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The end of the Dave-era of Van Halen. Episode 6 covers the landmark 1984 album 1984 by Van Halen. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the album. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this monumental album as well as share personal stories of discovering 1984. Was this the end of the best era of Van Halen? Who’s to say…
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Quick Reviews
Mark I’m a huge fan of virtuoso-pop perfection and this is one of the albums that defines that.
Chris Big hits, but with the addition of incredibly well written deep cuts. Contains the heaviness of Fair Warning, to the pop friendliness of Diver Down.
Alex No denying its strength and high ranking in the VH catalog but I honestly prefer the deep cuts over the hits here. Fav tracks: “Drop Dead Legs” – “Girl Gone Bad.”
Kevin There are some uneven moments, but the high points are absolutely gold.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "1984" | 1:07 | F | F | F | L | |
| 2 | "Jump" | 4:01 | L | T | L | L | |
| 3 | "Panama" | 3:31 | L | B | L | L | |
| 4 | "Top Jimmy" | 2:59 | T | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "Drop Dead Legs" | 4:14 | L | L | B | F | |
| 6 | "Hot for Teacher" | 4:42 | B | L | L | L | |
| 7 | "I'll Wait" | 4:40 | L | L | L | B | |
| 8 | "Girl Gone Bad" | 4:35 | L | B | B | L | |
| 9 | "House of Pain" | 3:01 | L | L | T | T |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
1984 (stylized as MCMLXXXIV) is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released on January 9, 1984.[3] It was the last Van Halen album until A Different Kind of Truth (2012) to feature lead singer David Lee Roth, who left in 1985 following creative differences. This is the final full-length album to feature all four original members (Van Halen brothers, Roth, and Michael Anthony). Roth would return in 2007, but Eddie’s son Wolfgang would replace Anthony in 2006.[3] 1984 and Van Halen’s debut are Van Halen’s bestselling albums, each having sold more than 10 million copies.[4]
1984 was well received by music critics. Rolling Stone ranked the album number 81 on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 album chart and remained there for five weeks, behind Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, on which guitarist Eddie Van Halen made a guest performance. 1984 produced four singles, including “Jump“, Van Halen’s only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100; the top-20 hits “Panama” and “I’ll Wait“; and the MTV favorite “Hot for Teacher“. The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999, signifying ten million shipped copies.
