1984

I want to give it a 4 but there's just something off-putting about Dave's voice to me

3,5

It's ok... It was probably mind-blowing in 1984. It has 3 of their 4 biggest songs on it which is a plus but overall the songwriting on the other tracks is somewhat lacking (IMO). I feel like Aerosmith was doing something similar at the time but better or more intricately (but I also tend to lean toward more bluesy rock so it's probaly just a preference thing). Wasn't bad but outside of Jump, Panama and Hot For Teacher there's not much to blow your hair back.

lol it’s not very good but when it hits it hits.

I might regret it, but when it is fun, it’s so much fun. Once you leave the singles it gets pretty bad. I also lost interest in Roth after I turned 13. It’s also nice to see a song about banging milfs over banging teens from a rock band

Highlights: "Panama," "Girl Gone Bad," "Hot for Teacher," "Top Jimmy" Unfortunately, it's very good. Even on this last album, Eddie never phones it in. What sells each song more than his solos is his sharp and ornate rhythm work, and there are always some surprising changes thrown away in there. The non-singles are just as good. "Girl Gone Bad" was a surprise, building to a chill-inducing frenzy with the jazzier prelude, dissonant touches, relentless bass beat, and the backup vocals slamming the front of the chorus. But the studio magic like the mic'd up car in "Panama" and the bewildering quadruple bass drum of "Hot for Teacher" does take the already high energy of the album somewhere larger than life.

ok

J'ai l'impression qu'ils étaient dans leurs années paillasson

mes rêves ferroviaires teintés de giga solos de guitare électrique

This was far far better than the other van halen album I've gotten so far. It's still the same blandish 80s glam/yacht rock with cringe song subjects (hot for teacher) but jump and Panama are rightfully classics and mostly save the album.

Fun. Can’t say much else.

Very good, much better than I thought it was going to be. Avoided this kind of music from the late 70s onwards

Straight forward 1980s soft rock, then out of nowhere you're hit by these weird incongruous guitar solos. I know EVH was a hero to many, but I don't get it.

El álbum no está mal, pero tampoco es genial, simplemente esta bien. Entiendo porque en su momento fue bueno, pero no me engancho del todo. Siento como si todas las canciones son iguales. Canciones favoritas: jump, panamá 7/10

"Hot For Teacher" is one the most trilling songs I've ever heard. The band sounds like they're tumbling off the rails the whole time, and every time I hear it I swear that this time they're going to crash and burn. Astounding. As for the rest of the album: Panama is still pretty fun. Jump is all right. It's catchy, there's no denying that. I'll Wait is cool. The rest of it, though? Meh. I do like that it clocks in at 33 minutes, though. I wish more albums were in that sub-40-minute range.

Jump -3.5 Panama - 3.75 Top Jimmy - 3.5 Drop dead legs - 3.75 Hot for teacher - 4.25 I'll wait - 3.25 Girl gone bad - 4 • basse & outro ❤️ House of pain - 3.5

ok banco 7/10

Good album, classic rock tunes Not fully my style but I could get into it. 6.5/10

More like 1969. 1984 and Jump are dumb. Next 4 tracks are alfa. Next are average 80’s songs.

Disappointing compared to their debut

De hits zijn cool, het jaartal fantastisch, maar als geheel toch niet geweldig.

A pretty standard 80s sound, but a fun listen

Some great tracks... some filler too

It’s Van Halen. Classic guitar riffs and synth. I want to love them and this album but it’s enjoyable but not essential. 7/10

It was good. I already knew some of the songs, I guess they were hits at the time. I liked it.

Pretty good. I loved Jump since I was young, and the rest is simple 80s hair band rock. Nothing special, but still enjoyable.

Punchy and shredding

This album is pretty hard to rate, because I'm not a fan of Van Halen, or anything similar to glam rock, but I'm a big fan of Eddie Van Halen and his amazing virtuosity on guitar. And maybe unsurprisingly, I actually dislike every single from this album, as I think those didn't age well, being very dull and boring, but other songs on this album, with less prominent vocal work by Roth are actually pretty good. An example of that is an amazing "Girl Gone Bad". Basically, anytime Van Halen is not trying to put out a top 20 hit on MTV, the song is very good. With those ambivalent feelings about "1984" I causally give 3/5 as total. 1 for singles, 5 for Eddie Van Halen and his craftsmanship.

DLR and Eddie Van Halen are icons. Fun album but the 80s synthesizer and hype for excessive grandiose blasting make it cheap.

The more you listen to this cheesy brand of '80s metal, the less impressive it becomes. Save for a few signature moves by each of the bands, they're all pretty indistinguishable. A guitar solo, a bright, happy (and horny) rock and roll vibe, soaring vocals. It's a good album, let's not get that wrong - but it's less notable simply by virtue of this style being so prevalent during the '80s.

didn't like the teacher song but i feel like it'll probably grow on me. i already knew a few so i expected the album to be good, which it was. did actually surprise me how much i enjoyed it. 4/5

ChatGPT prompt: "Generate a hard rock album that sounds like the early Reagan Years." Production: 5/5 (2015 Remaster) Performances: 5/5 Songs: 1/5 The songs are so corny. I was hoping maybe the deep cuts would have been interesting but they're just like the single without good hooks. Album art: 10/5

3/5 Best: Top Jimmy Worst: Jump

As expected 80s cock synth rock

I must have skipped a few chapters of Orwell's 1984, don't recall Winston being 'Hot For Teacher' in Room 101.

Van Halen is great but also terrible at the same time

Yeah, this is a good jam.

Corny as chuff but fun at a pinch

Hair metal, hard rock, Jump (!)

Not really my thing, feels a bit like a novelty act

3.5/5

Solid offering but rarely strays from just being ‘alright’

Not for me but I get it.

