1984

''I get up, and nothing gets me down. You got it tough. I've seen the toughest all around. And I know, baby, just how you feel. You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real, oh can't you see me standing here, I've got my back against the record machine, I ain't the worst that you've seen. Oh can't you see what I mean?''

I haven't done ''music monday'' in a while so I might as well. I'll try to focus and write down a couple of words even if Panama is blasting in the back and I have this urge to drop the laptop and sing - scream, play air guitar and headbang along to the song. Hah. Boy am I in a dire need of a good rock show. Green day in June can't come fast enough.

So here's the deal. I love Van Halen and I do mean LOVE. What's there not to love? And though this album is so completly different, more pop sounding? then the rest I love it. If there is such thing as a vinyl that dies because it's over played then this one will someday. Along with all my Crue and Skid and Warrant and Elvis obviously. Hah. I'd need double copies of all my favorites I think.

I love how this album starts with a little instrumental tune that goes into ''Jump'' it fits together so well. We all know Jump right? Our rock radio stations over play the shit out of that song. Like Van Halen don't have other *better* music. I like Jump but it's not my favorite, far from it. It's not a song you'd expect Van Halen to make at all, the suspended chords and that Asia wanna be bass...yeah alright. And don't get me started on that synthesizer riff that starts the song. When you've got Eddie Van Halen why on earth would you use a synthesizer instead of a guitar? Though I think I read somewhere that it was actually Eddie's idea to have that kinda riff in the song. I bet Roth and Templeman were ''over the moon'' over that idea hah. Well it paid off hasn't it? Everyone I know only knows Jump. Hello? Panama? Drop dead legs? Hot for teacher? Eruption? Romeo delight? On fire? Runnin with the devil? Can't stop lovin you? No? Nothing? Alright then...I am just glad that the lyrics and guitars in Jump save it from being a complete mainstream pop disaster thank god.

Could you ever imagine that a synthesizer not a guitar would put Van Halen on top? Yes? No? Is that only crazy to me or what? If I remember correctly that's excatly what happened though, previous five records all went platinum and a festival in 1983 for ''only'' 1,5 million. So they all knew bigger things are yet to come, I think that the whole how big and how different is what surprised everyone.

So how to recover after something like Jump? Panama of course! Of my god I love that song! The guitars! It's a song that goes great along songs such as Aint talkin bout love. And aparently makes me want to headbang and sing along. I do love that song. Anthony's bass? Amazing. And the whole point of it just makes me laugh. Roth said he wrote that song as a response to the critics saying that all he writes about are strippers and cars when in fact he never wrote a song about a car.

Then you've got ''Hot for teacher''. One of the heaviest songs on the album. No doubt one of my favorites too. Picking favorites amongst songs about strippers and sex. I'm going to hell someday aren't I? Hot for teacher is obviously all about sex. Teenage boys and a sexy teacher, we've all been there before haven't we? We had a P.E. teacher once...and he...well...I understood the whole hot for teacher thing first thing I laid my eyes on him, it didn't help that he was a P.E. teacher, in a tank top and shorts...alright enough about that. Hah. The song is great but I think it's the video that brought it all the attention and fuss over it. In case you haven't seen it, it's pretty much just a class room that turns into a strippers runway and a teacher in a bikini fawning over some teens. So safe to say this video pissed off a lot of people one of them being the Parent Music Resource Center which protested its sexually explicit nature, however, such complaints did them no good instead they simply fueled sales, extending 1984’s success as well as becoming one of the most successful and influential videos for a young MTV. Tough luck aye? I'd pay good money to see their faces after that happened.

This album also features songs such as Top Jimmy, Drop dead legs, I'll wait, Girl gone bad and House of pain, which I assure you despite the title there's a lot more pleasure in it then pain. And it has my favorite story tied to it. Y'all know how much Gene Simmons annoys me right? I mean I love Kiss, great band, great music but Gene's mouth is getting on my nerves. What was that his son said once? That Gene is the ''Donald Trump of Rock n' Roll''. True story. Anyway in the early days of the band before they were the Van Halen we know today, they recorded a demo that later became House of pain and sent that demo to Gene Simmons and here's the fun part. His managment said that the band has no chance of ever making it. Which is why this amuses me so much, putting that song as a last song on their most successful album? Brilliant.

But you know nothing lasts forever all good things must end and all that and even if 1984 was so big the band was still falling apart. I don't know if Roth quit or if he was fired or if it was just that they were so different when it comes to personality and musical style and if that is what forced them apart in the end. So Roth went on staying true to hard rock and released an EP called Crazy from the heat and then later a solo album titled Eat em and smile. I think they're both pretty great but sadly he couldn't repeat the success he got with Van Halen. While the band on the other hand moved on with a new singer, new style, bigger audience, more money and obviously a lot more creative freedom. Though of course Deja vu and all that history would repeat itself with Hagar as well but unlike 1984 that was a huge game changer this time the results of conflict weren't quite as good.

Anyway I think this album is amazing, they put rock on a whole new and different level and I think it's great. If you're into hard rock, rock, metal, or just looking for something new pick it up, turn it up loud and enjoy it. And for the love of god please don't ask me again if I recommend vinyl or CD's more. CD's are the spawn of Satan. Please, for the love of everything holy get vinyl instead. You'll thank me when you'll see how amazing music can sound.

Enjoy the music, have a great week and stay safe out there guys.

P.S. Isn't the album cover of this record just perfect? I love it.

Yeah, we're runnin' a little bit hot tonight. I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off of it. Ah, you reach down, between my legs, ease the seat back. She's blinding, I'm flying, right behind the rear-view mirror now. Got the feeling, power steering, pistons popping, ain't no stopping now! Panama, Panama...