Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Great album that was a joy to revisit. Was a regular featured cassette in my 1984 Dodge Omni. Hot For Teacher is a top 100 song for me.
I liked it. Hope its enough as a review. Sorry but im not a writer, so i am not able to write long reviews ... :D
God album
Short, sweet, and to the point. This is an iconic 80s rock album. Roth’s vocals and the guitars of Van Halen were defining moments for what the genre was in the 80s. If you ever listen to classic rock radio then you know many of these songs. Added to playlist: Jump
A decent 80s rock album. Standouts include Jump, Panama, and Drop Dead Legs.
Long haired metal music. 4 stars.
Fun album. Great guitar playing! Some unexpected favorites were Hot for Teacher and House of Pain.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Jump, Panama
Classic 80s music. Panama, Hot for Teacher, Jump still hit as hard today as when I heard them as a teenager. The boys were locked in!!
8/10 enjoyment
Well, color me surprised. I was sure this was not my favorite VH album (again, I wouldn't list the band among my faves, in general), but I was duly impressed with this album on this listen. "Jump," and the keyboard sounds as a rule, kind of irk me — though I have to admit the song is catchy, despite my annoyed indifference. The thing that really caused me to reflect and reevaluate, though, is Alex Van Halen's drumming. Somehow, he doesn't seem to get enough credit for being an innovator, but damn, he's a hard act to mimic. There's not a single song on here that doesn't include a drum prat that most drummers wouldn't ever think to do and couldn't pull off if they wanted to — there's a subtle approach to transitions and emphasis on strange beats that is drum artistry. And then there's "Hot For Teacher," which ranks among the wildest, most difficult, and creative drum parts ever. Nothing subtle about that. Then you combine all the other elements, including over-the-top Dave, out-of-this-world Eddie, and the stellar VH harmonies, and wow. Why not a 5? I dunno. But this is a great rock album.
Decent with a lot of their biggest hits. Rating: 4.2
Good album
I’ve known about this album for the longest time and I am so happy I finally took the time to listen to it.
good length weak 4 top jimmy instrumentals
Really good album
This dude is horny lol. Felt like every other song was about chicks. Great album though, fun to listen to and easy to digest... just throw it on and enjoy
Includes some of my favourite rock songs, but also a few filler tracks that drop the rating from 5 to 4
Fantastic album.
In the top 5 best 80s Heavy Metal albums ever.
Van halen er based
Eddie bumps it from a 3 to a 4
This record feels so much more coherent to me than most of the contemporary hard rock albums. Maybe it's the gorgeous synths. Maybe it's the proggy vocals of David Lee Roth. Or maybe it's that even with a generational talent, Eddie Van Halen is constantly flashy but never boring and uninviting. The lyrics are of course atrocious.
4/5
Three very well known popular songs out of the eight and a half on the album is impressive. It's not reinventing the wheel, because this is the sound of 80's rock. Not the most musically impressive thing I've ever listened to, but it's full of drive and energy. To be appreciated for its influence for sure
I forgot how many hits were on this album. I was too young to know it when it was released, but it contains anthems of my youth. It reads like a Van Halen (DLR) greatest hits and that might be its downside for me. It's a better grouping of singles to my ears than it is a fully cohesive album in the way I look to listen to albums.
Love the way they can rip a guitar solo. And the drums on hot for teacher is wild. High tier 80s rock
Amazing guitar work, amazing vocal performances, innovative synth usage, great songwriting. This doesn't quite make it to a 5 for me but it was close.
Was prepared to hate this, but man was I wrong. It's party all the way to Panama, the musicianship - even though I usually am not a fan of shredding - is awesome, and the songs, for what they are, are pretty good. Maybe the dash of creepy schoolboy misogyny is a fault, but I guess it's an interesting cultural artefact to learn from now that music world has generally moved away from it and it also doesn't sound that it had an intention to be destructive at the time.
ok
Les synthétiseurs les distinguent des autres groupes rock de l'époque que j'ai écoutés récemment. Les guitares déjantées sont plus ludiques que lourdes. Un plaisir à ne pas bouder.
I read somewhere that this album was so big that it made Diamond Dave think he could leave and make it as a solo artist, thereby destroying one of the best rock bands of the era. If that's true, it's the one bad thing about this record. Yeah, even the synths are great - get over it. Probably Van Halen's best set of original songs.
Pretty great but not as great as their first album
Dit album zwenkt van stereotype pop-metal (Hot for Teacher) naar stereotype '80s (I'll Wait). Ze hebben de juiste dosering te pakken om beide leuk te houden. Het overkomt me niet vaak. Maar dit album had wat mij betreft iets langer gemogen. En dat heb ik graag. Ze hebben ons de opvullers en B-platen bespaart. Ik zet het gewoon nog eens op.
Just the kind of enjoyable nonsense I was in the mood for today. Like a trashy film. I'll hate it tomorrow, but I enjoyed it in this ice tea swigging summer's day.
Some all-time bangers with a bit of trash thrown in for flavor.
85 Buenísimo psra escuchar increible guitarra y solos
I enjoy clicking on my 1001 Albums link only to see a picture of an angelic baby smoking a heater on the cover of Van Halen's album 1984. A quick check of the track listing: Jump... Panama... Hot For Teacher... and I knew I was in for a good time. The album is short, only 33 minutes. "There are few men you recognize from the sound of their guitars, but Eddie Van Halen is one of them." -me. The first track, 1984, is almost like an electronic dream sequence firing up and it goes straight into Jump, which, strangely, was the band's only #1 single. The thump and pacing of Panama rules, and the engine sound on Hot For Teacher is amazing. I like the ZZ Top vibes, too. Great listen... A solid four stars.
