Van Halen

6 out of 11 songs are good. 5 are bad.

Not my vibe

Thought it sounded like glam rock, dad rock, very of the time. 'You really got me' was the song I knew. Thought they improved as they went on but turns out Spotify just moved onto other artists and albums.

Couple great tracks, but overall, this is 'just' another glammy rock album. I'm not a big fan of that style generally, but this at least has some great musicianship, so there's that

2.8/5 Great guitar work with some catchy songs. I think if I was in my teens when this came out it would have blown my mind.

Pretty rocking album that I haven't listened to straight through, but man it's got some hits on it.

Not really my taste in music, but I found it cool

- sounds cool - like the guitar - its fine

Album kinda bangs besides the first singles (runnin and the kinks cover) and some other songs.

I didn't realise such masterful guitar playing could sound that annoying

Starts out with a track that sound like the epitome of rock to me, then an incredible guitar solo from EVH, then gets a little tiring. Also hard to separate DLR, who by all accounts is a grade a shit, from this album. He detracts.

So many bangers on this. They are a band that I never listened beyond the hits, but all the tracks were at least enjoyable.

knew a lot more of this than i thought i would! a good headbanging time

Epic album! Unforgettable hits, incredible guitar work, and nonstop energy. Eddie Van Halen is absolutely phenomenal, and love me some David Lee Roth. A rock-and-roll classic from start to finish!

Some good songs, some annoying songs

1.5

Just a great rock album

Enjoyed nearly every song. Such an epic album. AHHHH.

TL;DR: Revolutionary guitar and mostly top shelf hard rock ruined by the biggest creep this side of Gene Simmons. BEFORE: Ugh. Fine. AFTER: I get why it's famous - the guitar work is incredible and there are some decent songs. Also the backing vocals are, weirdly, really good. I know it's influential but I found it hard to enjoy a lot of this, and most of that was down to David Lee Roth HIGHLIGHTS: Runnin' With The Devil is an energetic opener with an effective groove, catchy chorus and fantastic lead guitar. Eruption is pure, perfect guitar wankery. Ain't Talkin' 'but Love has a fantastic riff and Jamie's Cryin' is very catchy. As far as actual songs go, the two best on here are covers. LOWLIGHTS: David Lee Roth is an embarrassing, leering, screeching pillock. His histrionics and grunting can be hard to ignore, even on the better tracks. Feel Your Love Tonight was a genuinely gross listen. Every now and then, Roth suggests that he might be capable of actually singing which makes you wonder why he doesn't do it more often. VERDICT: 3 stars. 5 for Eddie Van Halen's guitar work, the energetic instrumentals and the backing vocals. Minus two for David Lee fucking Roth.

Very cool!

It must have been a revelation to pick this up from the record store on the day of release, put it on, be wowed by Running With The Devil and then Eruption comes on. You'd never heard ANYTHING like it before, because it was the furthest the boundaries of the guitar had been pushed since Hendrix slapped on a strat. Dive bombs, pinch harmonics and tapping at insane speeds , all in the same few seconds. You picked your jaw up off of the floor, put the needle bact to the start of the song and repeated maybe 3, 4 times. You paused before you continued to enjoy a fun Kinks cover, ain't talking about love, some shooby dooby nonsense and more solid tracks. It's not as impressive now, because it was instantly emulated by a gazillion guitarists. but it transformed what we though was possible on the electric guitar. RIP Eddie - gone too soon

Not my style of rock, a few bangers but overall unimpressive

Well this was definitely one hell of an entrance for Van Halen. Lots of energy, incredible guitar playing, and David Lee Roth sounding like he’s having the time of his life as the over the top (in a good way) front man. A fun listen with loads of personality for a debut album.

This [expletive deleted] is fire! I’ve listened to this album countless times having grown up in the 80’s. David Lee Roth’s Van Halen was hands down the best part of this band’s history and this album exemplifies their talent. Eddie Van Halen is a beast and you really hear his talent in Eruption. I could listen to this on repeat and still sing along.

It rocks. Defined the era with a playful swagger that is notable for a debut album.

