1984

Een comeback maken met Van Halen, sounds like a good plan. Maar dat was het eigenlijk wel echt, want het gaf mij in ieder geval wat onverwachte energie op deze trage, tropische dag. Het heeft mij weinig irritatiemomenten opgeleverd, waar soortgelijke bands zich wel altijd schuldig aanmaken. Best een goed rock album, maar laten we het niet groter maken dan het is. De 80s touch is wel aanstekelijk! Vooral op 'I'll Wait' en natuurlijk 'Jump'. 6,5/10 I'll Wait Jump

Dadrock pur sang. Toch gevaarlijk op deze leeftijd, met al die jonge vaders om ons heen. Zeker, Eddie spuwt erg vuige riffs, dat zijn dan ook de highlights van de plaat. Zoals in Girl Gone Bad of Hot For Teacher. Maar check die titels, hoe plat wil je het verder hebben. Ik werd er gelukkig toch weer niet zo warm van. 5/10

Must hear before you die? You've probably already heard it by the age of for. All criticisms are valid. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ anyway.

Falls off towards the end but the bangers outweigh the chaff.

Love van Halen, mediocre album

The album starts so strongly and then just doesn’t stick the landing in my opinion. That classic fast paced thundering rhythm and wailing guitar is just not for me, I prefer them going hell for leather on a catchy tune.

Yikes, Van Halen sucks. The original quirked up white boys/10

TA cabron nomas

I don't have the look of a guy that would like any Van Halen, but I lose my fucking mind whenever Panama comes on. What a good ass song. I'm reading on the wiki that David Lee Roth left the band after this album bc Eddie wanted more keyboard and synth centric music. Kinda crazy to do that considering only two songs on this album aren't standard Van Halen butt rock, and those two songs are the big arena hit and a pretty well written one in I'll Wait (Michael McDonald on the track). I think I can hear why Eddie would have wanted to go that route, most of his solos are kinda sparse as far as the band comping behind him goes. The bassist isn't doing much melodic work I'm guessing in an effort to stay out of the solo's way, so it can feel a bit empty. At the same time, I dunno if synths specifically would be my first path. It works for Jump because of the big dumb lick right at the top, it's basically a Journey song. But tracks like Girl Gone Bad wouldn't work with synth. Those kinda tracks WOULD work and fill out a lot more with a B3 though. Just put an organist in the mix. Eddie gets his full band, DLR doesn't have to leave the band because 2 songs weren't butt rock. Everyone's happy. That's my 2 cents, anyway. Album is alright otherwise, like I said Panama goes insane. And I can get with some butt rock here and there. 3.

7/10

7/1001 1984 - Van Halen (1984) Man this album surprised me completely. First off, the songs I was dreading most were Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher having heard them so many times in so many different contexts. But no, they absolutely are the best tracks here, and listening to them in the album made me appreciate them a lot more, and unfortunately made nearly every other track seem not quite as great. Eddie's shredding gets a lot of completely fair praise but Alex's Harley Davidson drumming on Hot for Teacher is unbelievable. This sort of hard rock/glam is something I have a natural distaste for which I think will be demonstrated in my subsequent reviews from this genre - but this was such a surprise to me as it holds up pretty well. Can't stop thinking the album cover looks like something from the wall of a bowling alley though. ★★★★

Fun and rocky. Panama continues to be very fun, 40 years on

It’s going to be a Van Halen summer

Maybe the first 80's album I actually enjoyed. It was diverse and not monotonic, good ol' Rock

More a 3.5

This iconic cover with some iconic songs.Has a consistent flow and didn’t feel bored in any part of it. 8/10

Classic but very short. I know he’s regarded as a top guitarist but I’m not a giant fan of eddies style.

I’m hot for teacher!!

Yeah pretty cool actually

Production on this is surprisingly good.

Yeh not my type, but I get it's great for the reasons that it wants to be

Yeah, this album hits. Great production, great drumming stellar vocals it has it all really never gets more and only ramps up. Good dad rock. I love it.

Bangerssss from Van Halen again. Killer performance all around, multiple mega-hits, doesn’t sound too dated, excellent production. Alex is an all-time drummer.

I don’t know why I don’t respect Van Halen much. I grew up with it, sure, and I probably take it for granted, but there are other classic rock bands I respect and take seriously. Van Halen is kind of just standard arena rock, but so are AC/DC or The Scorpions and those guys rule. Their songs are childish and creepy but again, so are 75% of these dudes and I have uneasily accepted that as an unfortunate part of the atmosphere. Even at its best Van Halen is just kind of dumb but I am counting the days until I can rate The Darkness a 5 so like Van Halen’s even good! Sammy Hagar is way better than Diamond Dave but all of this works, the technical proficiency is there, and this is solid classic rock but it does not speak to me the way other bands do. There are some excellent songs on here - I’ll Wait is a fantastic song despite/because of how creepy and pathetic it is, Panama gets me hype every time - and I can even overlook how Hot For Teacher is one of the worst songs ever written. (And not just because of the content! we have already established this! it just cold sucks) but even then it’s just Van Halen I’ve been grappling with this since we got their self titled and I think I am going to grapple with this again when we get to Def Leppard, an arguably worse band who also sits in this kind of classic rock foundation / cheese but who I enjoy way more

Não gosto de rock clássico

Yeah. I've listened to these guys much. But they're all right.

5/5. Goddamnit, this is an AMAZING album, and it legitimately sinks my heart to think about how it's the last of the Roth era Van Halen songs. These guys were TITANS of hard rock, and they threw it all away over lame little spats. I'm such a rigid devotee to the original lineup that I still insist that anything post-DLR shouldn't even be *called* "Van Halen." Anyway — "1984" is admittedly not a 5/5 the whole way through. Some songs are legitimate legends and others pale heavily next to them — but the whole of the album is greater than the sum of its parts. Let's start with what I perceive as the weaker songs. The lame title track that has no business even being on the album is complete filler. "Jump," despite its immense popularity, lacks the raw power and rough edges that makes VH so appealing in the first place; lots of people love it, but it reads as safe and smoothed out compared to the rest of DLR era VH. It's still a good song, but it's missing that Van Halen oomph. "I'll Wait" is another lesser piece: VH *can* do slower, more serious ballads, but this one is boring, anemic. "Little Dreamer," "Little Guitars," and their cover of "(Oh) Pretty Woman" all stand as proof that Van Halen can do something other than kick ass and take names 24/7; they can be delicate or sentimental, too. "I'll Wait" doesn't live up to VH's potential. It's a real 2/5, pushed up near 3 thanks to the great musicianship behind it, but man, what a snoozefest of a song. Alright, now the good: every other song on this album is rad as hell, classic Van Halen grown up. All the things that made their debut album a masterpiece is present in the rest of "1984," only everyone is a better musician, a better composer, a better performer. It is awesome. "Panama," "Hot for Teacher," and "Girl Gone Bad" are raucous, irreverent, and larger than life. These songs leap out of the radio, they tell stories, they make your car speed an additional 15mph while your wife tells you to mind the limit. I joke, but damn, they're so good. The riffs in these songs are simple and executed so well. Dave belts out the lyrics with more conviction in these tongue-in-cheek songs than most other singers would accord. Eddie, naturally, slays us with his guitar chops. Just listen to the bridge on "Girl Gone Bad," and tell me that there is not rock and roll genius here. There's really nothing like it. "Top Jimmy," "Drop Dead Legs," and "House of Pain," are still VH 1 come again, but these are the sillier, pure fun songs. These songs are to "1984," as "Atomic Punk," "Ice Cream Man," and "Feel Your Love Tonight" are to the debut album. They're still incredible songs that demonstrate top-tier performances of rock and roll's top-tier musicians, but these are the songs that you can tell the band was fooling around and found some cool licks and riffs to build around and took it from there. "Top Jimmy" is such a cool and free flying song. The artificial harmonic beginning sets this mysterious tone at the start, just to dive into this slinky guitar part that I still struggle to play right to this day. "Drop Dead Legs" gives us some "Diver Down"-esque riff work mixed with the first album's cheeky lyrics and barbershop harmonies. "House of Pain" gives this angry, dirty, and rough goodbye to cap off the whole of the album. It's a must listen.

