Van Halen: 1984 (SACD)

Van Halen's sixth album with the single "Jump". Jump" only made it to number 2 in the US charts; Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was invincible that year. However, Eddie Van Halen had contributed the famous solo to "Beat It". There's no such thing. Full blast and the top down. Less than six years after changing the musical landscape with their diamond-platinum debut album, Van Halen repeated their creative and commercial feat. With groundbreaking performances, infectious chemistry and four huge singles, "1984" is a testament to how the band incorporated synthesizer elements that guitarist Eddie Van Halen had championed and how they seamlessly blended pop and metal sensibilities into a cohesive melodic whole. A milestone that hasn't aged a day, "1984" feels as fresh, fun and innovative as it did in the Reagan era. Mobile Fidelity's numbered hybrid SACD, sourced from the original analog tapes and housed in mini-LP-style gatefold packaging, presents the group's final album with singer David Lee Roth for nearly four decades in definitive sound. You've never heard "1984" so clear and direct on a disc. A soundstage that extends beyond the outer limits of your speakers; imaging that allows you to see each member in an exact space; attack, timing and physicality that come across with breathtaking balance and realism. The qualities associated with the Van Halen trademark - dynamic thunder, distinctive tonalities, vivid detail, sensually invigorating immediacy, tongue-in-cheek playfulness, midrange punch, crushing intensity - come through with involving presence and vibrancy. And if you choose your volume settings like this, you'll get concert-like solidity, range and decibel levels. You can turn this version up as loud as you like without risking interference from the noise floor or shrillness. Even if you listen at low volume, the sonic pedigree will astound you by revealing how amazing every aspect of this album is - including the quieter parts that purr and ooze. And let's not forget the outstanding iconic cover. Margo Nahas' illustration of a weeping angel holding a cigarette - a mix of the sacred and the rebellious - is regularly named among the 100 best album covers of all time and literally captures Van Halen's aesthetic to a tee. On "1984", this aesthetic is punchy and catchy, glamorous and glittering, stormy and heavy, wild and pyrotechnic, fast and fun.