Van Halen - 1984
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Free Music Notes for 1984
Free Music Review: The epitome of 80s hard rock
Hit: 5 Stars
What is probably the most creative Van Halen album, and certainly their best, 1984 is the hands down epitome of 80s hard rock, and all 80s music in general. There isn't an ounce of filler to be found on the record, and the intro to the album, the title song, really provides the listener with an idea of the mood of the album and a sample of what they're going to hear. The follow up to this song, the famous [and infamous] "Jump," also finds the band at the peak of their creativity. It features guitarist Eddie Van Halen on a synthesizer keyboard, and though he plays this throughout almost the entire song, there is still an awesome, underrated guitar solo within it. The speeding power chords of "Panama" are also what represent Van Halen's masterful performances/songwriting. Said song has a sweet and very memorable main riff, and some of the best lyrics you'll ever hear. The guitar solo is also one of Eddie Van Halen's finest pieces, and ever since the release of this album the song has become a concert staple with current singer Sammy Hagar. "Top Jimmy" is really a standout from the album--the gloomy, eerie beginning guitar licks surprise the listener as the song sets into a humorous atmosphere, with yet another awesome Hendrix-esque guitar solo to boot. "Drop Dead Legs" also shows what an excellent guitarist Eddie Van Halen can be, as the awestriking solo takes up nearly half of the song. Of course Van Halen's final album with original lead singer "Diamond" David Lee Roth wouldn't be the same without the sixth track, "Hot for Teacher". The song starts out with heavy bass drumming by Eddie's brother Alex, and then goes into a guitar attack, coming close to the masterpiece solo "Eruption" from Van Halen's first album. The song's first minute leaves you with an imprssion of a skit and then strikes you with more memorable verses and choruses by Roth. It is also another powerful song by the foursome. The experimental "I'll Wait" is another creative hit, with an intro of brass instruments and efficient vocals. "Girl Gone Bad" also deserves major credit, for without it, the album as a whole wouldn't have such a unique sound as it does. The finishing song, "House of Pain," is a very powerful and affective finish to the album. What was a leftover from the recording of the first album, it has an awesome intro of deep power and bar chords, and a clean, fade-into-the-distance ending. Overall, Van Halen's sixth studio album and final album with their original singer is a classic in every way, and is one of the top 100 greatest albums of all time, in my opinion. You'll have a very memorable and hard-rocking good time listening to this record.Free Music Review: Van Halen goes '80s
Hit: 3 Stars
I have this album because no real Van Halen fan should be without it, but I honestly don't like it as much as the others from the classic (David Lee Roth) era. It's cool that Edward wanted to do something different or experimental by introducing a synthesizer to the band's sound, but making it more radio-friendly or poppy just didn't really do it for them. Diamond Dave's vocals have lost their luster by now and become less unique and more like yelling.
1984--A woozy synthesizer solo as an introduction to the album. It kind of says, "Welcome to the '80s". I don't otherwise see any value to this track.
Jump--One of the band's best-known, most popular songs ever, but one of the fluffier ones. Catchy and light enough to be allowed onto pop radio with one uninspiring guitar solo from Edward. Alex's drumming sounds too bland or like a drum machine.
Panama--Great song that would go very well on one of the first two albums. Alex pounds out a rhythm that lends itself perfectly to jumping up and down and punching the air in a concert setting. This song is a great combination of sex rock and allusions to fast cars, complete with engine sound effects during the very suggestive spoken-word bridge. Definitely the best song on the album.
Top Jimmy--Good old American punk-rock 'n' roll. One of a few songs that makes the band sound more punk-like but kind of a fun one.
Drop Dead Legs--A good struttin' song with good woogity, heavy distorted guitar and a deliberate, heavy drumbeat. The normally good vocal harmonies are weak here.
Hot For Teacher--One of the other punk-like songs that starts with a mad drum solo and continues into guitar shredding. This one is a lot of fun, as the title suggests, and includes a few vignettes recorded to sound like a few rowdy teenage boys acting up in a school setting.
I'll Wait--Sounds a lot like "Jump" but perhaps even fluffier. Heavy in synthesizer and the drumming is similarly boring.
Girl Gone Bad--Fast head-banging metal with some unexpected stops and starts; a better-planned, more interesting song than others on the album. It kind of reminds me of "Hot For Teacher". The emphasis seems to be more on interesting music than lyrics, which is fine.
House of Pain--Another song that's more musically progressive, with the lyrics and lead vocals kind of getting lost in the shuffle. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. There's a great, fast, wild instrumental section that helps to balance out the fluff of earlier tracks. The song fades out on this instrumental part, which is more like a jam by this point.
Free Music Review: Q: How could Van Halen possibly top this? A: They didn't.
Hit: 5 Stars
When "1984" was released, it felt like a breath of fresh air after "Diver Down." While "D.D." had its moments, it was written off as too short (31 minutes), too heavy on cover tunes (4 out of 12, and the "FM radio hit" was Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman, NOT any of the V.H. originals). "1984" featured all of the growth and maturity and pure musical chops the band had honed over its 5-album career. The monster hit..."Jump"...was the result of Eddie winning the battle of wills over Roth regarding keyboards (E.V.H. wanted to use them, Roth scoffed and said "you're a guitar hero"). "Panama"...with perhaps the greatest riff Eddie ever concocted and some of the best attitude singing of Roth's career...was a "this one goes to 11" moment. "Hot For Teacher" was catchy and the obligatory video for MTV reinforced the band's "party hard and take no prisoners" stance. "I'll Wait" is magic...a perfect example of what Roth could pull off when he kicked back a little and rode the wave of the song instead of bludgeoning it to death. "Girl Gone Bad"...hey, these guys made their reputation on the Sunset Strip, and this is a killer "cinema verite" snapshot of the landscape. There's not a bad song on this album and the answer to the question "How could they possibly top THIS" was they didn't...they went in a different direction with Sammy Hagar. But the album was SO good that it fanned the flames of the Diamond Dave faithful for the next 23 years, leading up to this summer's "reunion" tour. I put reunion in quotes because Alex and Eddie should knock off the B.S. and have Michael Anthony on board. If Eddie really wants his 15 year old son in the band, bring him back AFTER the tour. For now, give the people what they're going to be paying for...the "1984" band, the ORIGINAL Van Halen.Free Music Review: Diamond Dave quits while he's ahead
Hit: 5 Stars
Dave writes his best songs here and leaves the group while on top of his game. In retrospect, it was a smart move for everyone involved.
Contains the then 7 year old "House Of Pain" recorded for their first album and included here as a bonus for the fans.
Free Music Review: The great 80's
Hit: 5 Stars
Back when America was great. Now all the evian water bands are out there sucking up to MTV and b.s. reality television. Buy it if you lived it back then. I did.