Lots of hits on this album from Van Halen, but I preferred their self-titled debut.

no skip album, fire!

Absolute classic banger Hardrock album. But kinda blend

the hits are AMAZING on these headphones, I was dancing my way through the album and then the deep cuts come on and they're very not good.... everything settles at 3.

125. ok

Det her va veldig mye morsommere å høre på enn æ hadde forventa, og det va æ storfornøyd med. Det e jo ikke min greie sånn generelt, men det va fornøyelig og underholdanes og æ likte det!

Would give it a 3.5 if I could

"1984 wasn’t their best, but its the first Van Halen my dad ever heard. He got that album in 1984 when he was 9 years old. Today, I can still listen to that same record. uhh since i’ve listened to the rest of their discography, here’s a review of the rest: Van Halen II: ..eh? everyone says that this one is better than I, but i really just dont see it. Women And Children First: definitely my favorite. love the acoustic work on it. Fair Warning: probably the most consistent one. very bass heavy, which i love, but also Michael Anthony tuned to C# for it, so strangle. Diver Down: WHY are there SO MANY COVERS 5150: good intro album for Sammy Hagar OU812: most consistent Hagar album. a little too down low to be honest For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge: i also dont get the hype for this one to be honest. it should be on the list because it was the only VH album to win an award and got them on live television (VMAs). Balance: This one took a while and was very influenced by Kurt Cobain’s suicide. the band was kind of at the end of their musical ability and you can definitely hear it. Van Halen III: nope nope nope nope nope nope A Different Kind Of Truth: Loved to hear Wolfie on this one. they really turned the gain up to 11"

Hot for teacher bumped this up a star. Otherwise just not really my cup of tea.

Cheesy 80's synth rock.

Unfortunately this is exactly my flavor

This album is fine. An average, somewhat monotomous sounding record, that is not really my thing. It wasn't too bad having on in the backround, but I dont think I will be listening to it again any time soon. Three stars. (Favorite track: Panama.)

In the Van Halen fan club (AKA, the Van Halen Fan Haven), there was some criticism over their newfound usage of synths—including, evidently, David Lee Roth. I like a good synth, and always found "Jump" to be a fun song, so I never cared much for those criticisms. But then, listening today, I found that 1984 doesn't really hold up as well as I'd thought. And the biggest problem? The synths. Not because they exist, but because they're so... rudimentary. While Eddie Van Halen was without a doubt one of the most inventive, virtuosic guitarists of his generation, he played the synth like a fifteen year-old who just got a new toy. Goofy arpeggiations, basic chord structures, and worst of all (really, my biggest complaint), boring sounds. It kind of sounds like he got a synth on its initial patch, played a few notes and thought, "That's perfect!" Look, "Jump" is still fun. "Panama" is good. "Hot for Teacher" is one of the best songs Van Halen ever put out. It's just not as good as their earlier stuff, and not as good as some of the other hair metal coming out around the same time (like Def Leppard's Pyromania).

Excelente disco

Eddie will be for ever Eddie, one of the best guitar players I ever heard. This album is great, I love it!

meh

A few decent songs, but lacking any kind of bite

Starta dårlig også kom det sæ etter hvert

Van Halen at the peak of dirtbag rock. Their final entry with David Lee Roth, one of our great Americans, "great" in the sense of exemplifying America for better and worse. Four stars in that I would listen again.

Wenisimo

Not to my liking, then or now. DLR is overrated. Eddie could definitely play. But that's not enough for me. Their sound is banal and the lyrics did not age well. I can't even give them a charity star (for Eddie's playing). Instead of running with the devil, I just wish Satan (if the thing existed) had kept 'em. 1 "because I have to" star.

What i would give to listen to that album the time it got released on a vinyl

Overblown and it's a big stadium filler album but that doesn't mean it's any good. Centrist rock pop hitting all the bases. It's 80s big hair music and it's pretty terrible. Cue guitar solo or was that drum solo

Don’t like this effort at all

Me gustó el álbum y la composición de la mayoría de sus canciones. Ciertas canciones suenan un poco estridentes por parte de la guitarra; situación que es normal ya que por lo general, en la época se intentaba alcanzar notas agudas con la guitarra.

I'm glad I heard it, and I wouldn't mind listening again, but I wouldn't seek it out

Great RnR some zep some ZZtop some original very good though

Super album! Masterpiece! Almost all track are the very best hits!

genuinely poop, 80s slop

Girl Gone Bad -- oh my

it had songs that you could listen too

I GET UP!! like a lot of these albums so far, cool, but not my tastes. lots of western music here, i guess this was all written by americans so, makes sense

I definitely appreciate Van Halen more now than I did when I was a kid. The riffs are pretty wild, but i stand by my dislike of Roth and the zanier elements of their music. Not to mention how much this has bee overplayed on the radio.

Music to listen to while eating British food.

I saw another reviewer write something along the lines of "I really wanted to hate this, but I just can't" and I think I fall into that boat as well. Something about the whole idea and image of Van Halen has always rubbed me the wrong way, but I've never actually say down and listened to an album. Is it completely over the top, cheesy, and hyper sexualized? Absolutely. Are the songs catchy, with undeniable hooks and skillful playing? Yup. It's just one of those 80s albums that worked its way into the zeitgeist for good reason. The chops are there. The synth leads are hooky, and the guitar is blazing. Makes me want to drink 10 cheap beers and get behind the wheel of a Camaro. Still not my favorite music, but I won't deny it's got some juice. 3/5.

Jump!

A trio of big hits and a whole load of filler. I did love the videos from the Dave Lee Roth era of Van Halen, but the music always felt a little lacking. I know this album as a classic of the hair metal genre in the 80s, a genre I never really liked. I feel three stars is more than generous here.

Hair metal from one of the best in the business. High energy. It sounds like they were having fun both writing and performing. Blistering guitar from Eddie Van Halen and yet on the biggest hit track (Jump) he plays synth. Guitar porn, drum porn and somewhat questionable lyrics by today's standards. I find VH more listenable to than other Hair Metal bands of the same time. I'll Wait is another synth driven anthem not guitar track but still driving drums. Many good tracks for me, but then this came out when I was in high school.

274/1001 Van Halen - 1984 Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ Fine at best.

Some of the best classic rock from this time has to offer. Amazing singles and virtuosic playing. Really embracing the epically cheesy synths and meshing it with catchy songwriting and rocking riffs/fills.

