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83年リリースの6枚目からは、全米チャートのトップ10入りシングルを3タイトルも出している。なかでもシンセのイントロが耳に残る『ジャンプ』は、5週にわたって第1位を記録し、そのビデオクリップは第1回ビデオミュージックアワーズの最優秀パフォーマンスビデオ賞を受賞するというおまけもついた。
メンバーにしてみれば、制作過程において既に手ごたえがあったと語っているだけに、それほど驚く結果ではなかったようだ。トップクラスにあるバンドの余裕。(春野丸緒)
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1984 was a successful record not only because it contained solid, catchy hard rock, but also because it incorporated synthesizers into the mix, the first metal album to do so to any serious extent. Although the advances in electronic music make this material sound dated now, it's still a highlight of Van Halen's career. Songs like "Jump" contain a pop element that gave
1984 mainstream appeal, and David Lee Roth turned the frontman role into an art form on songs such as "Panama," "Hot for Teacher," "Drop Dead Legs," and "I'll Wait." To a large extent, it was
1984 that set the standard for '80s pop metal, and David Lee Roth who set the standard (or takes the blame, depending on your point of view) for the aggressively good-time attitude most pop-metal bands took for their own.
--Genevieve Williams