Van Halen

Van Halen let everybody know what they were about from the get-go, and this album is a tight 35 minute roller coaster. The sounds from this record took everything rock and roll was about in the 70’s and turned it up to 11. It’s just flat out an album with personality. Eddie’s Frankenstrat guitar creates a wicked, heavy sound that has become iconic in rock. David Lee Roth’s power and swagger as a frontman can be FELT in these songs. Alex’s drumming is legendary, technical and has it’s own unique “closed” sound. Michael Anthony’s background singing is so “chimey” and in-line, and his bass just drives an already high energy tone. We got one of the greatest guitar solos of all time in Eruption, and a slew of hits that have stood the test of time in musicianship. While it may feel a little dated in terms of lyrics and taste, there’s no denying this absolutely an essential album in music history. Songs I Already Knew: All of them Favorite Song: Feel Your Love Tonight Least Favorite: Ice Cream Man (it’s fun, but can be a little cringe and just doesn’t have the power of the other songs)

Guys, it's the first Van Halen album.

“I am a victim of the science age.” What a line! This is another one that feels kind of silly to rate. I don’t generally envy people older than me, but I do wish I had been 13 or so when this album came out in order to have that pure experience of hearing Eddie at a time when no one else on the entire planet sounded like him. I can’t really fathom what that must have been like for young guitar nerds. Anywho, it’s astounding how many singles are on this record. Just astounding. Shout out to the Running with the Dweezil podcast, which I’ve only heard snippets of but is pretty fascinating.

I don't know why I expected a much harder rock/metal sound, but this was fantastic! One of the best albums I've listened to from this. I went back and listened through a lot more Van Halen after this.

Here's the thing about Van Halen: they're really talented people who haven't made anything I've ever liked. This album is no different. Most of the songs I've heard from them are on this album so I knew I wouldn't feel any different after listening. People go gaga over Eruption but it's simply disjointed, incoherent soloing that isn't well put together. He's just doing a bunch of admittedly cool things like he wanted to show someone all the possible tricks he has. If he had made it mesh together it would've been way more impressive. I get why people like Van Halen, there's just way more acts who have a better use for their talent.

N'ayant pas trouvé d'angle à donner à ma critique du jour, je me suis rendu sur la page Wikipedia du groupe qui nous intéresse. Et quelle ne fut pas ma surprise de constater que ladite page ne contenait pas la moindre rubrique dédiée à d'hypothétiques polémiques. Rien du tout. Pinuts. Une lueur d'espoir fit scintiller mon œil lorsque je vis que le mot "scandal" apparaissait une fois. À ma grande déception, il s'agissait en réalité du nom d'un autre groupe duquel faisait partie une certaine Patty Smyth qui, dixit, ne devait pas être confondue avec [la punkàch] Patti Smith (?!) Non mais on se fout de ma gueule en plus ! Évidemment qu'on va les confondre c'est exactement le même nom t'as juste mis des Y pour pas que ça s'écrive pareil !! Ils se prononcent comme des i les Y !! Pour en revenir à Van Halen, c'est donc du rock lisse, sans scandale, sans polémique. C'est du Kids United en fait. Sauf que non, erreur, les Kids United ils en ont des polémiques ! Eux ont osé crier "tout le monde debout" à un public exclusivement composé d'handicapés en fauteuils, ça c'est Rock'n'Roll.

Amazing musicians but lacking in memorable lines and choruses. Great guitar playing but too many riffs are the same and at 100 mph and played for the sake of it

What a classic album. Their first, legendary. Eruption is a true form guitar solo turned song.

Honestly going into this I was expecting something far lamer, but honestly it caught me off guard with just how hard the band could get with some of these tracks (I LOVE how crunchy the guitar is). Really put into perspective why this style of rock became popular, and how shitty its imitators actually were! I'd definitely say that the album loses some steam in the second half, but I appreciate how lean the it is which alleviates the effect a lot. All killer no filler, which is quite frankly the platonic ideal for a hard rock album. Highlights are Runnin' With The Devil, Eruption, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love and Jamie's Cryin'.

Ok well Edie Van Halen is a very talented guitarist and David Lee Roth a charismatic front man, but unfortunately stylistically with their guitar wizardry and rock star wailing I am left cold. All style no substance. Not surprisingly the best sing for me by far is Ain"t Talkin' 'Bout Love, where both of these indulgences are reigned in. 2.5 🌟

I knew more songs on this album than I thought!