Fun: but just not quite right for me

Decent 3,5

1984 saw Van Halen cross over to the American pop charts in a pretty major way, with all four of its singles reaching the Billboard Hot 100 and three of those cracking the top 20. it released at the very beginning of its titular year, and its success made the band into one of the biggest in the country and, increasingly, the world over. the only thing keeping it from hitting #1 on the Billboard 200 was Thriller! despite the slight move away from raw hard rock and towards glammier pastures (especially the prominent use of synths), the DNA of Van Halen—Eddie's razor-sharp riffing and shredding, Alex's tight, frenetic drumming, David Lee Roth's bad-boy attitude, and Michael Anthony holding down the fort—remains intact. my top three tracks here are, unfortunately, all singles. I like the deep cuts (especially "Drop Dead Legs", which I remember hearing on the radio here and there), but I think Van Halen and Warner Bros. chose the singles very well. and, hey, I'd still take even the weakest moments here over just about anything this band made in the Hagar years. "Panama" was the song that played under the opening cutscene of Gran Turismo 4, and is thus probably the Van Halen song I've lived with for the longest. it's a song about a car as a thinly-veiled metaphor for sex; a fairly common topic for bands at the time, but one which the band turns into a borderline cinematic three-minute pop odyssey. the quiet bridge after the guitar solo, where the music moves from major to parallel minor, is especially effective. the keys on "Jump" sound a little silly, especially when there's no guitars underpinning them, but it's another wonderfully structured tune; the pre-chorus with its new drum pattern is especially hair-raising. "Hot for Teacher" is a strange one, with a blistering drum opening, verses containing Foley art of a rowdy classroom, and an unrelenting shuffle. I tend to think of the rock music mainstream in the 80s as being pretty inert stylistically, on account of all the dime-a-dozen glam rock and hair metal acts that are all, at the end of the day, fairly indistinguishable. a big reason for that is that many of them were trying to bite Van Halen's thing, and none of 'em came close. strong 7/10.

3.5

4.5

I don't care what people say about this is when Van Halen sold out, this album still kicks ass... Even beyond the four monster hits, "Top Jimmy" , "Drop Dead Legs" and "House of Pain" fkin crush (10) ★★★★★

Good for its genre. 3.5 stars

Van Halen was my first favorite band as a kid, and this album was released at the height of that fandom. I know a lot of Van Halen purists don't love this album as it leans into a poppier sound and there's some synth driven stuff, but I think it's really fun and brings me a lot of joy. Plenty of great tunes here, including "Jump", "Hot for Teacher", "I'll Wait", and my personal highlights "Panama" and "Drop Dead Legs". Excellent stuff. 4.5 stars.

Some glorious magic singles on this. Hot For Teacher is great big banging blistering bundles of 256BPM fun and Jump is a synth player’s Smoke On The Water. Panama? Fuck yeah! There are a few firecracker moments elsewhere but it is mainly these 3 songs that make this album what it is. Surprised to see Michael McDonald get a co-write on I’ll Wait although it’s disappointing that they didn’t even try to go for something that matched his turn on Ride Like The Wind. It’s not even a Yo Ma Be There. Album is ultimately one where I’d rather just watch the hits on MTV or YouTube. Artwork is horrible. That cherub is going to emphysema for the rest of his heavenly days. Mid to low 4. Second best 1984 behind George Orwell’s.

I quite liked this album, the opening track was a bit weird but overall very good, some very big hits on this album. I did find that although this album wasn’t long I did find myself struggling to get through to the end and if it was any longer that would affect my score more but still a pretty good one overall

Jump is always a great start into the album. You’ve got to love EVH’s playing. I don’t usually listen to hair metal but bring back the hair and the feel good. As an album it’s great and so short you can’t exactly pick it apart.

Gonna be real, this is not the type of music I listen to. I found my music taste with radio 6 dad esque post brexit punk, stretched into indie, and pissed it all away by almost exclusively listening to house music for half of third and all of third year. I'm a zoomer when it comes to music taste I'm a child with a spinny hat and rainbow lollipop. So while I understand Van Halen's prestige and talent, I did not enjoy this album. Not any active hatred (although Hot For Teacher did feel like seeing blackface in an old Looney Tunes cartoon), but i just felt quite numb and sometimes bored basically the whole time. No standout songs I really remember. I recognise Jump but didn't feel psyched I dont know if it's because I never had anyone growing up show me this music at a young age, or anything similar. I don't know if it's because I don't play an instrument so don't have a deeper appreciation of the musical talent. I don't know if I've just listened to too much modern music to subconsciously prefer modern mixing. All I know is I did not enjoy this album. I'd give it a 2.5 but this is a number that rounds down for me, not up.

This album has an undeniably iconic sound: this is the 1980s in a time capsule. I can't listen to it without feeling like I'm watching Back to the Future. I don't think this is a bad thing by any means, but it's not my thing. That being said, there's a couple songs like "Hot for Teacher", "Girl Gone Bad", and "House of Pain" which are less heavy on the synth and work better for me.

Classic album. Similar to Metallica's Metallica where thier best work is past but still really good. At this point in the bands history Eddie Van Halen started moving the band to more synth based compositions in the 80s which I like less than thier first album but the songwriting is still really good.

enjoying! it's giving like Deadpool battle sequence good diversity in songs but they still all worked well as an album i enjoyed it but im not like devouring it hence four stars

4.5 this was fun and fast and feel good! my favourites were 1. hot for teacher 2. girl gone bad 3. top jimmy i.e. the fastest songs… they were awesome even though it’s the most famous song I didn’t enjoy jump too much - I generally prefer the guitar-heavy songs over the synth-heavier songs like Jump and I’ll Wait but yes i will listen to this album again for sure

It's not really grabbing me. Hot For Teacher and House of Pain are highlights. Otherwise not very interesting or exciting (for me).The synth sections are painfully 80s in not a good way. I can see the appeal but it just wasn’t firing off any excitement If it had eruption on it it would lowkey be a 3

classic but like in the burger kind of way like its good i can see them using these songs as background music in a movie like a good ham sandwich, its just good i lose a little interest towards the end of the album, but overall i think its a strong album experience (I just don't like the songs individually)

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Not a fan of the sound

Jump was alright i guess I have not enjoyed this album so far Album almost finished. House of pain is alright actually

I really liked this one. It's some classic rock and I was honestly surprised with how good all of the songs were across the album. Often with older music like this it feels like there are only 2-3 songs that are actually solid, but this is pretty killer overall. I've never sat down and actually listened to them, but I can see myself coming back and listening to this for sure. 4 stars I think because I am not saving anything to my liked songs right now.

There is some nostalgia with these songs being in movie montages but I cannot actually enjoy listening to this hot garbage

Yikes

The guitar is the only thing worth even mentioning

Day 230 Just big dumb rock and sometimes that’s exactly what you want to hear. Highlights Jump House of Pain

​A few random thoughts: I remember seeing the video for 'Jump' when I was a kid, and I thought David Lee Roth was so cool—I wanted to be just like him! When I got older, a friend of mine pointed out the irony: 'Don't you think it's funny that they have one of the best guitarists in the world, yet their biggest hit is driven by a synthesizer?' 'Hot for Teacher' is every guy's fantasy writ large; it absolutely rocks, and the spoken-word breakdown features one of the best lines about school ever recorded: 'I don't feel tardy.' And when David Lee Roth was accused of only writing about women, partying, and fast cars, he pointed out that the critics were wrong—he actually hadn't written about fast cars yet. 'Panama' was the glorious result.

EVH's solos are very impressive and he makes the guitar screech in unique ways, but I don't think it's to my taste. Sometimes less is more. Beyond the solos the songs are uninteresting.

I do love that Dad Rock sir.

this was awesome. jump is such an iconic song, the guitar riffs and melodies are great. just a great album overall. love this. 8/10

Solid rock and roll. No complaints, but nothing noteworthy. Best song: Panama

No tengo mucho que decir. La guitarra es impresionante, te transporta a otra epoca. Un album que disfrute de principio a fin. "Hot for Teacher" fue, en mi opinion, lo mejor. Y no creo que haya una persona en la tierra que no conozca "Jump". Es un icono.

