Reviews (page 12 of 15)
Super fun and impressive for it being their first album. Like drinking coffee but not needing the actually coffee. Van Halen 1978.
Fun! The type of album I like to see on this list. Classic.
5/10
whatever. good but not notable. well that's van halen.
Well it’s fine. Not my cup of tea ig
best song: running with the devil
I’ve never been crazy about Van Halen but I enjoyed this a little more than I expected.
The first half of the album hits like a cannonball to the chest - four of their 7 most played songs on Spotify are the first four songs of the album - but it's wildly uneven after that. They're almost certainly over-represented in the Rock Canon, but their singles are pretty much all aces.
hear me out: VanHalen was to the 80's what nirvana was to the 90s. sorta broke the mold on the musical zeitgeist (disco) at the time, and spawned a bunch of derivative copy cats (hair metal) that watered down the sound. they obviously did it in different ways (and david lee roth and kurt cobain couldn't be more different) but I see them sorta fitting into the same role in popular music when they really got to the scene. eddie was a great guitar player and most of the other hair metal frontmen felt like a pastiche of David Lee Roth. when I was a kid like 8-12ish I thought they were awesome. don't really ever listen to them anymore but damn I remember air guitar battles at sleepovers listening to eruption. I don't really listen to the anymore, and in my head I sorta grouped them in with a lot of the bad hair metal-y 80's hard rock, but relistening to their debut was lots of fun.
It might be hard to listen to this earnestly, since this kind of silly rock has been parodied so much. Like most of these albums, it's... perfectly okay.
крутая штука... Классический хард рок с оооооочень крутыми гитарами, При первом прослушивании этот альбом казался более монументальным что ли. а при повторном уже стало куда скучнее по этому только 3
The intention of cock rock, which is not my thing. But I have to admit, there are a lot of bangers on Van Halen, especially on Side A. Eddie is obviously a guitar god. His guitar riffs are cooler played alone then in the context of the band. Van Halen is the best of the genre most likely 7.1/10
I just can’t get the image of Jack Black from School of Rock out of my head screaming the face of prep school kids that THIS IS REAL ROCK N ROLL while his slobber nails some poor soul in the eye. Just like that movie, there’s a weird sense of naivety to this album. Don’t get me wrong, Eddie Van Halen is a baaaaaad man on the guitar, but other than that it feels a little uninspired. Call it being inundated with decades of rock music just like this, but if this era is defined by sex, drugs and rock n roll, I’d say these guys are in it for the former not the later.
It was a part of my youth. Appreciate its place in rock history but wasnt in my rotation.
Super energetic and upbeat throughout. Great for car jams. Not my favorite style of music, but I can respect the quality of this album within the genre.
I sat in awe listening to the guitar work in this album. Anything that can make me stop what I am doing and make my face scrunch up in a good way is worth relistening in my book. I rated it only a 3 because even though there were some awesome moments in the beginning, including an awesome Kinks cover, the album as a whole tapered off and got less interesting.
Great guitar work, fun songs. A little too cock rock for me personally but I can see why this was so influential. I appreciate how short and sweet a lot of the tracks are, none of them overstay their welcome.
Great Rock album. Some crazy riffs on the guitar and some bangers.
I'm sure it's nice, but could not bring myself to listen.
That guitar tone though!
I don't know if this is my genre, but the guitar was legit
Start heel sterk maar valt daarna wel een beetje weg. Ik ga bij deze toch streng zijn een een 3 geven, Van Halen is nooit echt mijn ding geweest. Ik kan de simpele rock en zijn stem niet echt uitstaan.
Better than I thought!
Brings back memories!
I'm in the middle on this. At times I like it, and other times I want to turn it off.
Liking Van Halen more now than back when the album came out, but still only a take it or leave it fan. (I hafta admit they would get the poker stick on occasion.) This album has huge hits that still hold up and no fillers. Enjoyed the listen, this is a really solid freshman effort (3.3*s)
I never knew half of these songs were Van Halen.
Corny and fake, but fun.
Although competently performed and Eddie VH being a guitar playing pioneer, this kind of slow, blues based hard rock does very little for me. However, you can’t deny the hits, which are all found in the first part of the album, and makes the second part kind of a drag to get through, with the exception of Little Dreamer
Liked it. You really got me from the kinks is still better imo. Good enjoayable Album
its fine
Gotta finally admit, I like Van Hagar better than Van Halen. I can admire early VH, but it is not music I seek out and truly enjoy.
Wonder how many groupies he had 3.5/5
The dutch know what they are doing The kinks cover was a special touch 3.5 / 5
How do you make a guitar do that?
This thing keeps picking bands I like but not my favorite album. Maybe they will come back around.
A solid rock album.
Vibrante, mejor de lo que esperaba. 3/5.
Awesome sexy guitar damn
pretty good
Met veel plezier geluisterd, net geen 4.
Ok, a little heavy for me
I remember some of these for sure. First song brings me right into Little Nicky.
Best Songs: Running With the Devil, Eruption Listen Again: Yes
Best Song: Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Even though Eddie Van Halen's virtuoso guitar playing obviously contributes a huge amount to the band's success, and Eruption is an iconic track, I've always felt like David Lee Roth brought the heart necessary to make the band actually interesting. And on this track, his voice really soars. Worst Song: Little Dreamer. David Lee Roth is far too subdued on this one. Overall: Sexy in a dumb way. Music for and by big, dumb, beautiful, technically-proficient beefcakes.
I have never been a Van Halen fan. Their songs always sound messy and imperfectly put together - which is maybe the point. The guitar is obviously monumental and was a role model for guitar to come, but I find it overshadowed by the erratic drumming.
it defo rocks
A couple good songs. Not every song was my favorite but I enjoyed a good number.
Who knew that Van Halen was into Doo Wop?!
