Van Halen 1984 FRANCE 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Inside the 1984 rock milestone with synth anthems, blazing guitar riffs, and iconic artwork

Front Cover Photo Of VAN HALEN - 1984 France 12" Vinyl LP Album

Van Halen’s "1984," the band’s sixth studio album, marked their final record with David Lee Roth before his departure. Released in January 1984 and recorded at Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 Studios, it blended hard rock with a bold use of synthesizers, reshaping the band’s sound. Produced by Ted Templeman, the album delivered massive hits like “Jump,” “Panama,” and “Hot for Teacher.” Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and became one of the defining hard rock albums of the 1980s, showcasing both innovation and Van Halen’s signature energy.

Van Halen 1984 Album Description:

This French release of "Van Halen 1984" is the sixth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released in January 1984. It marked a significant shift in the band's sound, incorporating more synthesizers and keyboards and less guitar-driven rock. The album was a commercial success, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart and spawning several hit singles. In this web-page, we will explore the album's background, musical style, and critical reception.

Background

Van Halen 1984 was recorded at 5150 Studios, the band's newly built recording studio in Eddie Van Halen's backyard. The album was produced by Ted Templeman, who had produced all of Van Halen's previous albums. It was the first album to feature the band's new keyboardist, Eddie's longtime friend, and collaborator, Janie Van Halen.

Musical Style

Van Halen 1984 represents a significant departure from the band's earlier sound, which was heavily guitar-driven. The album features a more prominent use of keyboards and synthesizers, with Eddie Van Halen playing them in addition to his guitar. The album's sound is often described as "synth-heavy," with songs like "Jump" and "I'll Wait" showcasing the band's new musical direction. However, the album still features plenty of Eddie's guitar work, particularly on tracks like "Hot for Teacher" and "Panama."

Critical Reception

Van Halen 1984 received generally positive reviews upon its release, with many critics praising the band's incorporation of new sounds and styles. Rolling Stone's David Fricke called it "a breakthrough for the band," while AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine hailed it as "one of the greatest hard rock albums of the '80s." The album's lead single, "Jump," became a massive hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earning the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Production & Recording Information:

Music Genre:

American Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

Label & Catalognr:

Warner Bros (WB) Records 92-3985-1

Media Format:

12" Vinyl Full-Length Stereo Long-Play Gramophone Record
Album weight: 230 gram

Year & Country:

1983 – Made in France

Producers & Engineers:
  • Ted Templeman – Producer
  • Donn Landee – Engineer
  • Ken Deane – Second Engineer
  • Joan Parker – Production Coordinator
Album Cover Design & Artwork:
  • Pete Angelus – Art Direction
  • Richard Seireeni – Art Direction
  • David Jellison – Art Direction
  • Margo Zafer Nahas – Cover Illustration
Photography:
  • Raul Vega – Cover Photography

Van Halen Personnel & Support Staff:

Van Halen Personnel
  • Noel Monk – Personal Manager
  • Pete Angelus – Production / Lighting, Design and Direction
  • Patrick Whitley – Production Manager & Stage Manager
  • Harvey Schaps – Tour Manager
  • Gregg Emerson – Drum Technician
  • Robin "Rudy" Leiren – Guitar Technician
  • Larry Hostler – Stage Technician
Support Staff
  • Kevin Dugan – Bass Technician
  • Ed Anderson – Security Director
  • Karen Valdez – Personal Secretary
  • Gail Liss – Bookkeeper
  • Karen Cohen – Assistant Bookkeeper
  • Valerie Treat – Personal Secretary
  • Renee O'Haley – Fan Club
  • Susan Klusendorf – Fan Club
  • Nancy Grossi – Wardrobe
  • Benny "The Jet" Urquidez
Fan Club & Agency
  • For fan club and merchandising information write to:
  • Van Halen, P.O. Box 2128, North Hollywood, CA 91602
  • Premier Talent, Warner Bros. Records
  • WEA Worldwide

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • David Lee Roth – Lead Vocals, Background Vocals
  • Eddie Van Halen – Guitar, Keyboards, Background Vocals
  • Michael Anthony – Bass, Background Vocals
  • Alex Van Halen – Drums, Percussion

Complete Track-listing:

Tracks:
  1. 1984 – 1:07
  2. Jump – 4:04
  3. Panama – 3:32
  4. Top Jimmy – 3:02
  5. Drop Dead Legs – 4:14
Video: Van Halen - Jump (Official Music Video) [HD]
 
