Reviews (page 6 of 15)
For a second I was shocked by the thought that, if I had been around and old enough in 1984, I could have been into this record, too. But then I sighed in relief… thankfully it’s 2026 (there must be some kind of silver lining to living in these times), and I can wholeheartedly say: I would have known better — this record is (and always was) absolutely terrible! Hot Teacher might just be one of the single most insufferable songs I’ve ever heard (to the point of almost causing physical pain), making the lyrics of Def Leppard sound like an advanced master’s class in poetry by comparison.
I liked this album, and I like Van Halen well enough. It just felt a little more underwhelming than what I was expecting. This does not mean that it was bad, by any stretch, it just wasn't really, to me, the best the band has to offer. I know this album is beloved, and a lot of the tracks are really fun. I really loved the musicianship on this one. Good, but not my favorite.
Easily recognizable hits + songs I’ve never heard. Classic rock album for the time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think this is a 4 for me. Pretty solid album.
I remember this being just about the last album with the original group and it is amazing. One track wasn't outstanding, but you can't win absolutely everything. A solid 4.4 for energy level and the smile. I should probably mark it down for Hot for Teacher being a bit iffy, but it got in under the wire in my life timeline and gets a pass.
If I was a dude, could see this being fun to listen to while working on my car
It's fine.
This is just a dumb, fun 80s hard rock album. It's chock-full of catchy riffs and great solos, but the lyrics are standard fare for the era's glam rock/metal. The singer lacks anything remotely approaching range, and the album is kind of built around his limited vocal abilities as much as Eddie's solos. It's the epitome of "cock rock", and I am all here for it. Those riffs really do wonders for my hard rock-loving ears.
Better than its contemporaries as it seems a lot less sleazy and a bit more fun. Still not my bag and not exactly complex, but better than others.
lord forgive me for this but i think i have to give it 4 shit goes kinda hard
Upon seeing that Van Halen's 1984 was my listening assignment for today, I came to a sudden realization that the names of a lot of the "classic rock" bands from the '70s & '80s have the same exact cadence... Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen. This might seem like a completely inconsequential thing, but I honestly think it might be one of the reasons I struggled to get into this era of rock for so long – I couldn't keep the artist names straight in my head and therefore couldn't remember which acts were making music I actually liked. Anyway, 1984 was alright. I liked the album a little bit more than Def Leppard's Hysteria and appreciated that it was only about half the length. "Jump" has that iconic keyboard riff, which (despite it not offering up much else) made it a highlight of the album for me. "Hot for Teacher" is unfortunately one of the better cuts on the LP – the lyrics have aged like milk, but it's one of the more technically impressive songs I've heard from this era. I also found myself nodding along to "Girl Gone Bad," which surprisingly seems to have been streamed quite a bit less than most of the other tracks. I feel a little bad giving this album two stars considering some of the company it'll be among, but it's just not quite as interesting/memorable as a lot of the albums I've given threes to and I'd be more annoyed than not if someone subjected me to it from front to back. Again, I just don't think hair metal is my cup of tea – these albums are likely going to continue getting low scores from me until I hear something that truly breaks the mold. Highlights: Jump, Hot for Teacher, Girl Gone Bad
Good. 3.9
Just a really strong album. The first 3 songs are 5/5's and the rest are 3/5 or 4/5's, so I don't think a 5 is justifiable, but definitely a great album either way.
Maybe best saved for memes and movie soundtracks
"Jump back, what’s that sound?" 1984 was my high school introduction to Van Halen, and it drew me into their entire catalog. While some critics see it as a departure from the hard rock style of their earlier albums, especially with the keyboards and synths, I remain a huge fan of this album. It's nearly perfect! Tracks like "Jump," "Hot for Teacher," and "Panama" are iconic, but the deeper cuts like "Drop Dead Legs" and "I'll Wait" really shine and showcase the band's versatility. Just listen to Eddie's guitar on "House of Pain" and get back to me! Although I’d still give the edge to Van Halen I, 1984 holds a special place in my heart for its energy and innovation!
Jump is fun, Hot for Teacher is horny, but ultimately the entire album was just meh for me.
The worst of really over-produced American hard rock. It all just sounds so phoney and soulless. Hate it.
One day after Chat Control passed listening to literally 1984. Pretty basic album but still fun. Nothing out of the ordinary. Has a couple of highlights that are spread equally across the album, so it’s enjoyable the whole way through. Doesn’t have any songs that I’d outright call bangers but no bad ones too. Enjoyable album but pretty generic and unimpressive. 7/10
Classic Rock and I and I dont see eye to eye, and when it is this cheesy big hair "Metal" masquerading as pop our paths diverge even further. I audibly groaned when I saw jump, which worked when I was an impressionable 10 year old but now just sounded cheap. I respect that Eddy Van Halen is an accomplished guitarist, but I just don't like this type of generic rock riff guitar work. The one video that was being played the lyric went.."I know we're running a little hot tonight" and then they pulled out a hair dryer. Fuck me sideways. I knew this was not my thing when I saw a review that said "Hey PJ Harvey, this is how to make music that people want to hear". I want to hear PJ Harvey, not this. 2 stars
What a ripper. It’s got the hits, it’s got deep cuts, short and sweet and never lets up. I can see why people wouldn’t like it but i think it’s great.
It’s not bad- still a bit lightweight for me.
2+ Stars (6/15)
Van Halen’s Balance Tour (June 1995) was my first concert ever, so I’ll acknowledge my bias right here at the top. If this album - arguably their second best - is on the list then I have to assume their self-titled 1978 debut is also here somewhere. If not, Mr. Dimery and I need to have some words. This was David Lee Roth’s last album with the band (we’ll ignore that 2000’s ‘Old Halen’ era album out of respect) and it was a nice return to form for the band who had struggled to recreate the smashing success of Van Halen 1. Commercially, they certainly did it with 1984, but I’m not sure there’s any comparison in a musical sense. It’s got all of the signature screeching guitar work you’d expect from 80’s era Eddie Van Halen (which again, doesn’t match the more mid-range smoldering/smokey tone he used on VH1, but I’ll stop comparing now). And a bunch of very 80’s keyboard work that I never really needed, but further demonstrate how much EVH brought to the table. I should mention that David Lee Roth also contributed a lot, like when he did SO GOOD at jumping in the “Jump” music video. Gosh, what an irreplaceable legend. For me, the best part is hearing EVH experiment with some different guitar tones in the later tracks. Regardless, 1984 is a fun and pretty lightweight 80’s hair metal album that gave us a solid chunk of any “best of” Van Halen record you’ll ever hear. “Jump” - Hit “Panama” - Hit “Drop Dead Legs” - a perfect example of how VH sounds like the better version of KISS (a rant for another day). “Hot For Teacher” - Hit “Girl Gone Bad” - only for the guitar tone, otherwise the song is just a slowed down derivative of “Hot For Teacher”. Would love to hear the HFT lyrics over this instrumentation though! “House Of Pain” - they put down the hairspray and end the record with 3 minutes of oldschool late-70s metal. PS: I listened to Van Halen 1 as many times as I listened to 1984 this morning. It’s really not even a comparison. I can’t wait to talk more about that one.