This isn't my usual stuff but I didn't find it offensive. Some fun stuff and a surprising amount of variety. But I'm never going to go back to it.
To be honest I had initially thought that Eddie’s guitar playing was a lot worse than this, but there is still a lot of soulless shredding - don’t understand why everyone gets wet over this. Will never forgive them for popularising hair metal
This was fun to listen to, after so many years. I was never a big fan of Van Halen but there’s no denying that Eddie was a heck of a good guitarist. The thing that struck me as I listened this time was the good vocal harmonies in most of the songs’ choruses. I enjoyed listening to the album, but I’m not likely to seek it out to listen again.
Ok, alles goed scheurende gitaren? Van Halen is echt de ultieme hair metal band voor mij, Runnin with the devil vind ik meteen een lekkere opener, je weet meteen wat er de rest van het album gaat gebeuren. Eruption pakt mij wat minder, das gewoon alleen maar scheurende gitaar.. Het album is super kort met maar 35 minuten en daardoor blijft het nog net interessant genoeg ook dat ik me er niet aan irriteer. Metallica let je op? Hier zitten ook continue gitaarsolos in, maar dan in nmmers van 3 minuten ipv 8, dat maakt dit zoveel prettiger om te luisteren. Im the one heeft opeens een stukje scat in het nummer? Hilarisch, dit is dus gewoon fun, de band neemt zichzelf ook gewoon niet te serieus, denk dat dat mijn grootste punt is waarom ik dit beter vind dan eerdere metal albums. Wel vind ik het nog steeds niet geweldig ofzo, ik vind dit gewoon prima. Het is allemaal zo lekker over de top, dit is echt prime 80s metal/rock, je ruikt de haarlak bijna. FAVO: Runnin with the devil, Im the one
Pretty decent! Guitar solos are not for me though. 3⭐️
Great
Un cambio en la manera de hacer hard rock alternativo aunque la producción es bastante floja con un sonido marquetero
This was a new experience for me. Vaguely familiar with Van Halen but can't say I've listened to them before. Can definitely play guitar. Can understand the lyrics which I always appreciate. Not exactly in my wheelhouse but not too bad.
Call him one of the best front man in rock and roll, I still think David Lee Roth is intolerable. His vocal choices are, to this day, still some of the cringiest and awful choices ever. Just listen to vocal isolations from Runnin' With The Devil. He continues to do this throughout his career and he has some nuances in later songs like Hot For Teacher: "I got my pencil.... Give me soemthing to write on." That being said.... He can hit some high notes that are without a doubt difficult. It's too bad he isn't even a fraction of what he used to be now. This record doesn't get hindered by DLR. If it wasn't for EVH this album would be sub par at best in my eyes. EVH's guitar work is iconic in this record. He single handedly (should I say two handedly?) put two hand tapping into the mainstream. Eruption is one do the best guitar solo songs ever written. The effects he uses on his guitar makes his guitar sound nothing like a guitar... Now a days this isn't as impressive as digital recording and production has given a lot of tools to work with.. But EVH was doing things on a guitar people couldn't even think or dream of. He truly is the saving grace to band and I honestly think Van Halen wouldn't have been given a second look at if it wasn't for Eddie Van Halen's explosive guitar work. For a debut album, this record rips. It isn't perfect. Songs like Ice Cream Man could have been left out and put on a singles 7-inch as a bonus song. It's not awful but it ruins the flow of the record. Atomic Punk is slept on. Perhaps I've heard the other songs far more and I've got ear fatigue... The singles are classics of course. Solid album. Van Halen still isn't my type of band. Eddie Van Halen is a legend. David Lee Roth is awful. That's all I gotta say.
3.5
Pretty good! Better than I thought for some reason. 3.4
Hair metal! Kan tellen als debuutplaat, ik zou 't als album niet zo snel opzetten, maar er staan wel een aantal heel goeie tracks op. Eddie speelt crazy. Positief, fun, energie, eruption!
Few great songs (or rather great riffs and guitar solos), few duds, and nothing else. I really wanted to give a good note for this album mostly because of Eddie Van Halen's talent, but I actually have such a hard time listening to their songs, it's unthinkable to give anything more than 3/5. Vocal and compositions on this album are atrocious. Biggest discrepancy between talent of the guitarist and the rest of the band. Three stars, all going to Eddie.
Fun rocker, didn’t grab me a ton admittedly.
some good tracks eruption you really got me ain't talkin bout love jamie's cryin little dreamer
Way ahead of it's time. Brings me back but I doubt I would listen to it much.
I’ve listened to 61 albums since I was given 1984, with 38 albums labeled rock and 7 labeled hard rock. As a result I am wondering how much my opinion was shaped by the circumstances I was in then versus now and by how much more rock I’ve experienced; overall this album sounds more serious but more partyable. Per usual I was drawn more to the rhythm created by the drumming rather than the riffing of the guitar, yet they complemented one another well and created a cool vibe. I liked side A more than side B, maybe because my ear isn’t refined enough to pick out the fine differences and the songs started feeling repetitive in certain ways. 6/10
A classic debut album
bubu
It's funny this is rated as Hard Rock and Metal. Maybe it was back in the day. I've heard many of these songs before and it's alright. Maybe it was big for its time because of the guitar skills? Anyway decent album. 3 out of 5.
Really cool guitar but weak vocals and by the numbers songs
the melodic stuff is a bit repetitive it seems, cool guitar stuff obviously, Eruption is a classic for a reason, but I think I enjoy that kinda stuff more with a full band behind it, cool bass tone on Ain't talkin' 'bout Love, even though the bass line is pretty boring, nice vocals and harmonies too, cool bluesy tune with Ice Cream Man
Enjoyable album that has stood the test of time remarkably well considering its a hair-metal album.