  1. Hot for Teacher – 4:44
  2. I'll Wait (Anthony/Roth/Van Halen/Van Halen/Michael McDonald) – 4:45
  3. Girl Gone Bad – 4:35
  4. House of Pain – 3:19
Video: Van Halen - Panama (Official Music Video)
Album Front Cover Photo
The front cover artwork of Van Halen’s 1984 French vinyl LP release features a highly stylized painting by artist Margo Zafer Nahas. It shows a cherubic, blond-haired child with small angel wings sprouting from its shoulders, sitting at a marble-like surface. The angel child has a mischievous look, glancing sideways while holding a cigarette in its right hand, with an open pack of cigarettes on the table in front. The child’s left arm rests against its lips, as if caught in a guilty act. The background is a soft, sky-blue gradient, and the bold red serif text ‘VAN HALEN’ appears above the figure, flanked by Roman numerals MCMLXXXIV on both sides.

This striking album cover artwork portrays a blond-haired cherub with delicate angel wings, painted in soft, airbrushed detail against a pastel blue sky backdrop. The child’s expression is both innocent and mischievous, captured in a side glance while pressing its lips to its own arm.

On the marble surface before the cherub lies a torn-open pack of cigarettes, with one cigarette already clutched in its tiny hand. The juxtaposition of angelic purity with adult vice creates an ironic, provocative, and unforgettable image.

At the top, the band’s name VAN HALEN is emblazoned in bold red, capitalized letters with a thin black shadow, flanked by the Roman numerals MCMLXXXIV (1984) on either side, anchoring the artwork firmly in its era.

Album Back Cover Photo
The back cover of Van Halen’s 1984 French vinyl LP release features dramatic studio portraits of the four band members. Top left shows Eddie Van Halen in a sleeveless white shirt with a red scarf and a dice emblem; top right presents David Lee Roth shirtless, arms folded across his chest with long blond hair blowing back; bottom left depicts Alex Van Halen in a silvery jacket with arms crossed; bottom right shows Michael Anthony in a red-and-black striped shirt. A bold neon-green ‘1984’ title appears bottom right above credits. A bright red box lists the track titles in white text. Background features dark geometric shapes enhancing the intense mood.

The back cover artwork of this French pressing showcases the four Van Halen band members in moody studio portraits. Eddie Van Halen stands at the upper left with tousled hair, wearing a white sleeveless shirt marked by a dice emblem and accented by a red scarf. Opposite him, David Lee Roth appears shirtless, his muscular torso and flowing blond hair spotlighted, with arms folded in a defiant pose.

Below, Alex Van Halen crosses his arms in a gleaming silver jacket, while Michael Anthony gazes directly outward in a dark red-and-black striped shirt. Each portrait is lit against angular gray geometric backdrops that amplify the dramatic presentation.

On the left, a vivid red square box presents the tracklist in bold white type, while the lower right corner features the title 1984 in bright green, accompanied by production credits for Ted Templeman and engineering by Donn Landee. Catalog numbers and manufacturing details are printed in the top right corner, completing the collector’s presentation.

Collector Notes / Liner Notes
  • 1 - The back cover prominently features all four band members photographed individually against geometric backdrops.
  • 2 - Track listing is printed inside a bright red box with bold white text for immediate visibility.
  • 3 - The album title 1984 is displayed in distinctive neon-green typography at the lower right.
  • 4 - Production credits list Ted Templeman as producer and Donn Landee as engineer.
  • 5 - Manufacturing details indicate pressing in Germany for distribution in France, visible at top right.
  • 6 - Catalog numbers 92-3985-1 and 92-3985-4 appear printed in the upper right corner.
  • 7 - Rights and distribution are credited to Record Service GmbH Alsdorf, typical of Warner releases in Europe.
  • 8 - Bottom center text includes copyright © 1983 by Van Halen Productions, Inc. and © 1984 Warner Bros. Records Inc.
  • 9 - Legal notices specify duplication, rental, or lending is prohibited, confirming Warner’s European copyright standards.
  • 10 - Address lines reference Warner Bros. Records Inc., 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA, and Warner Communications Company identifiers.
The custom inner sleeve of Van Halen’s 1984 French vinyl LP features a striking black-and-white group photograph of the band. From left to right: Alex Van Halen in a light-colored vest and pants with sunglasses, David Lee Roth bare-chested under a vest with long flowing hair, Eddie Van Halen with curly hair wearing a sleeveless shirt and scarf, and Michael Anthony in a horizontally striped shirt. The image is creatively presented through a grid-like mosaic effect, where square segments alternate between light and dark, creating a fragmented yet cohesive portrait. Along the bottom, detailed production credits and staff acknowledgements are printed in white text against the monochrome background. The catalog number 92-3985-1 and © 1983 Van Halen Productions, Inc. appear at the top right corner.