This is the second Van Halen album that I've gotten in this exercise. The first one I reviewed was their self titled debut. This album is their sixth, and was released, as the album title suggests, in 1984 (6 years after their debut album). This is the band's last record with singer David Lee Roth, and it is the first to heavily feature synthesizers. It may be a product of the 80's, or their attempt to appeal to a wider audience, but this album felt softer than their debut. A similarity to their debut album is their cheesy lyrics that are about mysogeny, alcohol, partying, and teenage angst. As corny as it is, it still slaps! The drum solo at the beginning of Hot for Teacher is absolutely flawless, coming in at 256bpm. Alex Van Halen was on fire!! He is a super underrated drummer! Overall, a great album today. Definately front loaded with Jump and Panama back to back, but not as strong a record as their debut album. That won't stop me from listening again, however. Favourite songs: Hot for Teacher, Panama, Jump, I'll Wait Least favourite song: Top Jimmy 4/5
Thought the opener was classic 80's pop not "hard rock" rest is a bit "harder" but still super fun!
Morsomt med litt ironisk distanse
A great, undeniably fun album, probably Van Halen's last truly excellent work. Several of the band's best known hits reside on this album, as well as some solid deep tracks. This is of course the one where Eddie really leans into keyboards, which made for a much slicker sound than on VH's earlier works. It's also Dave's last album with the band, but what a way to go out, right? Just an album full of big, strutting, joyful rockers. At the time, the band splitting was the last thing on anyone's minds, but in retrospect you can always see it. The band in this form had nowhere else to go creatively after 1984, but this album stands as a testament to how brilliant they were while it lasted. Fave Songs: Jump, Hot for Teacher, I'll Wait, Panama, Drop Dead Legs
some of the best riffs in history. if any glam metal/hard rock album from this era kicks ass its this
-this sort of rock is definitely more my thing than steely dan -i have definitely heard jump before, which makes sense because its from the 80’s and is. literally van halen -guitar solos are SICK AS FUCK -favorites probably panama, drop dead legs, and i’ll wait -(note that guitar solo at the end of drop dead legs is awesome) -sucker for some guitar man. guitar solos are making or breaking my favorites on this one -overall this album is actually REALLY good. i enjoyed it a lot and am glad this was my first introduction to van halen
jump is obviously an all time banger and the rest of the album is pretty much as good
It was fine. It's Van Halen hair rock.
3.75/5 I really enjoyed this. I mean, I love cheese, so of course I liked this. I'm not a huge fan of American Cheese usually, but this had some class, maybe because it's been aged? 😅 More seriously, there were parts that the guitar was so widdly that it verged on sounding jazzy, and that is not my taste. But I felt like it was fast paced and energetic and fun. I'm probably going to listen to it again. 😬
Cliché shaped hair metal cheese but I did enjoy it. Brief enough that when I ended up accidentally playing it twice I didn't mind. Not something I'll charge back to but definitely made me smile while I was listening. Nice end to an average week of music.
Meni helposti kolmesti läpi. Viihdyttävä teos ja pari megalekaa. 3,5 on lähempänä totuutta, mutta perjantain kunniaksi laitetaan 4.
Van Halen? Come on. This album kicks ass and Panama is legendary
Honestly it’s alright very old light rock vibes had the fnaf song from security breach. Groovy drop dead is pretty good actually the songs grew on me most of them pretty cool.
Classic. So many hits
Buen disco de rock, con canciones muy reconocibles e icónicas. Virtuosismo de guitarras, ritmos en ocasiones sureños y una excelente voz
Good album feels a little weird now because it is so 80s. It is hard to call this metal but I guess it is close enough.
What more can you say? Classic Van Halen with Eddie-riffs all over. Several amazing hits.
Hair metal bangers
Great catchy album blend of showmanship and technicality
Great album!!! I can’t complain about an album that has both “Jump” and “Panama” on it. Absolute classics.
Solid. How can you deny this?
This hit in high school, got a ton of play from me and my friends. Has a special spot in my heart.
Another classic album.
surprisingly good. Hot for teacher is obviously dumb. 4
Gallons of ink have been spilled on this band and all of it's members. And though I am not a huge fan, this album has something special. It's HEAVY. But not in a way that would turn off non metal fans. It's a relentless party and it's tongue in cheek all the way. But it's not ironic. It's just happy to be what it is. Other than "Jump", this record is very cohesive and a really fun listen. Jump is just out of place and the synth drives instead of the guitars.
I liked it, solid album
Good and enjoyable listen, didn't blow me away
Fantastic album
Just iconic
I was surprised with how fun this was.
This album was goofy but fun. Panama is a dive bar anthem and I liked the album a lot more than I remember I did when I first tried listening to Van Halen.
Fun. I've owned the album for years. Some recognizable hits.
1984 (the year) is one of the best years for Rock N' Roll music. 1984 (the album) was the threshold to the quintessential 80s rock sound and opened the door for the later hair / metal / grunge successors that worship at the feet of Eddie Van Halen's mastery. 4/5.
4.75
The hits outweigh the misses. A defining album for VH for sure. 4/5
After I'll Wait, the album drops off, but before that this is Van Halen at its most poppy catchy and infectious. Eddie is in great form throughout and Dave is having a lot of fun. The end of an era and they go out in style.
SYNTHSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! This is kinda the perfect pop song, isn't it? Cheese, cheese, cheesy, cheese. Love it! It would be foolish to say that EVH was anything but a brilliant guitarist. Hahaha, fucking amazing!!! Another stone-cold classic right here!! Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, 0% fat, bonkers guitar playing and some interesting synth sounds too, great album and one I have overlooked for too long. 4 / 5 stars.
Too glam for me to become daily listening but I enjoyed listening in full.
Það er ekkert hægt að segja annað en að ég elska þetta. Þó herra Roth hafi verið/mögulega sé ennþá aggressive asshole, þá er restin af þessu eitthvað svo skemmtileg.
I liked it more than I thought I would.
Haven't listened to this bad boy in a while. One of the last Van Halen records I really like.
Behind the unbelievable excess and kind-of dumb lyrics is actually a very fun synth infused rock record. At some moments it even gets cringey, but never not-fun.
You know, I went into this expecting to like this less than their self titled album, but I forgot how many hits are on here, and most of the songs that aren't hits are still good. My favourite songs were Hot for Teacher and Drop Dead Legs.
Not as good as OU812, but this is vintage Van Halen.
