Artist – Album: Van Halen - 1984
Released: 9th
January 1984
Sounds Like: It came from 1984... duh.
Van Halen really didn’t need to name their sixth album 1984 –
it is pretty obvious from what era this record belongs. The prominent use of
synths, the endless barrage of guitar licks and tricks, not to mention the
perm-mullets no doubt sported by all individuals within a 12 mile radius of the
group at the time; this album is as 80’s as a shiny, white pair of Reebok Pumps
or Brat Pack-tastic movie The Breakfast Club.
Those synths don’t waste a second in introducing themselves,
as though they were a secret that the boys were just bursting to tell us. The
album starts, in fact, with a synth solo: the instrumental 1984; which leads straight into the colossal mega-hit Jump, a song I personally rate amongst
my top three suicide-inducing songs of all time.
After the opening two tracks the keys are laid to rest for a
bit while the band get back to doing what they do best – partying on dude! Panama, Top Jimmy and Hot for Teacher are all arena rock
anthems in the classic mould, with shout-a-long choruses, blistering guitar
solos and a bombastic rhythm section all doing the business. Synths again rear
their ugly head on I’ll Wait, before
the set closes with two of it’s heaviest and best songs.
I was born in 1988 and, by the time I got into music, grunge
had washed away all but the most stubborn traces of hair metal and hard rock.
Subsequently, I find it hard to like an album like this. There are definitely good
points to be found but, as a whole, I just don’t like it. Consign it to Room
101.
Albumaday... rating: 6/10
1. 1984
– 1:07
2. Jump
– 4:04
3. Panama
– 3:32
4. Top
Jimmy – 2:59
5. Drop
Dead Legs – 4:14
6. Hot
for Teacher – 4:42
7. I’ll
Wait – 4:41
8. Girl
Gone Bad – 4:35
9. House
of Pain – 3:19
Listen to ‘Panama’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-NshzYK9y0
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