1984 1984 Album

Van Halen

Controversial from many angles. Some of the big hits were derived from Eddie’s new love of synthesizers, but in other places, it’s business as usual, rocking out just as heavy – if not heavier – as ever, on tracks like “Girl Gone Bad”, “House of Pain”, “Panama”, and “Hot for Teacher”. “Jump” propelled the group into mainstream consciousness for a long time, but for my money, “I’ll Wait” is a better track in that style. Still, it’s hard to argue with the hooks, musicianship, energy, or anything else that these two tracks offer.