Panama…
We got a winner. Absolutely insane. As a child this was the album that made me want to learn about rock. After the Beatles Van Halen is top dog for me. As much as I love Floyd sometimes they got borring. Led was also killer but Van Halen took it up a few notches from the paved way of Led. First side pure hits, side B great not famous songs
Prolific guitar work let down slightly by some sometimes mediocre songwriting
God that synth on Jump is going to be stuck in my head until the day I die. In all honestly, hair metal for me is extremely hit or miss. It’s either really energetic and a blast or it’s just of losers singing about their libido. Van Halen for me, is both of those. Either they fire on all cylinders or I’m mentally begging David Lee Roth to shut up. But 1984, to me, is Van Halen fully at their best. Yeah, it’s horny white dad rock. Yeah, it definitely goes into corny territory. But it’s hard to deny the magnitude of the album’s hits. Between Panama, Hot for Teacher, and Jump, it’s the band’s strongest collection, and the deep cuts are pretty solid too. The 80’s would harbor about a million hair metal bands that would only age like milk at the end of the decade. I’m not saying 1984 hasn’t aged; it’s 80’s as hell. But it sure as hell stuck around and I can understand why. Favorite track: Jump Other hits: Hot For Teacher, Panama, I’ll Wait, Girl Gone Bad, House of Pain
Going to start off by mentioning the album art. Few are as iconic as the angel baby smoking. Permanently engrained in my mind, and always will be. I’ve got some very fond memories of playing “Hot for Teacher” on Guitar Hero. Imagine that song coming out today though. It could never happen. Probably for good reason, but as it stands it’s one of the catchiest songs on the album, and I can’t stop singing it, lol. This album is so tight. It’s over in the blink of an eye. It would be easier to tell you the tracks that I didn’t recognize on the album. Having not heard this from top to bottom before, I knew all but 2 of them. That is to say, with songs like “Jump” and “Panama”, and the lesser known, but maybe my favorite song on the album “I’ll Wait”, this is a pretty damn good collection of hair metal jams. You’re either going to love it or not. I think most people are going to love it, personally. I know this came out in the 80’s, but for some reason I was kind of surprised just how psychedelic and funky this album was. Always going to be a fan of “future noises”, especially when it’s contextually relevant to when the album came out and not just a throwback, although those can be cool as well. I was going to say that this is Van Halen at its absolute best, but holy shit their first album is also pretty good. Going to be fun trying to determine which one I like more when I roll that one. As it stands right now, I’m on the border of giving this a 3 or 4. While I enjoy most of the songs, none of them absolutely blow me away. But it’s iconic, very tight, and I knew pretty much every song going in. So I don’t know man. Damn, this one is hard to rate. I’ll be nice and let the cool album art have a place on my profile.
Pure nostalgia. Ok album
Sorry, but never got the VH bug. I can appreciate EVH, up to a point. But a gimmick is a gimmick, no matter how good you are at it. Diamond Dave is a character and a caricature. Lots of better bands out there. With a lot more to say.
Pretty solid, though I prefer their debut "Van Halen" album.
Classic 80's hair guitar rock from one of the best to ever do it. Loaded with good songs, a few stinkers, but solid all the way through, was happy to see it included. "1984/Jump" (1B listens) is not a great song, it's a catchy song that everyone knows but it should not be the track people associate as VH's best song. The keyboards were a new thing, and at the time, I struggled to accept the new sound. "Panama" (502M) is balls out VH rock n' roll, catchy while still pedal to the floor. "Top Jimmy" is a good glue song and sounds like it could have been on their second album. "Drop Dead Legs" (30M) has a killer bottom end and guitar hook. "Hot For Teacher" (220M) was the video no kid would forget and shows off Alex's drumming abilities. "I'll Wait", the underrated track on the album, is such a great groove (36M) and Eddie's keyboard works shines on this one. All of those songs are on the radio, still today. The filler track, "Girl Gone Bad" (feels unfinished) & "House Of Pain" (really not that bad) were both included to fill the album, they are average at best and don't shine since everything else is higher quality. They're the only two tracks with under 15M listens. Any album with 7 songs on the radio has to be considered a gem. "Jump" has over 1B listens, "Panama" comes in a half a billion, that alone gets you on this list. Throw in huge hits/rock radio staples "Hot For Teacher" + "I'll Wait" and you have an album that deserves it's spot on the Top 1001.
front loaded with 2 bangers not a huge fan of the rest
I'm sure for someone, many someones, these songs are classics. I mean, Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher... all good songs. But Eddie was too talented for the songs he wanted to write. It's good.
I saw a semi in the Walmart parking lot that I thought had the Vanzura Halen logo painted on it but it is actually the trucking company’s logo. I do not think however that it is merely coincidence. Running with the devil got stuck in my head so hard I was hearing it in my dreams. I came into this knowing I would hate it. A good hang brought me to a 3.
Sorry dudes, Eddie and Dave just aren’t for me. I tried. 2 solid listens. Felt nothing.
shredz
Gear: ZiiGaat x Hangout.Audio Odyssey 2 Artwork: 🚬👼🪽 Production (2015 Remaster): 👊🤑👍 Music: 🏆🎸🎉 Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥(🔥)/5
Fun rock. Sound like an american genesis post 1985
It’s definitely a lot of noise.
Bit of a classic so can’t score down
Yeah it was a banger
Stands the test of time
This made me want to smoke cigarettes
EVH is easily one of the greatest to ever pick up the guitar, ridiculously talented. Also Panama always reminds me of Superbad, so extra marks for that.
I didn't realise Van Halen was so poppy LOL. I'd only ever really listened to Hot for Teacher and assumed they were glam rock. I've heard Jump before and it's fine, and so are the rest of the songs. 2/5 stars.
I've always been biased toward this music because I grew up listening to it with my mom. There's something stupidly fun about these glam-rock/hair-metal groups, and the nostalgia certainly helps. I'm not going to sit here and say that this is the most genius songwriting ever, or even that this album is particularly exceptional -- but damn it all this is fun, and Alex can play the fuck out of those drums, and Eddie can play the living fucking daylight out of that guitar. And, other than "I'll Wait," there are basically no misses. Four stars.
Powerful 80s pop rock. Fun to listen to.
Van Halen is always such a pleasant surprise. I want to dismiss them as dad rock, but every album I've gotten of theirs has been a banger. Where most albums just ramble and have lots of filler, this one keeps it tight. 4* Jump is such a fun start. I always thought panama was "cannonball." Hot for teacher has excellent instrumentals. Highlights: jump, panama, hot for teacher
Didn’t really grab me - perfectly listenable, but unexceptional
i think this whole era of rock is absolutely horrid. the cover for this album is classic though ill give them that. standout track: hot for teacher
Being of Gen X and reared on MTV, the hits on this one are ingrained in my brain. I like that it starts off with a synth instrumental on the self-titled track. It makes you wonder if this is going to lead into some prog rock territory. The synths continue on "Jump" and those synth power chords are awesome. It's funny how from a band named for the guitarist, the guitars don't kick in until a minute or so into the second track. But, when they do kick in, Eddie's licks, riffs, and solos let you know that he was a virtuoso. Is it just speed and hammer-ons? I don't know and I don't care. It works here and it was what was needed in the 80's. Same with David Lee Roth's vocals. They fit here. I feel like I did a disservice to this album by not blasting it from a corvette or camaro, but I liked it nonetheless.
3/10
It’s got the hits alright, but also some weedly-weedly filler. If that’s not for you, you already know the hits all too well and can live without the rest.
an album named 1984, from 1984. I definitely know Jump but probably nothing else. It’s fun, guitars and one word choruses. Ultimately, pretty boring.
Southpark
Good but not a fave I can appreciate the guitar work
Pretty good! Not too many complaints. Great blend of rock, metal and pop!
I think there was always a risk that I got into Val Halen. I never did though, and maybe it was for the best. This has some fun bits but it's not really *good* is it?
Why is the production so bad
This album is a mixed bag for me, as my favorite Van Halen song is Hot for Teacher, and my least favorite is Jump. There is definitely plenty to like here, and the talent of everyone is on full showcase for many of the songs, but I just dislike Jump enough that it hurts the entire album for me.