Junior year of college all over again. Solid album.
Rocked the house!
hated it when it came out now i love it that’s what happens
One listen all the way through and some individual tracks a few times. Still gathering my thoughts on the album as a whole (I like to listen to projects at least 4 times to digest them) but I definitely enjoy it. Some tracks feel dated, especially vocally, but I think overall there’s a lot that works even today. My least favorite moments on the record where these times that I feel played heavily into trends that aren’t as prevalent today. The overindulgent guitar solos and vocals that randomly go into a higher pitch are some examples of this that come to mind. Still, I thought that the energy was infectious and that the album had quite a few surprisingly strong melodies. This was a good first album to kick off this experience. Favorites: Hot For Teacher, Top Jimmy, Girl Gone Bad, Jump
Some great songs here. And this is some of EVH'S most focused guitar playing.
JUMP!
Pro’s: Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing A couple massive hits 34 minute run time - in and out, doesnt overstay its welcome. Cons: The synth sounds are very dated and of their time.
Deserves 5 stars for the album art alone. Great guitar rock if a little immature in the lyrics. All fun.
80s rock album but I actually liked this one.
Ah, this was fun! Flashback to high school, and it still is great.
Sometimes it sounds so loose, like they were just jamming and happened to come up with this awesome, tight sound. I'm not even a big Van Halen fan ("Jump" docks an automatic point from me), but all of this sounded killer as hell. Can see why they were such a huge deal. Favorite tracks: "Panama", "Drop Dead Legs", "Hot For Teacher"
Face melting guitars, wailing synths, the human penis screaming and hollering lyrics at you while all wrapped in spandex. What's not to like? Best Tracks: Jump; Panama; Hot For Teacher
Leuk! harder dan ik had gedacht
Love me some classic dad rock
Eddie
Decent
fav track Jump review 7/10 not really my thing but still good good example of rock plus synth
I'm not the biggest fan of Van Halen, but its hard to deny the quality of this album. It's got 80's rock radio staples and some quality deep cuts as well. Everything is done so well, everyone involved is just firing on all cylinders. A nice lean, run time just makes it all the sweeter. It's a emphatic 4 from me, but it's a 5 as far as the genre goes.
Solid rock album in a period of pretty terrible rock albums. Not an ounce of fat either.
it's so cheesy but i can't deny that it bangs. 8/10
8/10. Finally, an album named after a year that's actually the year the album was released in! Taylor Swift, Prince, Rush--take note.
Not gonna pretend that Panama and Hot for Teacher don’t kick ass. 8/10
A classic rock album. Perhaps a little too much Dave Lee Roth and not enough Van Halen, but it still rocks hard enough. Not quite five stars as there is some filler (Top Jimmy, I'll Wait, House of Pain - in my opinion)
They discovered synthesizers. Honestly out of the nine tracks six of them were really solid.
Nice classic rock album, some very nice guitar and drum solos (especially Hot for Teacher).
Quite liked the energy on this album. Got slightly repetitive overall but it's quite short so let's commend him for that.
Better than one remembers. The synths on "Jump" and "I'll Wait," which felt selly-outy then are nice leavening to the drive of the usual VH attack, while "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher" prevent it from becoming too full-on a kinder, gentler Van Halen. One finds this more than marginally less clownish than their other records. Mabye not fully mature but at least maturing. Given one's past loathing of this band (and their fans) one is surprised how much one enjoyed.
Pretty good
Listened on vinyl. A stone-cold hair metal classic. Eddie Van Halen's riffs are in top form here, as are David Lee Roth's unmistakable vocals. A little simplistic? Maybe, but that's part of the fun! Favorite track: Jump
"1984" is the sixth studio album by Van Halen and the last one with David Lee Roth and the original line-up until 2012's "A Different Kind of Truth." I can't say I've listened to that one. In the previous few albums, Eddie Van Halen had wanted to use synthesizers but David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeton would not allow it. But on this album they came to a compromise with a mixture of keyboard-heavy and guitar-heavy songs. Also, it took them roughly a year to record and produce this whereas previously albums were done within days or a few weeks. This album was a huge success and stayed at #2 on the Billboard chart for five weeks behind "Thriller." Being 16 at the time this came out and in the height of the video era, of course, I've liked this album to some extent. After a Rush-like synth instrumental, we come upon the synth-heavy "Jump." A classic synth intro and melody. Both the guitar and synth solos are cool. However, I'll also always think of the Chicago Cubs since it was played as their TV intro for years and being a White Sox fan, welll....I do have mixed feelings. Although it has more of a happy vibe, David Lee Roth said the lyrics were from actually watching a man waffle as to whether to jump or not off a skyscraper. Didn't know that. Then we dive into the guitar-heavy "Panama." OK, this is my favorite VH song. I liked the goofy video. Kick ass guitar. The song was created when a reporter asked Roth why he only wrote songs about women, partying and fast cars. Well, he never had written a fast car song. This is that. On the second side, Alex Van Halen's drums start and shine on "Hot for Teacher." Eddie's guitar comes skammin' in. It goes loud/soft/ loud. Cheesy lyrics. Yeah, I liked the video too. Back to synth-heavy on their second single "I'll Wait." Co-written with the Doobie Brothers' Michale McDonald. Inspired by Roth seeing a women wearing men's underwear. Hmmmm. The last two songs are actually hidden gems. The band just rocks it. "Girls Gone Band" has a Rush-like guitar start and then Eddie just kicks it in with all his guitar gymnastics. "House of Pain" was a song from the mid 70's. It's heavier. A good song to end the album. Yes, this album is of its time and place. I remember seeing them on this tour. Kind of sloppy. Kind of drunk. The sound quality was terrible at the Rosemont Horizon. But, I had fun. And, I kind of had fun listening to this again today.
This might be peak Van Halen - always solid rock and roll with significantly better than average smarts. Jump is one of the absolute best songs of this style of rock: check Aztec Camera’s hilariously downbeat cover to see how finely tuned and resilient its song structure is.
Such a monster album. Not perfect, but pretty close.