Great start, makes me want to chug a budweiser and crush the can on my forehead. Never listened to that entire album but I liked it.
Not my favorite type of hard rock/metal/hair but hard to deny Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. Dude is a master on it. Solid 3
David's vocals hurts my rating on this album. The music is ok to good, depending on the song but his voice is horrible. I've never liked him or his vocals. There are some really good songs on here and then there's Ice Cream Man. I'm ok that I listened to this album but I'm not in a hurry to do it again, anytime soon
Un clásico.
Fun
What a wild pop phase. It’s not terrible, but multiple listens are not for me. It’s fun and lively, but also silly.
Every single Hair Metal album has at least one song who's just is "Sorry I committed sexual assault, but I'm down to fuck again." 3/5
Never was a huge fan of Van Halen, and still am not. Not as bad as some classic rock but probably low/middle of the pack in my opinion. I can appreciate the technical skill of the guitar which is cool, and probably liked the instrumentals the best. I started getting a little tired of Van Halen by the end of the album and was glad it was finally over. I feel like this is a “had to have been there” band - for someone to be a real fan, you had to be living through this in the late 70’s to 80’s. Three stars
Favorites were: Runnin' with the Devil You Really Got Me Jamie's Cryin' Ice Cream Man Overall decent, I can appreciate it for what it is. Does not stand out to me as something I would go back to a lot but since it is their first album I think I would listen to their later songs.
Van Halen, great guitar, crap music.
Like rock, but this is just too flashy for my liking.
I think I’m supposed to love this. Just too much for me.
Some great songs but unfortunately overplayed now in my eyes
# 107 : Good album, some nice tunes on here, a real rocker … but that guitar playing…. Favourite track : Jamie's Cryin' Listened : 10/11/2023
do i care about van halen? as a guitarist myself? yes. do i care about the music he created though? not really.
Enjoyed that, some nice surprises.
It is a fun listen. I like their style. 3-4 stars. ish.
Listened to this while playing Bullet Star solo. Lost one game, won the second. This is the first Van Halen album I've listened to, though I recognized a couple of the songs. This album brings me back to a very specific childhood memory...even though it might not have been Van Halen. When I was a little kid, I'd often go on ski trips with my parents. This is usually the kind of music they'd have blasting from a mid-mountain chalet at the base of some race course. I didn't like it much as a child...this was more my older half-brothers type of music. I appreciate it more now that I'm in my 40s. The musical technicianship was pretty excellent, but it kind of was all at the same level for me. This isn't an album with peaks and valleys...it is just cranked up to 10 the whole time. I must say, I enjoyed the range of skill much more in the Yes album I listened to the other day. While also technically excellent, there was so much more variety. Also...the "sorry I got kinda date-rapey" (definitely a paraphrase) song isn't one that stood the test of time all that well.
Good, a true classic
Está bueno, la viola es tremenda, pero. O es tanto el rock que más me gusta.
bardzo spoko
The guitar obviously rips but I've never really vibed with late 70s-80s arena rock. Just not my thing
Ah, nothing like some Van Halen in the morning. This is nice, it reminds me of riding around in my dad’s truck as a kid listening to his favorite radio station.
The original. Gems and some crazy forgotten songs
Fun album. Full of anthems. Not my favorite, but not bad
This album starts out really strong. Love the energy and the guitar-foreward style. I'm not much of a heavy rock person but there's some aspects that I like. The 2nd of the album starts to feel a bit predictable in song structure and like something a dad would listen to?
Tsja Van Halen, prima. Wist niet dat you really got me van hun was. Prima
I thought the album sounded good, again not really my style. I grew up listening to classic rock so I heard a lot of these songs.
The best part of this album, besides the entirety of the song, 'Running With the Devil' is the moment when they take a scat break. When David Lee Roth said 'I am not a musician, I am a circus performer' he validated all of the non-sense sang and intended in these lyrics. Side note; so many jump references too.
Eruption and You Really Got me are ones that I was quite familiar with, but Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love and Jamie's Cryin' are getting added to my regular list.
Un disco de hard rock común y corriente, salvo con la excepción de que el talento de Van Halen (guitarrista) explota en todas las pistas. Si bien, su estilo puede ser polarizante, con canciones como Eruption que mas que claro que el lider de la banda tiene gran carisma y precisión al momento de tocar la guitarra (quizás no así al momento de componer).
Eddie's guitar is insane. I just thought the songs were a little too similar.
3.5
This was really an awesome album when it came out. After the fantastic music of the '70s there was a huge lull and then this come out and we had something to listen to again. It seemed like there was hope. That's it I don't really appreciate it that much anymore but no one can deny that Eddie Van Halen pushed the guitar world forward in regards to technique
Better than expected and starts off very strong but despite the album only being 35 mins it still felt way to long come the end. Most songs sound pretty much the same
Eddie is great, but I really do not like David Lee Roth on vocals. The hits are good, but the album cuts and covers I do not like at all
I liked this more than I thought. The Kinks cover was terrible though. And guitar solos of any sort leave me cold. Wish I could mark these out of 10, as the disparity between all the albums I’m marking as 3 or 4 stars is huge
Overall: - 70-80s sound is there for sure, if you like it then you'll like this album, if not I doubt it'll change your mind. - A bit repetitive. Build up to choruses kinda meh. - Guitar solos were probably more impressive before but not interesting compared to modern guitarists. Overall solos are way less melodic and more just playing a ton of notes fast. Favorite song: Little dreamer
Strong first half of album weak back half
Great blues band, kinda wafty when they do 80s hair metal. Good riffs, silly solos. Fun, camp.
Dont like david lee roths voice
felt like I was in a 90s comedy intro
funny but conventional
Good album, although never had listened to Van Halen before. Will definitely listen again.
a fun lil album, but not my cup of tea
Bom.