Helppo ja varma 3/5

It’s decent, definitely not bad, a bit worse than the other van halen album because this has the insanely cringey hot for teacher, but the rest of the album is okay, the main bangers are the main hits jump and panama but with time the rest might stand out more. But for now 3/5

Boomer's anthem. "Look how fast he plays, it must be good!". Yeah, it's alright, but will probably fade with time.

Some of it aged very bad, some of it are obvious powerful hits, some of it is nice, some of it is cringe. Van Halen are a monument of the 80s for sure.

Wake up with a hangover. What's today's album. Ah, Van Halen, check your brain in at the door. For the best part of my life the only song I thought I knew was Jump so thought of them as a synth pop band, confusing hearing Van Halen in the list of greatest guitarists. Then Apollo 440 happened and I realised they had another song. I probably also heard Panama in some American college films or something as I know that. It's alright, it's dumb, it does what it does. So, the rest. Drop Dead Legs is actually musically very good, enjoyed that. Hot For Teacher. Oh! Daft Punk! Yes! I am absolutely here for this. Oh Jesus what are you saying lads, this had such a promising beginning. Googles Aerodynamic, realise it's not actually Van Halen. Plays Aerodynamic. Ah, that's better. Goes back to Hot For Teacher 0:30. How is this not credited to Van Halen? It's really close. And fantastic, they should have built the song around it instead of rambling off in no direction. Oh well. Moving on. I'll Wait was arse. Girl Gone Bad was ok, if not particularly anything. House of Pain similar. A vehicle for some solos where they forgot to write an actual song first. Ok I'm bored now, good job this is the last song. Obviously I'll never return to this intentionally but it was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, plus the paracetamol have kicked in.

Rockin' 80s

Didn’t like it as much as their first

I was optimistic about this album, because my partner seemed to really like it, but this is kinda generic at best, save for one or two instrumentation parts. A couple of the last songs certainly picked it up, and Hot for Teacher has an awesome intro plus I quote "I brought my pencil! Give me something to write on," all the time, so I'll give it a really light three, but disappointing for sure.

Short but sweet

Solid album!! Cannot go wrong with this one! Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher on one album, can’t beat it! After a full listen this album still kicks so much ass!

The two Val Halen tracks I already knew (Jump & Hot For Teacher) are on here, and they’re both good fun. The rest is a mixed bag; I found a lot of it quite forgettable, but at just 33 minutes I can't say I ever got bored.

I love jump

The biggest surprise of this whole 1001 albums journey so far is that I like hair metal, I like 80s rock anthem pop. I like this. It scratches an itch for me. I think that Def Leppard is what did it for me... it was so ridiculous, so over the top, so cheesy that it had this kind of flip for me, where I started just having fun with what I was hearing. This album is PARTLY that. The first few songs are addicting. Sticky. "Jump" feels like we're in a whole new world, it feels like the synth is finally here to stay. It's triumphant. "Panama" too. It's a great sound they've got going. I was so ready to give this album a 4, but then... the back half was kind of boring. Kind of what everyone assumes these guys do when they get in a room and jam. Less meticulous, fewer really compelling compositions. So close to hitting the mark for me. Could have been a moment for a tone shift! But even at 35 minutes it got a little old by the last 15. Had a good time regardless. 3/5

6/10

Eddie carries this for me, but I don't like it enough for anything higher than a 3.

Well, it doesn't get much more 1984 than this (I mean actual 1984, not George Orwell's 1984). This is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me I guess, although I try not to use that phrase anymore! Definitely the best of the testosterone fueled "Hair Metal" of the 80s. Since I got this the day after getting Pump by Aerosmith, it started me thinking about this 80s hair rock scene in general. It was a very strange time compared to 70s glam wasn't it? As I see it 70s glam's "gender bending" and cross dressing was somewhat more inclusive and boundary pushing, whereas these 80s bands were hypermasculine to the point that their cross dressing seems to have been more of a shock value thing exclusively. It's a bit off-putting really, considering the modern backlash against Trans rights. I can't help but wonder if this scene contributed somehow to that. Anyway that's the end of my Ted talk for today. 3 great singles on the album, the rest I can take or leave.

Some great hits. Very enjoyeable

With an album and title track called, 1984, predictably the album opens with a cheezy "futuristic" instrumental which is an indication the synths have invaded the Van Halen sound. Jump was a song the Winnipeg Jets used back in the 80's when the team took the ice. To bring back the nostalgia of the "old days", they have started to play the song again to remind fans how shitty the team was. Panama and Hot For Teacher rocks out like the "old days", but the rest of the record brings out the worst of the supposed "hair metal" genre which in reality is a watered down version of synth/glam rock gone wrong and mugging to the camera on MTV. The last VH record that mattered if you're a fan and for the rest of us, please go away!

Niet mijn ding, maar erken wel de culturele waarde van dit album. Priem

Jump lekker klassiekertje

Wat herkenbare nummers, maar vind hun synthesiser achtige shit niet heel hard. Al is jump wel echt een iconische plaat

So many hits.

Started out really strong.

Hitting their potential/destiny with this pop crossover 6 years post-debut. It can’t touch Aerosmith’s 20 year post-debut smash sellout ‘Get a Grip’.

'Jump' is quite good. Synth-metal, less so.

An energizing album with some great riffs.

gítarónanismi. blessunarlega stutt.

1984 cool intro track fav songs: hot for teacher, I’ll wait notes: I liked Panama more than I remember liking it. Hearing it in context of the album is a lot different from hearing it in the background as a helicopter of marines flies over the rice paddies and rainforests of vietnam

Yes & No

Some good tracks, American stadium rock.