More good Van Halen. Not as good as debut album, but still a lot of fun. 4/5
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Roth stayed with Van Halen in the 80’s? Would their next album sound more like 5150 or Eat ‘Em and Smile? Would they be trying to recreate “Jump” with every few songs or would their next hit be closer to “Hot for Teacher”? That first album can’t be topped, but I understand why this is their peak. Eddie needed to show the bands who followed in their wake who the GOAT is, and he embraced new wave in as classy of a manner as a band of their kind could, while still maintaining enough hints of their earlier edge to not alienate long-time fans. But this is seldom my first choice. B+
Fun in the Cali sun
Great album!
Now this is good ol' fashioned rock and roll sounds like!
As a synth lover, this album slaps. And rocks at the same time. Very energetic album.
Jump is a 5 star song for 5 star men
Jump is great but the rest didn't really catch me so much. I liked drop dead legs though.
Top 3 Songs: 1 - Hot For Teacher (6) 2 - Panama (3) 3 - House of Pain (9)
This album reminds me of cruising with my dad in his old truck. Lots of great classics on here.
best song: jump. a little too much of the same but i love the guitars enough for it to not matter
Listened Before: Y Blistering, break-neck pacing from one of the tightest rock bands of all time. Eddie and DLR in their prime here. This is an absolute scorcher from beginning to end. Even the "ballad" is a rocker. Even in the spots where it loses its edge a bit, it's still pretty darn good. And it's short! Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Panama, Hot For Teacher
Awesome!
No, Mr. Orwell, there were no telescreens, thoughcrimes, and Big Brothers. Not yet. It will be long before that. As of now, we got glam metal! Intense guitar-driven synth rock. Isn't that great? Oh, yes it will NOT age well, but we got Van Halen and their guitar. It will keep it alive and relevant like a cheap preservative.
One thing that I was surprised to learn about myself through the 1001 project is how much I enjoy David Lee Roth era Van Halen.
So overplayed and somewhat cheesy, but damn are these songs overall pretty good. Credit where credit is due.
A semi-classic!
That baby has a cigarette! If I heard Jump before this I would know it but have no idea it was Van Halen. Nice guitar throughout.
that's so much fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun
Guitar and synth combo is so fun to listen to Feels like the whole band is just on the edge of losing control One tempo - as fast as possible Panama and Jump are 2 of my favorite rock songs I'm embarrassed by the lyrics sometimes The intro to Hot for Teacher is nuts Super short and an easy listen
Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher. Classic Van Halen album. Great guitar work from Eddie Van Halen
Iconic. Unique sounds that don’t drown out the vocals and each song didn’t sound like a repeat. Made me feel like I was in the 80s
first listen steaming classic
Not quite their best work, but still a great album. Eddie was such a reckless wizard on guitar. R.I.P. Favorite song: PANAMA
Classic album with a bunch of hard rocking tunes but I'm kind of tired of it tbh
A classic. Rocks start to finish
Great rock album, liked it
This flew by, in a good way. They were all enjoyable, with a couple of stand outs.
The 5 hits on this album go crazy. The rest is fine, but nothing special. I might be being a hardo here but I cant give it above a 7 because the other 4 songs are nowhere close to the bangers. 7/10
You got to ro-o-oll with the punches and get to what's real! 4 certified bangers on this album and the songs in between them bridge the gap well enough. Would listen to while driving.
Feels very very 80s. The synth on Jump is too crazy. Hot for teacher is a horny anthem. Top Jimmy - good song, would make for an even better nickname. Also Panama is pretty good
One of Van Halen's best albums, although, it's due to some really incredible songs amongst some pretty normal ones. Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher are rock fundamentals with the big show quality of the first two and the guitar solos in the third. The rest of them just aren't anything to write home about. I'd still put their debut album above this one but anytime we can get Van Halen on here is worth jumping for.
Pretty decent! Knew like half the songs going into it but still enjoyed! Rating: 7.8/10
Was good, familiar songs to listen too.
OK - but not really a stand-out album for me.
Je ne suis vraiment pas un fan de glam rock, mais cet album a son son et contient quand même 3 des plus grands hits du band. J’aime le mix de drum de Drop Dead Legs qui rappelle Led Zeppelin. Je ne sais pas s’il y a eu un litige avec Queen pour la chanson House Of Pain, mais le riff est pratiquement pareil à Stone Cold Crazy. Donc album à écouter certainement et peut-être le meilleur du groupe?
Half of these songs are massive radios hits years down the line, leaning hard in the overplayed direction. Objectively, it's a very good album.
Good but it aged a bit. The lyrics did I mean.
I GET UP 4
An iconic album and one that was part of the soundtrack to the 80's. Even if I dismissed Hot For Teacher, Jump, and Panama, I'll Wait is still amazing and 3 stars on its own.
3.5/5. Good. I liked this album. It was fun and fast. Panama, what a great song.
Brill to hear some of these classics
26/04 That was banging, the drumming in Hot For Teacher was insane. It was amazing
Great album that I never fully appreciated until I got old.
I’ve never given Van Halen a chance until this album. Sure I’ve heard the hits, but I never so much as listened to an album of theirs. Admittedly, it was on purpose. There was a guy in first year of uni that loved VH, staunchly in the DLR camp…hard core. One weekend I went home and when I came back something had happened and our friend group had shunned him. Like ignored his existence moving forward. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I followed along, which I’m not proud of. I was never close to him, but I feel bad for how it all went down. I love that VH took a turn toward the synth sound on this album. Now I realize that the synths are why I’ve always loved Jump so much. It’s also no surprise that I like I’ll Wait. On second listen, Top Jimmy is a nice song with some well executed triplets in the lead guitar part that feel playfully offbeat. However, the 30 second appearance of the whammy bar (1:45 mark) is deflating. I fucking hate the whammy bar. I’ll dissect this more in a year or two when we get to Metallica’s Master of Puppets. For now I have to say that I enjoyed this album, whammy bar excluded, and will be listening again soon. Now I have to figure out if I’m in the DLR or Haggar camp…or both if that’s even allowed.