You Really Got Me is fun, the rest is whatever.
faktiskt inte så dåligt, alla låtar var ok
3.5
good, not my taste
I think it's an okay album, but still I thought it lacked a bit.
3/11, 27%
I was thinking that I would mention in my review that you can always tell a Van Halen song, because they have a very distinct sound. But when I got to the song ‘Jamie‘s Crying’ I had to pause and wonder why an Aerosmith song was on this album. And then I realized that I was mixing it up with ‘Janie‘s got a Gun’. This is a very solid album
I can dig why people love this album. I didn’t realize all the hits are on this. I appreciate Eddie’s guitar chops. But it ain’t my bag.
Really solid, hard to fault. Comparing like to like, though, AC/DC's Powerage from the same year shows it LEVELS. Bon Scott decided to take things in his OWN HANDS. Great cover of You Really Got Me
Couple of bangers
i wish i had a dad
Points for shredding
Good songs: Ain’t talking bout love You really got me Atomic pink The rest is pretty meh
Going into this I had only negative feelings towards Van Halen and the type of hard rock they represent. But this was pretty fun. You can really hear eighties hard rock in formation here. It’s plastic and over the top but the guitar shredding also has some lasting power. Highlight was “Ain’t talkin bout love”
Classic rock album, second half gets a bit slow. Aint talkin bout love is a CLASSINC
hairy, glittery
the guy on the guitar were putting their entire pussies into it
-my second van halen album!!!! -guitar is just as good as i remember -eruption is CRAZY -i HAVE heard you really got me before -they definitely are more traditional rock in this album than the other one i listened to -i’m the one is very cool -UH???? THE SHOO BE DOOP????? -was fully not expecting that at ALL -i really really like jamie’s crying, probably my favorite
One of those "it was probably better at the time" albums.
Good but not my favourite music
"Van Halen - not Van HAGAR" - Joe Dirt While I agree with Mr. Dirt, I'm not a huge fan of either. They were definitely better with David Lee, and Eddie shreds. They at least helped invent a sound that a lot of others copied and never quite achieved. This is an impressive debut album with a few classics. Respect (event from a fair-weather fan).
Je m'attendais à un peu plus. Pas un mauvais album mais considérant que mes pièces préférées de Van Halen sont sur cet album, je pensais que le reste allait être aussi excitant. 7/10
Iconic sound but not one i'll come back to a lot
Got pretty much what I expected from this album - banging riff rock with eccentric guitar solos. It was a lot more fun and upbeat than I'd reckoned too
It’s funny that this music was at one point considered hard and “dangerous.” It almost seems quaint today; a cross between rock and pop. I’ve never been into straightforward rock of the late 70s thru 80s. The bass is usually mixed so it sounds thin, and high cymbals replace low bass drums. When I’m in the mood for hard rock, I prefer heavy rhythm sections and sludgy guitar riffs. Having said all that, it’s Van Halen. The guitar is killer. I know I’ve never listened to this album before but I still knew almost every single song, even the guitar instrumental. It’s a really fun album. It’s an undeniable classic of the genre, It’s just not my favorite genre. I’ll split the difference with my rating.
To my ears, 80s Metal is the worst of all genres. I realize this is not quite the 80s, but its very, very close. Regardless, I involuntarily rolled my eyes when I saw Van Halen pop up. I couldn't bring myself to listen to this at work, so instead, popped it on while I was sitting on my back deck, sipping a beer - with a perfect blue sky and a pleasant warm breeze. And I kind of liked it! For the first 4 or 5 songs, it was pretty good, before it all started waning. But for a brief moment in time, I heard it.
It's fun but samey.
Technically impressive, but the song writing is mediocre at best
I've only ever heard the hits of Van Halen in my 66 years. This is the 1st time that I've listened to a full album. There were songs I liked and didn't like. All in all it was pretty good.
Fun but ultimately empty
Its aite
This is ok. Eddie Van Halen is for sure a great guitarist, but I don’t really love the *sound* of his guitar playing. It just sounds very inorganic - so much reverb and flash just for the sake of flash. Some of the songs are very catchy, others are pretty generic. Not a big fan of David Lee Roth’s singing either. 3 stars.
Easily my favorite Van Halen record. Any rock fan should enjoy this to some degree. I'm not the biggest Van Halen fan, but I do think their debut is an essential rock album. Listen to it loud!
"Eruption" is absolutely disgusting. Top 3 guitar solos of all time, no contest. I love the sound of the guitar. It's a very crunchy, ghastly (in a good way) sound. Van Halen should have gone the Buckethead route and made a fully instrumental album, because the weakest part of this are the kitschy lyrics and vocals. I want to hear that awesome guitar but there's this guy who keeps screaming about all the women he's fucked. So in conclusion: If this didn't have any lyrics it could be one of the best instrumental albums of all time. With lyrics, it's just a pretty good "dad rock" album.
It's not the kind of music I would normally choose to listen to. I get the sense with rock musicians though that often louder = better, as in a foreign country where a non-native speaker tries to make himself understood by speaking louder. I thought of few of these songs were just a little over the top in that way. There were some very good tunes on here though, and I could recognize the quality of the musicianship. The guitar work was pretty impressive and even dazzling sometimes. I had mixed feelings on this one. Overall, I'd say that I liked the album, but I think it could have been a lot better.