It's generally OK - run of the mill pop metal. Jump and Panama are standout tracks, the rest is just filler. Not my sort of guitar style. EVH's tapping technique was revolutionary and almost invented the 'shredding' movement - but I hate shredding. It might be technically brilliant, but it's musically dead in my view. I want to hear soul and feeling and a melodic quality - I'll take Angus Young over EVH every time.

albumi tehty 80 luvulla ja nimessä vuosiluku joka kuuluu 80 lukuun... aika huonolla aloituspaikalla mennään... biiseistä olen suurimman osan kuullut ennenkin...kivaa rallatusta... muutama hyvä muutama huono joo selevä saundi, van haileni tekee siitä kuuntelemanvan...löysin juuri termin.. hair metal hot for teacher paras.. vaikka lyriikat on mitä on... miellekästä musiikkia kuitenkin

After a couple of British electronic/dance albums, this was a bit of a palette cleanser, even if I've never been the biggest VH fan. And yeah, this album is ok but it's certainly not the best example of rock in the early/mid 80s whether or not you think Van Halen are rock gods.

Hot for teacher drum solo carries this bad boy

Wasn’t a fan back in the day, still not a fan now:

3/5. Some classics but overall too short and even the other songs somehow still feel like filler.

Ja, probleemloos kunnen luisteren. 1x is wel voldoende

De 'Nederlandse' Van Halen Marshall-sound klotst hier nog tegen de muren uren nadat het laatste nummer heeft geklonken. Nooit eerder een hele plaat van Eddy uitgezeten, maar dit beviel best!

I get why I've never heard the non singles from the album. Kinda weak, well and Panama has never been my favorite. Nothing to write home about honestly

Really torn between 3 and 4 stars. Love the album, but is it really a 4-star?? solid 3.5, 3.75 even.

Jump is brilliant, the rest of the album was just alright. 3*

Not as good as I was hoping it was going to be. But passable.

This album is good. It's kinda generic rock, but in a good way that makes it pretty easy to listen to. I wouldn't say it's the best rock album ever, but it's definitely a fun listen. Favorite song: Panama Worst song: Hot for teacher

This was.. fine? Don't really get the excitement about this one. Jump is nice.

Good solid 80's rock. The singles are great, but the rest doesn't thrill me.

Oof. The 80s vibes are off the charts here and those synths need to chill TF out. There are some real duds here if we're being honest. The hits are fun, though. Hard to argue with "Jump" and "Panama" being hits for a reason. But, man... "Top Jimmy" and "Girl Gone Bad" are every bit as bad as the hits are good. It all evens out in the stonewash, I guess.

Some of Van Halen's greatest tracks are in this album, absolute relistenable bangers. But the other tracks are just kinda there. Fun listen the whole way through, but ypu really only perk up when the bangers are on.

mediocre

Iconic song, great guitar.

A few good singles and a fair bit of disposable guff - but the singles are really fun.

Kuinka monta Van Halen-levyä tällä listalla oikein on :D onhan tääkin hittikimara. 3/5.

Another album that brought me back to the pop-up video mornings. If I ignore the eyeroll-inducing lyrics on a lot of these songs, the music is quite fun. Jump and Hot for Teacher are classics, and Drop Dead Legs was cool.

This is one of my favourite album covers ever. The VH tunes aren't really up to that standard

Some pretty generic mid-80s hair rock. Apart from Jump it's largely pretty listless.

The debut of the synthesizer for VH. Last David album. Good stuff mostly

“Jump” makes me feel like I’m in Stranger Things on my way to school trying to hype myself up for the day. I guess it makes sense since the album is from the 80s. “I’ll wait” was a good one. I enjoyed the cadence of the song and how the singing I’m not a big rock fan but it’s pretty good.

Mad guitar skillz. Lyrics felt trite on first impression

Alright. Like some of the songs.

The synth instrumentals are so 80s. Album is very American and it’s great, very different than what I am used to listening to.

Undeniably talented, but it feels like many of these songs were written simply as vehicles for shredding guitar lines and not much more.

Found this a little cheesy, I always think of Van Halen as proper heavy rock but this felt a bit of cheese

Not my thing, but hard to hate when they're having so much fun.

Eddie’s pyrotechnics are awesome. But they’re paired with lyrics like, “Throw my rope, loop de loop / Nice white teeth Betty Boop”.

Sin más. Tenía Jump en mis me gusta.

The epitomy of 80's rock I kind of like it for nostalgia and because it's so safe. It reminds me of corny 80s 'coming-of-age' movies. Musically very accomplished, well produced and slick you can't fault it other than it's cliched and not your thing. Looking at the list of albums released at the same time it's sad to say they are ALL cheese......so sit back and clench.

Not me speed but some bangers

3.4⭐️

Introen på Top Jimmy va jævlig feit. Og bra med masse synth

synths! (and guitar solos) Loved Jump

"Van Halen, not Van Hagar" - Joe Dirt Eddie is a great guitarist, and Van Halen is a decent 80s rock band. This is probably their best album and they definitely have a distinct sounds - so, therefore, worthy of the list. But - still - it kinda sounds like the opening scene from Back to the Future where Marty cranks up all those amps and, upon striking the first chord, blows them all up in a blaze of feedback and smoke - except it lasts for 30 minutes.

Jump sounded kind of insane with headphones on. Needed more keyboard

Definitely one from my childhood and though it did bring back happy memories it's not really a classic. Good fun but no depth.

Good fun, with enjoyable guitar acrobatics and not as 1 dimensional as I was expecting.

It ain't the worst that I've seen.

a WORMHOLE to the FUTURE

Solid

Chose to listen to this as a tribute the weekend that Eddie died in Oct 2020 and enjoyed it. This time I'm being critical. The hits are very good (Jump, Panama, Hot for teacher) the others are not particularly memorable. So just a medium album. I think their first album is probably stronger.