This custom inner sleeve presents the four members of Van Halen in a monochrome portrait reimagined with a bold mosaic grid effect. Each square cut-out alternates between black and white, producing a fragmented texture that both distorts and enhances the band’s image.

From left to right: Alex Van Halen stands in light attire with dark sunglasses, David Lee Roth shows off his bare chest beneath an open vest and long flowing hair, Eddie Van Halen sports his trademark curls and scarf with sleeveless shirt, while Michael Anthony wears a striped shirt, hands relaxed at his sides.

At the bottom, extensive production and staff credits are listed, naming managers, technicians, and creative staff. The top right corner includes the catalog number 92-3985-1 alongside © 1983 Van Halen Productions, Inc., anchoring this inner sleeve firmly in its time and release history.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
The second custom inner sleeve image from Van Halen’s 1984 French vinyl LP depicts a striking black-and-white photograph of multiple industrial metal domes arranged in a tight grid formation. Each dome resembles a spotlight casing or metallic hemisphere, with circular cutouts at the top. The reflective surfaces capture light and shadows, creating a shimmering texture across the repetitive pattern. The perspective emphasizes depth, showing rows upon rows receding into the background, giving the image an almost hypnotic, abstract quality. This industrial imagery contrasts sharply with the band’s portraits and cover art, highlighting the album’s bold, unconventional design approach.

This second custom inner sleeve photo shifts away from band imagery and introduces a powerful industrial abstraction. The composition features countless reflective metallic domes, each with a hollow circular opening at the top, aligned in neat, repeating rows.

The reflective chrome-like surfaces scatter light and shadow across the image, creating a mesmerizing pattern that feels almost infinite as the rows recede into the distance. The uniformity is offset by subtle imperfections, scratches, and tonal variations that lend texture and depth.

The overall effect is stark, hypnotic, and mechanical, contrasting dramatically with the human portraits on the other sleeve side, reinforcing the album’s bold and unconventional visual design.

Close up of Side One record’s label
Side One Record Label Photo
Close-up of Side One record label of Van Halen’s 1984 French pressing. The label is white with the colorful Warner Bros. shield logo at the top. The album title VAN HALEN 1984 is printed in bold black text at the center. Below, the track listing includes five songs: 1984, Jump, Panama, Top Jimmy, and Drop Dead Legs. Credits indicate all songs by Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth, produced by Ted Templeman and engineered by Donn Landee. The catalog number 92-3985-1 is printed at the bottom along with rights societies SACEM SDRM and manufacturing information Made in Germany by WEA. The label also includes the LC code 0392, Warner copyright notes, and a small 33 RPM symbol.

This close-up shows the Side One record label of the French pressing of Van Halen’s iconic album 1984. The label is a clean white background dominated at the top by the colorful Warner Bros. shield logo, instantly recognizable as the band’s record company.

At the center, the text VAN HALEN 1984 appears in bold black print, with the song titles listed below: “1984,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Top Jimmy,” and “Drop Dead Legs.” Timings for each track are also included, printed neatly in sequence.

Credits acknowledge all songs written by the band members, produced by Ted Templeman, and engineered by Donn Landee. The lower portion includes catalog number 92-3985-1, legal text, rights society marks SACEM SDRM, and the LC code 0392. A small 33 RPM triangle indicates playback speed.

Collector Notes / Liner Notes
  • 1 - The Side One label uses a white background with the colorful Warner Bros. shield logo prominently at the top.
  • 2 - Album and artist name are printed in bold black typeface as VAN HALEN 1984 at the center.
  • 3 - Track listing for Side One includes five songs with timings: “1984,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Top Jimmy,” and “Drop Dead Legs.”
  • 4 - Songwriting credits are attributed to Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth.
  • 5 - Production credits note Ted Templeman as producer and Donn Landee as engineer.
  • 6 - Catalog number 92-3985-1 is clearly printed at the bottom of the label.
  • 7 - Rights society stamps include SACEM SDRM along with legal copyright notices.
  • 8 - A small triangle symbol with 33 denotes playback speed at 33 RPM.
  • 9 - The LC code 0392 is printed inside a circle, typical for Warner releases.
  • 10 - Manufacturing origin is noted as Made in Germany by WEA for distribution in France and Europe.

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