La verdad nunca me llamó la atención Van Halen y le entré a este disco con muchas reservas. No pensé que me fuera a gustar tanto y sí quiero escuchar lo demás que han hecho. Grata, grata sorpresa. Songs: Ain't Talking' Bout Love, Little Dreamer

The musicianship is pretty good, not going to deny that. But I definitely didn't enjoy this one. Being the precursor to the whole annoying bleh glam rock / hair metal / pop-hard rock scene makes them more original than the plethora of copycats of a thoroughly unoriginal style, but it doesn't make them any less annoying. I did enjoy the short guitar instrumental at the beginning and I liked Little Dreamer as well - a solid highlight on an otherwise lame album. Ice Cream Man started annoying, but turned into the only actually interesting track. The rest of the album was a slog, boring and galling. Luckily it was quite short.

Poodle rock

Pure magic. This is a candidate for albums I wish I could hear again for the first time. When Edward starts tapping in Eruption you realize he was better than everyone else. By a lot. This album is absolutely perfect. In my top 10 from this whole list. Pure magic. If you give this less than 5 stars you're only semi good looking.

Great Rorschach test of a record: if you hate it, there's something wrong with you. Hopefully it's a temporary condition. I'm not much of a "cock rock" fan but this is a great record that transcends genre. It also lays out the blueprint VH would perfect with albums like Diver Down and 1984. They perfected it, but not necessarily improved it, if I may say that. By "blueprint" I mean that this album truly hits all the key points you want from a most satisfying VH record (in no order): Skull-crushing guitar solo (Eruption) Diamond Dave (Ice Cream Man) Pensive Dave (Little Dreamer) Mean Mistreater (Jamie's Cryin') Mister Mischief (Runnin' With The Devil) Kinks Kover (You Really Got Me) Hot for ___ (I'm The One) They throw off a really unusual mix of talents and vibes but that's what made them better than KISS and everyone else on the scene before and after. Maybe AC/DC is the only other cock rock band in the same league. What makes this particular album stand out from the rest of their work is that it sounds like they are playing live in the studio with maybe only some vocal overdubs. There are maybe two songs I don't like that much but otherwise this is lights out.

Très belle performance de Van Halen by Van Halen, mais sachez que le combat face a rob se fait de plus en plus pressant. En effet, hier soir, j'eu la surprise de recevoir un message de mon petit frère, me demandant si je connaissais un certain robbelvedere. Je lui repondais que oh oui, je connais un certain robbelvedere, je le connais même très bien, lui et ses opinions musicales de merde. Il se trouve que rob a fait irruption dans la troupe de théâtre de mon petit frère, et a commencé, en pleine représentation, à substituer au cd diffusant la bande son de la pièce un album de Frank Zappa, sous le regard médusé de mon petit frère, en pleine représentation d'un morceau de bravoure. Cet acte terroriste ne restera pas impuni, rob ne vas pas s'en sortir comme ça. Je vous tiendrai au courant de l'avancée de cette affaire

Great stuff

It's only 35 minutes long There were different songs on this album?

Ludicrously overblown, sterile, soulless, awful. Dave Lee Roth's vocals are like Mariah Carey's - fabulously technical and gifted, but emotionally dead.Like a pantomime dame. Van Halen's guitar wizardry also leaves me cold - I hate shredding. Play it slowly but with feeling please.

I don't understand this. These people are obviously very skilled at their instruments. And I have no doubt that they are sincere in what they are doing. But. I don't know what they are actually doing. For me the question being asked here is "What makes music "music"? Is it in the experience of the listener? Is it in the intentions of the player(s)? In the conversation space created between the two? If music is in this in-between space, this is a record in which I cannot enter. And I may actually not want to. Sounds are created here, they are put together, and I remain utterly unmoved. If anything, I get irritated. My attention has nowhere to hang on, everything shifts so fast. I cannot see one idea I can get interested and curious about. It feels like being talked at, and I have nothing to say or contribute. It makes me want to be somewhere else, doing something else. The final straw is their cover of the Kinks. It makes me sad that they somehow had to get roped into that mess.

