1984 (written as MCMLXXXIV on the front cover) is the sixth album by American hard rock band Van Halen. One of the band's more popular albums (in terms of both record sales and chart performance), 1984 is the final album (to date) featuring singer David Lee Roth, who later left the band in the spring of the following year due to escalating tensions between him and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, as well as Roth's desire to pursue a solo career. 1984 peaked at #2 on the Billboard Magazine album charts (#1 at the time was Thriller, which featured an Eddie Read more on Last.fm.
Van Halens last landmark, before Sammy Hagar replaced Roth and turned the band into chick flick elevator music, is a classic not because it is the best showcase of Eddie’s guitar prowess (Diver Down holds that crown), but because it shows the bands songwriting abilities at maximum capacity. No one will ever call Roth a good singer by technical standards. But as an expressive vocalist with an original style, he managed to define the 80’s front man single handedly. Here, he deftly croons and talks over Van Halen’s guitar wizardry and synth dexterity. All the while, Mike Anthony and Alex Van Halen keep time and sit in the background.