Pinnacle of 80's dad rock. If youre into that probably one of the best albums of all time. I'm not so 3/10

The singles are great

Saw Van Halen twice live in the late seventies. They were awesome live. Never really considered them a hair metal band in the same vein as Rat or Nazareth or Poison. When this album came out I felt like it was a commercial sell out. On re-listen I think that was a bit harsh. A nice party rock album. Good but not great.

yeah good music but didnt really catch my attention

Another solid Van Halen album. This one isn’t as good but still entertaining and impressive. Jump and Panama are pretty classic rock party songs. Hot for teacher is a solid rock song. There’s a couple lulls but overall this is a good album. 7.5/10

Ocjena više jer sam davno slušo na repeatu hot for teacher i jump

I have mixed feelings about Van Halen. First of all, their music is very dated and firmly rooted in the 80s synth and hair metal aesthetic. Second, their lyrics are at worst crude, and at best, unimaginative. However, their musicianship is tight, acrobatic, and expressive although it doesn’t show much variation. As a guitarist, I understand why they are important, but I find their melodies lacking. EVH is incredibly technically gifted, but his style doesn’t resonant with me as much as the style of other less technical more melodic guitarists. To me, Van Halen is less about solid song writing and more about showmanship.

Might as well Jump.

Can’t lie, definitely enjoyed listening to Hot For Teacher.

3.5

Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, "1984" is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. It offers a nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance is in the prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written. Hold on, wrong "1984"... I loved the first Wonder Woman movie. So how did the same people create such unwatchable trash in "1984?" Hold on, that's not right either... 1984 was a year of disappointments. I stopped being an only child. Reagan was overwhelmingly re-elected. The Olympic Games were held without the US getting a chance to beat communists. The Tigers and the Raiders and Italian soccer were world champs. I give the year one star. Wait, I'm gonna get this right... Ah, I'm supposed to be reviewing "Panama." Great country. With a plethora of deserted islands, chilled Caribbean vibes on one side and monster Pacific swells on the other, Panama sits poised to deliver the best of beach life. And a whole other world begins at the water's edge. Seize it by scuba diving with whale sharks in the Pacific, snorkeling the rainbow reefs of Bocas del Toro or setting sail in the indigenous territory of Guna Yala, where virgin isles sport nary a footprint. Meanwhile, surfers will be psyched to have world-class breaks all to themselves. Hello, paradise. And finally... Listening to Van Halen's "1984," I recalled my Bon Jovi review from a while back. "I feel like rock got progressively heavier through the 60s and 70s until it gave birth to heavy metal and thrash metal. Then the 80s took that heavy sound and dialed it back for pop radio and consumerism, and thus came hair bands." Yep, that fits Van Halen, even if they aren't quite in the hair band grouping. There are some classics on here, but I can't help hearing their guitar riffs and thinking about how they took heavy metal riffs and made them a bit too palatable and frankly kind of boring. And as a somewhat attractive educator, I can't get down with the whole vibe of "Hot For Teacher." That song, by the way, starts with one of those aforementioned diluted metal riffs before trying to save it by segueing into a nice little blues bit, but then ruins it with weird horniness. Also, I am not in agreement on the synths. Particularly the weird fake organ stuff on "I'll Wait." I think that song would be so much better if they stuck to guitars. Anyway... tldr... lousy year, great book, middling album.

Lekker onvervalste 80s rock muziek. Klinkt wel lekker, maar ook niet weer super bijzonder. ***

Best Song: Hot for Teacher. Often times, songs are either funny or musically interesting. This is the rare case in which it's both. This song is positively sweaty. Worst Song: I'll Wait. Sometimes, David Lee Roth just sounds like a poor man's Phil Collins. Overall: Van Halen elicits a very specific feeling. You're near a body of water. The sun is setting. Your entire body is slick with lotion. You've lost track of how many beers you've had, but you have the vague notion that you're halfway to wherever it is you're going. A feeling of existential dread begins to push on you from the periphery. Is this it? Is this what life is? You belch and crush your beer can, grabbing a cold one from the bucket. Too Hot For Teacher comes on. As quick as it came on, the feeling of dread is gone, replaced by the need to Air Drum.

Bad boy glam rock packed full of bluesy riffs, furious drumming, and synth fills. I can practically hear the sweat rolling off their chest hair and onto their skin tight vinyl pants! I honestly never fully appreciated just how great a track 'Hot For Teacher' is. Each part played and sung is remarkable on it's own, and they fold and flow together so perfectly. 'Girl Gone Bad' is another impressive showing by the band, showing just how tight the band is with or without David Lee Roth.

Not bad...

I did enjoy hearing this, particularly as it made me feel nostalgic for eighties American movies.

The synth-heavy tracks and pop tracks on this album such as Jump, Panama and I'll Wait are pretty obnoxious and are 2-star songs in my book. The best of the rock tracks are very decent or even pretty good, going up to 3.5-4 stars for me. All in all, too much annoying pop for me.

Exactly as expected

Probably good for its genre but not to my liking, lyrically or musically.

3/5 started well, but didn't make the cut

Young and strong.... You can still feel the energy

Ow, isso me lembra meu ex...

Fun rock album with energy and pop the whole way through

"Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue Model citizen, zero discipline" (Panama) "Dig those moves, vampire Set me loose, get it higher Throw my rope, loop-de-loop Nice white teeth, Betty Boop Set it cool real heavy I ain't fooled, gettin' ready" (Drop dead legs)

Cheesy 80s rock. Has the three singles you've heard a million times (Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher) as well as some lesser tracks.