If you ever want to torture me just play continuous guitar solos with zero backing instruments. The Kinks cover was bad. I really do not like this album.

p412. 1978. 1 star. Soulless, spandex-clad, big haired cock rock. Lots of sheen and not a shred of emotion. Yes, you can play the guitar fast, but if you don't put any passion into it then it turns into pomp rock wankage realllll fast. Jeff Beck gets more feeling in 3 minutes than this lot have managed in a career.

Just because you can play guitar doesn’t mean that you should. Everything about this made me feel miserable. Even the ‘humour’ of calling a minute and a half of guitar w*nk ‘Eruption’ could not lift the mood. I’m just glad that The Kinks are all still alive, otherwise they would be spinning in their graves. Dreadful.

Day336 - van halen had some all time great albums maybe none better than this one

The absolute best parts of rock and roll excess bottled up into one killer debut record. You know every song on the album, and every song is worth knowing.

Not a debut, a declaration: an album so atomic that its fallout fundamentally rewrote rock’s laws of physics.

Bang, out of the gate comes Van Halen with this cocksure and confident album that changed the sound of hard rock/heavy metal forever. Pyrotechnic, rockin', and above all fun, this album does not take itself too seriously, which is a major blessing compared to most heavy rock bands, who are generally po-faced in the extreme. Eddie's guitar style completely rewrote the book of heavy guitar playing, using the technological innovations of guitar and amplification to reinvent what technique could be. When I was teenager in the 80s, I was heavily into Jimi Hendrix, but a friend made the case that Eddie Van Halen's playing was more influential. And I reluctantly have to agree. When this album came out, it seems like every guitar player had to decide whether to adapt to the new techniques or sound old fashioned. Often imitated but rarely equaled, the Van Halen guitar sound really dominated hard rock/heavy metal for over a decade until grunge started knocking the edges off mainstream playing over a decade later. Some of the songs are relatively weak, especially in the back half of the album, but a record with Runnin' with the Devil, Eruption, and Ain't Talking About Love and their cover of You Really Got Me as the first four tracks is always going to seem weaker in the home straight. David Lee Roth is not the world's best singer, but his confidence, chutzpah and sense of fun leads the band in its party-hard strut. It was such a breath of fresh air for a heavy band to not take themselves too seriously. You just know you're going to have a great time with this album. A dead-set classic.

A nice treat--this is one of my favorite Van Halen albums, and even though I know they're not to everyone's taste I always feel like this album is worth a listen (and not just for the greatest solo track of all time, although "Eruption" *is* a masterpiece). It's tough to pick out favorites from this mighty album, so I'll just note that my least favorite tracks are probably "Atomic punk" (it always makes me think of a couple of Police tracks on their earlier albums where they try to show their punk-like roots, and fail) and "Little dreamer", although "Ice cream man" probably should be there, but it seems like such a quintessential David Lee Roth (cover) song it's hard not to smile (and think of brown M&Ms). And I have to say their cover of the Kinks' "You really got me" is inspired genius. I think what I love about this album, and the band, at least in the David Lee Roth era, is that they did one thing, they didn't pretend to be more complex than they were, and they did it with style and confidence, and they were entertainers par excellence.

Ice Cream Man is one of the best songs ever.

Había escuchado todas las canciones del álbum, pero no sabía que todas esas buenísima canciones eran del mismo álbum. El que más me a gustado hasta ahora.

C’mon now. This is solid gold.

A capital work in the evolution of rock. A milestone in hard rock history. A pleasure to listen every fkn time

AMAZING ALBUM. ALREADY LOVE IT

J'adore cette album de Van Halen, vraiment un classique. C'est l'album que j'ai le plus écouté d'eux a part 1984, plus pop. Mérite quand même pas plus bas qu'un 4.9, donc 5 ;)

Probably one of the best rock albums ever created, I don't think i need to say much else.

For whatever specific genre of hard rock or metal this is, it’s a 5

Classic 80s glam rock. Still awesome

Just legendary. This album will make me go back and adjust other albums downward as they do not rise to the same level as this 5-star record.

Great classic rock!

Classic record

Stunning. Brilliant. Obviously.

RIP to one of the GOATs

Come on.

Must admit, this got an eye-roll when it showed up yesterday. Silly me - it's really good, fresh, sharp and accomplished. Van Halen's quite the guitarist, eh? On the 3/4 edge - tipped over by reports from various people who saw them when a high school band in Pasadena, apparently they were fantastic.