Wow. More Van Halen, huh? Off to a good start with "Runnin' with the Devil.” Much fun and probably a better song than anything on 1984 not called “Jump.” The sound here is still decidedly guitar-focused hard rock, but there’s much more in common with early 70s bands like Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits, T. Rex, even Led Zeppelin to a degree. There’s more nuance and focus on songwriting compared to the maximalism of 1984. And just more fun! Like the little mid-song, barbershop number they break into in the midst of the otherwise hard-rocking “I’m the One.” Not to mention that joyously fun little blues number, “Ice Cream Man.” So good. I was dismayed when I saw this record populate after T. Rex last night, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time with it. Even if the guitar tones are a bit polished for my tastes and the hoo-rah-YEAH! moments are bit stomach-churning. Still more highs than lows, so 3 stars…by the skin of its teeth.
What you’d expect from a rock album really. Not got much more to add
Not really my style, but it's EVH. That guy could play!
Was this entire album made into singles? Feel like I would give this a 7 but with only 5 stars it’s a 3.
Better record then I thought. Ain‘t talking bout love is still a huge hit.
Pretty rip-ass dad rock album, though unfortunately non of the singles really stuck for me. Standout of the album today was Eruption, I like the boldness of just making a whole track be a bitching guitar solo. Good album, but falls into a background music space for me.
it's so weird that "hair metal" was a genre. why did all of the bands have long hair and play the same music i don't get it
Fun album but very samey. Later tracks not very interesting but the first half is good. Nice guitar tone
80s hair metal from 1978. A fun listen and exactly what you'd expect - slick production, big choruses and super fast guitar solos. A few familiar tracks up top. Surprising to read that 'Eruption' isn't the space alien bit from Back to the Future (that's an Eddie Van Halen solo effort). Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Runnin' with the Devil Date listened: 04/03/23
What a way to make a first impression. Eddie Van Halen just says screw the way guitar used to be played. This is how you’re all going to do it now. There is some amazing guitar playing on this album. The album itself is just okay though. The songs all do sound very similar in style except the beginning of “Ice Cream Man” which stands out as something different. I enjoyed the “Running with the Devil” to “Ain’t Talkin ‘bout Love” but the after that it got kind of boring. Maybe Van Halen just isn’t my thing
The singles are the singles for a reason lol. Wasn't a huge fan of the deep cuts. The singles are okay.
Not a single bad song, I expected worse
pretty decent for boomer rock, expected worse but was pleasantly surprised 3.5/5
Not a fan of this kind of music. Also, what’s going on with “Ice Cream Man”?
should have just jumped
Too much cheesy filler but the album cover deserves an award for design and hubris it's amazing
No comment.
Pretty good early hair band stuff
Nice band of hard rock.
It started to sound like Van Halen then it didn’t. I like when it did sound like Van Halen
Honestly this was a pretty whatever album. It wasn't bad by any means but it wasn't notable to me in any way really. Maybe I only feel that way because I've heard running with the devil and eruption so many times but by the end I was just like "yup that's van halen, alright"
Great songs in this album. Overall most songs sound very similar to me, though.
kom á óvart. blússkotnara. gítarsólóinn leiðinleg. en þokkalegasti blús frá næpuhvítum honkíum.
An absolute ripper of an LP – convinced Eddie and co. walked into the studio, cranked their amps, and proceeded to ram out all 35 minutes at once. There's not a whole lot in the way of dynamic, rhythmic, or melodic contrast, but that's not the goal here. EVH revolutionized guitar for a reason, and while I suspect many will be turned off by the technical wankery that dominates most of the album, I'm all here for it as a guitar dude. Hearing those two-hand tapping runs all over each track makes me grin ear-to-ear, and the whole LP is worth it just for the gratuitous bombast of 'Eruption.'
I imagine a lot of people around the world going, “Holy shit! What is this?!?” when this album came out. Let’s all bow down to Eddie Van Halen and his guitar mastery. Mad respect. Listening to this album, specifically Eruption, a light bulb went off. This is the sound I associate with 80s metal guitar that turns me off. It’s technically phenomal, but at the same time…gratuitous. This is the source. To be clear, Eddie’s sound here is great. He’s carrying this whole album. It’s the lesser imitators that came later and tried to make their own version of this, for a solid 10-15 years, that I don’t like. The let down on this album are the lyrics. They aren’t particularly stimulating and they are too repetitive.
Calkowite zaskoczenie redempcja Van Helenowa, po ostatnim picku od bandy spodziewalem sie mocnego szrota, a dostalem mocno old skulowe rokowanie z 78, byl to debiutancki material zespolu, ktory od razu otworzyl im droge do zlota i platyn, 11 trakow na 35 minutach daje dosc szybkie ale jednoczesnie harde granie, posrod orginalnych utworow bandy na krazku sa tez dwa covery, bardziej rzucajcym sie w oczy jest you really got me kinksow i drugi ice cream man od pana Johna Brima, sporo jest fragmentow instrumentalnych, gdzie Eddie Helenowy popisuje sie swoimi skillsami gitarowymi czy sitarowymi na aint talkin about love, pomimo tego ze nie wymyslili kola na nowo, to jednak graja z energia potrafiaca porwac sluchacza, wiec swietnie sie bawilem podczas dzisiejszego sluchowiska wczuwajac sie w wyjcowanie rokowane i juz wiem czemu dostali przydomek bandy ktora uratowala muzyke rokowa, a na plejke idzie openingowy running with the devil, atomic punk i little dreamer, czuje boomer czlowiek gdy zadowala sie juz muzyka ktora brzmi jak wszystko co juz slyszal, ale jednak wszystko co sie czlekowi podobalo, w przeciwienstwie do muzyki generowanej praktycznie przez ai jak dzisiaj
Great album, only issue is Eruption grates, 1 min 40 secs of EVHs self indulgence
One or two made it onto my Playlist. Generic 80s sound
Nice classic Rock. Some of the Riffs zave been sampled.
2nd December 2022 Listened during the late afternoon while making cauliflower curry. Chilled Friday, dump and rugby Saturday and Stowe on Sunday with mum and dad. Don’t think many people shred like Van Halen, classic 80s bro rock and I’m kinda here for it. 3.5 if I could, not sold on the Kinks cover.