Guitar
Fun album. Van Halen kind of found their formula and stuck with it, but it was something no one else could replicate. 33 minutes with hardly any filler. Dinged for being dumb, but great for the ear candy. 3.5 if I could.
This is certainly an album I could've done without hearing before I die!
This is a fun album lots of fond memories listening to this as a kid great sequencing. I love it up until about i’ll weight and the last couple songs are a little boring however, all in all a great fun record it’s only 33 minutes so you don’t get bored of it.
Há dois discos do Van Halen na lista, e este é o segundo que pego. O primeiro foi a estréia deles, e eu mencionei na review minha surpresa que a banda tinha sensibilidades para além do Rock Bunda, então eu até tinha algumas expectativas para este disco aqui. Minhas expectativas não foram alcançadas. Eu já conhecia metade das canções do álbum mesmo sem nunca ter o ouvido, então isso prova a influência e alcance das composições, mas ao todo, achei o disco representativo de tudo que desgosto do gênero de Rock Bunda. Por sorte, é um álbum curto, então não chega a ser completamente irritante. Tirando seus grandes hits, não há muita coisa notável aqui. Os hits são bons, mas são cansados, overplayed e bregas. Não vejo muito motivo para retornar a este álbum a não ser que você seja fã do grupo. 2/5
Fun listen, doesn't overstay its welcome.
Meh. Maybe I'm too familiar with (read: sick of) the so-called hits from this album, but I really don't care about Van Halen. I don't hate them, but I don't like them. I'm indifferent. In some ways, isn't that worse than hatred? At least if I hate an album I feel something while listening to it. 2/5
cba with van Halen tbh
Great album. Half the tracks are hits: Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher, I’ll Wait. Interesting that there’s a mix of keyboard tracks that feel more like Genesis and guitar heavy tracks, some of which have a slightly bluesy-rock bent (the verse riff in Hot For Teacher could be a ZZ Top song). I always knew Eddie was a wizard on guitar but this album makes me appreciate Alex on drums too.
Mostly harmless.
Strays too often in to campy to not also be a little cringe.
Say what you want about hair metal, this album RIPS.
Loved it!
Meh. It’s a classic but boring
I wasn’t much of a Van Halen fan back in the day, and some forty years later, not much has changed. I did enjoy hearing these songs again for nostalgia’s sake, and Eddie plays a mean guitar…his solo work is my favorite par t of the record. But the best I can do on this one is three stars.
Meh
Almost as much fun as the book!
Good
The problem with discussing Van Halen's '1984' is that my group's already gotten the band's debut. Nearly everything I'd wanna say about Van Halen I already said there: Eddie plays like a motherfucker, David Lee Roth is one of the **the** frontmen of all time, Michael Anthony and Alex are one hell of a rhythm combo, and Van Halen wouldn't be the band they are without Michael's backing vocals. All of that applies here and then some. What else could you need, and what else would you want me to say? Well ... I suppose I **can** comment on the synths. Lemme start with this: did you know that both David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman didn't want the band to record "Jump"? Eddie was **all** for it, but Dave and Ted both balked at the idea of including **keyboards** in the band's sound — and having Eddie play them, no less! He was already a guitar hero! One of the best of his day, and any other from then on! Now he wanted to be a multi-instrumentalist? Come on, come on — who wants to see Eddie play a **keyboard**? Well, apparently Eddie had long held an interest in keys. When he was growing up both he and his brother Alex were taught to play classical piano — though neither of them were big fans. They took to rock n' roll way better. But the ivories would never exactly leave Eddie's life. In fact, according to Paul Stanley, Eddie was so blown away stumbling across KISS recording "Creatures Of The Night" that he wanted to start playing synthesizers. Paul Stanley, like Dave and Ted, didn't understand why Eddie would wanna do such a thing. And it's not like synths were ever completely absent from Van Halen albums before now. They were just ... never the focus, y'know? Like, did you know that "...And The Cradle Will Rock" has a Wurlitzer on it? I sure didn't until I decided to research Eddie's history with keys! And I probably didn't notice because the thing was processed heavily to sound like Eddie's guitar — and **that** was probably the only reason he got away with including it. After that, I think he might've been allowed to record an interlude for their 'Diver Down' album on a Minimoog ... and that was about it until '1984' rolled around. And it's not like I don't get where Dave and Ted are coming from in their opposition to Eddie's synths. I mean, what did Van Halen **need them** for? Both in the sense that they were already one of the hottest hard rock bands around, and, well, that they were a hard rock band. What place would a synthesizer have in a song like "Runnin' With The Devil"? It's not like they needed synths to give them pop appeal; Van Halen was already great at that thanks to Dave's sensibilities. On this album alone you have a single like "Panama", which is an AC/DC-inspired piece of hard glam and it's great! Elsewhere you have "Hot For Teacher", which opens with a monster of a double-bass drum solo, and the craziness doesn't stop until the song ends. Seriously, you gotta give credit for "Hot For Teacher" as one of Van Halen's best songs, on this album and in general. I never get tired of the wild energy it has. Then you've got the rest of the album, with "Drop Dead Legs", "Top Jimmy", "Girl Gone Bad", "House Of Pain" ... none of them exactly all **that special** in the grand scheme of Van Halen's discography, but incredibly fun slices of heavy party rock nonetheless, and you'd miss 'em if even one was cut. But despite Dave and Ted's fair protestation, the very first thing you hear on this album is synths, on the opening title track. And while it ain't much more than a minute, it's some wonderful synth work, and I do truly love it. Elsewhere on the album you've got "I'll Wait", which, of the two synth songs on this album is certainly the lesser ... and maybe strays a **bit** too far away from Van Halen's strengths than you'd like ... like, damn, if it ain't the most synth-poppy synth-pop song the band ever made ... I mean, it's still a good tune. Eddie plays a good line, I love Alex's drumming on this, Dave still puts in a great performance ... I can't really complain about it. Especially not when Eddie pulls out a cool little solo over these synths. And this, then, with no other songs left to address, brings us to **the** song of the album, and the single biggest hit of Van Halen's career, in any iteration: "Jump". Now, I've long held the belief that Van Halen's signature song is something like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" or "Running With The Devil". I'd wanna say it's "Eruption", but that wouldn't be fair to every non-Eddie member of the band. And even on this album, if I had to choose my favorite song, it'd be "Hot For Teacher", like I said. But let's not put down "Jump". You might be sick of it from overplay, but, y'know, heck. It more than deserves its spot as one of Van Halen's greatest songs. Very simply, it is just one of the absolute finest pieces of pop metal this band would ever provide. The way Eddie's synths drive the song is just phenomenal. And that synth solo he pulls out after the guitar solo? Goodness, I guess he hadn't forgotten too much of his classical pianist training. And it's just one of the most simple fun songs the band would ever make. I mean, I love the metal and hard rock stuff they do, obviously, but ain't nothing wrong with a simple pop song every now and then. And I can only imagine what a joy it must've been for Eddie to finally go all out on the synths on these songs, even if they only make up a third of the album. After '1984', as you probably very well know, David Lee Roth was kicked out of the band. His replacement, Sammy Hagar, seemed to be kinder to keys and synths than Dave was, given that they show up prominently on hits such as "Right Now". And until this writing I'd never heard "Right Now" in full, but it's a good tune, with some good keys. And then Gary Cherone was brought on after Sammy got the boot and Eddie decided to try his best Roger Waters impersonation at the end of 'Van Halen III' ... but let's not dwell on that, eh? As David Lee Roth's last album with Van Halen (until 'A Different Kind Of Truth' in 2012, which would end up being the band's final record), I can't think of a better note to've gone out on than '1984'. It's got all the good stuff you'd want from Van Halen and then some. Sure, the songs aren't as consistently tight as the ones on their debut, but it's still Dave Lee Roth-era Van Halen. That's nothing to sneeze at, lemme tell you. And as a realization of Eddie's longstanding desire to play keys, '1984' is just a joy. Sure, even with the success of "Jump" it didn't cause Eddie to be remembered as a keyboard warrior (if you wanna use that term) as well as he is a guitar hero ... but damn if he wasn't good at it while he was playing it. And I can't help but think that he must've helped convince a few people to pick up keys themselves. If Eddie, a meedly-meedly tapper, can tickle some form of ivories, why can't they? And even if they didn't, they still had one of the all-time greatest synth-led rock songs to jam out to. And that is just doubleplusgood.
