The Eighties in America - Salem Press (2009)

Van Halen’s virtuoso guitar playing. The group’s live
shows featured long guitar solos by Eddie, along with
wild stage antics by the flamboyant Roth.
In 1978, the group released its debut album,Va n
Halen, to immediate popular and critical success.
Notable songs on that album included “Ain’t Talkin’
’Bout Love”; “Eruption,” which included a popular
and highly influential guitar solo; and “Runnin’ with
the Devil.”Van Halen IIwas released the following
year and included the hit song “Dance the Night
Away.” The band’s third album,Women and Children
First, released in 1980, continued the band’s estab-
lished pattern of high-energy rock, with Eddie Van
Halen’s guitar providing much of the sound, and
included the single “And the Cradle Will Rock.”
The band’s fourth album,Fair Warning(1981), also
sold numerous copies, but its songs did not receive
as much airplay as had others by Van Halen. The
group’s 1982 album,Diver Down, is best known for
two cover songs: “Dancing in the Street,” first re-
corded by Martha and the Vandellas, and “Oh, Pretty
Woman,” cowritten by Roy Orbison.
On December 31, 1983, the band released 1984.
This album revealed a slight change in the band’s
musical style: The hit single “Jump” included sub-
stantial use of synthesizers. Though most of the
songs on the album still featured guitar, they did in-

dicate the band’s willingness to follow

a trend in popular music by utilizing

more keyboards. This change, how-

ever, caused tension within the group.

Following the tour for this album,

Roth left the band.

Van Halen ushered in a new era by

acquiring Sammy Hagar as its new

lead vocalist in 1986. Hagar had al-

ready established a solo career in mu-

sic, playing guitar and singing lead

vocals. The band’s first release with

Hagar was 5150 (1986), produced by

Mick Jones of the rock band For-

eigner. Despite the change in mem-

bership, the album sold numerous

copies and continued the style of

1984. The band’s final album of the

decade wasOU812(1988), which in-

cluded the hit song “Finish What You

Started.”

Impact Van Halen created a unique

sound within the rock world that influenced the

popular “hair bands” of the late 1980’s. The band

succeeded in matching the high-energy sound on its

studio works with its stage performances and helped

to reinvigorate the rock genre.

Further Reading

Bogdanov, Vladimir, et al., eds.All Music Guide to

Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul.3d

ed. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2002.

Levy, Joe, et al., eds.The 500 Greatest Albums of All

Time.New York: Wenner Books, 2005.

Kevin L. Brennan

See also Bon Jovi; Guns n’ Roses; Heavy metal;

Music; Osbourne, Ozzy; Pop music.

Vancouver Expo ’86

The Event International exposition

Date May 2 to October 13, 1986

Place Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver Expo ’86 coincided with the city’s centennial

and the arrival on the Pacific coast of the first passenger

train. It was the second time that Canada had held a

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Vancouver Expo ’86 The Eighties in America

Van Halen in 1986. From left: Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen,
and Alex Van Halen.(Paul Natkin)