Classic of 80s rock. A few tracks don’t stand up much for me, but a solid listen just the same. 4/5

Turgid cockrock

Really bold production.

Well, might as well jump to 5 stars.

Fun dumb rock and roll, it's not my favorite from VH (Fair Warning) but worth a listen. My conservative parents who grew up in the 80's hate VH to this day, but I'm sure they also heard these songs played to death.

A pleasant surprise. I know the singles, but this record really holds up, despite the horny '80s cheese with Hot for Teacher. Jump into Panama is a heck of a one-two, and the rest is solid. Great record.

Thats the good stuff

Jump and Panama are cool. Other than that, it’s probably a one and done listen. But the mesmerizing guitar work and synths make for a catchy album. It just gets old quickly.

Does what is says on the tin. Hair rock/ light metal. Jump clearly the best known song on the album but the fact that I thought Panama was Animal (by Def Leppard) as the tune and metre were so similar shows how interchangeable these bands are. 3 out of 5 stars.

puh hit am Anfang ok dann unerträglich..c

Favorite tracks: Jump, Panama This album made me realize the amount of Van Halen I actually want to listen to is a single song in a party playlist. After about 3 songs in a row it gets really old.

Glam Rocki üks menukaimaid esindajaid. Ma olin üllatunud, tegelt oli album täis head kraami ja muidugi super kitarrimängu. Trummipartiid on head ning David Lee Roth laulmine on alati iseloomulik. Väärt kuulamine, 3.9/5.

This felt cheesy to me. I liked "Jump" and "Panama" but the rest was all crazy sex talk.

8/10

Kovia klassikoitta, muut kappaleet ei sit sen erikoisempia. Odotin ehkä vähän enemmän, siks annetaan "vain" 3 tähteä. Parhaat: Hot For Teacher, Jump, Panama

4.5

For Panama and the cover art, that's a 4 by itself. 4/5

Never been a huge fan, but cannot deny the craft. Some monster tracks with true innovation/skill in playing. Somehow early electric drums sound cool! Never cared for Jump in my skate rink days of yore, but it's a cool exercise and panama and hot for teacher all time bangers.

The right sort of 80s cheesy. Like cheese and pineapple on a cocktail stick.

What an opening, the sci-fi sound was quite unexpected but as a ‘techno that sounds like youre on a spaceship’ fan I bloody loved it. Jump is obviously a classic but I must admit beyond that my knowledge of Van Halen is extremely limited. Did enjoy the listening experience for this one, the music n instruments are just class, though it looses points for how much some of the songs (specifically Hot for Teacher) made me cringe. Jump takes the favourite song spot on this one (sorry if that’s basic) I just couldn’t help it

It's fun. Very technically proficient guitar (goes without saying). Overall felt a bit empty though. A generous four from me.

I expected to hate this based off of the singles I've heard too many times but it's rockin' too hard to ignore Favorite tracks: Drop Dead Legs, I'll Wait, Girl Gone Bad

Upon hearing the other parts of Jump, I find it strange that I don't remember them at all, but it was never really a song I heard a lot of when I was younger. Intro for Top Jimmy is insane with the harmonics, and the entire song is really good. What an amazing music video for Hot For Teacher. Girl Gone Bad is another highlight for me. Not particularly my favorite style of music, but I do appreciate it's greater context in rock history, Eddie Van Halen's legacy, his skill and all the other musician's skills and chemistry, because of that I can certainly see why this album is heralded by glam metal fans as one of the best of the genre.

It's kind of a victim of its own success in the sense that it so defined the sound of 80's rock that it sounds almost like a parody of the same genre and period today. The guitar work was great enough to make up for the lackluster lyrics at least on some tracks.

Van Halen and I have an interesting relationship. I'm absolutely so fucking tired of hearing their music over the radio from every classic rock station in a 50 mile radius, especially the same 5 songs (the worst offender being "Beautiful Girls" which has one of the most annoying hooks I've heard in a song). I've mostly moved past my need for flashy, glammy MTV-era hard rock (with some exceptions) and VH was one of the ones left in the dust when I mostly pivoted away from this kind of music. But at 13, some of these tracks were my life. "Jump" and "Panama" still resonate. It's also worth noting that I didn't hear this album in its entirety until today. That might be part of the problem. This is actually pretty fucking great. Either my bias has slipped away or this is an exception.

God this is all just so SILLY isn't it?

1984 is a good record in it’s genre. Everyone involved the band is extremely talented. I have much respect for both EVH and DLR. Van Halen knew how to have fun and not take things too seriously. This is not their best record. I like it fine and it’s got lots of great moments but there’s way too much about it that is not in the right lane for me to score it particularly highly.

It gets points for having a cherub smoking cigs on the cover, but it’s still Van Halen.

Jump and Panama super famous songs.

This album had some great hits, but it's not their best overall.

Back then I only knew jump and panama and thought to myself that van halen wasnt my type of band so when I saw this album as today's album, i was kinda disappointed tbh so i started listening without any expectations but damn i was so wrong, literally the best album I've listened so far I know now to not judge an album by the popular songs only, because in fact popular albums with popular songs have hidden masterpieces that not everyone knows about

Literally no album has ever fucked harder. It's a damn shame they broke up immediately after this one but what a way to go out.

Not as good as their debut, but solid

Terrible

Didn't enjoy this at all.

Some 3/5's are just kinda average. Others are this. Can something be fun, but you also not particularly like it? That's this album. Good for a listen, but I've no interest in listening to it again. To much synth and too many talk singing parts.

You can hear the influence this band has had on many bands after it. The sound is great for the most part, the technical aspect that is. The lyrics are however rather simple, and questionable on some songs.

Good

Solid album. Hot for teacher is the highlight for me, can’t beat a blistering solo

Generic American 80s rock. Really not my thing

Me gustó muchísimo !!

Not as good as the debut, but still a fun hard rock album

Classic!

i had a fun time 😎

Alright but does it need to be included in the book?

Oh, this is like the “peaked in high school” music of the 1980s. Guitars shred though, they play really well, and the energy is great. It’s incredibly well done sonically. I like the production a lot, & I appreciate the brevity of the tracklist. Just not for me.

The vocals are kind of meh but it is forgiven because the instrumentals are FIREE! Panama and 1984 are my favs :)

Ikke for mæ, kult med hits men alt e helt Nordkjosbotn

Jump! And other assorted hits

Loistava levy. 4/5.

Like it

Blir for bonat

Very 80s guitar/synth

Muy generico

4,5 would be

F yeah! David Lee Roth Van Halen is the best Van Halen. This is 80s rock at its finest. David’s voice, Eddie on guitar and Alex on drums?! Insanely good.

Never gave Van Halen a chance, pleasantly suprised. 3.9/5

Better than I’ve given it credit before but still not my thing at all. The guitar work just feels so show off instead of making the song better. Also cannot stand the ewwwewweYOWWWWs that happen every song. I will give it to hot for teacher, Panama, and I’ll wait those three are good songs. Jump is one of the worst songs ever. It feels so much like they’re more interested in being sexy than writing good music.

Amazing album. At times feels like a Van Halen greatest hits album. Classic Rock at its finest. 5/5

A couple bangers, good rock album overall

I don’t dig this music scene and always assumed I didn’t dig Van Halen either. I see that’s not completely untrue, though I wouldn’t say I dig em either. But something about them feels more interesting and less cringey than their counterparts (though there’s some of that still). Eddie shreds - main riffs and spastic proggy math-rocker interjections) but does so in service of the song. The music is energetic and fun. Bounces from hard rock to synth pop - and can manage both reasonably. But also still like overall whatever ya know?