I sort of wanted to hate this, preferring the earlier, more spontaneous (and harder rockin') Van Halen albums. But it is really hard to dislike this record. the songs are really catchy, and the playing is incendiary, almost overworked in the production, but not quite. I like the variety of bringing in the synth (a suitably crunchy oberheim). The four singles are stellar, and even the album tracks are pretty song. Top Jimmy and Drop Dead legs are possibly just filler, but they don't suck. a really good, solid (heavy) pop album, with a lot of fun.

Buen disco

80s hair metal. It may be that Van Halen were the first, they may have been the most proficient, but to my ears the progenitor of 80s hair metal is not distinguishable from so much of the work they inspired. I appreciate the position in history, I even enjoy the genre they were instrumental in creating - from time to time - but I'll not be listening to this again.

My gym teacher in high school would play "Hot for Teacher" every single damn day when we ran laps (Mind you, this was during the 2000's, not the 80's). Yeah, so that's the one memory I have with this band. Naturally, I grew to despise the song, but it's been long enough for me to let that go. 1984 is full of dad-rock cheese, but there's plenty of badass guitar shredding (and drumming) in here to make up for it. While not something I tend to listen to, it's not that bad. It's just average classic rock to me.

This album didn’t excite me. The songs aren’t bad but a bit samey

Solid rock and obviously 80's, one of the records that fundamentally defines the 80's. Not that it's "dated" and cringey to listen to at ~40 years old, it's a perfect encapsulation of the time along with the time of life - being a scruffy, rowdy teenager. I can't judge whether Van Halen was better with Sammy Hagar, but DLR nailed being a flashy front man for this band.

6/10

Good album, knew a few off here. Would give it a 3.5 if I could

Some great songs but def not their best offering.

Great fun. Close to 4 star.

Has some fun songs that I really liked, but felt nearly half the album was well below average. 3/5

3 pretty big hits are great; the rest just okay (all sounds alike). not great, not terrible.

Loved the beginning but as a whole album itt was too much for me.

The problem with 1984 is that it sounds like 1984: stupid masculine hard rock from the 1980s. It aged like milk. "Jump" and "Hot for Teacher" are great songs, the guitar playing of Eddie is fabulous and David sounds like an on stage must see. Too bad the rest of the songs are subpar and uninteresting.

This brings me back to the 80s with the Chicago Cubs commercials on WGN when they would play Jumps. some great songs on here but a lot of this sounds exactly the same. 3/5

6/10

Classic Rock n' Roll. Not particularly my cup of tea this one but would listen to again. Album art is great would wear it on a shirt.

Didn't hate it.

3.7 - High brow this album ain't! It's the type of music you'll hear at Hooters while devouring a basket of wings. It's got “Panama" and some predictably scorching guitar solos.

Jump is a banger. The rest is 80s hair metal (although apparently it's not technically hair metal). A fun listen, but the quality tails off in the second half. 3/5.

Full of great hooks and riffs. They’re clearly having a good time, and the album is a lot of fun, almost camp even. File under ‘air guitar hall of fame’ as it’s another one of those records where you can revisit and indulge your teenage dream of being a rock demi-god, furiously shredding your invisible guitar from the comfort of your lounge room whilst avoiding the reality you’re probably having a midlife crisis.

Meh

Eipä ole ennen tullut kuunneltua Van Halenia. Levyn alussa oli paljon enemmän syntikoita ja vähemmän kitaroita kuin mitä odotin. Loppupuolta kohden alkoi mennä odotusten mukaiseksi. Hot For Teacher jäi mieleen. Ei erityisesti häirinnyt, mutta ei mene myöskään omille soittolistoille.

Odotukset tätä kohtaan oli korkeahkot. Van Halenilta oikeastaan vain hittibiisit ovat ennestään tuttuja itselleni. Valitettavasti tämä levy osoitti erinomaisesti, että materiaali hittibiisien ulkopuolella on melkoisen yhdentekevää. Toki esim. Panama ja Jump ovat klassikoita jotka ovat kestäneet aikaa erinomaisesti, eivätkä kyseiset kappaleet ole myöskään liian puhkisoitettuja. Hittibiisit nostavat levyn arvosanan peruskolmoseksi.

13th October 2021 Listened on my phone throughout the day while at home. Finished the morning after. Synthy, big, camp, really enjoyed. Jump obviously the stand out, sounds a lot like kiss which is never a bad thing.

Not a big fan of Van Halen, but this album is pretty listenable. I just realized that the synth sounds on this album are pretty much a copy of Abacab by Genesis. Interesting. 3 stars.

No me aporta nada loco, lo he escuchado 5 veces y nada me vuelve loco

Decent 80s metal.

Love the guitar but ugh David Lee Roth.

I thought this album would be a good one to listen to in the shower and while bustling around after and it didn't disappoint. This is another one I'll give a 3.5ish to. Am I being too stingy with 4s or have I just not seen enough albums yet?

This brings back memories of an era. I was not a fan, never a fan but I instantly recognise the era and the voice. Great album, I can understand why they have such true live-long devoted fans.

More than 3 less than 4

Panama rulez. The rest of it also kinda rulez but it’s just not my bag yaknow?

It was ok. Probably wouldn’t listen again by choice.

Sounds kinda cliche now, but I get that it was probably a banger when it released

Svängig hårmetal med grisigt attityd.

Some good tracks but a bit overblown compared to their first 3 albums

Kennt ma ja

First van halen album I've listen to. Great stuff.

Coole gitarrenriffs, jump hebt sich deutlich ab

I couldn't take it anymore, silly, over the top shredding rock. I listened to in the 80's and seemingly has not aged well. Pure cheese.

i mean it’s fine

Pretty good for HM

Well, that was a ride! I appreciate the inclusion of this record on the list because it feels like a distilled representation of Van Halen and the sort of glam/hair metal scene they represent. And it brings the hits. Eddie's guitar work is otherworldly, but I can't stand David Lee Roth's vocals and inane lyrics. 2.5/5 Favourite tracks: "Panama" and "Jump"

Impressive and I understand the historical context. Not my style. Skipped through most songs. I didn’t skip the first, third, and fifth songs. Like a chord...