Classic 80's Rock. Not my favorite, but I respect the sound of the time.
What a great rock and roll record. Almost a guilty pleasure, but damn, brilliant guitar, and nobody sings like David Lee Roth. VH’s best? Maybe not, but it still wants to be turned up LOUD and a accompanied by a shot and a beer. At LEAST one of each. And I never noticed that the drum into to Hot for Teacher kind of sounds kind of like a big muscle car engine idling.
Catchy 80s album great licks and solos, classic Van Halen.Fav songs jump and kissed the teacher
PANAMA
Great pop rock album. The only thing I would say is that listening to this again years on, I would hardly call this heavy or metal. That is not to say it is not a great album with Diamond Dave shining like... well... A diamond. The Van Halen brothers are on fire, pushing their music beyond the simple hard rock that was by then expected of them.
Van Halen's album is a standard for albums of the time.
Start to finish, this album is fantastic. Van Halen's earlier stuff was more rock/edgier, while this definitely shows their progression into the 80s sound, as evidenced with the synth in "Jump". Every song on this album is a winner (as long as you like Van Halen!)
some memorable and huge hits on this album! i mean, "hot for teacher" is cemented in rock history for a good reason. the drums in that song! but hey, all instruments are working so well on every song: the drums, the guitar, the synthesizer. musically, this album is so beautiful and solid. the womanizing and misogyny i can do without, but i cannot do without those guitar solos. "1984," the opening, title, and lead off track, is a such an interesting choice. it's futuristic-sounding, yet the title is the year it was released. was it irony, perhaps optimism? once the instrumental is complete, the jump right into "jump" hits such a high! this was very much a fun, fun listen, and i rocked out hard today.
Having not heard this album front to back before, I didn't realize that the iconic song Jump essentially had an intro, thanks to the title track, 1984. This is a great synthy lead-in to Jump, and to the album as a whole. In addition, the title track made me pick up on just now synthy this album really is. I was already very familiar with Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher, and upon listening to the album, I feel like everything else pales a little bit in comparison to these three powerhouse classics. Still, there is some really rocking instrumentation and guitar work on this album.
Ohan tää nyt klassikko. Useampikin päräyttävä ralli.
Listening to this I can hear how much it is influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin but also how much it has influenced everything related to rock and hair that came after.
Great album. Van Halen was a force to be reckoned with. Loaded with hits, and the lesser known tracks still rocked. Only thing that bugs me are Roth's vocals. Never been a huge fan.
Boy...this brings back memories. I was never a Van Halen fan but my brother and cousins were always playing one of their albums. This came out the year I turned 16. All over the radio, MTV..and Eddie was so cute back then.
12/24/2021 Today's Album: "1984" by Van Halen - This album opens up with what will be the theme of this entire album - S Y N T H S. This ambient opener kicks off perfectly to the biggest hit on the record - Jump. This song still sounds so good today and I think it just shows exactly what Van Halen were good at - blending late 70s rock with new 80s trends like synths and metal to literally birth the hair rock genre out of their Vandussys. Panama is a great track to follow up Jump and is emblematic of the sound Van Halen were pioneering at the time. I think Top Jimmy is a little boring lyrically, but the guitar work is insane in this track and it is fairly short, with pretty much a third of it being expert guitar riffing. Drop Dead Legs ends up sounding pretty generic to me, at least in the beginning. Again, expert guitar work is enough to make this track at least listenable, but I think outside of that it doesn't have a ton going for it. It's just very horny. Hot For Teacher is the 3rd most popular song on the track list and it is pretty kick ass. The guitar riff and crazy fast kick drum beat just makes the energy of this song through the roof and I think the chorus of this song is actually pretty good despite how, again, horny it is. The parts where the instruments cut out for some adlibbing is pretty charming and the ending of this track is just absolutely nuts. I'll Wait starts with these really cool synth effects and the slow pounding beat kicks off a really cool mood for the song as it transitions into a steady groove and a pretty traditional execution. This might be my favorite song from this album that I haven't heard before today. Girl Gone Bad starts off at a fucking 10. Lyrics are dumb but the performances and chilling atmosphere are absolutely killer. House Of Pain kinda fumbles the ending. Sounds like if Tool sucked. Overall, a decent album with great performances. Score: 8/10 Great at moments Highlights: Jump, Panama, Top Jimmy, I'll Wait, Girl Gone Bad
Energetic and fun.
Synth is 👌🏾
Essencial, referência do hard rock americano.
Considered there best album but not even close to debut album. Really like this album but wished Eddie lost his synth.
“Jump” has pretty much caused me to stayaway from this album for the past 35 years. That’s too bad, because there are some pretty good songs: Hot for Teacher, Drop Dead Legs, House of Pain (which I think borrowed very heavily from Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe” - check out the ‘cha cha cha cha cha chaaaa’ riffs from each of those songs). In addition to “Jump” the song “I’ll Wait”is another stain on the legacy of VH. Wasn’t surprised at all to see that Michael MacDonald contributed to the writing on this drivel. Despite the flaws, gotta love most of this disc, and excellent choice on the cover art.
Eddie Van Halen's incredible guitar work saves this album from being just another 80's glam rock release. Some real good hits, and some what I would normally call 'filler' that is lifted up by amazing Guitar solos and marching drum beats. 4.5.
Hot for teacher is great if you ignore the lyrics
Rockin, naturally. Still can't figure how Eddie made some of those sounds. The songs are really solid, the riffs pop big style. Still a really solid pop rock album.