Truly surprised to rank at 4. Some bangers and the rest are good enough

Hits are fine…others seem like filler.

Saai, alleen 1e nummer leuk

14 year old me would have given this a 5 just for the Hot For Teacher video. Unfortunately it didn’t hold up 40 years later. I’ll Wait turns out to be by far the best song on the album. Panama and Jump have just been overplayed. 3.5

Bra

Пресный глэм-рок.

ya conozco el album, difícil hacer una preview asi jej muy buen álbum, creo que es la representación perfecta de van halen, un rock pesado con una guitarra bien marcada y una vibra bien "badass", sin caer en lo simple y sin volverse glam

Gotta love Van Halen. 7/10.

felt like one big whoop

Fine

Such a classic. Not a huge fan of this style of rock but this album is a bop. “Jump” is an ear worm that I’d rather skip but it’s an undoubted hit (as Van Halen’s only No 1 hit according to Apple Music). The rest of the album was fun and FINALLY some good vocals and coherent instrumentals that I can follow with ease.

Wank

There is just something magical about this album. There SHOULDN'T be. But there is. It's pure pop from a legit hard rock band. The front man is a clown. Lyrically it ranges from utter nonsense to songs about hot girls. And yet . . . Eddie and Alex are absolutely incredible. They've reached the height of their technical abilities. They play off of each other better than any duo since Hendrix and Mitchell. And unlike so many technically impressive musicians, Eddie is incredibly melodic and Alex grooves and even swings. Think how incredible it is that in an age when legions of musicians were dedicating their lives to synth-pop, Eddie buys a new toy and on a lark produces one of the greatest synth-pop songs of all time. But the pixie dust on this version of Van Halen came from Diamond Dave. I can't overstate how important his irreverence and mirth are to this music. Not only does he refuse to take himself or the band too seriously, but he makes it almost impossible for anyone else to. So the entire project is infused with a jester's jubilance; a sheer joy at the absurdity of it all. Now about those lyrics . . . this album absolutely EXPLODED into my world when I was 14. And Dave was singing about exactly what I was thinking about 90% the time. Yes, his lyrics are adolescent and simple-minded. But physical attraction and sexual desire ARE ADOLESCENT AND SIMPLE MINDED. Looking back, I'm struck that he managed to do it without being pretentious or creepy (like Kiss (Christine Sixteen) , AC/DC (anything on Highway to Hell), or Aerosmith (Big Ten Inch), etc.) As a hopelessly-heterosexual adolescent, having someone singing about hot girls and sex in a joyful, free spirited, non-creepy way was so reassuring. I remember being struck at the time by how many GIRLS at school absolutely loved this album and loved Dave; which was itself reassuring to a kid who was dying for their affection and sexual attention, but was confused by all of the possessory, predatory messaging in rock and roll. It is a pop masterpiece from an extraordinary, accomplished, cohesive rock band at the height of its powers, led by a circus performer. It's dumb and it's complex, it's innovative and it's gorgeous. Who doesn't love a great circus?

This is okay. The hits are good, but the rest falls flat for me.

Van Halen is the quintessential American rock band and 1984 is the quintessential Van Halen album. Five Thousand One Hundred and Fifty stars out of 5.

nice

It was a good album! Already knew around half of the songs. Didn't blow my mind, but was definitely fun. I don't quite want to give it a 4, but like 3.5-3.75

Can't deny it's one of the classics. Surprised how short the album is.

Jump is a silly funny song to me, but Panama's a fun rocker. Drop Dead Legs has an insanely fun, heavy swing, Top Jimmy presents a lot of pep with a roaring solo, and Drop Dead Legs doesn't feel like it hides any influences, especially with the phaser on those drums. But the start of the B side with Hot For Teacher... insane drumming. Insane guitar soloing, the Van Halen brothers were pretty unmatched in speed then. But even ignoring that, Alex VH's tom drums evoke so much character, he makes them go from sounding like a motorcycle engine to a goddamn jazz big band ensemble. And on this solo and throughout the whole record, Eddie makes pinch harmonics, tapping, and sweeping seem easy at rapid speeds, seamlessly juggling all of these techniques while still rocketing up the charts. I can do without I'll Wait and Girl Gone Bad, but House of Pain is a fantastic bar fight closer.

it's fun, but not a cohesive album yet the songs sound similar and run together.

Todays album was 1984 by Van Halen. I will always wonder why in an album with two of the most famous 80s songs ever, Jump and Panama, he/the studio decided to make a minute long techno song the featured track, but you do you Van. Easy 5/5. tbh the rest of the 9 songs could be complete crap and this album is deserving of at least a 4/5, but two iconic songs are supported quality songs that differ enough to feel unique while feeling cohesive. It's notable that of my albums so far, its the shortest at only just over 33 minutes across all 9 songs. Fun rock synth music, right up my alley and I loved it 5/5

Good music. I reo this album from my childhood. It was good to reminisce. The hits were still great. DLR was still a good front man even though I think Van Halen grew bigger with Sammy Hagar. EVH and the band were amazing on this album but it’s not overly amazing.

Great album of them!

Aerosmith yesterday this lot today. Sick and tired of US MOR rock. Please no more tomorrow. 2/5 2/3/26

Thoughts are all over the place with this one. For one, about 2/3 of the people the read this will immediately disregard my opinion because I prefer Sammy Hagar to Diamond Dave. That being said, I still think "Hot For Teacher" is one of the greatest songs ever, and "Jump" is the best use of synths in a rock song, ever. The rest of the album I'm a bit cooler on. "Panama" is good, the rest of the songs I honestly though were on earlier albums. Another one of those "Better than a 3, but not a 4" albums for me. I think this time, I have to drop it to 3, just because I doubt I'd ever listen to this all the way through again on my own volition.

Yeah look not my favourite, not my kind of music but some bangers were present

Liked it !!

Made me want to Jump out the window.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst - that's how i approached this album. Actually not as bad as expected, Jump is an obvious highlight, some really shady lyrics here though that reduced the star count significantly.....

Dodgy lyrics, dodgy album. 1 star for Jump!

“Dumb” bombastic and overblown yet extremely technical this is a lot of things, but mainly it’s fun

It's not bad but it didn't really do anything for me. Doesn't feel like there's really any heart to it.

Not a huge Van Halen fan or Glam Metal in general but I can't deny that this rips

I want to like it for the guitar chops and because it's musically ambitious in parts. It's really bad though isn't it. The basic songwriting is just horrible. It's like they had all this energy to create crazy extreme rock and the last thing they did was to say while drunk "okay, and we need some dumb blues tune to hang all this off.. Hot for teacher!"

The first album I ever bought was this when it was released at the end of ‘83. Whole reason why I picked up a guitar. Not as good as VH1 but definitely this album throws it back to that first album. I feel that all the albums in between were loaded with filler (except for my favorite Mean Streets), especially with Diver Down that was released before this one.

Umulig å ikke bli i godt humør av å høre på denne.

Æ får litt lyst til å kle på mæ en trang lys jeans og knulle ei hårat 80-tallsdame. Samtidig så e det så bonat… men også litt fet.

Tre stjerne opprinnelig, pluss en ekstra stjerne for Hot For Teacher.

Har denne på vinyl, haha. Perfekt vaske/roadtrip/nachpiel-musikk.

Et par kule sanger, men altfor mange seige låter innimellom, særlig mot slutten.

what else :D

Oh my gosh, this is reliving my high school years. I had forgotten about this album, but I loved the whole thing. It's just exuberant.