Might not be as stellar as their debut record, but damn if this isn't a good time as well. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 5. A little higher, though not quite a 10 like their debut. Everyone knows “Jump”. That’s their big one. This album basically starts at that point (though “1984” is a cool synthy open), and then it rides the high of that track & Panama, hitting one more extremely high point on "Hot for Teacher", before just cruising all the way to a really nice, if slightly flat finish. It may sound like I’m a little down on this album, but that’s just because their debut was insanely good, and this one is only really, really good. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar is still a deadly weapon, atoning big time for the “Beat It” solo he ripped without the band’s permission by killing it on every track here. David Lee Roth’s vocals still rip, even if they’re just a little more subdued / poppier here compared to the sort of “American Ozzy Osbourne” comparison I gave for their debut. Alex Van Halen’s percussion is on point throughout this album, and I feel like he gets even more room to shine here than on the debut, or at least more noticeably given some of the percussive solos on this thing. Obviously, the big difference between this & their debut is the heavy use of the synthesizer, which permeates this album in a way that makes it feel more specifically dated to 1984 than the timeless sort of sound to their self-titled, but in a way, I kind of like that you can place this album so specifically to its time. “Jagged Little Pill” certainly doesn’t suffer from sounding like 1995 at every turn. To my ears, it means you’ve made something stand out so uniquely and yet so ubiquitously that people associate your sound as a core memory of the decade, and that’s gotta feel cool, to some degree. I do wish this ended on a more definitive note than “House of Pain” – it does make the album feel like more of a collection of tracks as opposed to a fully flowing energy, but regardless, it’s still 33 minutes that kick ass. It’s worth hearing it over me describing it, so I’ll stop here, but I will say one thing: “Jump”, by itself, feels like an anthem that would’ve lifted this album to a 4, bare minimum. The whole thing is really, really good, and while it’s not as good as their debut, it all still just rips. It’s a 5, and probably higher, though not a 10.
Nichts für mich als ganzes, einige Lieder ok. Lebenslauf interessanter als die Musik. Virtuos.
The hits still stand up.
I grew up on Van Halen, and still love them as much as I did as a kid. This album is explosive and so fun. Absolutely love the synth, bright and buzzy guitar tone, all over the place drums. Eddie Van Halen is just so inventive on the guitar, so distinctive. “I’ve got my PEN-cil” is one of my favorite moments in all rock music.
This was a fun, quick listen. It's more of a 3 but I'll round it up to a 4 because it was better than truly middle of the road
yeah this is awesome, 34 minutes of just great music, not too long, easy to digest, great stuff
In which Eddie Van Halen, one of the most important guitar players in the instrument's history, reminds us of his classical musical training and composes a bunch of great stuff for synthesizers. Still somewhat anathema for hard rockers, it works. Later, Alex Van Halen reminds us that he's a formidable drummer by recording a drum intro to 'Hot For Teacher' that may never stop causing debates about how to play it correctly. Michael Anthony supports, David Lee Roth pretends to be as important to the band as either of the eponymous brothers. Once again, this is an album that fucked up rock music for a long time. It's not straightforward to make a song like 'Jump' compelling. A lot of synth-powered motivational ballads followed. Most sucked (Rush and, to a lesser extent, Triumph had a few good ones). 'Panama' reminds us of Van Halen I & II. 'Hot For Teacher' is maybe Peak Diamond Dave-era VH. Hot take: this is a perfect album. Within the micro-genre that Van Halen forms the gravimetric centre of, this is the ur-record. 5/5
My oh my. I have never really enjoyed Van Halen. But listening to this album and changed my mind. the musical talent is really good. The guitar, the synths, and the drums are so good. Downside is the lyrical content of a few of the songs. An era of the time, but like most albums on this journey we have to look at the context. A surprise 4 stars
Boring.
Van Halen is great. Hits were still the highlights for me, but no shame in that. The other songs were still solid with the same sort of sound. Top Jimmy is a fun one.
Fun record, but beyond the singles there’s not a lot there
Fun album! Deserving of its status of A Classic
I have no other place to admit I'll Wait is one of my 5 favorite Van Halen songs, so here it is. What if we made an album with 8 songs where they were all pretty good?
i don't love this album or even like Van Halen. I did listen though, the guitar is no joke here. With that being said i give 2.5/10
Absolute banger, have heard most of it on the radio but the non radio songs kinda absolutely rip
Don't think I've actually ever listened to this record in full which is funny. I remember having [Album4577] on CD as a kid, don't really know why. The standout tracks on this record (Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher) are undeniable classics that I enjoy quite a bit, but I can't really imagine going back to the record in full ever again in my life. Still cool to finally listen to it though.
Wer kennt diese gruppe nicht. Jump sagt alles und ist das was es ausmacht
Jump! 🫶
The LP that killed Van Halen. A very successful LP and tour. Several hits. Not their best but certainly worth a listen.
Quintessential album of my youth. Best year of music.
I really needed this. Such an iconic style, incredible energy and extremely skilled solos. Can't ask for more.
Album opens with some heavy space synth on the short opening instrumental track 1984. Second track is Jump. Very gay song, no other way to put it. Third track is Panama. Didn't realize this album had so many singles. I actually never really cared for this song but I enjoyed it quite a bit this time around. Good headphones definitely make a difference. I feel like I've only ever heard the songs from these 80s rock records on the radio. Sitting down for a focused listening session definitely helps appreciate the production aspect. Track 5, Drop Dead Legs(a lot of these songs are about getting pussy) is ok at best but I am into the guitar solo near the end. Track 6 - Hot For Teacher. Another single(one about getting teacher pussy) and probably what I would have called my favourite Van Halen song if I was asked before listening to this album. Great song but it's close to being played out for me at this point. Track 7 - I'll Wait. Didn't recognize the title but I've definitely heard this one. Back with the heavy synth. Only halfway through the song but this might be my favourite song so far. Weird, I didn't expect to enjoy this one so much, especially since I've heard it in the background 1000 times before. Track 8 - Girl Gone Bad. This can't possibly be about getting bad girl pussy, can it? Opening instrumental section is pretty cool. I just read the lyrics, It's about a girl that comes from out of town and starts working as a prostitute. The songwriter believes she should be with him. So it's about getting prostitute pussy. This is actually my favourite song. Not much for lyrics and there are few pretty awesome instrumental parts. Nice. Closing this out is House of Pain, track 9. Just read the lyrics, it's very obviously about bdsm. Not too bad, better than I expected. This whole album clocks in at only 33 minutes so it's a pretty quick listen. Nine tracks total with four of those being rock radio classics. Although some of the songs here have been played to death, there are some deep cuts(Girl Gone Bad, House of Pain) that I liked and a couple classics that I found a new appreciation for(Panama, I'll Wait). Probably not going to give this one more than 3 stars but I think 3.5 is closer to how I feel.