Audacious debut album, no holding back. The second song on their first album is a guitar solo, let that sink in. Eddie Van Halen is a legend, shreds from start to finish. Alex and Micheal Anthony keep things interesting, but are very much setting the stage for Eddie, rightfully so. Those three alone are legendary, but the x factor is Diamond Dave. Took the role of frontman to new heights. All the sex, drugs, and rock & roll attitude you can stand, but with a wink and a smile. He was having fun and gave the band personality. Nothing but bangers on this album. Redefined hard rock. Eddie Van Halen showed the world how to shred and inspired generations of guitar players.

I like the idea of this album and Van Halen and it's not bad by any means, it's more feels just slightly muted as compared to those of the same time frame.

Fantastic album!

All great songs

Not a fan

Couple catchy tracks here but I'm not hugely into this kind of hard rock shredding albums

Less noodling than I expected

Banal, but fine if brain switches off, etc. Clearly someone in there can play guitar, but they're putting it to pretty soulless use. No excuses for butchering The Kinks this way though.

Eddie Van Halen made us wait three minutes and thirty-six until he added his name to list of greatest guitar players. That's how long "Running with the Devil" lasts prior to the face-melting "Eruption". There's no doubt that EVH can play. And there's no doubt that David Lee Roth is as confident of a frontman as anyone. The problem is they never let you forget it. Not even for a second. Every single bit of both of them is on display at all times and it can just get exhausting. Miles Davis said, "In music, silence is more important than sound.” Eddie and David Lee can give fuck all about what Miles Davis says. The "best" example of this is their cover of "You Really Got Me". The non-stop noodling and vocal tics absolutely suffocate the song. This is repeated throughout the album as the two egomaniacs compete for every millisecond of empty space. Granted, all of the above is exactly why Van Halen fans love Van Halen but I'll give it a pass more often than not.

ordinary songs lifted up by Eddie Van Halen's guitar heightens this album

Not my taste as a general rule but this kind of shreds and I get it

Eruption still goes hard This style has been emulated to the point of being cheesy, but, like, I get how this blew people's minds at the time This whole album is an unfortunate victim of overexposure Ain't Talkin Bout Love is also pretty solid I appreciate the impact it made, not really something I'm itching to revisit.

I didn’t realize that “You Really Got Me” was Van Halen. Used to enjoy hearing it on Guitar Hero.

Good rock album with a ground breaking guitar player doing new sounds. Starts strong with maybe the best song, Eruption and a good Kinks cover. Not the biggest fan of Diamond Dave as a singer but he suits the good time, party vibe. Few duds but nothing absolutely abysmal either, it's easy to stick this on and listen through. Outside of EVH guitar playing, there's nothing earth shattering music wise, it's a good rock record. 6/10

My fave VH album I wore out the cassette in my car stereo Feaking awsome record to have as a teenage soundtrack Made me want to move to California, just to be able to see them more often EVH & DLR were such a stunning combination - no one has come close since

Whatever. Brian Eno was already doing great stuff, and this stuff is like musical potboilers

No es tanto mi estilo, está bueno, pero necesita más variedad, porque es todo lo miesmo

As far as 80s hard rock goes, this is probably one of the better offerings. Still, if you've heard anything of this style before then I doubt you'll find anything crazy on here.

CLASIZACO DEL RUUUUOCK!!! Canciones favoritas: Runnin' With The Devil

3.51

3.5

Grymt gitarrspel

KEGGER!!

I grew up on the 80s listening to heavy metal. Van Halen were almost the direct opposite. I felt they were an imposter, hiding kitsch with bombastic riffs and not so manly screams. basically, I thought they were just another hair metal band. This is the first serious listen to their first album, and I stand corrected. Pretty good, nice listen. I added it to my collection.

Gran debut de Eddie. Varios clásicos, y algunos intrascendentes.

