Van Halen “1984” released 40 years ago today (!!!!) January 9th, 1984. Iconic 80’s rock, one of the defining albums of the decade. I’ve written about 1984 previously but it’s such a monster that it deserves another page. It certainly is a record I remember vividly (it was everywhere in ’84) and continue to hear tracks from 40 years on. 1984 was Van Halen’s sixth studio album, one of their top sellers ever, and the last to feature all four original members. It went to #2 on the US album chart (held back from the #1 spot by Michael Jackson’s Thriller) and, despite the pushback from metal fans at the time, brought the 80’s keyboard trend to hard rock and, in so doing, propelled heavy metal into the popular consciousness. Van Halen was on MTV constantly and I am still not tired of the “Jump” video – David Lee Roth being…well, his obnoxious and hilarious self, Eddie looking coke’d out of his mind and the other guys – well I didn’t pay attention to them. The single hit #1 and remains their most successful single ever and the video was nominated for three MTV VMAs, winning the “Best Stage Performance” award. “I’ll Wait” was the next single and it went to #13. This is one that has grown on me more and more over the years – it’s so 80′s over-the-top with big keyboards and even bigger production. The third single was “Panama,” which is my favorite track on 1984; it went to #13 on the US charts. Extra fond memories of “Panama” which involve driving around, head-banging, singing loudly for all to hear. The last single from 1984 was “Hot For Teacher” and while it only went to #56 on the charts, its video got serious airplay on MTV and remains hilarious. Other tracks of note are “Drop Dead Legs” (obnoxiously 80’s, awesome) and the shred-tastic “Girl Gone Bad.”