Ranges from insufferable to occasional fun. Jump and I'll Wait are truly horrendous tracks that deal physical damage to my ear canals. Girl Gone Bad and Hot for Teacher are more creative at the cost of being more explicitly sexist. It never really comes together, but there's some bombastic guitar work as a flashy distraction. 2/5
Best track was the opening 1.07 min intro. Jump has been overplayed for the last 40 years. Didn’t like them in the 80’s and nothing has changed since. Luckily it was only 33 minutes long. Wont be listening to this again.
Jump and Panama are classics. The other tracks aren't quite as good, but they're not bad either. Would Lauren again.
Pretty generic, but good. I think this is what people think about when they hear Classic Rock. The band all around is very good, but the songs themselves kind of get boring and I wouldn't want to listen to this for any longer than the album already is. Definitely good, but not amazing.
One track out of nine is pretty poor. Having said that, the one is a massive classic. 80s, misogynistic. The cover artwork screams all sorts of wrong, white angel smoking, rebel without a cause. That was the evolving 80s for you, some of it better dead and buried.
Super high hit rate
Hard to listen to him and not think of the South Park episode
There is no wrong with van halen, lovee this band and their songs and this album just go with it, it must be a 5 stars
Fun
later
Unbelievable guitars, but the vibe of Pump it up rock is overplayed.
This album is just fun and gets ya goin...the first 3 songs. And then it gets old and slimy.
Fett. Litt sånn gubberock. Vipper mellom 3 og 4. Ender på en sterk 3’er
Some really recognizable hits - hot for teacher, girl gone bad, jump… classic 80s rock!
Pretty solid DLR VH album. Jump and Panama are GOATs.
instrumentally fantastic. so many tracks that made me go, "oh my god, THIS is that song!!" while listening. but man, the lyrics are a piece of work. I will forever consider it a red flag for a grown adult (of any gender) to write songs about being in high school. get over it!!
One of my favorite albums of all time. Copy/paste if you want to read more: https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-1984-by-van-halen?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Jump is really good but the rest is just okay. 3 stars or C.
When I listen to this album I feel nothing. Nothing happens. Nobody cares. Very much of-its-era and not a great era to be of. Lyrics don't mean anything in this era. Emotion? No. No emotion. Progression? No. No progression. Passion? To some, maybe, but this legitimately just sounds like some white guy who can't sing trying to sound cool. Basically equivalent of bad pop punk. I kinda like jump because it's the only one which feels kinda fun. Side note: Not sure if I'm committed to this idea yet, but I might try to do an exact normal distribution of albums. I usually have a hard time with the lower end of a normal distribution, but right out of the gate I have two 1/5s so it might be TOO downskewed. So far the worst album I've listened to on thsi list, but to be fair it's only the second.
There's a reason people still talk, 40-plus years later, about the end of the Van Halen/Roth partnership - these guys were absolutely peaking at the time. This album includes the most controversial (and correctly forward-thinking) instrumentation decision since Dylan going electric, AND the world's grand introduction to the double bass pedal (amazing that both Van Halen brothers have a repertory piece on their respective instruments), AND a half-dozen other flawless compositions, AND Roth's zenith as a vocalist. An absolute masterwork.
Wet, microwaved, cardboard crust. Way too much red sauce. Chunky, high-moisture mozzarella. They might say, "Hey, at least it's still pizza." But is it? The culinary abomination you're putting in your mouth, because you have to eat something, right? Is it? Is it even pizza...?
Van Halen's best. Great 80s hard rock, big hits, very enjoyable. Surprised I haven't really ever listened to any Van Halen.
I've said it before here, and I'll say it again (for what should be the last time in this process): if you don't like VH, you don't like fun.
This is distilled 80s rock. Big hair and bigger sounds, 1984 is a quintessential corner piece for anyone wanting to experience the classics. Absolutely crazy guitar riffs across the entire 33 minute run time with memorable hits like "Jump," "Panama," and "Hot for Teacher." Great album.
If you want some upbeat feel-good rock this is a great way to spend your time. Van Halen showcase great musical skill combined with an incredible energy that I'm sure would absolutely destroy live. It may be big and a little cheesy, and belong to an era I never lived, but it's a real fun taste of 80's Arena Rock.
God damn what a record. One of the first albums I ever owned. Every song rips. AVH is a very underrated drummer. An easy 5/5.
The kindest way to describe 1984 is a bit of a shit sandwich. Jump is excellent, Panama follows it well, but then we get an assortment of strange and sleazy songs in the middle that give me the cringe. I'll Wait is a similar but poorer version of Jump, and the 2 songs at the end are passable. After the opening tunes. I expected better.
Now this is a classic. Simply amazing synth from start to end, not to talk about Panama and especially the vibes that emerge from Jump. Simply a masterpiece
The perfect guitar
I knew OF Van Halen by the time this dropped, when I was 12 and a half, but this made me, and just about everyone else in my class, a fan. Still great to listen to it, and my daughter even said she's "absorbed" most of the songs.
Dope
Nice and talented, but as with GnR, harmed by the decade in which it was released.
Guter alter Gitarrenrock
Better than Coldplay
Good, but not in a life-changing way. I liked how the drums sound.
Great riffs and incredible use of synth and guitar. Obvious classics
Unreal album, everyone on top form here musically but a special mention to Eddie Van Halen who had to be writing some of the most creative riffs of the 80s.
Panama and Hot for teacher alone is worth 4 stars. The rest of the album is not just good, it's fucking good. So it's a 5.
I liked the songs I've heard before, and didn't really like the ones I haven't. They got the singles right.
File under Frat Boy nonsense.
It’s the epitome of the 80’s hair bands. What’s not to like? David Lee Roth at the helm and Eddie Van Halen with some sick guitar solos. You can feel the drugs through the music. I mean the energy. You can feel the energy!
Classic VH ! The album starts at the 3rd track for me as I got tired of Jump and Panama over the years. The drumming on the beginning of "Hot for Teacher" is just crazy, probably the best song of the album. "I'll Wait" is the weaker song of the album. The album ends very well with "Girl Gone Bad" and "House of Pain".
Groovy
Crystal Pepsi! I’ve half listened to half of these song for most of my life and fully listening to them now they’re more solid than I anticipated.
Eddie's playing was just on a very different level from all his peers. Dave was just a completely different showman than everyone else. Alex's drums were great - they all came together to form something special - and unique .
Good tunes thx !.
Daora pra kct
Too much cocaine in the 80’s
”Hot For Teacher” would have been fun and cocky if it were written by teenagers. But it’s not, is it? No, it was written by a bunch of 30 year-olds. Dumb, cynical, or both? Other than that, it’s a fine album. Songwriting is not the most exciting, but the playing is great. I never put it on, but always enjoy it when I hear it. 4/5
𝟣𝟫𝟪𝟦 is a flashy, confident record that captures Van Halen at their commercial peak. 𝘑𝘶𝘮𝘱 is an undeniable classic — that synth riff still sounds massive — but the rest of the album doesn’t quite match its spark. The mix of hard rock swagger and shiny 80s production works in parts, yet it feels more like style over substance. Fun, loud, and very much of its time.
Okay album, a little plain imo
Listening to this you realize why Van Halen was huge
Couple recognizable songs here I’ve never really liked. Kinda went for I’ll Wait but otherwise the synth rock just isn’t really my thing
Jump followed by Panama to open the album? Hot for teacher also on the same album? Magical. One of the hair metal bands that perfected the 1989s excess.the guitar solos can be a bit much sometimes. This close to being 5 starts - if I was in a better mood it would get 5.
