1984

Jamming more ideas and personality into 34 minutes than most bands pack into a career, this towering pinnacle of ’80s hard rock was a last gasp both for David Lee Roth’s initial run in Van Halen and for metal as sunny as The Beach Boys. Rarely has a band sounded so skilled, so casually confident, so happy to be here. There’s Hall of Fame-hooked synth-rock (“Jump”), pomp-gone-pop (“I’ll Wait”), classy California car-club sass (“Panama”), and bar-band brashness (“Top Jimmy”), plus comedy and chops for miles.