Some great stuff on here even it's showing its age. The B side doesn't quite have the energy of the first 5 or 6 songs but it's easy to see how it could be so big at the time.

This album is just kinda dumb. The over-the-top singing is kinda dumb, the unnecessarily show-offy guitar playing is kinda dumb, the lyrics are kinda dumb and most of all the Kinks cover is kinda dumb. But oh boy if this isn't some fun dumb music.

A noun that Todd Trainer attached to Melt-Banana works for Van Halen: fireworks. With little exception (maybe just Ain’t Talkin’ About Love), songs are an afterthought, mostly stitched-together prêt-à-porter hard rock riffs overlaid with multi-tracked “wheeeee-I’m-on-a-rollercoaster” vocals. It’s all about guitar spectacle, and that’s fun. I’m glad it exists, I like Bill and Ted and, unlike Melt-Banana, I probably won’t listen to this again.

Nr. 149/1001 Runnin' with the Devil 4/5 Eruption 2/5 You Really Got Me 4/5 Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love 4/5 I'm the One 3/5 Jamie's Cryin' 4/5 Atomic Punk 2/5 Feel Your Love Tonight 4/5 Little Dreamer 4/5 Ice Cream Man 4/5 On Fire 3/5 Average: 3,45 Hard hitting no punches held debut album.

Lacks character, but the tunes are strong and never feel too caught in the late 70 hair metal image which I despise.

Notable tracks Ain’t Talkin’ About Love, You Really Got Me, Runnin’ With The Devil

i mean its alright i guess not driving me crazy or anything 3.2/5

2/14/24. Happy Van Halen Valentine's Day! You can't deny Eddie's talent and insane guitar playing, but this style of music doesn't do it for me. There's always 2 or 3 tracks I can keep coming back to however. Maybe it's because this is an album that seemed to kick off the 80s hair metal blitz.

its not even awful but theres just something about this i find appalling

Technical flourishes aside, this is not what I expected. A boring rock album.

Not terrible for a debut honestly. I’m just not really a fan of the singer’s voice. Some of the songs also have a gross vibe to them idk. Excellent guitar playing though, I know this popularized the tapping style we hear a lot today.

boring and repetitive

Can only listen to 1 or 2 Van Halen songs and then I’m done.

This and ACDC are the kinds of bands that give rock and roll a bad name. Absolutely pointless juvenile crap. Took a great Kinks song and maimed it.

When it comes to my childhood and some of my earliest memories, especially with music, this is probably one of the first albums I remember playing in the background. My parents were young and would have people over, drinking and having a good time. This is probably why I consider early Van Halen the ultimate party rock band. Their music is literally entrenched in a party sound. One element that will always hit me with memories is the train horn that the album begins with. Ever since I can remember, that is one sound I’ll always have a clear memory of. So now, time for my album review - this album is a classic, and it rocks!!!

There's not many better when it comes to hard rock - I love how tight this record is, 35 minutes of all killer no filler. Great band.

Great classic rock album, electrifying guitar riffs and strong drums mixed with intoxicating vocals. Many a fav in this album- the last three especially a good crescendo ending

Not really a huge Van Halen fan, always held huge respect for Eddie's talent though. This whole album is pretty rad & full of hits.

A little crazy and disjointed, sure, but cool nonetheless. There's very little to dislike about this sound, unless you think it's overdone. But really, can anything be reasonably compared to music with the Edster's epic, galaxy-rendering guitar chops? I didn't think so. 5/5 Key tracks: Runnin' with the Devil, Eruption, You Really Got Me, I'm the One

Gold standard

This album rocks. Had no idea “you really got me” was by VH. Listened twice through and thoroughly enjoyed it all both times.

Banger after banger. Great album.

“Play as loud as you can” + “Let Eddie do his thing” = a winning album. Loved this one.

One of my all time favorite bands. The first time I heard "Eruption" my brain melted into a puddle and I was hooked. One of the greatest guitarists of all time....a great band and an awesome album.

Hell of a good rocker, this one! I remember well when these guys hit the scene. I think I was still in middle school, and just beginning the move from soft rock to the harder stuff. Was never a monster fan, but didn’t turn it down either. This album just kills it! Top 5 guitarists of all time. God Bless and Keep Eddie Van Halen! You are missed.