I didn't exactly grow up in the 70s/80s, but I was obsessed with Van Halen and other acts that fell into the "classic rock" mold by the time I was a youth/teenager. It was honestly all I listened to for a moment there. I've since...expanded my music interests as I've gotten older, but classic rock, and especially Van Halen, hasn't changed in my eyes and remains as "comfort" music to my ears. Van Halen embraces the almighty synthesizer here, namely in "I'll Wait" and the anthemic "Jump". This was new for the group at the time, but they also stick to their hard rock roots throughout the rest of the album too. That and the horniness, which was always prevalent not just here, but in ALL of 80's hair metal. The instrumentation is among the group's best here, with iconic guitar riffs and drum solos. That and the songwriting/composition are a large reason why the three big singles (Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher) have stood the test of time. I did find this album as being another case of the first half grossly outshining the second half, but it's still an enjoyable listen worthy of recognition when mentioning this era of rock.
Jesus I haven't listened to this in a long time. I forgot the song "Top Jimmy" even exists. What a freaking banger. Honestly this album was so popular, every single song is pretty much on the radio every day. It's basically a Van Halen greatest hits CD. This still isn't my favorite Van Halen record. Fair Warning holds that honor. Hard to not love 30 minutes of good old fashioned hard rocking. 15/19
Some classic glam rock. Eddie Van Halen is brilliant and this is a good album!
so quintessentially 80s in all the ways i dislike most about the era; glossy synths, macho posturing, and overblown guitar work. no substance, just feels like white american redneck music. 2/5
day 11: audio equivalent of the windows 95 release conference with all the devs dancing and clapping hands hehe. proud white american after listening to this one! ROCK FLAG AND EAGLEEEEE!!! not going to pretend this isn’t a fun fkn listen, the songs are over the top and the new-wave/hair metal blend is stylised awesomeness. jump is a classic, and the rest fill a nice tight 30 min runtime (hot for teacher is a questionable choice but the prog section bangs). girl gone bad actually sounds like a rush outtake too. if this was 50+ mins i would hate it but i wont say no to 30 mins of wicked guitars and silly synths. ‘GIANT BUTT! MAKES ME SCREAM!’ already eddy calm down now. this album cover fucks.
Meh. I remember when this album dropped and everyone, including me, was very excited. It was one of the prototypical albums of the emerging glam/hair metal sound. I don't think that it holds up 40 years later. The singles that got airplay are fine and probably the best songs on the album. "Hot for Teacher" really sounds problematic in 2025. "I'll Wait" is underrated and the best song on the album.
Yeah. Damn near perfect. With 1984, Van Halen prove they are everything you are not. They're fun. They're popular. They are the life of the party. They're no virgins. You can try, but you will never be Van Halen
I've heard most of the songs many times. They're fine, but I never had a particular connection to them.
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.
A good album, I liked Top Jimmy, Hot For Teacher and I'll Wait the most.
Grandes vocais e um hard rock dos bons
Enjoyable. Not perfect and I didn't like the style at the time, but I appreciate it more now.
I wanted to like this more than I did. Overplayed and 80's flamboyant. I would like to have David Lee Roth as an audible narrator for some class book though.
It's showing its age just a little, and some of their other work is a bit better, but this is still an album full of fun 80's vibes and well known hits.
Great stuff...takes me back.
I bought this album in my 20s. A friend put me onto this band. I'm not a huge fan, but there's plenty to appreciate in the guitar work. I find David Lee Roth a little bit creepy. However, I've always been a big fan of Hot for Teacher and the attitude he sings it with. There's some great guitar parts. Drop Dead Legs is my favourite. Jump is, of course, prolifically positive (despite being about suicide...). It's an important album, but not really my cup of peppermint tea. 4 stars.
This album is like being a 15 year old in high school and being visited by 42 year old who claims he’s come back from the future, to show you how to be cool at school. He drives a white Ferrari so you think he might know a thing or two. He visits you at school and threatens the bullies at school which you think is awesome. But also he tries to invite your girlfriend in to quiet rooms on multiple occasions which is pretty fucked up cos she is your girlfriend and he knows that. Also because he is 42 and she is 15. Is this guy even from the future? He might just be a coke-head. Cool car though.
6 star guitar work. -1 guitar tone -1 vocals and lyrics
. It is a Ven Halen album with more focus on keyboards. Great hits are here like Jump and Panamá. You wont be dissapointed if you are looking for hard rock albums with a party rock vibe
rockig halt. ganz gut aber nichts außergewöhnliches
Easily my favorite Van Halen album!
Clássico, mas algumas músicas esquecíveis
The 80s wasn’t kind to guitar music
Classic
14.50 (pe), hima, harmaat gen, qobuz ei enää rockia!!! hyvä luoja ei rockia enää
This album will probably transport you to an American High School in the 1980's. So if you want that, great, give it a listen. If not, then don't. Amazing guitar work, but if you don't enjoy twiddly virtuoso runs of musical notes up and down a guitar then you will hate it. I can't really relate to songs about wanting sex with your teacher. My teachers were all 65 with perms and cardigans. Not for me thanks.
3.4 2x great album but still not in my tip top
One of the best albums ever
Unsure how this made the cut. Fine but hardly ground breaking
Short story: Back in the 2Ks, spent most of my day listening to $20 Sony Earbuds. I was replacing them every few months because they are meh. I had recently been exposed to one of those table top Bose systems. It was remarkable the sound that came out of that little box. I decided I was going to invest my in some $115 Bose headphones. I figured if I could not tell the difference in the sound quality, between them and the Sony, I would just return them. I was telling my wife if my idea. Then I had an idea, to get an unbiased opinion, I asked my wife to listen and to them for me. I first let her listen to the 1st minute if a song on the Sony headphones. Then I restarted the song and let her listen on the Bose. It was like 15 seconds in and with the headphones still in her ears, she say “Yeah, you are not returning these”. Btw the song I played for her was Panama. She didn’t know who Van Halen was until we met. 🤣😂
9/10
Oh, what a marvelous miss. Horrible synth pop with shredder solos? Hard pass. However, if aliens came to earth and asked “what is rock music?”, Van Halen might make the list.
I was bopping the whole album.
Bland, generic 80s American ‘rock’.
Classic but not my style
Eddie does synthesizers
I hate 80s hair metal, but I actually had fun listening to this. I must have been in a particularly good mood. Eddie's guitar work is great, but I still detest the overall vibe
Enjoyable enough but not dying to relisten to. It’s too clean at times, when it feels they should be harder
Rock and/or roll
I graduated from high school in 1984. Van Halen was the biggest band in the world. Saw the tour bought the T-shirt everything. I haven’t listened this album. Top to bottom in many decades. It’s amazing and proves how much Roth and Van Halen needed each other.. semi sucks
An absolute classic from Van Halen. I’ve listened to this album countless times and it always brings a smile. Old school Van Halen (w/ David Lee Roth) rocks and is a staple of the 80’s.
Boring crap album for shit dads
D.N.L.
I didn't know this album is where all the songs I heard at the end credits of animated kids movies came from! but look at the little baby smoking the little cigarette awwww
In the top 3 air guitar albums of all time. Try to listen to it without pretending you can play like Eddie… it’s impossible.
Nothing like DLR era Van Halen, big fan. That said this is my least favorite DLR VH album, so it gets a 3.8, which rounds up to a 4. Not a strong 4 but I can't in conscience give this record anything less.
I don’t listen to 80’s hair metal much but if I did Van Halen would be the band…gotta give this a 4 for Jump and Hot for Teacher.
Enjoyed it more than I expected to. Hate "Jump" though.
I don't usually listen to metal but I enjoyed listening through start to finish.
Yeah
Literally 1984. "Jump" feels like the start of every single 80s movie.