With at least three absolutely outstanding originals and an explosive cover of a Kinks' song, Van Halen bust out of the gate with a record that arrives with a confident, fully-formed sound that sets it far apart from its hard rock brethren. David Lee Roth has charisma to spare but at the same time displays a sense of humility and vulnerability rare in rock frontmen. The instrumental players in VH each also contribute signature sounds that work together to give the band its unique sonic footprint. The only downside is that the songwriting on side two is nowhere near as good as that on side one, but you can't have everything, I suppose.

I wanted to not like it. I have a deep seated hatred for hair metal. But it was actually quite good.

the most awsome hard rock album I think like, ever (except for rush)

All of these songs sound the same! They're also mixed weirdly and they make my brain feel weird. There's not really any separation between instruments and that is really common in dad rock and it's like really baddd. I'm not liking this. 6 songs in and the only songs I've "liked" are when the songs have progression, currently listening to 'Jamie's Cryin'' and it has parts where it sounds different but it was for like 3 seconds and it was the best part of the song. I liked in 'I'm the One' when they started scatting that was fun. Not finishing this lol.

This album starts out slightly promising, really only because it's Van Halen. Like omg guys its Van Halen the band your dad won't shut up about! Van Halen is a band that is good on paper but not when you actually listen. A lot of the big hitters here have a sauce but they're all bogged down and just sound kinda dull and weird. Whoever mixed this was probably on the wrong drugs, I mean everyone here was on drugs when making this, the only time it really really works is Eruption which is just a big flex of a guitar solo for a little over a minute. This is the epitome of lame american dad rock, I was trying to find enjoyment in this but then Ice Cream Man ruined anything nice I had to say about the album, like sure it was probably fun and sexy or whatever nearly 50 years ago but today it's just goofy and beaten into the ground. I'm gonna go listen to the runaways as a pallet cleanser.

not my favorite, but i liked I'm the One. this dude sang about sex too much

Well this was a blast!

This album is a classic. As one of the most successful and influential albums of all time, I would say that it has rightfully earned that title. Back when David Lee Roth was a good singer. I found the album to have a very strong start and end. The middle three songs were a lull for me despite having one of their biggest songs, It just wasn't for me. The first four and final four songs are fantastic. The closer to this album is underrated based off the stream count. I know this album will continue to inspire and be influential for many years to come still. The remastered version that I listened to sounded very good and fresh. Eddie's guitar work is legendary and the fun vibe this band brought to the scene will never be forgotten. I am glad to have listened to it. Compared to most other albums this one stands out as a special piece of music history that isn't just remembered for its influence, but its rocking sound and enjoyability.

Sorry boomers, but David Lee Roth is NOT a good vocalist. I stand by that. And yeah, I don't enjoy this album too much. It just feels so eh. The glam esthetic is something I find super tacky and cringe. The only truly good VH album to me is Fair Warning. The groovy, almost funky guitars on there are just so fire. This is much less interesting by comparison.

4,5

Some absolutely iconic songs and riffs here.

Such an awesome album. Easily my favorite Van Halen record and one of the greatest displays of guitar wizardry and frontman vocals. Alex Van Halen also a criminally underrated drummer. Half the album are all time classic rock songs and this album is an all time album

Tätä klassikkoa on tullut kuunneltua jo kasarilla. Todella kova eka levy, hyviä biisejä ja todella huippusoittoa.

I’ve heard this before. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to this, probably pre-pandemic times. I have a few albums of theirs I’ve listened to more recently but I haven’t gone on a Van Halen kick and listened to their entire diamond dave era discography. This one pretty much laid the foundation for 80s hard rock, the good and the bad, not just the finger tapping guitar but also the guitar sound, the hair and spandex, and the bombast and overall ridiculousness of it. This represents the good part of it before the sound has gotten stuck and stagnated into hair metal that took itself seriously. The bombast and ridiculousness is balanced out here perfectly where Eddie’s guitar chops are shown off just enough and Dave’s antics are just goofy enough that they can still rock out without descending into self parody or self seriousness.

Tat one song is good. Was it funny at the time? Idk

80’s pish

I love this album. I love the energy. I can't believe this was the late 70s.

The original mega hair band

Aldri fått til å høyre på Van Halen, men klarte det no under «tvang». Denne har nokre saker som er betre enn forventa, men jamnt over forstår eg godt kvifor dette er eit band eg vier ingen tid til.