Guaranteed to satisfy!
Not particularly my favorite genre of music. Pretty straightforward classic rock music. For the most part it just kinda bores me, but the guitar work is the only noteworthy aspect of it. Eruption is actually awesome, and the solos in some of the other songs keep the record from being complete waste. 5/10
Schlechte drei. Wegen der ersten vier Songs, die zweite Hälfte der Platte finde ich etwas schlechter.
Fun as a 80s album. Kinda hair metal without becoming too stupid.
Solid album, high energy and fun, but nothing particularly stood out to me
Much nicer than I thought, nice mix of pop and hardrock
3 tai 4
Dit album heeft een paar goede popnummers van onze Nederlandse rockers. Het heeft helaas ook wat pingel-pongel nummers waarbij het spelen met de gitaar belangrijker is dan muziek maken. ***
A pleasure to be reminded of Eddie Van Halens brilliant guitar work, but also great pop rock. The ancestors of bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn.
Better than expected
Litt glammy, mye fete riff
I can see why Marty likes them.
Some classic Van Halen, but those tracks are more fun to revisit then the album.
Pleasantly surprised, not as heavy as expecting.
Completely understand why this one got popular and is considered a classic but so much of it just isn’t for me. Too many of the hard rockin songs sound the same. For all of Eddie Van Halen’s talent he has never seemed to understand how to use it to its full extent to make something that sounds different.
Good guitar and alright vocals
OK hard rock, nothing more than that (except for Eruption and their version of You really got me). Sounds very much like the not-best Uriah Heep albums.
Pretty cool
Riffage. Not really ever going to be my thing but it's fun. Classic case this of me having absorbed 40 years of culture influenced by it but never the source material. For instance can't hear Ain't Talkin About Love without wanting it to go the way Apollo 440 took it. I wish the tunes were as good as the guitar work. I can bet this will go down better with me than the 1984 one, but will have to wait and see.
Meio chato, meio metal farofa
Obviously planted one of the big flag in the hard rock scene, particularly on the American side of it. Still fairly meathead, as befits its genre, and despite the accolades I found the music got a little plodding at times. Would happily listen to any of it most of the time, would never seek out the album to listen to again.
It’s Van Halen. It’s exactly what I expected.
A solid classic rock album, that also probably has such a historical impact that I don't know about as always. :P
Several good hits on this album; really enjoyed Eruption
Hillitöntä vasemman nypläämistä ja kahden käden pikkaamista. Noh mitähän tästä nyt sanois. Must tää on siis kyl ihan positiivisen puolelle menevä vaikka samalla luiskahtaa tiukan seisari-kasari-machoilun puolelle. Ain't talkin' bout love on vitu härkänen. Ei tää neljää pongoo saa millään mutta ehkä nyt kolmosen sitten. 3/5
More metal-y than I expected
Fine, not particularly interesting.
I remember hearing this as a kid when my dad played the vinyl. Headbanging then and headbanging today. Insane riffs from Eddie catapults this record into the stratosphere. Van Halen taught a lot of people how to rock. Tap tap TAPAROOO, ERUPTION!!!
i feel like i’m starting to realize that if i listen to these albums enough, in the background, i’ll likely find a song i like and the album will grow on me
The album as a whole sounds exciting at first but starts to get repetitive by the time you reach the b-side. Listening to one of the 'best of' compilations is a much better option when it comes to Van Halen. (My favorite Van Halen songs are: Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher.) #1 Ain't Talkin' Bout Love It has one of the coolest guitar riffs ever and the chorus is catchy too. Also love the use of the ride cymbal during the chorus. #2 I'm the One I really appreciate how Eddie Van Halen always sounds very expressive despite all the pyrotechnics. It's dynamic, raw, often very impulsive but never mechanical and all in all highly individualistic.
Pretty good.
This was ok, but nothing stood out to me.
Lots of classic songs on here. Most are pretty played out from me; only FM rock station where I grew up played lots of Van Halen every day. I've grown to like most of these songs as I've gotten older. Hard not to appreciate Eddie as a guitar player. I still Like 4 Non Blondes version of I'm The One better, and 2 Minutes to Late Night mined this album hard for their Bedroom Covers series, so at the end of the day there are versions of most of these songs I'd rather listen to.
A fun listen with rock and a little blues tossed in for good measure.
Well it was certainly interesting to read up a bit about Van Halen's journey. This album is not really for me. Faves: Atomic Punk, Little Dreamer, Ice Cream Man
La face A est franchement réjouissante et pleine d'énergie. La face B est pleine de remplissage.
Amazing guitar player. Enjoyed the couple of hits. Rest of the album just blurred together. It was ok
Surprisingly good.
It's good rock, but long guitar solos do nothing for me 3.3
decent but not my favorite. i think the other van halen album on the list has more of their iconic songs. There were some good songs on this, and the guitar play is really impressive, but the lyrics were a bit uninspired and there were some forgettable songs. The first four songs were great, but hte rest of the album doesn't really hold up imo.
What would become MTV rock emerging out of British metal influences, this has enough going on to keep you awake. And Eddie of course, introducing the world to rapid guitar solos.
I hadn't realised how many Van Halen moments that I was aware of all came from this album. It packed full of classic rock songs and samples. This was a much more enjoyable listen that I had anticipated.
The cover of "You Really Got Me" got me, wasn't quite so keen on the rest though.
Not a big van Halen fan. Fun album though.
"Van Halen" is a frenetic debut by a frenetic hard rock band, leaning towards a glam metal that would become the band's signature style. "Runnin' with the Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" are very good songs.
Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would ultimately start enjoying a Van Halen album. First listen was a bit like nails to a chalkboard with that over the top guitar sound and them lyrics - but digging a bit deeper and some forgiving for hair metal misogyny- there is some honest to god good tracks here. Not going to be my favourite - but would listen next to what I consider fun albums like Iron Maiden.
2/28/22 This album didn’t speak to me like some of the others have. Didn’t dislike it but thought it was a bit too shrill and chaotic for me. I hate that the lead single from this album is a cover. For some reason that really annoys me lol. Favorite song: Jamie’s Crying
Listened Before? P Whoooo doggies! This one is a scorcher from beginning to end. They were on so much coke they squeezed an hour of music into 35 minutes! Gotta love the 80's! Pros: Pretty much front-to-back good songs. Absolutely KILLER guitar sound and skills from EVH. He was one of the great ones. Ice Cream Man is an underrated gem. Cons: Unfortunately, the rating for this album is going to be wrecked by mainstream rock radio again... much like AC/DC's Highway to Hell... There are 4 or 5 songs on this album that got absolutely RAILROADED into the ground over the past four decades. I didn't skip them on this listen, but almost definitely will in the future. At least You Really Got Me is short! Added to Library? P Songs added to Playlist: You Really Got Me, Ice Cream Man
Groovy
Loved it in high school
Is what it is I suppose - competent but leaves me cold. However happy to listen to a landmark album a couple of times
I dig it
It's fun and I appreciate the energy, just not for me.
Ну для любителей
1978!!! asocio esta música y esta imagen a los 80 incluso a finales de los 80, lo mismo fue la inercia y llegada tardía a España de toda la música prohibida durante la dictadura. El disco no está mal, pero para ese año "Ain't talkin' 'bout love" es una obra maestra.
Die sind eigentlich die Migos für Rock insofern dass die ein bestehendes Movement nehmen, ihren eigenen Spin drauf tun der hochglanzpoliert ist aber immer bangt und so einen breiten Zugang für die Musik schaffen. Funktioniert lustigerweise genau wie Migos dadurch aber eher in kleinen Dosen als über ein ganzes Album. Aber ka das hat größtenteils Spaß gemacht. Die Riffs knallen, der Gesang ist recht charakteristisch. Manche Songs sind etwas redundant und wie gesagt viel länger als 35 Minuten würd ich’s mir nicht anhören.
Best solo guitar I've ever heard. But not much political interesting
Not bad not bad. Made cookies while listening to this and they turned out good.
Uplifting and fun album.
This song is hits front to back! Felt like I’d heard them all before. Unfortunately as an album it didn’t mesh super well for me
sometimes you forget how good they were. what talent all-around
This was a surprise. I'm not a Van Halen fan at all, but had heard most of these songs. I had thought that all of these were from the mid 80s but knowing that this album was in 1978 shifts my perspective. They were ahead of their time. The "non-single" songs all had a more 70s rock vibe to them.
Good quality rock and roll album. 4 recognized songs
Solides Gitarrengewichse, aber nicht ganz mein Ding. Eine Mood, um bei Nacht durch eine Stadt rumzulaufen, tho.
This is the album that changed... well, something. Eddie Van Halen was pretty amazing and popularized a style that really did revolutionize the way electric guitars are played. With that said, I was never a huge fan of the band while DLR sang, with the exception of the Jump album. 3 stars.
A classic! Might be a bit too "power rock"y for me (might be the voice - kinda like ACDC) but it was super fun. Listened with my mom and she loved it.
I always consider Van Halen an 80s hair-rock band, rather than anything that would be producing an album in the late seventies. This opens with the melodic Running with the Devil which eases in smoothly with harmonies and soft riffs. The long guitar solo in the next track Eruption is far closer to what I consider Van Halen but in the most positive way. Jaymie's Cryin' is an interesting departure from the rest of the album so far - a bit more like an experimental version of the opening track - I'm not convinced that it works though. Ice Cream Man is almost a novelty hit, reducing back to a much more 50s rock and roll sound but performed well and sliced open with a very hair metal guitar solo. Also, the album art is great. Very KISS. Good - You Really Got Me, Ice Cream Man
I know most of these songs from Guitar Hero, but never heard them in good audio quality. I don't mind it actually. Ice Cream Man is creepy as hell. Plus other songs feel condescending as fuck, which I can't stand to listen to personally.
Bing chillin
mycket bättre än baby albumet! gillar hur släpig gitarren o många helt bra sånger men kinda långtråkigt och jag orkar int höra på shreddande man....
Great guitar work. Poppier than I was expecting. Great vocal performances. Not earth-shattering, but maybe worth revisiting.
not bad, nice rock!
Rockin!
surprising easy listen. 3 for being overplayed tho
Some insane guitar aerobics aside, this is a classic of hair rock, full of energy and virtuoso playing. Great great fun and a template for others to follow
3/5 there were some interesting parts, but way too screamy for my taste
Its fricking Van Halen.
Fun, but not life-changing. Wouldn't return to it.
Eddie was a genius.. the songs are alright.
Again, another failure on the 5 start review process. Better than 3 but not a 4.
3.5 | Jump, Running with the Devil, Panama, Hot For Teacher... Todas grandes y excelentes canciones de Van Halen... Absolutamente ninguna de las cuales vienen en este disco. Realmente la única canción reconocible de ellos es su cover de los Kinks que, sí es quizá el mejor cover de esa canción, pero sigue siendo un cover. Este fetichismo por los debuts sigo sin entenderlo. Me recordó mucho a escuchar ese disco de Bluesbreakers con Clapton; sí Eddie Van Halen es uno de los más virtuosos guitarristas del rock, quizá el mejor de sus contemporáneos y de su estilo musical y eso se nota y se aprecia y se disfruta mucho... Sin embargo eso es algo que se podía apreciar y disfrutar mucho en cualquier otro disco más relevante de ellos, no por ser el primero tiene mágicamente que ser considerado grande. Me agradó mucho el disco pero para poner aquí Van Halen creo que hay cosas mucho más importantes que "escuchar antes de morir" antes de este. Me sobresalen un par de momentos... Ice Cream Man con su rocanrol muy simpático... I'm The One que si no fuera por la voz jurarías que es Mötorhead... Ese cover tan bien hecho... Siempre se aprecia mucho escuchar a un miembro de esa "familia real" de guitarristas virtuosos pero creo que hay mejores muestras que poner tanto de él como del grupo en conjunto.