80s majesty
For this listener, this is the music of childhood. Van Halen's "Jump" is the quintessential example of where keyboards and solid rock & roll can coexist. Having been a 70s band, you can hear the sound change for this album where the clarity of bass gave way to the cavernous sounding thump of the 80s, as though it were recorded in a concert hall vs. a studio. In other words, one would feel this in their chest more as well as in their ears. 1984 by Van Halen, kept the 80s hard while still making use of the complementary sounds that could be produced by keys. While "Jump" is easily the most recognized, it is certainly that way for a reason in that we do not hear it very much anywhere else. The reverb on that creates a bass/baseline hum that quite literally carries the song on a basic, yet profound auditory level. The rest of the album, while not as dynamic as "Jump" turned out to be, is certainly taking advantage of the synth partnership with hard rock, and we are here for it. In fairness, this coexistence may very well have to do with Eddie Van Halen being the player he was, and for that we are grateful. Advances in technology and sound production are welcome, but sound reproduction will always lack that human element that makes it great and meaningful. Van Halen's 1984 makes that case in a decade where changes in the world of music made that significant shift into electronic reproductions being more prominent. RIP Eddie Van Halen (dec. 10/6/2020)
Dosta okej!
7/10, solid glamrock album
80’s rock, electric guitar & drums, eccentric lead singer
Great Van Halen album with some great hits.
it is a great album, dont personally enjoy the style anymore
rock n roll baby
Not their best work, but still gets played.
PANAMA!
A great, if sometimes cheesy album.
Pretty similar to how I feel about their first album except there are synths in this one. I should've probably given yesterday's album a 4 but what can men do
Damn solid album. Van Halen never fails to make me dance like a child.
Pretty much packed with bangers. A lot of classics on this one. The intro to Hot For Teacher is always incredible, and I love the syncopation in the prechorus too. Just all around fun album. Favourite Tracks: Hot For Teacher, Jump, Girl Gone Bad
Nice album, not a rock fan, but I'd say the music it's awesome. I marked as favorite a couple of these songs :)
I’ve heard this album probably 100 times but it’s still great (thanks dad)
Over the top 80's rock. I knew a surprising number of songs off this record.
A fun album. Pure 80s in album form. Some huge singles that everyone knows, and the other songs aren't bad either. I wish this rating system was on a 10 star scale. This would be an easy 4.5. Can't give it a 5, becuase I'm saving them for the truly transformative albums, but it's more than the 4 it's getting.
This is an album that I loved. Mike touched base on the drums and I agree. It is just pure fun from start to finish and everyone in the band is on board. Maybe best one two punch ever to open an album with jump and panama. Just loved it.
Obviously Jump is a stone cold classic, but the rest of the album is surprisingly strong and not as synth-heavy as the opening track suggests. A really enjoyable glimpse back to the good-ole-days
4/5
The drums on this are out of this fucking world holey moley. I don't know what's happening on Hot For Teacher but it is some wild shit man. Not as good as their self titled and Jump is a radio friendly mess
Enjoyable indeed! Might as well buy! (BUY!)
Excessive, stupid and fucking great. Songs about fucking, fucking teachers, and, uh, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. A perfect encapsulation of big-hair metal that's still caned at pubs at 2AM everywhere.
Best album by Van Halen
Le doy un 4, pero por Jump.
Classic album by a legend, however it's is overrated. Best song: Hot for Teacher
Супер-драйвовый альбом в год, когда я только родился
Serious rock but fun…. Socks? 🤘😎
Monday morning pick-me-up! Great running music;except maybe for the last three songs, in the heavy side and arythmical). Amazing guitar play!!
A brilliant album in it's own way. The intro track and Jump makes you think Van Halen might've gone full synth! Where's the hard rock guitars I'm so used to? But then Panama kicks in and you know they're business-as-usual, and business is really really good. So side 1 is going really well, a nice ambient intro with back-to-back hit singles and then it kinda dips down for two non-singles that aren't bad, but don't have the same lasting power. Still keeps the shredding in tow though; we all love a bit of Eddie shredding. Flip over to side 2, and it's all Alex just killin' it on drums. Oh man! Eddie comes in with pure shred. Guitar and drums are on fire. It's fucked. It's kind of jazzy with it's fun swing and little clean guitar interludes when David Lee Roth asks "What do you think the teacher's gonna look like this year?". Great song. Strong way to open side 2. The rest doesn't quite reach the same level as Hot For Teacher, but at no point are the songs bad or even boring, they're just sort of not quite at the same level. Closest song that could hang would be Girl Gone Bad
Van Halen's albums pretty much range from good to great. (Yes, even the one with Gary Cherone.) 1984 is a good album with some great songs. The problem is that the first few songs are GREAT, and the last three songs are just... okay. There's no consistency. When I mentioned to my wife about the last three songs, she could not name them. Heck, if "Hot For Teacher" was switched up and was the last song on the album, I would say it's a 5-star album. But as it is, it's...
EVH is called a guitar god for a reason. This album is a showcase for his amazing guitar playing. Listening closely I also have a new appreciation for AVH's drumming. The only thing that keeps me from calling this a 5 are the cheesy lyrics...I realize that's part of Van Halen's thing (mainly thanks to David Lee Roth). But lyrics like "dig that steam, giant butt"? Insert eye roll emoji. Then again, lyrics that could be just as cheesy work in Hot for Teacher: "I brought my pencil...gimme something to write on"..."I don't feel tardy." Now that's just funny. I'll give it a 4 for amazing musicianship and fun songwriting, but the cheesy lyrics on songs like Top Jimmy and Drop Dead Legs keep it from being a 5.
You know, as much as Aerosmith has aged poorly from my middle school days, I feel like Van Halen has continued to age well. Juvenile lyrics? Sure. But underneath are the incredible musical stylings of the Van Halens, and the powerhouse vocals of DLR. At a time when rock bands were eschewing the synth, Van Halen puts all their chips into the center of the table. The album opens with more synths that you've ever heard in your entire life, and it just goes from there. The first seven tracks are unimpeachable in my eyes. Hit after hit after hit. Girl Gone Bad and House of Pain are much weaker offerings, but do not ruin the album altogether. Those drums on Hot For Teacher? Come on...
Obviously has the major breakthrough hits, weaker 2nd side for me.
There are some really well known songs that carry the album.
Lots of classic songs here. I'm not the biggest VH fan, but it is hard to deny how good some of these songs are and the impact they made on later musicians.
Great guitar work in this one and only a few songs were filler. Deserves another listen.
