Van Halen: 1984 - Hybrid UltraDisc UHR SACD, Remastered

Tracklist

1.    1984
2.    Jump
3.    Panama
4.    Top Jimmy
5.    Drop Dead Legs
6.    Hot For Teacher
7.    I’ll Wait
8.    Girl Gone Bad
9.    House Of Pain

This hybrid SACD is being remastered by MFSL and is expected to be re-released this fall. For copies that have already been sold, a replacement can be requested through your retailer.

Margo Nahas' illustration of a crying angel holding a cigarette – a mixture of the sacred and the rebellious – is regularly voted one of the 100 best album covers of all time and perfectly captures the aesthetic of what has been Van Halen's last album with singer David Lee Roth for a long time: “1984” is powerful and catchy, glamorous and glittering, stormy and heavy, wild and pyrotechnic! From the first notes of the atmospheric title track, David Lee Roth (vocals), Eddie Van Halen (guitar), Michael Anthony (bass) and Alex Van Halen (drums) go full throttle until the album ends with the stormy “House Of Pain.” The powerful finale is further proof that there is not a single wasted note or boring moment on “1984” – a fact that critics and audiences immediately recognized: Recorded with producer Ted Templeman at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Studios in California and released on January 9, 1984, the album immediately reached number 2 on the Billboard album charts. Number 1 was Michael Jackson's “Thriller,” to which Eddie Van Halen contributed the world-famous solo on “Beat It.” Eddie van Halen also played all the keyboard parts, which were particularly prominent on the album tracks “Jump,” “I'll Wait,” and the intro “1984.” “Jump” became one of the biggest single hits of the year worldwide, while the album has sold nearly 12 million copies to date. In the US alone, more than 10 million records were sold: diamond status!

Six years after changing the music landscape with their self-titled debut album, Van Halen delivered further proof of their unique creativity: With groundbreaking performances, infectious chemistry and prominent synthesizer elements championed by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, the quartet seamlessly fused pop and metal elements into a cohesive melodic whole, creating a milestone that sounds just as fresh, entertaining and innovative today as it did back then! One could argue that “1984” showed that Van Halen was the smartest, hardest, funniest and most accomplished band far and wide. Not to mention that they were incredibly virtuosic: “Jump,” voted number 177 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest songs of all time, demonstrates brilliance, flair and finesse – through the shimmering keyboard lines, massive hooks, dialogue-like vocals and the wonderfully powerful playing of the rhythm section. “1984” is like a hot shoe racing down the asphalt, like Eddie's 1972 Lamborghini Miura S revved up to 80,000 rpm. Charged electricity, nimble solos, spicy double entendres: Shake it baby! Just listen to “Hot For Teacher”: The fourth single release begins with one of the most famous drum leads in history – a 30-second blitzkrieg that thrills with Alex Van Halen's superhuman double bass rolls – before transitioning into Roth's improvisations. This megawatt classic embodies everything that is inimitable and great about Van Halen's “1984”!

The lovingly remastered reissue of “1984” from MoFi's California studio presents this unique rock classic with tremendous realism, unbridled dynamics and benchmark clarity as well as attention to detail. The strictly numbered hybrid SACD – packaged in a high-quality mini LP-style gatefold sleeve – showcases Ted Templeman's work to its best advantage. Friends, you've never heard “1984” like this before – just turn up the volume!