I've not listened to Van Halen much. Growing up mostly in the post-Grunge period these guys were never cool to me and I generally lumped them in with all the (bad) 80's hair bands. Listening to this now... it's not terrible. First off, can't deny that Eruption isn't great... but I mostly came to appreciate that after hearing Mike McCready play it live. The guitars are pretty front and center so that's nice. I'm surprised by how much they sound like Aerosmith to me. David Lee Roth sounds a lot like Steven Tyler. The music isn't as funky as Aerosmith can be but it's basically the same idea. Overall, a surprisingly fun listen considering my general dislike of this big pop-rock style. Aside from some of the guitar playing, it's really not that original. I can understand why lots of people love this and it's on the list - but it doesn't really seem like that much of a landmark album to me and stylistically I'm not really into it.
It's all right
Interesting album, surprising in places and pretty good. I don’t think I’ll listen to it again often, but I enjoyed it.
I used to think Eruption was the greatest two minutes of music ever. I was not correct. But it is pretty cool. Overall album is fine, I'm sure it was very impressive and progressive at the time for rock music but hard to differentiate that in your mind in 2021.
Some positives and negatives for this one. The two main negatives: 1) This album was heavy metal being released at a time when I hated heavy metal, and 2) David Lee Roth is a dough head. On the positive side, Eddie sure can play guitar. I'm almost certain that I just recently said in another review that a guitar solo (literal speaking) is as lame as a drum solo. Eruption is an exception. It's really fucking good. I also really like the two cover versions. The Kinks' cover is made by Eddie's guitar work and Ice Cream Man is just plain old fun. So how do we rate a band that has a phenomenal guitar player that would have been nothing without said guitar player? I am remembering my Led Zep ratings (incl a 5) since my view is that Led Zep would be nothing without Page. Led Zeppers will cling to the view that Plant, Bonham and JPJ are good enough but this is delusional. For Van H, I doubt anyone can even name all the other members and nobody, other than David Lee Roth perhaps, is delusional enough to think they could have made it without Eddie. One thing that is clear is that Led Zep's band members other than Page run circles around their equivalents in Van H. Not sure why I felt the need to justify my not giving a 5 Regardless of how good Eddie is, 4 isn't even on the table.
Eh, not really my thing, but fine I guess. I enjoyed hearing the origin of the guitar line of Apollo 440's "Ain't Talkin' About Dub". Fave track - probably the Kinks cover "You Really Got Me". I quite liked "I'm The One" too, as it started out sounding like a Motorhead song and then went off in an unexpected very un-Motorhead direction... 😆
Tasty riffs. Catchy tunes. Juvenile lyrics.
"I am a victim of the science age A child of the storm, whoa yes I can't remember when I was your age For me, it says no more, no more Nobody rules these streets at night like me The atomic punk" (Atomic punk) Nunca pienso en escuchar Van Halen de forma activa, pero cuando me cuadra oírlos por lo que sea siempre paso un buen rato. Es música entretenida.
Cultura general ya que es un disco bastante vendido a nivel mundial.. Esta entretenido. No me atrapo del todo.
faves: little dreamer, feel your love tonight
Very interesting
Ok, Eddie settle down there fella. There's just so many little guitar noodles all over the place it gets a little distracting.
I enjoyed this, but not a huge fan of the guitar solos, which I’m sure true Van Halen fans do.
classic rock at its classic rockiest.
Great rock, fantastic guitar work. Would have enjoyed it a lot more without the vocals. “On Fire” was fine, but everything else was just David Lee Roth being thirsty and DTF
Some good songs, al lot of mediocre ones, 3 stars for the fabulous guitarplay
Surprisingly enjoyable. Was expecting Bon Jovi in spandex and got Iron Maiden on ecstasy. Some great melodies, especially on the second half of the album when the finger tapping isn't as prominent.
A fine album, just not to my taste.
Very cliché but not bad.
1978 sounds like 1984 in terms of "hair rock". A better album than I remembered with much of the first half being bonafide classics. 3.5 out of 5
Still fun but not as good as 1984, bit too old school rock n roll for my taste.
Kinda fun, some classic tunes. Could get into it if I'm in a certain mood
Good fun but a bit samey throughout
Vreemd hoe je soms een groep denkt te kennen, maar het album u dan toch volledig verrast
pretty good!
Good rock, great guitarist.
Er zitten toch echt prachtige gitaarstukken tussen.
Not bad, but nothing amazing either.
It's Van Halen. You either love them or hate them, it's pretty much that simple.
nice pop rock i guess
Gestopt met luisteren na een paar nummers, dus precies lang genoeg gedraaid om het tof te blijven vinden!
Goh, ik wist niet dat 'Ain't talking about...' eigenlijk van Van Halen was.
2. Would have been 3 if they had the vocals only tracks
Yeah definitely haven't heard this before.
this is a rock music
I'm not a fan of live music, but I guess this is the kind of music where you have to be there to properly enjoy it. Or maybe even out on the road? On Wikipedia it says the guitar solo in the beginning is praised for being the best solo of all time, which I really disliked. So I guess I just wasn't feeling it. The singing was solid at times, but at some parts he just sounded like Elvis. Only three stars from me.