Never really listened to this guy, Jump is a classic though, heard that before. Sounds a bit ACDC at times, no doubt inspired them. Also sounds a bit Aerosmith, they may have inspired this guy. Easy a 3/5.

até q eh daora

Only listened to a bit. Jump!

Lots of familiar songs, the songs are alright but not sure I'd be in the mood to just sit and listen to the whole album.

Quite enjoyable 80s tunes. But would likely not buy album or put in library so giving it a 3.

Bfjekdnfbrksk JUMP

Classic stadium rock

First song nice

Great tracks and moments here and there, but a bit inconsistent. Love “Jump” and “Panama” since I was a kid. “Hot For Teacher” had a fire ass solo, loved it.

A whole album of Van Halen is.....a lot of Van Halen

Bueno, rock típico ochentero, rozando el spray-rock. Los 80 le cayó muy mal al rock que no pasó por el punk.

I enjoyed it, but it seemed like the recording itself was a little rough. Also, other than the main hits, none of it really hooked me. It was ok. EVH is still insane though. Favorite tracks: “Jump,” “Panama, and “Hot For Teacher”

Yeah, fine - I have no strong feelings about this one way or the other. Fave track - "Jump"

Decent classic rock. Nothing exciting, mostly pleasant. 6/10

Too many nonsensical guitar solos, didn't find much structure

What would now be considered classic rock n roll, this helped define dads of the generation, allowing parents to be mad at kids for yet another thing. Van Halen is a genre-setting band, and no one can deny the amount of radio play they got and still continue to get. Eddie has some great shreds from this album, but its hard to appreciate all of this when it constantly reminds you of riding back home from a camp outing in the back of the truck with your dad mad at you because you didnt tie the knots right. Favorite song, Hot for Teacher. Least favorite, hearing Hot for Teacher get played in ads for Snickers bars.

Has not really aged well, and generally just feels a bit daft. Still, Jump is kind of fun in a kitsch way. Okay but actually I'm enjoying it :(.

Jump has been a hitsong in the Neteherlands. It still like to listen to this song once in a while.

Glam metal, man. Some of the tunes here hold up well, some don’t. This has arguably my favorite Van Halen song on it, but I don’t come back to this album that often really. The guitar tones by Eddie Van Halen are pretty crazy on this album but I prefer Van Halen 1 I think. Favorite song: Panama Least favorite song: I’ll Wait

Jump is a good song, rest inoffensive

Pretty good record. Panama, Jump... hot for teacher.

Decent album however the guitar playing, whil excellent, was less of a focus on this album which didn't help the album

Nice guitar licks

Better than I expected but not really my ‘world’.

eddie :(

This was energetic and bold. I don't know if I liked that, though.

An exuberant pop record, best during certain guitar passages. For the most part, the band keeps up the energy with speed. I think the small attempts at sonic variety (for example in the opener) end up a bit flat without more variation in form.

Brewed a Session IPA during this album. Very hair, very 80s. Not exactly my favorite style, but dig the talent of the group.

I’m not trying to be contrary or controversial in my markings with this. The musicianship is good. The vocals are OK. If I heard a band playing this in a bar I would tap my feet and nod my head. I might even enjoy bits.I might even nod if it was on the radio or jukebox. It isn’t offensive to my ears. It is just that I would NEVER reach for this if it was on my shelf. It does nothing for me emotionally and I can’t ever imagine playing this by choice. There isn’t a single track I’d put in a compilation or playlist.

The first track was great: understated, brief, devoid of David Lee Roth. It’s everything I want in a Van Halen song. Then “Jump” started. And, here’s the thing about “Jump.” I didn’t quite realize how “Jump”-less my life had been for so long. I’m middle-aged now. I don’t frequent the worst kinds of bars. I don’t attend sporting events where the PA announcer is imploring us to “get loud.” My friends’ wedding-DJ budgets now exceed “pure hack” level. So, it’s probably been years since I’ve heard “Jump.” But when that synth riff kicked in, the Jumplessness of my life came into full view, as my ears were assaulted by noise they wrongly believed they’d left behind at some college dive bar. You don’t realize how good you’ve had it, all these Jump-less years, until you’re forced, once again, to listen to Jump. It was like Proust’s madeleines but if those madeleines were made of shit. Panama: guitar great, rest meh, skip I’m trying to give the remainder a chance because I’m positive I’ve only heard three songs off this album before today. And, hey, I feel like Drop Dead Legs rewarded that patience. I like that one. Hot for teacher is another “great guitar, rest meh” song. Of the three big singles off this album, I’d have to say it’s my favorite. Oh, I’ll Wait sounds familiar too? Don’t hate this one either. Look at you, Van Halen! You might just earn a 2 here! Girl Gone Bad sounds like they needed another song for the album and they were told to improvise for four minutes without discussing what they were going to do ahead of time. House of Pain sounds like that but this time they were allowed to discuss their plans. Okay so my three favorite songs on this are the knockoff AC/DC song (drop dead legs), the lyrically indefensible song (hot for teacher), and the one that sounds the least like the others (I’ll wait — I guess it technically sounds a lot like 1984, but I’m not counting 1984). I think finding three songs I kinda like, though, is enough to save this from a 1.

S Best isch s Cover und s zweit Best d Riffs.

I've never been the biggest fan of Van Halen, and my listen of this album confirms why. The poppy and glammy feel of the songs is not my style, and while the guitar work is impressive, it feels stale and outdated just like blues guitar. I can imagine it hitting harder upon its release in the 80s, but outside of the context of the 80s, it feels bland.