Åpningsriffet på Running with the Devil alene gjør plata dobbelt så bra som 1984. Så får vi se da, om resten trekker ned. Spoiler: Det gjør det. Ooooogså kommer Eruption da. Og føkker opp ALT! Skal jeg bli imponert, liksom? Helt standard gitarjukking uten noen form for sjel eller følelse. You Really Got Me klarer egentlig bare å en gang for alle sementere hvor latterlig mye bedre The Kinks er enn Van Halen. Det er ingenting her som ikke er hundre ganger bedre i originalen. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Endelig en bra låt! Her klaffer alt! Det er kul riffing, Eddie Van Halen klarer å ikke ødelegge alt med enda en stygg gitarrunk, og David Lee Roth får lov til å synge litt også. Kan det være at de to levde i en slags terrorbalanse? Om den ene føkka opp låta med noe stygt prøvde den andre å gjøre noe enda styggere? Det er min teori så langt. At dette er bandets beste er det ingen vits i å diskutere engang, men kan det virkelig være at det er bandets eneste? I'm The One er grusom fra start til slutt. Den er faktisk så dårlig at den får Jamie's Crying til å virke som en bra låt. Det er den jo selvsagt ikke, men i dette selskapet skal det liksom ikke så mye mer til enn å ikke være bæsj for å framstå som gull. Jamie's Crying er ikke bæsj, men det er faen ikke gull heller! Atomic Punk er stygg og døll. Feel Your Love Tonight er ei helt streit rockelåt såvidt bedre enn midt på treet, og mer skal det ikke til for å suse inn på topp tre-lista i denne sammenhengen. Stygg gitarsolo, så klart, men det får vi vel bare godta når resten er så middels som det er. Little Dreamer er enda en middels (som for Van Halen tydeligvis er et nivå det trengs en sann kraftanstrengelse å få til) låt. Også her er Eddie Van Halen forvist til å "bare" være gitarist, og får ikke lov til å ødelegge så mye som på de fleste andre låtene. Aner vi et mønster her? Vanskelig å si når neste låt er Ice Cream Man. Først dårlig og akustisk, og deretter over til dårlig og elektrisk. De er i det minste jevne i prestasjonene her, Van Halen. Hele denne drittplata avsluttes med On Fire, som bare er mer av alt det som ikke har funka tidligere på plata. Er det en ting dette prosjektet har lært meg så er det at Van Halen er et mye dårligere band enn jeg trodde. Her gikk jeg rundt og tenkte at Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love var nokså representativ og at de hadde flere kule låter som den. Håhåhåhå, det var nei, gitt. 2/10 (som er nøyaktig dobbelt så bra som 1984 - det hjalp med en dritbra og tre ikke rævva låter på samme plate, gitt)

Nei altså, eg var aldri veldig opphengt i dei då, og eg slit med å mobilisera så voldsomt med godvilje no, utover at det er gøy å høyra Eddie spela gitar. Godt band og. Kult med powertrioformat. Må eg velga, og eg kjem altså ikkje til å velga å høyra på Van Halen framover, velger eg meg uansett den hi plata. Betre låtar der og bandet kler synth. Synst det blir med riffa her, og nokre av dei (spesielt Ain’t talkin bout love) er dritkule, utan at det blir så jævla gode låtar av det.

Om de hadde kortet plata ned til kun "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" hadde jeg kastet fra meg en nokså høy karakter. Dessverre er det en hel haug andre låter her. Forferdelige alle som én.

Van Halen - s/t Er låtane til Van Halen like gode som gitarspelinga til Eddie? Langt i frå. Likevel er det ein god del kult på denne plata med “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” og “Runnin’ With the Devil” som dei to høgaste toppane (og “Little Dreamer”/“Jamie’s Cryin’” bak der igjen). Eg har vel mast om det før, men Vito Bratta er min Eddie Van Halen (sikkert ikkje heilt like god teknisk, men definitivt betre smak) og KVEN SOM HELST er min David Lee. Likevel, om det er ei plate frå Roth-eraen eg tar med meg frå dette bandet så er det nok denne. 7/10

A+ rock. Not quite 1984, but what is?

