At the time of its release, much of the fuss surrounding 1984 involved Van Halen's adoption of synthesizers on this, their sixth album -- a hoopla that was a bit of a red herring since the band had been layering in synths since their third album, Women and Children First. Those synths were either buried beneath guitars or used as texture, even on instrumentals where they were the main instrument, but here they were pushed to the forefront on "Jump," the album's first single and one of the chief reasons this became a blockbuster, crossing over to pop audiences Van Halen had flirted with before but had never quite won over. Of course, the mere addition of a synth wasn't enough to rope in fair-weather fans -- they needed pop hooks and pop songs, which 1984 had, most gloriously on the exuberant, timeless "Jump." There, the synths played a circular riff that wouldn't have sounded as overpowering on guitar, but the band didn't dispense with their signature monolithic, pulsating rock. Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony grounded the song, keeping it from floating to pop, and David Lee Roth simply exploded with boundless energy, making this seem rock & roll no matter how close it got to pop. And "Jump" was about as close as 1984 got to pop, as the other seven songs -- with the exception of "I'll Wait," which rides along on a synth riff as chilly as "Jump" is warm -- are heavy rock, capturing the same fiery band that's been performing with a brutal intensity since Women and Children First. But where those albums placed an emphasis on the band's attack, this places an emphasis on the songs, and they're uniformly terrific, the best set of original tunes Van Halen ever had. Surely, the anthems "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher" grab center stage -- how could they not, when the former is the band's signature sound elevated to performance art, with the latter being as lean and giddy, their one anthem that could be credibly covered by garage rockers? -- but "Top Jimmy," "Drop Dead Legs," and the dense yet funky closer, "House of Pain," are full-fledged songs, with great riffs and hooks in the guitars and vocals. It's the best showcase of Van Halen's instrumental prowess as a band, the best showcase for Diamond Dave's glorious shtick, the best showcase for their songwriting, just their flat-out best album overall. It's a shame that Roth left after this album, but maybe it's for the best, since there's no way Van Halen could have bettered this album with Dave around (and they didn't better it once Sammy joined, either).© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Download not available

At the time of its release, much of the fuss surrounding 1984 involved Van Halen's adoption of synthesizers on this, their sixth album -- a hoopla that was a bit of a red herring since the band had been layering in synths since their third album, Women and Children First. Those synths were either buried beneath guitars or used as texture, even on instrumentals where they were the main instrument, but here they were pushed to the forefront on "Jump," the album's first single and one of the chief reasons this became a blockbuster, crossing over to pop audiences Van Halen had flirted with before but had never quite won over. Of course, the mere addition of a synth wasn't enough to rope in fair-weather fans -- they needed pop hooks and pop songs, which 1984 had, most gloriously on the exuberant, timeless "Jump." There, the synths played a circular riff that wouldn't have sounded as overpowering on guitar, but the band didn't dispense with their signature monolithic, pulsating rock. Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony grounded the song, keeping it from floating to pop, and David Lee Roth simply exploded with boundless energy, making this seem rock & roll no matter how close it got to pop. And "Jump" was about as close as 1984 got to pop, as the other seven songs -- with the exception of "I'll Wait," which rides along on a synth riff as chilly as "Jump" is warm -- are heavy rock, capturing the same fiery band that's been performing with a brutal intensity since Women and Children First. But where those albums placed an emphasis on the band's attack, this places an emphasis on the songs, and they're uniformly terrific, the best set of original tunes Van Halen ever had. Surely, the anthems "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher" grab center stage -- how could they not, when the former is the band's signature sound elevated to performance art, with the latter being as lean and giddy, their one anthem that could be credibly covered by garage rockers? -- but "Top Jimmy," "Drop Dead Legs," and the dense yet funky closer, "House of Pain," are full-fledged songs, with great riffs and hooks in the guitars and vocals. It's the best showcase of Van Halen's instrumental prowess as a band, the best showcase for Diamond Dave's glorious shtick, the best showcase for their songwriting, just their flat-out best album overall. It's a shame that Roth left after this album, but maybe it's for the best, since there's no way Van Halen could have bettered this album with Dave around (and they didn't better it once Sammy joined, either).© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Between 1915 and 1934, the newly-independent island of Haiti was occupied by the Americans. The island's indomitable people united around traditional or originals songs, which affirmed their creole identity and gave voice to their resistance. It is from this repertoire, shaped and haunted by the figures of Voodoo, that Mélissa Laveaux has taken the raw material for her third album. By taking on this intimate piece of national culture, the singer, of Haitian descent but born in Canada and living in France, has found an excellent way of symbolically exploring the land of her ancestors. With the exception of Jolibwa, which tells the story of a journalist who was killed in prison, she is at once the author and the performer of these songs, which were often freshly written immediately before their recording. She appropriates this cultural heritage with a freedom which is only equalled by her profound and instinctive understanding of the emotions that were first expressed. Working together with her brilliant accomplices in the A.L.B.E.R.T. collective, (the Jazzbastards Vincent Taurelle, Ludovic Bruni and Vincent Taege), who recently helped with the latest release by Oumou Sangaré and were present on his album Dying Is a Wild Night, Melissa Laveaux has gone the distance in her quest for identity. Inspired by the pioneering traditional singers Martha Jean-Claude or Emerante de Pradines, she has rifled through old documents, liberated songs that were made to be heard, and freed herself from the weight of convention. She has created a freedom which is as poetic as it is musical, in which traditional troubadours' airs take on new life in tones of deep soul or elegant pop rock. The sensitive and inspiring track list of her Radyo Siwèl deserves to be rewarded with record audiences. © BM/Qobuz