Van Halen really doesn’t do much for me despite having a few catchy songs. Way too much guitar.

Peak 80s rock, cheesy and fun, but also terribly dated. Apart from the main hits (and a couple of nice guitar solos), I find it really hard to listen today. I semi-enjoyed playing the full record, but I will certainly never listen again. 3/10

Still great musicians, especially Eddie, but the party-rock vibe doesn’t do much for me. There are some killer moments, yet it never reaches the impact of the debut, which had better songs and felt fresher from start to finish. So much better than Def Leppard though.

Weird that this band cranking out these ridiculous songs would also have one of the greatest guitar players.

I didn’t Jump with joy at this one

Rock music is a sheep in wolf's clothing. Fuck too much with it and it gives in pretty quickly leaving, well, not very much at all. And m'lud, I give you 1984 as Exhibit A. It leaves me utterly unmoved and only Jump saves it from a worse fate. 2*

Very basic and uninspired rock album. Weak vocals. Uninteresting guitar riffs and melodies. The only track that stood out was "I'll Wait". The synth worked surprisingly well on that track.

I've always thought these glam/stadium rock band are just playing fancy guitar riffs in order to shag women. At least these aren't taking themselves too seriously. Jump is a class pop song, and Hot For Teacher is a lot of fun. But this band just isn't my thing.

Despite some hot riffs, this album can stay in 1984 for all I care.

PANAMA! Got some big hitters - Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher, but I can listen to these in one offs in a playlist, not a full album. Too cheesy.

2.5/5

It was fine for what it was. Just not the type of music I like to listen to.

jao mnogo mi je laknulo kad sam videla da ovaj album traje 33 min

On a trip rn so I’ll make it brief, it was alright and I think besides the tracks 2 and 3 the album was okay for me. Not a lot to go into but js not my cup of tea ig

Onaj klasik rock album. Campy na nacin na koji samo album koji se zove 1984 moze biti.

80’s bierbuikrock, geen grote fan

fav song was jump because it was on glee. It was good but i wouldn’t listen to it x

All the goodwill from Jump instantly destroyed by Hot For Teacher.

I'm nostalgic for two songs on here, but otherwise it just does not keep my attention. The riffs are good, but something about this brand of "too cool for school metal" does not hit for me

This is fine. Jump is a classic, but there's nothing special about it. Not really memorable.

Van Halen klinkt als een Weird Al-parodie op goede jaren-80 rockmuziek. Jump is irritant en veel van deze tracks zijn niet veel beter. Refreintjes zijn cheesy, vocals zijn niet om aan te horen. De tweede helft redt dit treinwrak van de 1 ster, omdat daar wat flarden van goede nummers voorbij komen.

I had no idea Van Halen did Jump Overall this was much weaker and more pop than their other stuff I’ve heard, wasn’t a fan

Jump is a classic. I am happy to not hear the rest of this again

Ah, it’s this album! I can’t hold it against them that I hate the song “Jump.” I honestly didn’t vibe with much else on the album…

never been a fan, but interested to give a full album a go. I mean the hits are recognizable, but the others are underwhelming.

Jump is a banger, but thats really it

Great instrumentals, but everything else is unsufferable.

2.5

Ok, but old sound now

yesyesyes

Bog standard 1980's poodle rock. The authors clearly needed filler to make it to the 1001, this is one of those.

Talented guys producing music that irritates my ears. Two stars

Nope niet voor mij. Als van Halen gitaar speelt klinkt het als een rapper die alleen nog maar let op snelheid en niet op flow. Het nummer jump vind ik ook heel irritant. Het is ook een beetje over de top rock naar mijn mening.

Not really my vibes. 2/5

Some great guitar skills (holy harmonics), but it kinda struck me as immature, like Hot for Teacher sounds like its designed to be listened to by middle/high schoolers

I dunno man, this just felt way too meatheaded and cheesy. By the time Hagar mentions bringing his "pencil" on Hot For Teacher, I just mentally nope out for the rest of the album. I can't say it doesn't deserve its placement in the book, as this was a juggernaut and probably inspired a lot of music like it, though I wouldn't really consider that a good thing. Highlights-Jump, Panama, Drop Dead Legs, and I'll Wait. Also the title track reminded me of Live and Learn by Crush 40, not a bad thing, just thought I'd point it out.

This is so generic it might as well have been in 1984. Call it Rock Music by The Band and blast it on the speakers during morning announcements or whatever tf they were doing in that book. I waited all album for some semblance of quality and ironically it came with the song titled “I’ll wait”.

This is drivel. Remarkably bad. Songwriting is uninspired, and that is not to mean simple, but completely devoid of personality. Pertness is no substitute for character. Guitars, vocals, synths, all sound utterly atrocious, as a general rule. There’s one-and-a-half good tracks (“Panama”, “House of Pain”), and the rest are dogshit. It escapes a 1 because the drums sound ok. Closer to a 1 than a 3.

It was an alright listen. Nothing stood out besides girl gone bad, which was probably the best out of this album. Not a fan on synths.

Just a bit too overblown for my liking. Aside from Jump it just feels like very dated AOR.

I really like the opening song. I love 80s synths, and I truly think that was a great way to open the album. I like "Jump" for that same reason. Love the synths and the two groovy guitar parts, but it left me wanting more. I liked the song, put not enough to listen to it again. It reminded me of the 1st Naruto opening song so that was nice lol. "Hot for Teacher" is a disgusting song; I could not listen to it in full. The track that stood out to me the most was "Girl Gone Bad". Loved the beginning of the song and part at 3:00 - 4:00 but the song completely lost me when dude started "oooh"ing and moaning on the track. If he didn't do that, the song would have been an 8 out of 10 for me, but unfortunately it is like a 6/10. Which seemed to be a pattern that I was noticing in these songs. Those types of adlibs or artistic flair is just not for me. Other than that, no other songs stood out to me and while listening, I found myself glad that there are only 9 songs on this album. I did not want to listen to anymore.