Une impression grisante de faire des roues arrières en moto sur la road 66 avec de très jolies lunettes d'aviateur. Le synthé années 80 est toujours un plaisir dans les oreilles, donc JUMP et I'LL WAIT sont mes préférées.

Super découverte ! Sauf pour Jump, que je connaissais déjà, le reste de l'album a été une super surprise pour moi. Juste une envie de l'écouter en boucle dans un long road trip à travers le globe. Note : 4 À réécouter : Oui

Mais c'est gavé bien en fait 😱

i liked I"ll wait and panama

Can't really get into them but rip evh

One of the best Van Halen albums and one of the best in hair metal overall.

i honestly hate it

Its very of the time. Which means I'm not annoyed by it but I'm definitely not buying the album.

Strangely enjoyable. Dumb but fun

Man, I was really not expecting to like this as much as I did. I knew the singles of course, but the other songs were also mostly good!

The album itself is solid and consistent, but to me the songs are completely unmemorable. I listened to the album twice and still wouldn’t be able to tell you which songs are on it besides Jump and Panama. Overall, these are familiar and reliable tunes that would work well to introduce someone to what I perceive as old-fashioned rock. 3.5/5

its music for idiots but i'm not upset it was made because it probably had to be for culture reasons i guess. actually the heavy metal guitar noodling shit does make me kind of mad. The jump song immediately made me laugh. Cue someone from an 80s movie "JUMP"ing into a pool

Synth and pinch harmonica for days! The hits are great, the other songs ok.

-this is an album that, on paper, I should hate. I don't really love heavy metal and I especially dislike shred metal. I can't stand rock machismo, especially from the 80s. But somehow I have a soft spot for VH. The songs are technically complicated but not over-produced -- this is pop music at its core. -DLR is a totally juvenile goof, but his rizz is kinda undeniable. He's like a vaudeville character. -EVH overplays absolutely everything, but somehow I actually enjoy listening to him. Most of the songs sound like a single guitar take with minimal overdubs and it's pretty interesting to hear him shred through a full song, jumping through different styles and techniques. -the rhythm section is laughably mid. AVH is crazy overrated -- yeah, he's got some fancy drum tricks but he also slips out of the groove pretty regularly. Michael Anthony is a master of pedaling the same note for a full song, which is definitely a skill but it sounds pretty funny in contrast to EVH's wild gymnastics.

Very glam rock. Definitely enjoyable, but kinda samesy and it felt kinda short.

3/5 Veeeery samesy, but solid album regardless. Not really my style of rock.

I liked it. Not my favorite genre ever tbh but a lot of hits I know and love. Added to my library and will keep on file for a summer mix

I dunno about this man...these are kinda barely songs. But sometimes it sorta rips.

Energetic, frenentic, and wonderful! You can smell the cheap beer and cigarrets coming off this album. This album give off the feeling of what Fort Lauderdale smells like after spring break. Im glad to not have been the correct age for this album when it came out, but this is an awesome time machine album where you wish you could go back and hang out for a weekend.

2026. 02. 24

I've never voluntarily listened to a full album of rock music!, it's pretty cool. Also, found a childhood memory this fast!

Really great album - some absolute classics. “Hot For Teacher” the standout fave, but some other memorable moments and incredible guitar work. There are 2-3 tracks that don’t hit the same heights as others in my view, but other than that this is a very strong album that brilliantly blends hard-rock with more accessible genres.

I liked the earlier stuff better but not too bad.

The album kicks off with arguably the most recognisable synth intro ever recorded – Jump, along with this being one of if not their most popular track. It’s an absolute classic and it would be hard not to enjoy it even if it has been overplayed. It makes you wanna dance, while still being rocky enough with some cool guitar riffs in the pre chorus. The middle section of the song is where it shines though, a shorter yet still great guitar solo from EVH, followed by my favourite part which is the synth solo section. The entire song shifts for this bridge before returning to that synth riff again. Straight into Panama which again is one of their biggest and most known songs. A much punchier, driving track than the previous. Another one that’s hard not to enjoy, slick riffs and a wild virtuoso solo. “Top Jimmy” I hadn’t heard before – man EVH is just on top form again. Fast changing riffs again and some good use of harmonics on the quieter section. He doesn’t waste a single second as he crams as much into the riffs as possible. Hot For Teacher – an absolutely phenomenal track. From the killer drum intro (not to mention the drums throughout the entire song actually) to that lush opening solo – a masterclass in tapping and legato. The pace absolutely doesn’t let up for the majority here. EVH on fire as always with a great main riff driving along. It also has some of my favourite David Lee Roth vocals – great falsetto use and I don’t think anyone could deliver the lines like he does. Girl Gone Bad and House of Pain keep that energy going – both great tracks. Overall a 4/5 for me – I don’t give 5/5 too easily but this wasn’t far off.

Es un muy buen disco.

Has great tracks, it is the summary of 80`s music

Interesante, el verdadero Guitar Hero. Highlights: Hot for teacher, I’ll wait, house of pain No puedes terminar tu álbum en fade out

Lo volvería a escuchar. La canción hot for teacher 10/10

não faz meu tipo, mas as músicas “jump” e “panama” são bem boas

It's an okay album that would be a really good album if it was fully instrumental. My favorite moments of this record were the ones where David Lee Roth isn't singing. EVH and AVH lean into the prog/proto-metal influences set forth by Rush and King Crimson in the early 1980s and though I respect the re-packaging of those sonic aesthetics with a more pop-friendly delivery, it feels like their musicianship is held back by DLR's singing. AVH's drumming is electric, though, and EVH is of course a monster with the axe. Favorite song: Hot For Teacher

це якісь електронний рок

This songs from this album was everywhere in 1984. I was in high school and it was yet another sexual awakening. This is my first time listening to the album. The songs that are hits were definite hits. The ones that weren't released as singles are best kept that way. They're passable but not nearly entertaining as Panama, I'll Wait, Jump, and Hot for Teacher. Gosh these guys were fun! Eddie just smiling as he played his guitar. Amazing.

I don’t have to listen to this to know every song, every solo (guitar and drums) and every DLR “whoowhoo” filler lyric. 1984 was a damn goodyear musically and this was definitely one of the highlights. Without cynicism or political correctness, I could still like this album, but likely won’t seek it out again. Goodbye misogynistic 1980s rock’n’roll, you’ve had a good run…

Great album

Many of these songs got lots of radio play (Panama is my favorite) but I was never a big fan. They just seem juvenile to me. The playing on the synthesizers is rudimentary. Eddie Van Halen was innovative but lacks musicality and soul.

- Jump and Panama are still good... - The others? *shrugs* - nothing really interesting about them - forgettable melodies/riffs; dumb lyrics. - The synths (and songs) definitely feel dated. - Guitar work is good, but nothing I really care about listening to without interesting music to support. - 1.5 stars?