Solid, slightly dated now, but I still enjoy it
4 liked songs: - Jump - Panama - Hot For Teacher - I'll Wait
Jump and panama
fun to finally listen to a classic
Classic. I think I overlistened this.
Very good album. Eddies guitar never dissapoints.
This album has a ton of great tracks, ranging from synthy to metal to party anthems. Not every track was a winner, but in general the album is extremely fun.
This is the first time I have listened to a van Halen album the whole way through. It was enjoyable, but I will probably stick to the singles from this one in the future.
I regret that all the spandex and incessant radio plays distracted me from this great album for so long.
Man, this is almost as good as their first album. It's just hit after hit for, like, 8 straight songs. I even like 1984 as the opener. But it all comes crashing down on House of Pain. It was like a precursor to the generic rock years with Sammy Hagar. But still, very solid.
The songs still sound fantastic, some brilliant tracks on here and no filler. Some of really creative songwriting and playing and technically amazing too. Also in Jump has one of the all time classic 80s rock songs. Great album.
Solid, nice length, great drumming and guitars, and energetic guitars, although some dated synths and odd subjects
Wasn’t too impressed at first, but then I really enjoyed and appreciated the crossover of metal and synths
The songs still sound fantastic, some brilliant tracks on here and no filler. Some of really creative songwriting and playing and technically amazing too. Also in Jump has one of the all time classic 80s rock songs. Great album.
An absolute blast! 80's energy melting my face.
Good
Hot for Teacher alone gets it 3 stars.
A day in the studio for these guys is like: "Okay I've just written this sick guitar solo...how can we make a song out of it!?". Admittedly, this music is really good, and the guitars sound really good. They've got some really nice rock sound out of their guitars, similar to Guns N Roses and Queen. They write excellent guitar riffs, and some catchy hooks too, but I do lose interest when it's just fast guitar shredding and not much else going on in the album (like the last two songs). Tough one to rate. Not that bothered about listening again so will go for 4.4 stars rounded to 4
Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 11/20 Innovation: 12/20 Presence of pure bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 15/20 =62 Really enjoyed that lads
All songs from this album are classical. A great album with only one notable drawback: it sounds a little bit dated, probably because it is a reference album for almost every rock band nowadays. However, worth every song!
Very good, and great memories!
Cool classic album. I'm not super into hard rock but as far as that goes, this is really solid. Loads of character.
While the first album was guitar heavy with the focus in EVH, this album has the better songs. However, the debut album is collectively better as the songs on it better relate to one another. Overall, it is the same rating as the first. I don’t think Van Halen got any better or worse as a band with this album. Despite a slight stylistic change. RIP to the goat.
Hair metal done right.
loved it. awesome album
HEY YOU. Who said that??? We’ll never, ever know.
I enjoyed it especially because there were quite a few songs I knew and liked, but never knew they were in this album by this group.
Boo yah Ooooo RAH Solid album Reckon I love old rock now A few non perfect ones but still great
Fun to blast. Great car ride music. Great choice for a hardrock metal album from the 80s
This not at all what i expected. what a blast.
Good ol' rock 'n' roll. It's neither very hard nor very pop-y. Perfectly balanced as all things should be.
Memories
Still hot for teacher
A classic rock/metal album. Van Halen really mastered the art of fusing metal and pop to create anthems that would appeal to a wide audience. And of course, Eddie's guitar playing is incredible - an innovator who spawned millions of copycats, and influenced guitar players everywhere. And despite all the imitators, he remained inimitable. Eddie always sounded like Eddie. Only criticism is that the album is over too quickly. Some might think a few of the lyrics are a bit questionable, but they were never meant to be taken too seriously. Van Halen were ridiculous and over the top, but they knew it and embraced it. It's unfortunate that a lot of the bands that followed in their wake didn't seem to get the joke.
This is the kind of rock I grew up with.. very big on Much Music. And it was just everywhere on the radio. It's good simple power cords music about sex and parties
Much better than expected. Especially enjoyed Jump
The album where they added synthesizers. The rest, as they say, is history. Best track: Panama
80s guitar wankery gets old, but Eddie Van Halen brings a distinctive groove to his playing that makes musically intricate songs danceable.
5/21 Some good ass rock. Standout Tracks: Panama, Top Jimmy, Hot for Teacher, House of Pain
not usually a fan of 80s rock however, this one definitely hit better than most for me, saved 5/9
Pas forcément un album qui a bien vieilli.
Good album but not really my style or maybe I heard the songs too many times
Quand même cool, s’était vraiment pas si mauvais
Maybe Van Halen was another one of those bands I judged too harshly before actually sitting down with some headphones and listening to an album as opposed to just radio singles. I still think they're pretty cringy (mostly thanks to David Lee Roth), but I was expecting some sort of high art, which isn't what you should expect at all from any hard rock band. It's just a fun album. Was expecting to put this as a one or two star, but I'd probably put it as a high three/low four. I'll round down to factor for the cringe
Last album from first 8 Van Halen run
really good i loved the beginning of every song but eventually towards the middle they kind of started to sound the same.
Good solid album by Van Halen
9 songs EVH is a great guitarist, but hair metal has never been my thing. The overly enthusiastic tone of a lot of the songs just doesn't hit right for me, idk why, but it seems like almost a parody of the genre itself. Can't give it lower than 3 stars though, as the music is not bad, just not my cup of tea.
This album seems like a real litmus test for Van Halen fans vs. casual listeners. The first five tracks, functionally side 1, are more radio-friendly than their prior sound, and putting Eddie Van Halen, one of one in terms of rock guitarists, on a synthesizer seems like an 80s relic. But side 2 is more of Van Halen's classic sound, and DLR sounds more from the 70s era of hard rock instead of the glam metal of the 80s. Thankfully, Van Halen didn't lose their sense of humor, especially the album art.
Jump pulls this up to a three - it's fine but ....