Overrated and I hate Van Halen 2/5

Some good moments where they rock but too much horrible cheesy 80's sell out Def Leopard moments too.

I get it, I just don't care

Descent album, not very impressive. The instrumentals at the end are pretty intense.

Couple vital hits, obviously, but the rest is… fine

I liked some of the songs back in the day, but now some of them just seem sexist and outdated. Not my cup of tea.

(1 + √9) / (8 / 4) =

If ever a rock band deserved to be one hit wonders. More 80’s than an octogenarian’s funeral.

One hit wonder

Big hair, big rock I guess.

There is a world in which I enjoy these synthesizers and noodly guitar but I think that is a world in which David Lee Roth is a real estate agent.

No es mi tipo de música. Sin más

I think I'm a little too not heterosexual and not a white dude to enjoy this fully.

it's fine. just more fucking boomer drug rock.

There are a couple of fun, decent songs on here, but I wouldn't choose to put them on. The album ends pretty weakly and trails off. 4/10

As a teenager I loved the big standout tracks on 1984, and they still hit. But as an album, it doesn’t age as well for me as others — the synth-heavy sound locks it firmly in its era, and outside the hits it doesn’t resonate the same way anymore.

A bit too sparky for me

No fault of Van Halen, but the music is just not for me. It's very much of the 80s, even though the album came out in the 90s. It's just very cheesy, some of the guitar solos don't match the song, and feel like they are just forced in to show off Eddie Van Halen's obvious talent, but because he's an amazing guitarist, it doesn't mean some of his solos work. I've never been a fan of David Lee Roth singing, so I'm sure the album is a masterpiece to some, but it's just not my musical taste. In saying that, there are good songs, and it is an album I could listen to, but not one I'd listen to again. But hats off to "I'll Wait", it's the song that I should like the least, as it has all the issues I have with the album, but that's a solid song, as is "Girl Gone Bad", the bass for it is genuinely fantastic.

I can see this being groundbreaking but it's a bit too over the top for me.

😵‍💫

I can get it why many people like this - but it just isn't for me. Too many high tones, and those stupid synths.. Meh. I'd rather go with Motorhead.

It was better than I thought and had some great guitar bits, but it just feels like frat boy music....

Too much gimmicky synth for my liking

Dadrock pur sang. Toch gevaarlijk op deze leeftijd, met al die jonge vaders om ons heen. Zeker, Eddie spuwt erg vuige riffs, dat zijn dan ook de highlights van de plaat. Zoals in Girl Gone Bad of Hot For Teacher. Maar check die titels, hoe plat wil je het verder hebben. Ik werd er gelukkig toch weer niet zo warm van. 5/10

I don’t know why I don’t respect Van Halen much. I grew up with it, sure, and I probably take it for granted, but there are other classic rock bands I respect and take seriously. Van Halen is kind of just standard arena rock, but so are AC/DC or The Scorpions and those guys rule. Their songs are childish and creepy but again, so are 75% of these dudes and I have uneasily accepted that as an unfortunate part of the atmosphere. Even at its best Van Halen is just kind of dumb but I am counting the days until I can rate The Darkness a 5 so like Van Halen’s even good! Sammy Hagar is way better than Diamond Dave but all of this works, the technical proficiency is there, and this is solid classic rock but it does not speak to me the way other bands do. There are some excellent songs on here - I’ll Wait is a fantastic song despite/because of how creepy and pathetic it is, Panama gets me hype every time - and I can even overlook how Hot For Teacher is one of the worst songs ever written. (And not just because of the content! we have already established this! it just cold sucks) but even then it’s just Van Halen I’ve been grappling with this since we got their self titled and I think I am going to grapple with this again when we get to Def Leppard, an arguably worse band who also sits in this kind of classic rock foundation / cheese but who I enjoy way more

125. ok

Cheesy 80's synth rock.

I'm glad I heard it, and I wouldn't mind listening again, but I wouldn't seek it out

it had songs that you could listen too

I GET UP!! like a lot of these albums so far, cool, but not my tastes. lots of western music here, i guess this was all written by americans so, makes sense

274/1001 Van Halen - 1984 Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ Fine at best.

Gonna be real, this is not the type of music I listen to. I found my music taste with radio 6 dad esque post brexit punk, stretched into indie, and pissed it all away by almost exclusively listening to house music for half of third and all of third year. I'm a zoomer when it comes to music taste I'm a child with a spinny hat and rainbow lollipop. So while I understand Van Halen's prestige and talent, I did not enjoy this album. Not any active hatred (although Hot For Teacher did feel like seeing blackface in an old Looney Tunes cartoon), but i just felt quite numb and sometimes bored basically the whole time. No standout songs I really remember. I recognise Jump but didn't feel psyched I dont know if it's because I never had anyone growing up show me this music at a young age, or anything similar. I don't know if it's because I don't play an instrument so don't have a deeper appreciation of the musical talent. I don't know if I've just listened to too much modern music to subconsciously prefer modern mixing. All I know is I did not enjoy this album. I'd give it a 2.5 but this is a number that rounds down for me, not up.

It's not really grabbing me. Hot For Teacher and House of Pain are highlights. Otherwise not very interesting or exciting (for me).The synth sections are painfully 80s in not a good way. I can see the appeal but it just wasn’t firing off any excitement If it had eruption on it it would lowkey be a 3

Not a fan of the sound

Jump was alright i guess I have not enjoyed this album so far Album almost finished. House of pain is alright actually

There is some nostalgia with these songs being in movie montages but I cannot actually enjoy listening to this hot garbage

Yikes