Schwieriger Fall. Das Debut hat mich 78 umgehauen, alles danach war für mich nur noch naja bzw. Hair-Metal für die Mädchen. Als ich 40 wurde hatte ich die Idee Stromgitarre zu lernen. Also habe ich mir ne billige Telecaster-Kopie gekauft und mich bei einem Gitarrenlehrer angemeldet. Und schon schnell gings los mit Van Halen und zwar mit Panama und dem Solo aus Jump. Hat viel Spaß damals gemacht und daher muss ich die 2 Sterne unberechtigterweise auf 3 aufrunden ;-)
I think the 80s were a weird decade for rock, certainly not my favorite. On the positive side, some real good guitar playing, and Jump is a classic rock song from my childhood.
3.5 - liked it then lost the mood
I first listened to this a few months ago when we started doing Kerrang albums of the year. I thought it was decent, the best of the bunch at that point but it didn’t really grab and hasn’t on a repeated listen. I appreciate the impact it likely had at the time but to me listening now it feels of it’s time, they even dated it themselves with the title, and it’s not a genre I hold particularly dear. So a decent listen but not one I’ll be returning to.
Decent hard rock! I love the classics but otherwise this is not the most moving music ever
I’ve never really been a fan of Van Halen, and I didn’t expect this album to change that. I went into it with an open mind, but I was bracing myself for generic ’80s American rock. After listening, my opinion is mostly the same, though I did find moments that I genuinely enjoyed. As a whole, Van Halen’s sound feels a bit one-dimensional to me, with not much variation between tracks. That said, this album does have some standout moments: the iconic Jump is still an outstanding track, I’ll Wait is another highlight, and the instrumental opener 1984 is a clever touch. There’s also some undeniably impressive guitar work scattered throughout. On the flip side, much of the record sounds dated, leaning heavily into its ’80s sheen. Songs like Drop Dead Legs just drag and add nothing for me. Overall, it’s not enough to change my mind about Van Halen, but I can at least appreciate why this album struck a chord with so many. Favourite track: Jump – it’s the clear peak of the album. Least favourite track: Drop Dead Legs – dull and forgettable. Album artwork: Not for me – a bit creepy, to be honest.
Cheese rock. Still has some bangers.
It's definitely one of those. I was surprised that I'd actually already heard pretty much every song on this album. Not something I'd choose to listen to on my own, but the stuff is fun.
Undeniably great record. So many jams.
I don't know what it means that this is a band that I really dismissed as a teenager but have come to appreciate more and more over the years - something about the unabashedly dumb fun unseriousness of it just really hits. Eddie Van Halen is most famous for the shredder pyrotechnics, but it's rhythm playing that really stands out here - the riffs and licks, the squealing tone, the style, and the interplay between guitar and synths over the driving thudding rhythm section. They have a rock solid greatest hits compilation from the David Lee Roth era, but the albums are all half killer half filler. Favorites: Jump, Panama, I'll Wait
sfiggy rock
Eh pá, meio canseira….
I liked this one less than their eponymous. It starts off strong, setting up a synth-heavy sound in the first two tracks, and then it falls off the rails. While their self-titled set up standout moments for Eddie Van Halen's licks to shine, they were often lost in the chaos of this work, and I found my attention wandering throughout the middle section. There is redemption in the last two tracks, but when it was done I was left wanting, the promise of the album's start unfulfilled. Standout tracks: Jump, Girl Gone Bad
Couple of well known tunes
Good fun, but I don’t need it in my library
Um disco satisfatório, por seus aspectos instrumentais interessantes.
EVH
Not even 30 days in and already my second Van Halen album. It did not enjoy the self-titled album that much, so i was quite surprised by this one. The instrumentals were again very strong, this time i did also like the vocals.
van halen is the essence of 80s rock, i do feel that some of the songs have not done well through time but its still a good rock album
Van Halen is a guitar god! Was going to give this a 3 but the last couple songs hit so hard it became a 4
Good reminder of my youth. But still couldn’t listen to all songs
a bit boring. Not my fave.
Guitar, synths, cheesy lyrics. Defined a party sound, simply a fun time. Short and sweet at just over a half an hour.
Listening to this was playing another round of “Recognize this popular song?” Because what the actual fuck? I’d never have guessed ‘Jump’ to be from Van Halen because I only knew they were a guitar-centric band. The back half of the album is more inline with what I expected Van Halen to sound like than the song I most associate with to the pets show in Sea World lmao. Favorite tracks: Hot for Teacher, Girl Gone Bad
A little too instrumental for my taste. Absolutely loved hearing Jump though
3 big radio hits
Hot for Teacher and House of Pain are cool songs. The rest seems like a generic 80s rock to me.
Seminal record!
This is the VH album that gets all the hype. Probably because of "Jump" and, to a lesser degree, "Hot for Teacher" and "Panama". But to me, it is way too short at 33 minutes. It's even shorter if you throw out the instrumental "1984". I'm taking off a point for only 8 songs clocking in at 32 minutes.
I forget how much I actually enjoy Panama. The rest was alright.
Jump i have always liked. rly liked hot for teacher never really listened to whole thing. honestly loved whole album more than i expected. rly fun rly engaging drums. I liked hot for teacher probs most
Für Rock ganz ok.
I mean, it's Van Halen, it's obviously gonna be virtuosic as hell. This album is just a string of driving riffs. Not my favorite, but it's not bad either. Oh and Top Jimmy just sounds cool as hell.
A few songs on this album I really enjoyed especially Panama
It was okay. Lots of hits, but not my taste. Have to give Eddie credit for his guitar work though.
One of the great Van Halen records, Dave at his vocal best, Eddie stretching out on keyboards as well as his typically mind boggling guitar playing. Even though this record seemed to signal the end, there is quite a bit of fun that comes through.
Short, but not very enjoyable.
I can see why guitarists like it. But the synth and drums just turn me right off ... Gives it that 80s hair metal vibe that I am just not about.
One of the better glam rock/metal albums that I feel is really held back by childish lyrics. It's disappointing that this album has some incredibly intricate instrumental work, and there's nothing to sing about besides girls. I think it's a shame that the title track isn't a full song or there isn't an additional instrumental song; would've really helped the album feel more balanced and well-rounded. Especially with the high level the band is musically operating at. Top tracks: Jump, Panama, Girl Gone Bad
meh
Je connaissais de loin mais j'avais jamais écouté d'album en entier, franchement du bon hard rock avec plus de personnalité selon moi que du Aerosmith et consort. J'avais entendu parlé des légendaires riff de guitare qui effectivement n'ont pas déçu, par contre il faut aussi parler du batteur parce que franchement les percussions sont au top sur cet album !
Il y a des sons chouettes (top Jimmy, hot for teacher) Niveau voix et musicalité, très similaire à Aérosmith Après Van Halen est surtout connu pour être un guitar hero..
Je me surprends moi même de la note que je mets parce que ce n'est pas trop mon style, mais j'ai beaucoup aimé ! Je connaissais que Jump, c'était sympa de découvrir l'album entier. Il est donc possible pour moi d'aimer le hard rock il suffit juste que ce soit un bon match en sonorités. 4/5
muziek om op de dansvloer te staan... niet nadenken over teksten en dat praktisch alle hair metal muziek en bands onderling inwisselbaar zijn...
Enjoyed this album
Horrible, dated rock. I particularly dislike the drumming and bass guitar, as well as the singing and the stupid lyrics.
Bof
While being somewhat dated and of it's time it is still a classic. There are a few hits backed by some deep cuts.
Better than I expected. Loved the cool rock vibes!
Biz zu classic rocky, wo mi energytechnisch abhole chönti, aber musikalisch ned ganz mini sach isch. I gwüssne moment chöntis aber sehr abfiere, darum gits au 3 baby-fluppe
Fun Halen oder leider doch nöd so fun halen. Ja mir kennt ihn weg em max party lied, aber süsch muss mir ihn au nöd kenne, hani gmerkt :0 Tendiere grad zum ne 2. isch das gemein will de eini song ja scho e ihstieg in elektronischi musik vlt für villi ermöglicht hed und au sehr früeh dropt isch. Aber de rest isch doch gugus? 1, 9, 8, 4 ehe nei 2 sternlis mr van
OK. When the video for Jump came out it was on a 'battle of the videos'-type segment on MTV and it just kept winning. It's such a simple video but we loved it! I remember getting such a kick out of seeing Eddie laugh so many times during the video. I was hooked.