Damn, this was the epitome of "rock" when I was growing up. It's not something I listen to regularly anymore, but this one has some undeniable bangers on it; Runnin' With The Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, Jamie's Cryin', all great (it must be the apostrophes).

I think I don't like Van Halen

maybe the most hyperactive hit album of the 70s. i love that. it never slows down, and avoids all the pitfalls of hard rock from this era (well, other than the cod-blues Ice Cream Man). fucking slaps. deserves to be one of the 1001? this one does yea

Great guitar solos, good enjoyable songs

por algum motivo eu esperava que fosse ser mais hard rock, então esse me surpreendeu bastante, ainda mais por ser o primeiro álbum deles. percebendo aqui que meu problema com o gênero é quando as músicas inteiras tentam ser um grande solo de guitarra – o que não acontece aqui, pois há uma amplitude, diversidade de cadências, momentos mais calmos que te fazem aproveitar o todo. é muito clássico porque é muito bom, ouvi umas 3 vezes.

rockzinho farofa bem blé

Van Halen skal liksom være det kuleste noensinne. Det er i hvert fall slik jeg har oppfattet bandet fra utsiden. Men med unntak av noen fete riff her og der, er det ikke noe ved Van Halen som har fanget meg. Dette er et band som LARPer at de spiller kul rock. Heldigvis er det ikke noe DX7 med på denne skiva, så musikken er litt mer utholdbar enn Van Halen brødrenes største synder. Og tar man det som det det er -- låter som existerer hovedsakelig for å høre på at Eddie shredder -- så er det en viss ærlighet ved musikken som klarer å løfte den nok til at det finnes interessante aspekter ved den. Men noen ganger går det ordentlig på trynet. Feel Your Love Tonight må være en av de mest banale låtene jeg noensinne har hørt. Det høres ut som om Van Halen egenhendig introduserte alt som var galt med musikken på 80-tallet her -- på skiva generelt, men spesielt på dette sporet.

alright, pretty good

Too aggressive, I like chiller rock

running with the devil - такий розігрів eruption - соло прикольне you really got me - я знала цю пісню aint talking bout love - вайби 80х im the one - куди вони біжать jamie's crying - бахнулась в голову atomic punk - чому я згадую the smiths? feel your love tonight - добра пісня little dreamer - добра теж ice cream men - хехе така пісня сусі, блюзова, як писали кавер на John Brim on fire - кежуал пісня на фіалку

It's Van Halen by Van Halen. It cannot get more Van Halen than this. And it's basically perfect.

A few decent songs, but all pretty samey. Obviously technically great guitar playing, but it's pretty one-note, and that note is 'look how good I am at playing guitar'. Still, overall kind of fun.

Pretty basic 80's rock but it's definitely an enjoyable listen. 7/10. This marks two years on the sight, and the ceremonial 2/3rds of the way through the main list. Let's see what the last third has in store.

Its was alright

Guitar wizardry! I wish it was the Salem witch trials... 2/5

The speed! The skill! The precision! Sounds like total shit!

3 albums in, only knew a couple of their tunes before listening to this one so this one passed me by. Most excellent. The guitar playing is phenomenal and I'll be definitely checking out more

mto bom album, porem não é tanto do meu gosto. nao salvei nenhuma na playlist

El padre de airbag jajaj. Solido disco pero nada del otro mundo. 3,25/5.

Too funny, I literally had the thought yesterday, “I wonder when I’ll get some Van Halen?” So many hits on this album. Impressive guitar work by Eddie Van Halen. (4)

🙂 never been a Van Halen fan…DLR, is cool as fuck, though 😎

The teenage boy mind can only comprehend the two things about this album: yearning for hot women, and badass guitar solos. Standouts: Runnin' with the Devil, Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, Jamie's Cryin'

Lots of great songs

Repeat listen

It was cool, but I've never been a fan. 3.5

Best guitar album ever. It should be a criminal offense not to know this back to front and front to back.