AMAZING!

Favorite track: eruption other picks: running with the devil, you really got me, ain't talking about love

Killer playing and heralded in a new era of guitar. Love the fact this is almost a live album - not in the sense of recorded in front of a live audience but as a band at once in the studio. Was going to say four but then realised it ticks every single box of what makes a 5 star. Sometimes it's not just for personal faves (which it also is) - it's for a fully realised vision.

Perfect album. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, I'm the One and You Really Got Me are the masterpieces! All other songs are perfect too.

This album turns everything up to 11. It's like a perfect middle ground between glam and heavy metal. It sounds really great. It's difficult to explain why, but this just sounds really fucking cool. Compare this to other similar bands around at the time and Van Halen just sound so much cooler. It's a much grittier sound, the guitar playing is fantastic, and the vocals are great. It sounds like everything is being played with such a swagger and why wouldn't it be, with material this good. Everyone is at the peak of their powers. If you're into this kind of music then I don't see any reason why this wouldn't be considered a classic. Very glad this was on the list and I got to listen to it for the first time.

All gas no breaks

One of best frontmen and lead guitarists of all time. A debut album like few others. 80s hair metal may never have been so big without this album.

A rock/blues classic

One hit after another on this album - epic. Love the vibe, guitar solos, and awesome rock music.

4.9 I think the only knock is not having Eruption start off the album and introduce your band to the world with that. EVH is #2 guitarist of all time. I listened to a re-mastered version of the album and it sounded pretty much perfect. My car stereo goes to 38 and I listened to the whole thing at 38. On fire was a bit of a banger that I wasn't familiar with

I really liked this one. It's got a lot of songs I'm already familiar with, but they hold up. Eddie Van Halen is phenomenal, and shows it throughout the album, and it's got a driving energy that carries through the album, even into the ballads.

Eruption changes the way we play guitar. You really got me is one of the great cover versions. Dave, Eddie, Alex and Michael. Just as god intended. Is it immature? Yes. Sexist? Yes. Arrogant? Yes. Should it be condemned for all of this? Probably, yes. One of the greatest debut albums? Indubitably yes. . 25 stars.

Classic by Van Halen! Why you love Van Halen!

As classic as rock metal gets

Eddie 💜

This is an album I've already listened to multiple times in my lifetime and actually just listened to it a month or so ago. But of course I listened to it again now because it is damn good. As a guitar player, I have a massive appreciation for music that shows the lead guitarist's skills. It also just so happens that I personally believe Eddie Van Halen is the greatest guitar player of all time. The stuff that man could do on guitar is nothing short of a miracle. The album just screams quintessential hard rock. The awesome lead guitar with Eddie's classic and unique sound partnered with David Lee Roth's legendary vocals....a masterpiece. Wish I could give it 6 stars.

When the first song on your debut album is legendary, you know you're in for a good time.

Van Halen let everybody know what they were about from the get-go, and this album is a tight 35 minute roller coaster.

Perfect album. 5/5

The first time I heard running with the devil on the radio I was blown away. There was nothing like that at the time.

Yeah, this was a fun one. Always loved Eddie Van Halen’s guitar style and David Lee Roth’s vocals.

His voice - how??? So many jams on this. Heck yeah.

Got past the radio songs, and great album

This is a fantastic album. Guitar work on every track is top notch.

No private spotify session needed, I have this on CD somewhere. This album is a lot of fun. Eddie's guitar work is transcendental and got a lot of kids playing the electric guitar, only to find out setting their goals to play Eruption was far out of reach. Eddie, rest in peace, you golden god.

FANTASTIC! IT IS THE VAN HALEN ALBUM. Put them on the map and a true classic!

Can't miss debut album that set the world on fire and made every kid pick up a guitar and want to be a rock star. Did I mention that these guys lay down a groove? That's so deep that asses have no other option but to start shaking. Van Halen stands as one of the greatest swing bands, ever to invade rock and roll.

Whoa. There's so many classics on one album. It's such a fun time playing the whole thing out and it should have even been longer. There's only one real way to describe it: it rocks.

Sounds so far ahead of its time. Eruption is here! Basically flawless

Pretty good. Like this a lot