For the past several weeks I've been embroiled in a bitter dispute with one King Randall The Insufferable about which 80's rock album is better: 1984 by Van Halen or Synchronicity by those English douche bags The Police. Honestly I don't care about either of these albums anymore which is why it is so amusing that we argue the point at all.Nevertheless we seem to bring this up a couple times each week and talk a bunch of shit until we become distracted and/or drift to another topic. Let's take a look:
The Police - Synchronicity
- Synchronicity I
- Walking in Your Footsteps
- O My God
- Mother
- Miss Gradenko
- Synchronicity II
- Every Breath You Take
- King of Pain
- Wrapped Around Your Finger
- Tea in the Sahara
- I guess I like a couple of those songs
- Escalating band tension and Sting's popularity caused band breakup
Cons
- That damn video for Every Breath You Take with the ashtray and bitchy, whiny song
- That damn video for Wrapped Around Your Finger with all the candles
- Sting's solo career launch pad
Van Halen - 1984
1. 19842. Jump
3. Panama
4. Top Jimmy
5. Drop Dead Legs
6. Hot For Teacher
7. I'll Wait
8. Girl Gone Bad
9. House Of Pain
Pros
- Cool album art and kick-ass synthesizer intro
- Video Hot For Teacher features kid-size Van Halen perhaps leading the way for recent social issue of predatory female teacher sex scandals
- 1980's era Rock and Roll summer tour!!
Cons
- Band breakup ultimately leads to Van Halen III with that guy from Extreme
- Paves way for "glam band" era including Poison, Warrant, Jackyl, etc.
- First of several annoying Van Halen albums with numeric titles