Easy 5. Listened to it all weekend. I'll keep listening to it over and over. I didn't get into Van Halen until Eddie died. Growing up, they were everywhere, it was hard not to be aware of them. But by the time I was old enough to be buying CDs, they were firmly in the Hagar years. And then Hagar got fired, the Cherone thing...no one paid attention to... they brought Roth back for a second and it was just just like...who are these old assholes that have this Hagar and Roth debate and why do people care so fucking much? I was a teenager and I confused them for 80s cheesy hair metal and excess. I mean, I loved the Hot For Teacher video growing up. Panama was awesome, except for that whole weird part where Dave was talking about reaching down between his legs and easing the seat back...Eruption was cool. I got SOME of it...just not all of it. So Eddie dies in 2020 and I'm in my late 30s at that point. And I'm like, "let me just give these guys a shot again. Every time I've tried to listen to them, it's just been so bad and cheesy..." And then it all clicked. It all made sense. Suddenly I understood how they grooved and the swing in their songs, I heard the joy, I heard the architecture in their songs. The humor stopped being dumb, it was all of a sudden hilarious, witty and confident. Roth era only, of course. I have standards, after all. Chuck Klosterman made a list of of all their songs, ranked. If you're a Van Halen fan, it's a great read and you can find it easily by googling Klosterman Van Halen ranked. It's on the Vulture website. Anyway, in the introduction he wrote: Van Halen is, in many ways, the high-profile exception to otherwise inflexible rules: classically trained virtuosos who make music for getting hammered in parking lots. A metal band that rarely plays metal. A legendary live act consistently criticized for their terrible live performances. A caricature of leering masculinity that proved unusually inclusive to female audiences. An embodiment of American exceptionalism, spearheaded by two Dutch Indo immigrants who could barely speak English when they arrived in Pasadena. There are simply no other bands like this. They were copied constantly and no one ever got it right. That all makes a ton of sense but the last sentence really just nails it. No one could do what they did, although so many people tried throughout the 80s...and this album is a reminder of that. I don't know if this is their pinnacle, but you can make the argument and depending on the day I might not disagree with you.

This is Van Halen at their peak. Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher are three of their best. The rest of the album isn't half-bad either. I have listened to this album so many times I can play the entire thing in my head. The grooves were worn out on that vinyl. This is the last true Van Halen album and one of their best.

Excelente álbum, ótimas músicas

Lightweight heavy metal. Good guitar riffs and driving bass. They make a good sound but it is very polished metal! 🤘🏽

Goood intro, kjekk stemning, rå gitar, mid stemma, alternativt, kule trommer. Hitta hardt på morgonbussen.

man... this album just isn't for me but i see where it is for a ton of people and don't get it twisted...it is. obv panama is my jam but i told rachel this just sounds like shitty rush to me- which is not even a good representation of this. whatever one of the most popular 80s albums, sure. ill prob never listen to this album all the way through again - that song hot for teacher is weird and dumb

This record is completely over the top, mostly in the best possible way. It’s big, loud, swaggering arena rock that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t apologize for it. The hits are undeniable. “Jump,” “Panama,” and especially “Hot for Teacher” still rip. That drum intro alone is legendary for a reason—so many toms, so much confidence. Eddie’s playing is outrageous throughout, and while some of the deeper cuts feel more like vehicles for crazy guitar and drum moments than fully fleshed-out songs, the musicianship is never in question. It’s flashy, but it’s earned. There’s definitely nostalgia baked into this one for me—it was tied to my first massive concert experience—and that made it especially fun to revisit. It’s not transcendent or emotionally deep, but it absolutely delivers on energy and craft. A strong four. Big, brash, and still a blast.

There are some really fun songs on here. I would definitely give it three stars.

Very good album with phenomenal guitar playing from one of the best to ever do it. It's dripping with 80s excess in all the right ways and is just a blast. Whilst the quality drops in places in the middle, the energy doesn't.

like i get it, but i don’t care. instrumentals are nice tho

A lot of classic songs ive heard before and didnt know where they came from

A solid album with iconic electric guitar riffs at the centre of every song.m proving why Wild Stallions needed Eddie Van Halen on guitar. Found myself head bobbing to the catchy tracks but ultimately nothing else on the album matches the iconic status of Jump!

Literally only knew like one Van Halen song before this, excited to here more !! Very 80s. Pretty groovy rock !! Fav song is ‘Jump’.

7.5-8

Total nonstop rock! Never pauses. Right in your face from the get go in the best possible way

i liked the album. i feel i need to listen to it i few more times but i enjoyed “i’ll wait” and the end of “girl gone bad”

Hot for teacher, great drum and guitar but the drums sound like card board boxes. House of pain has some class riffage. Hints of Led Zeppelin at points, great guitar and some unnecessary complex drum parts. But otherwise I'd question why this is in a list of 1001 albums of notoriety.

Yes ok, but remastered

Huge minus points for album cover alone, and I have literally not listened to a single second yet.... Okay we're in! Hugely sceptical of an song called "1984" that is written in 1984, and also it's just vague synth noises which fair enough if that's all you have to say about the era. Doesn't quite hold up to, you know, the other famous 1984 - but if you can't compete, why even try? One rapid 30 min listen and I understand this is the exact sort of band that Spinal Tap was parodying, but also they were about 1000 times better than this? So what even is this? I'd take "Big Bottom" over "Drop Dead Legs" any day. This is the absolute dirge of rock music. It makes me want to hate all rock music, and I don't. In fact, I am appalled that when I was younger and I didn't quite have the music vocabulary that I do today, I would describe my taste as "rock" - to think people thought I was talking about this kind of band makes me want to throw up. Also the album cover!! I'm deducting points again because I looked at it again and it's so bad. We're in the minus stars now...

More like albums to die before you hear. Dogshit, like Spinal Tap but not funny. The only good thing about this album is that it's short. Even the cover is heinous. I hate hate hate hate it. I'm fairly ambivalent about grunge, but when I think about how it killed off shit like this, I like it a little bit more.

All time classic. Hit after hit with a few sleepers in between.

A part of the evolution of rock, it had its place before.

If this were longer than 30mins I think I would rate it a four but it’s fun, high energy mic between synth, crunching guitar riffs and hard hitting drums make this album a hyper-happy listen. Probably a 4.5 honestly but there are some great songs which means I’ll round it up.

Probably more of a 3.5 (which I can’t choose) but as far as hair metal goes this album is tight with punchy synths and I enjoyed it. Hot for Teacher is a standout and the other classics are good but I also really enjoyed Top Jimmy as a deeper cut. Solid album.

Raised in a household that put a lot of these 70's and 80's rock greats on a pedestal, this album has me feeling very conflicted. To start with the positives, I think this album is Eddie Van Halen at his best compositionally, including a tinge of that classically-trained complexity in their generally very straightforward and accessible song structures. As always, his solos are standout, and highlight almost every track. Another positive is that the band surrounding him feels significantly tighter here than they often do on the band's albums- specifically Alex Van Halen, this feels like his best work in my memory. Now for the negatives. This is supposed to be Van Halen's entrée into synth-laden music, and it at most feels like a compromise that includes it *sometimes* instead of earnestly incorporating it into the band's sound wholesale, and the half-measure here drags it down as a complete work. I can't help but compare it to an album I feel still holds up today, ZZ Top's "Eliminator", which successfully did the above- pulling driving, futuristic sawtooth basslines into the band's gritty, no-nonsense blues rock sound, and placing sexy multi-part harmony vocals over the top in a way that made the band more accessible to contemporary listeners without sacrificing their signature swagger. In Van Halen's case, this was most likely because Roth was unconvinced that synths had a place in the bands sound and would often refuse to write lyrics for the tracks that EVH had placed them in front and center. On top of this, I really feel that a lot of the standout tracks here are the ones that do not feature synth work, I'm generally unimpressed by "Jump". Sort of contradictorily, "I'll Wait" is the best track on the album, and the only one where the synth leads truly feel to set the track above. Place this on top of the fact that a lot of Van Halen's cock rock sensibilities seem very sophomoric and cringe in 2026, especially on tracks like "Hot For Teacher", where the band is at it's most electric instrumentally, and the track is brought down at regular intervals by Roth's sexual yelps and very hamfisted innuendos and jokes. A soft 4 that was almost a 3 due to my gripes, but got brought back by the meat-and-potatoes greatness that the band evokes instrumentally on the project. Favorite Tracks: "I'll Wait", "Drop Dead Legs" Least Favorite Track: "Jump"

Considering this album's persistence in the zeitgeist and my own memories of jamming to dad rock with my dad, I was very excited for this listen and had high expectations. I was honestly super disappointed, spending most of the time just waiting for the actual songs to give way to Eddie and Alex playing solos or eccentric fills. Overall there were a lot of highs, but the meat of it is forgetably basic (borderline pop-y) choruses and verses for me. Like an action movie with a boring plot and phenomenal action sequences.

