Van Halen - 1984 - 1984

Of course, Van Halen was much more than simply a “hair” metal band.  
For certain, they transcended above and beyond that category.  
But at the very least, I think VH overlapped with hair metal enough to be on this list.  
Even though VH came along before the MTV hair metal explosion, they certainly laid the groundwork for the scene.  
Need more evidence?  
Two words for ya… ASSLESS CHAPS.

The album 1984 was VH’s sixth studio album in six years.  
It was an incredible run of AWESOME!  
This would be David Lee Roth’s last with the band, and the end of a great era in rock history.  
1984 contains the hits Jump, Panama, Hot For Teacher, and I’ll Wait.  
All four remain radio staples to this day.  
Gotta say that Hot For Teacher is probably my favorite of the lot.  
I love the half-assed lyrics and DLR’s overall jackass charm.  
Two really great deep cuts also appear on this album; Top Jimmy and Drop Dead Legs.  
However, 100% perfection is avoided due to the last two cuts (Girl Gone Bad and House Of Pain),
which don’t measure up to the great tracks that preceded them.  
So, in summary, what we have is a short intro (the instrumental 1984), followed by six gems,
then ending with two average tunes.  
No filler, no joke tracks, and no covers!  
Eight proper songs!  
That’s something you didn’t always got with these old VH albums (Diver Down, I’m talking to you!).  
1984 is certified 10 x platinum.