Thirty-six years ago this month Van Halen’s massively successful ‘1984’ album was released. Today it ranks among the greatest albums in rock history. While its songs continue to entertain millions of fans over three decades later, the intriguing stories behind the album continue to surface. Van Halen News Desk writer Eric Senich explores those stories and more behind ‘1984’ in the latest episode of his classic rock podcast DISCovery.
Here are just some of the topics covered in the episode:
– What was behind Eddie Van Halen’s decision to name his then brand new studio “5150” and what effect did it have on the ‘1984’ album including its serendipitous release date?
– Which two songs did Eddie have to fight to keep on the album and why?
– Which famous mid 60s R&B hit did the band record (the first song ever to be recorded at the “5150” studios) but was left off of the album at the insistence of Eddie?
– Which two tracks from the album were inspired by AC/DC?
– Which of the classic ‘1984’ videos features a future member of “Saturday Night Live” and an actor from the classic 80s films “A Christmas Story” and “Better Off Dead”?
– Which track’s lyrics were inspired by the Marilyn Monroe film “Some Like It Hot”?
– Is that little boy on the cover a young David Lee Roth? If not then who is he and how did he wind up on the cover of the album?
Eric also talks with author Greg Renoff (“Van Halen Rising: How A Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal” & “Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life In Music) who shares stories told to him by the band’s long-time producer Ted Templeman regarding the hit singles “Jump”, “Panama”, “I’ll Wait” and “Hot For Teacher”) and more.
As Van Halen fans know ‘1984’ is more than just the singles. Eric also digs deep to reveal the origins and inspiration behind the deep tracks “Top Jimmy”, “Drop Dead Legs”, “Girl Gone Bad” and “House of Pain”.
So stream or download the latest episode of DISCovery now to “Jump” back in time to the year and album ‘1984’ and be sure to give us your thoughts on the album in the comments section below:
To hear more episodes, and to subscribe to DISCovery with Eric Senich, go here.
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