I love this album. Alex and Eddie keep the energy high throughout, turning swinging beats into a frenetic, kinetic ride. Every song feels like a burst of energy, the kind that immediately gets your foot tapping without you even realizing it. There is a looseness to the playing that still feels incredibly tight, like the band is just having the best time ripping through these songs. It is loud, playful, and full of momentum from start to finish, the kind of record that makes you want to turn the volume up and let it run.

Sure ain't a lack of guitar on this one. A bit more hard-edged than the glam rock moniker may lead you to believe. Not much in terms of depth, but with the short runtime that's just fine. Rock on!! Listened to: at Metrotech. Favorite tracks: Jump, Hot For Teacher, I'll Wait, House of Pain

I can certainly see why this album is so severely lauded. Sure, it's plagued with the same ongoing criticisms we're all familiar with regarding Van Halen, particularly in the lyrical department, but nobody can or will ever tear it up like Eddie. Some decent variance on the tracks and even the bits n pieces amid the generous helpings of staples and classics are pretty excellent listens. I think it'd make sense to be skeptical for the introduction of synthesizer elements in a rock production, especially considering as trend-chasing as it must have seemed during release, but it works really well with the saccharine stylings of the iconic lead guitar. All in all the package comes out as one of those medley albums with a surprisingly coherent variety of genres, combining the more typically poppy Jump against the hard-rock almost-metal of Hot For Teacher that wouldn't sound out of place on an Acca album. It's not particularly my sort of thing - I find the more poppy stylings of Van Halen to be too sweet, too cock-of-the-walk, too self-indulgent for my usual tastes - but I gave this one a relisten right after so I guess that says a lot more about it. More than anything, it's glam-my rock that's tolerable in the 21st century. There's definitely something to respect about the sound being so unashamed to be what it is, which is music to listen to in dive bars on cheap beers. It's music not for the Man but for man, man. Alright, fuck it. Listening to this on the second run and this can have a four. Fav tracks: Jump, Panama, Drop Dead Legs, Hot For Teacher, I'll Wait, House of Pain

Great album, not much to add, I love Van Halen and this was enjoyable :)

I did jump.

80's hair metal is mid

Not to my taste

Ahhh this was so good as a whole album, I was suprised that I didn't get sick of it, I actually wanted more! haha loved it

Great music

Panama is an absolute BANGER. Hot For Teacher is a banger too. Jump is an all time classic even though it’s massively over played

MCMLXXXIV is probably Van Halen's most famous (though not their best IMHO) and surely their most iconic album. Best know for the great but odd "Jump", the party actually starts after that. So I recommend skipping straight to “Panama,” especially since you already know the beginning. The remaining six songs are also great, with “Hot For Teacher” (basically "La Grange" on speed) standing out a bit. This album definitely plays in the league of legends, but I may have listened to it a little too often.

This album will always hold a special place in my heart. This came out when i was 11 and it reminds me of Friday nights at the roller rink, drinking suicides and playing Donkey Kong 3. And the rhythm guitar on Panama is still one of my favorite guitar parts of all time. However besides the singles this album doesn’t have much more to offer. EVH though heralded as one of rock’s greatest guitarist is shamelessly self-indulgent as a lead guitar player and most of the band besides the bass player seem to revel in this same indulgence. For the memories it gets an extra star.

I really enjoyed this album. this album was full of fun and explosive beats. I recognised one of the popular songs from this album. This is definitely 5/5. Would relisten to the songs/album again.

Pretty awesome

Wild and crazy. Very good but intense in the morning.

Top jimmy… Drop dead legs reminds me just a little of Fat lip House of pain is interesting

Not for me.

Fucking awesome

Some good songs, some lack substance

What does it say about this album that the first lyric is a voice crack? Some of the instrumental elements were pretty cool, but the overall sound is kinda cheesy and the vocals gave me the ick

Generally this is very basic sounding pop/light rock music. I think individually the members are talented. It doesn’t come together in an interesting way. I’ll Wait sounds like so many other songs in this genre. Almost too referential to other songs. Hot for Teacher is musically interesting but lyrically seems silly from 30 year old men. When I hear the musicianship it makes me wish the songs were better.

Strong 2. SOOOO much musical talent in this group that is ruined by horrible songwriting. They needed to bring someone in to help them. Their lyrics seemed simple and juvenile. David’s voice also just grated on certain songs, like “Panama.” My listening experience went something like this: “Oh! This sounds good, love the guitar. Hopefully this is good.” To “Oh no, this is dumb.”

I was a fan of the first three Van Halen items – although I liked each one a little less than the one before. This is their first album in the MTV era where they focused on hit singles and added heavy keyboards. I never liked the hits – Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher (ugh - how old were they when they recorded that song?) – but I was thinking I might like the deep tracks that I hadn’t heard before. No such luck, just lots of forgettable lame pop songs. The one song I like was the very last song House of Pain, which would’ve fit in perfectly with the first Van Halen album.

A classic

"Jump" still sounds as fresh today as it did 40-plus years later... then again, so does the whole album. They never topped this one. Solid from beginning to end.

Nja, jump känner jag igen annars mycket så rock

I've always been a casual Van Halen fan. Always understood their influence and knew their hits and this album as three of their biggest ones (which also happen to be some of my favorite songs of theirs). However, the songs outside of them (with maybe the exception of House of Pain) felt generic and uninteresting. I'd give it a 3.5/5 if I could off of the strength of those hits, but for this experience its getting rounded down to a 3/5.

I appreciate Eddie Van Halen's influence on every guitarist ever after him, but I'm just not a huge fan of Van Halen's music. I do take hair inspo from them though Best: I'll Wait, Jump

It’s Van Hale nothing more to say 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Pretty overrated in my opinion.

Album No. 0147 on my list. My second (and last) Van Halen album on the list already. "1984" contains some of the bands biggest hits, so I was curious how the rest of the album holds up. Well, I'm afraid it doesn't. "Jump", "Panama", and "Hot for Teacher" are classic, peak 80s masculine hard rock songs. But I found the rest of the album rather mediocre. Not bad in any way, but really rather a bit boring. The songs feel either more like filler songs or just do not really reach the standard of the three aforementioned songs. "Top Jimmy" would be my fourth favorite song (fun, catchy), but again, it just doesn't quite reach the standard, and neither do the others. So, we got three hard rock super hits (one can certainly argue about how well they have aged, but they are certainly iconic in a sense), and a couple of filler songs. I'll obviously add those hits to my playlist. 3/5 stars.

Standouts Jump Panama Hot for Teacher I'll Wait

Last album with original members, including David Lee Roth, the best combo IMHO. Good times.

Sort of familiar to me, probably because they are so famous. Jump is catchy but the rest is forgettable.

jump and last christmas are on the same level

Solid 80s corporate cock rock. A disservice to the legacy of EVH. Extra point for Jump.