Skip to main content

Van Halen's 1984 Is Turning 30!

By -
VH

Jan. 9, 2014 · Features

Van Halen's 1984 Turns 30


1984


30 years ago today the original and best Van Halen lineup released its final album, the mega-selling and mega-enjoyable 1984. Many of the album’s hallmarks have since entered into cultural ubiquity, whether it’s “Jump” blaring at every sporting event in America or “Hot For Teacher” encapsulating and defining a fetish with its classic music video and barely disguised double entendre. Containing only a tight nine tracks, including a minute-long intro, it remains packed with id, swagger and dazzling performances, all of which would wane on the band’s subsequent releases following the departure of frontman David Lee Roth. Criticism targeted the increased prominence of synthesizers, which rankled Roth as much as it did some of the fans - so much so that the common understanding is that it was a contributing factor in his exit - yet the synth-driven propulsion of “I’ll Wait” is unmistakable and a clear album highlight.

So while your coworkers, classmates or family members might not appreciate your completely rational impulse to stand up and shout, “Look at all the people here tonight!” and jumpkick your computer through the wall, you can still enjoy this classic album and have a retort at the ready next time a rock band releases a bloated whale of a record: sometimes 33 minutes is all you need.

Read Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s five-star review.




If Roth really did hate the synthesizers, it’s difficult to tell from the way he sells this performance of “I’ll Wait.”





The legendary “Hot For Teacher” video. The intro to this song launched a million air drummers.




Chris Steffen wishes the main riff from "Unchained" would play every time he enters a room

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Song Writing Tips & Tricks

By -
  There are literally hundreds of different methods used to write a song, and every musician has tailored their own rhyme and reason of doing things. Sometimes it’s as easy as playing some piano and having the words write themselves, or it can start with a poem and a mission to find the right music to fit it. I have compiled some of the ways I have come across to write your own music. Please keep in mind that these are only a few of many different ways to come up with your own material, and these are great ways to learn. But you get much more satisfaction if you start from scratch. Enjoy, and I hope this helps.   Scaffolding Stuck? Here’s an old trick to get you going. What a good song offers is structure, repetition, form and balance. Not always easy to create, but easy to borrow. You can build on the form of another song, without sounding at all like that song. Much as a scaffold is used to frame a skyscraper — the scaffold may look familiar, but once removed yields a...
Read more

2014 Grammy Award Winners (surprised?)

By -
Image
  Album of the Year Andrew Kelly / Reuters Winner: Random Access Memories , Daft Punk The Blessed Unrest , Sara Bareilles Good Kid, M.A.A.D City , Kendrick Lamar The Heist , Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Red , Taylor Swift Record of the Year Lucas Jackson / Reuters Winner: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk featuring Pharrell “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons “Royals,” Lorde “Locked Out of Heaven,” Bruno Mars “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and T.I. Song of the Year Phil Mccarten / Reuters Winner: “Royals,” Lorde “Just Give Me a Reason,” Pink featuring Nate Ruess “Locked Out of Heaven,” Bruno Mars “Roar,” Katy Perry “Same Love,” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert Best Country Album Eric Henderson / Reuters Winner: Same Trailer Different Park , Kacey Musgraves Night Train , Jason Aldean Two Lanes of Freedom , Tim McGraw Based on a True Story , Blake Shelton Red , Taylor Swift Best Pop Vocal Album The Associated Press Winn...
Read more

Why Some People Might Be Scared To Try learning A Musical Instrument.

By -
Image
Its really hard to start this topic, because there are many reasons why people take to playing an instrument.Whether they took lessons from a young age (usually because the individuals parents wanted them too) or if they learned on their own later on in life. It doesn’t matter why people choose to play, but its really interesting how many people out there are more than interested in playing learning how to play piano or guitar, but are either too nervous or overwhelmed by the thought of what may lay ahead. Let’s face it, no matter who you are, if you are a musician you know what I mean when I say “the proof is in the punch”, meaning… If you try, and commit to learning while having fun with it.. you WILL learn, but… If you only attack your guitar a couple times a week, and expect to be slingin’ lead licks like Hendrix.. It simply won’t happen. Intimidation: This is a huge factor that plays into why someone might be nervous to try learning an instrument, let’s say you grow up with a ...
Read more