Van Halen - 1984

The album features some of the band's biggest commercial hits, most notably "Jump," which was driven by Eddie Van Halen's Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer riff. Other massive singles include "Panama" and the guitar-driven instrumental showcase, "Hot for Teacher." These tracks dominated MTV and radio in 1984.

Yes, 1984 is the final full-length studio album to feature the band's original lineup before David Lee Roth's initial departure in 1985. Roth left to pursue a highly successful solo career, and Sammy Hagar was brought in as his replacement later that year. The immense creative tensions between Roth and the Van Halen brothers peaked during this era.

Eddie Van Halen had been building a massive home studio (5150) and wanted to experiment heavily with synthesizers and keyboards. He prominently featured them on tracks like "Jump" and "I'll Wait," which initially caused friction with guitarist Dave Lee Roth. However, this move ultimately gave the band their first and only number one Billboard Hot 100 single with "Jump."

The album was officially released on January 9, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records. The title is stylized as MCMLXXXIV (1984 in Roman numerals) on the cover art, which features a cherub smoking cigarettes. It became a massive multi-platinum hit, peaking at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, kept from number one only by Michael Jackson's Thriller.