Van Halen assembled their first live album, the double-disc Live: Right Here, Right Now, from a pair of shows performed in Fresno, California, in 1992. Their only live album to feature Sammy Hagar, the collection focused less on the David Lee Roth era, going so far as to include two of Hagar's solo songs ("One Way to Rock" and "Give to Live"). With the exception of the consistently impressive Eddie Van Halen, the album slows to a halt during the solo passages. Most of the time, the performances aren't all that different from the original studio recordings. Despite the moments of tedium, Live: Right Here, Right Now deserves to be in any real Van Halen fan's collection; those who aren't devoted to the band would be advised to stick with the original albums.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Guitarist Pat Metheny was a member of the Gary Burton Quartet/Quintet during 1974-1976. In 1989, after becoming a major star, he had a reunion with the vibraphonist that resulted in this excellent project. Performing laid-back and often introspective pieces by Polo Ortin, Vince Mendoza, Paul Meyers, keyboardist Mitchel Forman, and Metheny, the two principals swing lightly in a quintet with Forman, bassist Will Lee, and drummer Peter Erskine. Although Burton had to adjust himself a little due to his former sideman's prominence, the combination of vibes and guitar works quite well. The individual songs are not all that memorable but the group sound is quite attractive and Burton sounds inspired by Metheny. © Scott Yanow /TiVo

Download not available

One has to wonder if 1973 was the year of drug references in songs...never mind. In any case, The Adventures of Panama Red established the New Riders of the Purple Sage as something more than a Jerry Garcia side project -- which they never were. John Dawson, Spencer Dryden, David Nelson, and Dave Torbert along with pedal steel ace Buddy Cage -- replacing Garcia -- and producer and multi-instrumentalist Norbert Putnam crafted a smoking, hard country-rock and bluegrass hippie record. Also along for the ride were guest vocalists Donna Jean Godchaux from the Grateful Dead and no less than Buffy Sainte-Marie and the Memphis Horns. Trad country it ain't, and dated it is; but nonetheless, Panama Red has considerable charm as a relic from the era. Nelson, Torbert, and Dawson were decent songwriters and enthusiastic performers, and Columbia knew a good thing when they saw one and got behind the album -- which was a minor hit. The title track and "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy," with Cage's whinnying steel, carry a lot of the band's weight and separate them from virtually every other West Coast outfit trying the same thing. The Flying Burrito Brothers were more country and Commander Cody's Lost Planet Airmen swung harder, but one thing the New Riders were more of than anyone was stoned, and these songs with titles like "Important Exportin Man" and "Kick in the Head" and lyrics like "I've been smokin' dope, snortin' coke/Tryin' to write a song/Forgettin' everything I know until the next line comes along" only underline this. The freakiest thing is that the record segues together so beautifully and the songs are so tight with nothing extra between, it feels like it's a lot longer than the mere 29 minutes it is. The listener feels satisfied that after 11 songs it's all been said and done in a delightful way. This endures despite its obvious lyrical stupidity. Musically it can do a lot to teach modern-day alt-country cookie-cutters something about knowing the rules before trying to break them.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

A major name in Cuba in the 1950s, pianist Bebo Valdes defected from Cuba in 1960 and in 1963 settled in Stockholm. He was rediscovered and finally recorded again in 1994 (though he had played locally all along). This date reunites him at the age of 82 with bassist Cachao (also 82) in a group also including the 74-year old conga player Patato Valdes and (on three numbers) Paquito D'Rivera on alto and clarinet. The music is full of charming melodies, subtle interplay, and wonderful playing. In fact, the performances (which are full of rich themes) rewards repeated and close listenings. A gem. © Scott Yanow /TiVo