater share of the blame than nearly any other.

There's no denying the guilty pleasure appeal of a hit like "Panama," but "Hot For Teacher" is medicore even for a dunderheaded slab of energetic sleaze rock and "Jump" is sabotaged by their new found adoration for the synthesizer (the energetic performance is in stark contrast to the mechanical musical makeup). "I'll Wait" falls somewhere in between, sounding like a cross between "Jump" and their 1991 megahit, "Right Now." The filler between the radio wonders, though, are pretty tame. "Top Jimmy" has a pretty bad vocal performance (and a rather dull punk-ish melody), "Drop Dead Legs" drags where it tries to strut, and the mediocre leftover from their early days, "House of Pain," simply stumbles. Only "Girl Gone Bad" is worth hearing, but by then, you'll probably be too sick of this album to care anymore.

Best cuts: "Panama," "Girl Gone Bad," "I'll Wait"

One of the best party albums of all time
What is it about Van Halen that exemplies raucous fun, including summer, cold beer, and hot babes? This kind of album would not be produced today, and would probably be dismissed as too corny and lacking in street cred. "1984" contains an amazing joyfulness, from the catchy "Jump" and "Panama" to "Hot for Teacher." Get it and enjoy.