Van Halen
1984
US Original

This is a strong domestic Warner Bros. original pressing still in the original shrink with a sweet hype sticker on each side. I think it's one of the best '80s hard rock albums and I grew up listening to the genre almost exclusively until high school. This is one of the better sounding copies from my last shootout, and it does a great job bringing the music to life. The sound is clean, clear, and lively with lots of texture to the instruments -- the synths (essential to this album!) sound particularly good here. On top of that, the vinyl plays quietly, which certainly isn't the case for a lot of records like this which got completely partied on (I'm not judging).

5 stars Allmusic: "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."

Vinyl: EX
Cover: VG+ (in shrink w/  hype stickers -- feels like there is something small under one of them. Light 
Play notes: Sounds great and the vinyl plays quietly