Jump was my favorite song as a kid bc my dad was an accountant and I thought the line was “you gotta roll with the budget”. 4 stars.
fav track: panama i guess
Lyrically, it's about a cool car, a hot teacher, a sexy magazine, and Just Do It. So it's dumb fun for teenage boys. Musically, it's loud, fast, and showy. Also dumb fun for teenage boys. As a dumb fun album or teenage boys, this rocks hard. It does what you want. Eddie rips throughout, the lyrics are silly yet sincere, and it plays with new tools of the era. It's dumb with heart, and loud with vision. As a former dumb teenage boy, I can't hate. It still rocks hard. For music criticism broadly, it's weird that this has always been pretty well respected, while dumb fun for teenage girls is almost always criticized. Taylor Swift appealing to teen girls has been a constant criticism for almost two decades. Similar critiques exist for the modern boy bands, Kesha, Spears, Gomez, and K-Pop. Everybody should be allowed their dumb fun. And, yeah, I'm calling this T-Swift for Gen X men.
This album contains some nostalgia. It features their 2 most famous hits, and I basically had never really listened to anything else of theirs. There is some technical wizardry, I guess. But it's very one-dimensional, and there's no depth in the lyrics or tone. 2/5
Some bangers, some filler
This album is exactly what I imagine the 80's sounded like. Nothing special from my 21st century perspective, but I'm sure this was cool when it was released. 3/5
If you like American style heavy metal, arena rock then this is for you. Not being an enthusiast I thought it was ok. Favourite tracks were Drop Dead Legs and Hot for the Teacher (but I'm not sure if that is PC anymore)
Rating: 2.2 How can an album with Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher get such a low rating? Well I’m pretty sure I heard all of those songs in every 80’s nostalgia bait movie I’ve ever watched and the rest of the songs will put you to sleep better than a lullaby on cough syrup.
I mean, this is basically a greatest hits album for Van Halen. A record full of giant hits. It belongs in a museum as a showcase of 80s hair metal and theme songs for IROC owners. Respect the musicianship, style, and skill but after working over a decade in bars, I would be perfectly fine never hearing it again.
Preferred the other Van Halen we had, but gave that a 2... So another 2.
Classic album. Every song is great
The introduction leading into Jump was fire. You get hit with banger after banger and they keep that high energy right til the end. However I start detract from the 80's hair metal repetition after Drop Dead Legs. Not that the rest after were bad but that it felt too much. The production was great and this was still a great listen. Top 4: Jump, Panama, Top Jimmy, and Drop Dead Legs no bad songs 4.00-4.25/5
How much sex do you think these guys had?
A 5* album from a 5* band - it’s fun, non stop and EVH shreds 5/5 Best Song: Panama
I know you’ll hate me for this. But it’s really bad, it’s fart rock, it’s the worst front man of all time and a guy shredding. It’s a band I never understood, I hate the songs Jump and Hot for teacher so fucking much. It’s 1980s USA capitalism and cocaine rock, 4th of July BBQ-core. Pls don’t leave me.
Standout Songs: Jump Panama Top Jimmy Hot for Teacher I'll Wait Girl Gone Bad Hell yeah! One of my all time favourite albums comes up on the list. Half an hour of rockin’ out! Been on such a good streak of albums lately.
Got it bad. So bad.
Hot for teacher might be the best 80s song. Jump might be the worst. Yin and yang bitches
61/1001 :: Van Halen - 1984 Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 6 Fav Tracks: Hot For Teacher, Drop Dead Legs Listen before you die: Yes Hot For Teacher is incredible. Seriously amazing. Also was Eddie an alien? A wizard perhaps? These licks are hot as hell. Interestingly enough I think people should listen to this before they die but I just don’t want to listen to it again. Let’s be serious, this sounds 80s AF. Panama? I always thought DLR was great but is he? Sammy is terrible but Diamond Dave is so over the top. Anyway I think this is the 2nd time I’ve ever listened to this album. And probably the last. I wouldn’t tell someone to turn off but I’m never gonna turn it on…
Immature and largely forgettable.
Cannot stand Van Halen. Boring, predictable hair rock. Awful period in music.
Honestly, a bit of fun. Is it one of the best albums of all time? Certainly not. Is it amazing, no. But it's fun. Way better than the other Van Halen album on the list But its a 3
more dad rock that my (white dad, 52) loves deeply. i think this album was on like every CD he burned for his 1994 ford fiesta? at least panama was, he loves that shit. i liked it a hell of a lot ngl, but i do really love van halen before hagar better than van halen after. hot for teacher is an insane song in retrospect for me to be bopping along to at, like, age 9. but it's a banger, so i'll allow it. i fear that i am too biased toward this album, highlights are the hits: hot for teacher, panama, and jump (even though the glee cast lowkey did it better), plus i really love drop dead legs and the intro instrumental is great. a short album, but one i listened to twice in a row because it was so fun.
Excellent album.
Better than I expected. I’m still not a fan of the attitude/lifestyle, but there were some interesting riffs and tracks I hadn’t heard before.
Thank the lord its only 33 mins long.
"listen, i know you paid a lot for those keyboards but have you ever thought they sound a bit, you know, shit?" "nah, keyboards are the future mate" "its just the drums and guitars all sound really good but the keyboards kind of ruin th.." "the future mate"
This album is just as impressive as it was back in 1984. I love all of its songs!
A nearly perfect album.
Not good
Van Halen were the archetype of the sort of band I hated at the time this album was released. Poodle perm, long hair, pop metal they had nothing going for them in my world. So naturally, I had my preconceptions as to what this album might be like. The instrumental intro '1984' was not what i expected at all, and then came the stand out track 'Jump', which we all know very well of course. Maybe, i had misjudged things, and there might be more of this synth based rock on the album, to prove to me that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover? Track 3 ('Panama') was more of what I had expected, and 'Top Jimmy' was no improvement either. And so it went on, terrible American frat boy nonsense. There was some good drumming in parts, but the lyrics were truly awful, and the guitar riffs totally over-indulgent. Can you judge a book by it's cover? When it features an angel smoking cigarettes from a soft pack, then Yes, it would appear you can.
We should never speak of this album again. Awful! And yet, as I write this (on my hols, in a local cafe), you'll never guess what's just come on the radio. Go ahead and jump!!
Very high 3 Thought this would be a boring hard rock album, 80s synth stuff sounds a lot less synthetic now we live in the digital age. Shame there's only 2 synth tracks plus the intro The rock tracks arnt just repeated riffs with guitar solos. Complex and engaging. Not a fan of the singers voice tho
Solid album. Easy to see why they were such a popular group.
This album is great. I told myself Id always hate the synth in VH cause too me Jump is annoying but for me the rest of the album slays.
encapsulates early '80's to a T.
Great rock album and probably their best. Last one with Lee Roth until the reunion
I was never actually a very big fan of Van Halen, but for some reason, some of their songs were "Deja vu-ing" in my head. This was a very good opportunity to listen to this album carefully. This is awesome! Even in Jump, I didn’t quite like the synthesizers, but listening to it now, it sounds very well balanced. Hot for Teacher is a wonderful guitar play!
The hits are good songs and Eddie can shred, but it all gets a little repetitive and I find David Lee Roth's vocals pretty uninspiring.
Jump is a decent pop song, but otherwise this record was quite mediocre 80's hard rock