Not a ton of deep thinking substance but the riffs are awesome and it’s a ton of fun to drive to work to on a sunny day
Several bops and several flops. Girl Gone Bad was probably the most interesting song here, but of course there are a few classics. House of Pain wasn't that impressive a closer. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Van Halen suffers from the same problem as the Stones: The music is pretty good but the singer is a fucking clown, so it's hard to take them seriously. I've heard a lot of people say that this album could come out today and it would be a hit. No way. Have you met the people of today? I mean, maybe if the lyrics were completely rewritten it could be somewhat popular.
3/5 - Pretty tiresome, to be honest. Panama is a great riff, and Jump was the first song I ever recorded to cassette off the radio on my boombox. I feel like I’ve outgrown the rest of this.
Two Van Halen albums in a week. While they're not my favorite band, they have some really great hits and they are definitely good artists with great musical skills. I didn't like this one as much as self-titled, but it was still an enjoyable ride. I listened to II after completing this one and can see why it was left off the 1001 list.
panama >>> but jump is pretty good too. honestly theyre all fun
H: the energy had me in the first half and lost me in the second. Not every song needs an excessive guitar solo. 6/10 H fav song: Panama Z: some sick guitar riffs in here, but VH just doesn’t do it for me. I clump them in the same camp as KISS, Def Leppard, etc. Music to hype up 56 year old divorcees with leather skin. Jump has got to be a top 50 song intro of all time though. 6.3/10 Z for fans of: knocking down your divorced dad’s door, cocaine, the 80s Z fav song: Jump
Top notch musicianship wasted by meaningless lyrics and a cheesy singer. The remastered version sounds so much better than the original. Having Eddie's guitar isolated like that...you can really hear his genius.
Fine they’re good at guitar but the music is simultaneously kinda boring and annoying to me.
Weer zo'n prima album
God damn - some real good misogynistic bull shit right there. Eddy is a god. The lyrics to these songs absolutely suck. They sound great
I think it’s time to accept that I’m a bigger fan of Panama and Hot for Teacher than I am of the rest of this album. Pound for pound, self titled is far more enjoyable. Jump sucks and always has. Sorry.
I never understand Jump - a guitar led rock band known for out there solos goes for a synth-pop tune with hardly any rock DNA at all. Bit more business as usual on Panama. Classic 80s rock, made for stadiums. I can imagine the 'band on tour' montage music video just listening to it. Bit bland, except for when the shredding starts, like the start of Hot for Teacher. It's just all a bit samey - dated sound and superseded by a lot of rock and metal that came after (e.g. I can hear similarities between Girl Gone Bad and Trivium) House of Pain has a chugging metal riff borrowed from Metallica and glammed up but then the verses have no focus. The chugging riff is good, but it can't hold a whole song. Ah, then we're back to a kind of melodic metal before the classic EVH solo. Best track - Panama, House of Pain 3 stars - there is some decent variety here from synth pop to stadium rock to a bit of thrash and essentially melodic metal. It's just none of it stands out today
Weirdly more boring than I expected. Jump is really repetitive. Panama is decent for what it is. Hot for Teacher is awesome. The rest is kind of filler. It's not awful, but I kind of expected more for some reason.
Haven't heard this album all the way through for a long time; Early foray into synth sound that they would later embrace; Overall solid album with some monster hits, and so so others.
Ok
It’s pretty inoffensive but also kind of repetitive. Will probably listen again
You know what? I think Van Halen is fair. Heard all the hits and this one has several. But that’s all that’s worth listening to on this. Eddie’s guitar noodling is ok on small doses. Same with David’s vocals.
Joo Van Halen!!! Echt iconisch voor de jaren 80 synthesizer sound, ik ben heel benieuwd naar iets anders dan JUMP. En dan hoor je JUMP en ben ik weer helemaal terug bij het boek en de film Ready Player One. Dat boek is echt een aanrader. Interessant wel dat JUMP ONEINDIG MOTHERFUCKING LANG lijkt te duren, maar dat het stiekem net 3 min lang is… repetition much? Dit album voelt als Peek witte mannen van middelbare leeftijd muziek. Ik kan het gitaarspel waarderen, knap gespeeld. De muziek luistert makkelijk weg, maar enorm vernieuwend of tekstueel sterk vind ik het niet.
Jaren 80 is meestal niet mijn favoriet, niet oud genoeg om de 80 en de nasleep te beleven en mn ouders niet jong genoeg om het door te geven. Over van Halen heb ik niet zo veel te zeggen. Snap dat mensen de gitaar fantastisch vinden. Energie is goed, ik voel hier te weinig passie voor om iets positief of negatiefs te zeggen. Geen liefde geen haat, tis ok als het een keer voorbij komt.
Meer jaren 80 dan dit wordt het haast niet. Ik heb het album in twee delen geluisterd maar merkte dat ik de tweede helft er minder zin in kreeg. Als je kijkt naar de luistercijfers zie je dat het album van hoog naar laag gaat. Het begint met de knaller jump, waarvan ik heb genoten van de oberheim wat zoveel karakter heeft dat t lijkt alsof het een levend organisme is. De rest van het album is wel een stuk saaier, en veel van hetzelfde, ik trek zijn stem niet zo goed. Daarnaast ben ik in mijn hele carrière als gitarist nooit echt aangetrokken geweest op t gitaarspel van van halen, het is te virtuoos, te overweldigend. Tegelijkertijd heb ik ook enorm veel respect voor hoe hij het instrument als ware opnieuw uitvind en de grenzen opzoekt van je er mee kan. Dat is wel pure klasse.
Some classics
Nothing but hits. I would find it to be a bit too much if it were longer, but clocking in at only 33mins, it's sort of perfect. Fun songs, great guitar. Favorite track is "Drop Dead Legs."
Good hut not as amazing as VH 1 More polished and more commercial and more 80s glam rock instead of just hard rock. Still good but doesn’t ring as true
Tiene una q es un temon re conocido
6/10 Buen album, ni muy muy ni tan tan pero bien
Yeah man the 80's I guess man
80s rock at it's rock-stariest. Diamond Dave is the epitome of rock star. The album itself was great, a little too 80s for my particular taste though - hits and all it feels its age.
Solid rock album but only seems to Have one gear.
Трясця)))
Heard this way too much on the radio so there's no novelty, good though