Ah, 1984. How can it possibly be 40 years ago? Frankly, I refuse to believe it. But the calendar tells us otherwise, so we’ve decided to begin 2024 by cranking up the time machine Doc Brown-style and revisiting a year that saw its fair share of change in the world of music, technology and the planet at large.
Iron Maiden’s Powerslave (and attendant tour) was one of the biggest of that year; Van Halen released 1984 (well, duh!) and played their last ever show in the UK with Diamond Dave Lee Roth at the controls; the film This Is Spinal Tap was released and changed the rock world for ever; Black Sabbath had a year that nearly broke them… Not to mention all the amazing albums that were released from all of rock’s different faces – from a reunited Deep Purple to the jangle-pop-rock of The Bangles, from R.E.M. to Dio and Metallica, and so many more.
