1984 Revisited

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

That was Fantastic! I'll have the CD in when I go to work tomorrow.

[hotdog@ a shake]

oh hell yeh....

10 MILLION VAN HALEN FANS CAN'T BE WRONG!!!

"1984" remains to be the last peak in thier career and it's been all down hill ever since...

AMAZING FUCKIN' ALBUM and DAVE is stellar all the way thru...

and to those of u that don't dig "JUMP", what the hell? don't tell me everytime u hear that first keyboard chord, u guyz don't get the chills? LOL

what's still amazing to me about this cd is that Dave, as a vocalist, was absolutely fantastic! his tone is real consistant, clear and his range seemed to be opening up to the next level. he's actually singing, rather than his usual screaming, skip, schtick...etc...

compare his vocals from "1984" to "EAT 'EM @ SMILE".

Dave Roth is a living LEGEND folks!!!

[Bill Lumbergh]

What a great read Rikk! 1984 is my LEAST favorite six pack record, yet it is still undeniably great. That whole time period brings back amazing memories for me..............thanks bro. Fave 1984 track- House of Pain

[bueno bob]

Nice read, Rikk! 1984, sad to have to say it (but consider my age) is what introduced me to Van Halen. Jump, in particular. There I was, all of ten and listening to whatever crap was on the radio or MTV at the time (which wasn't anything special...10 years old means no job means no cash means no records or tapes means you get what you get and be glad you have it!). Jump came on and I just about shit my pants. In a time when I was being force fed Men at Work, Hall and Oates, and whatever other bullshit was out there, here was a fun song, a pleasant and upbeat song, nice enough for the radio, yes, but addictive and catchy. I still get the willies hearing it to this day...it had that much impact.

Picking up pop cans to afford the tape was second nature, so within days I had enough cash to afford it, and man, was I surprised! Not only were they having fun with Jump but they were kicking your ass with Hot for Teacher and House of Pain, Panama was a great rocker (still is), Girl Gone Bad is still one of my favorite VH songs ever and the rest of the album flowed as cool as a Pepsi down your throat after mowing the lawn on a hot July day.

The rest of the Van Halen catalog came after, and I knew that, one of these days, I would be old enough to catch them live...then came 1985, and yet I had hope still - maybe this Sammy Hagar guy wouldn't be a bad catch. They'd still play the same songs live, sure, and what the hell, I was 11 and optimistic. Of COURSE it was going to be a great album, hell, it was VAN HALEN!

Typical childish ignorance, but let children be children while they can, hmm?

1984 remains to this day my favorite Van Halen album, even though it was the beginning of Van Halen: The Lite Years. It always picks up my day and makes me smile, no matter what kind of shit life has thrown my direction...and I've YET to find a better album to drive to the beach listening to on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon with the top down and the volume up to 10.

They say the brightest flame burns the quickest, but for one brief moment in time, Van Halen caught it (for me, anyway) PERFECTLY.

[ashstralia]

agree with all of the above.
i've posted elsewhere that
this album has a special
resonance for me.
a coming of age thing.

the other thing was
THE VIDEOS!!

i thought these guys were the
most impossibly cool people on the planet!
mini =vh= in hot for teacher,
dave swimming on the wire with the ghetto
blaster in panama,

how fucking cool was that?
all dave's vision of course.

[Panamark]

Great stuff Rikk !

I actually listen to 1984 and hear Van Halen at their peak.
Sure it was recorded in Ed's new studio, sure it had two
keyboard tunes.. *BUT* they were at the top of their game.
This album rocks, bigtime. Probably the only original Van Halen
album that didnt really need remastering.

Panama, Hot for Teacher, house of Pain, Girl Gone Bad, Top Jimmy,
and of couse Jump.... I loved this tune.. Why ?? Suddenly all these
dipshits that didnt get Van Halen were seeing them at number one...

Now *THE* most important fact. This was the last album made by
the real lineup. The largest selling album (with VH1)
and the album with their only number one hit. I fucking love it !

As House of Pain fades out. We are left with the empty feeling
of this is the end.

Until a brief flash when CGTSNM and MWM sprang up some 12 years
later...

This stuff was brilliant, one more guys, thats all you owe us.

[Andertime]

Great review Rikk! I thoroughly enjoy all of your posts.

It seems that 1984 was what introduced many of us to VH. I remember watching the Jump video and seeing Eddie tapping in the solo and thinking, "what the fuck was that?" I had my mom buy me the tape and I was totally mesmerized. I soon owned the entire six-pack and was known amongst my friends as the VH freak. I loved this moniker until the spring of 1986.

Like Bueno Bob, I couldn’t wait to see VH live. Then came 1985 and Eddie and tubby played at farm aid and I remember thinking, “This is pretty lame, but hey its EVH, it’s gotta be cool.” I thought that until the spring of 86 when that piece of shit WCTBL was released. I remember hanging out with my buddies when that song came on and everyone laughed and said that it sucked. I remember the let down feeling I had when I heard it, total disappointment. I just wanted the feeling that I had when I heard any song of the six-pack.

I don’t even tell people that I like VH anymore. I got sick of the having to validate it by saying “I only like the DLR era”. You know what I’m talking about, especially back in the late 80’s. You would say that you like VH and people would look at you with that “Are you fucking kidding me look?” and then when you would say, “I only like the Dave stuff”, people would give you a nod of approval.

It’s cool to be able to come to a place where everybody feels the same way that you do. The DLR Army rocks!!!!!

[Marlowe01]

If only someone could do that for Diver Down...that CD is VASTLY underrated, although not my favorite.

[Rikk]

Originally posted by Marlowe01
If only someone could do that for Diver Down...that CD is VASTLY underrated, although not my favorite.

Did you check out my DIVER DOWN REVISITED thread? It's probably on Page 2 or something now, but it's still here. Just not stickied.

[ClubDave]

Originally posted by Andertime


I soon owned the entire six-pack and was known amongst my friends as the VH freak. I loved this moniker until the spring of 1986.

that is a really funny little line you have written there.......i have decided to go on with the VH I revisited and hopefully it will be up shortly

[Andertime]

I think all true Van Halen fans that were around back then know what I'm talking about.

Can't wait to check out your review.

[Vanstonica]

Great review, Rikk.

And I couldn't agree with Panamark more, about the feeling House of Pain leaves you with at the end. A feeling that's been unfulfilled to this day.

I wonder, if they had known it was going to be their last album together, if they would have ended the album a little differently??

[DLRdelight!]

Great review of the album

[tjvhou812]

1984 is a kickass album...

but vh only makes ass kicking albums

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

Well, I threw it in today and listened to 1984 all the way through. I guess all I have to say is that I don't get this love affair with "Girl Gone Bad" that song sounds confused and badly mixed to me.