Reviews (page 14 of 15)
It would be good if it didn't suck.
It fair bops along and it’s everything you expect. Breaking no new ground, guitar riffs and splashy drums, you know what this is.
Fun as a 80s album. Kinda hair metal without becoming too stupid.
Happy college memories of this blasting from speakers in windows
This album was an absolute blast. Feels like the epitome of this kind of metal. Was surprised to see the release date of 1978 because it feels a lot more modern than that. I have to imagine people were absolutely blown away when this album was originally released.
The legendary first album from the band started by the brothers whose last name lends the band's identity is a whole blast of fun throughout its thirty-five minutes, unrelenting in its debt to the hard rock that fuses together soon to be touchstones and honorable covers of already classic standards. No wonder why the David Lee Roth era is fondly beloved by fans and it all starts here. Favorites: Runnin' With the Devil, You Really Got Me, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, I'm the One, Jamie's Cryin', Feel Your Love Tonight, Ice Cream Man.
Didn’t finish.
To screechy and hard-rocky. So many recognizable tunes but just not my thang.
Solid album, high energy and fun, but nothing particularly stood out to me
Much nicer than I thought, nice mix of pop and hardrock
Отличный альбом!!!!!!
3 tai 4
Awesome
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Not too bad Kinks cover.
Van Halen’s debut is probably their best. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing is inspired and the songwriting is decent. The vocals are crisp and the harmonies are well developed. I used to listen to 80s hard rock and metal quite a bit. Though this style of music is not my favorite, it always comes off as over-produced, I enjoyed this album.
This is a fun rock album, the guitar work of Eddie Van Halen is unreal. Would have been something special to see live back in the early 80’s. Had never listened to this album start to finish but really enjoyed it. Fav tracks Eruption, I’m the One, Atomic Punk. 4.5/5
RIP EVH
A debut album that tells you exactly who this band is, what they are about, and what type of show they're going to put on live. The album is like a cannon ball blast - 35 minutes of getting down to the business of rocking you to 11. Oh, and here's a handful of tracks that will be come classics, and a new guitar sound you've never heard before that's going to change the landscape of rock music for the next decade.
Cringe vox and songs. Sounds like Kiss without the disco. The guitar brings amazing melody, harmony, and rhythm to some otherwise lame toolbox rock tunes.
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
Shmeh. Bog-standard dad rock.
I haven't listened to almost any albums that are important to these genres because it's not my thing, so I didn't expect to like this. This was a really fun listen though. There's definitely some iconic songs on here. The guitar really shines through. It's crazy to think that this came out in 1978. My favourite songs were I'm the One and Little Dreamer.
Litt glammy, mye fete riff
eventhough its released in 78 it feels like one of the core 80s rock albums, eruption is even more impressive in live versions
Great hard rock album, just makes me want to grow my hair, shoot up coke and bang 3 chicks, but say it was actually 12 chicks banged
Sounds like my childhood in the 80's!
Awesome album.
It's good. I do think it deserves a bit more than a 3
Hard rock sans any threat of danger, sexiness, irreverence, politics, brains. Plus points: it's compact and they can play their instruments very fast, which are really the same thing.
Classic hair-metal album with some fantastic tunes.
I can see why Marty likes them.
Some classic Van Halen, but those tracks are more fun to revisit then the album.
Very cool
Not my cup of tea.
Pleasantly surprised, not as heavy as expecting.
Listen to while driving a military vehicle
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
Very much enjoyed this
Technically well done but feels slick, shallow and soulless. This is the music you'd get if you asked an algorithm to write 80s rock.
Kinda think “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” might be one of the greatest songs ever
Eddie Van Halen is an absolute unit. So good.
It's only 35 minutes long There were different songs on this album?
Not really the biggest fan on Van Halen and didn’t think much of this album either. Not one I think I’d ever return too in the future, no particular stand alone single in this album either. Many many better rock and 70s albums about.
Listened before: No Listens: No Enjoyed: Yes
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.
This sounds like something that came out in the mid 80s, such a great sound! Love me some Van Halen - RIP Eddie! <3
Great first album. They rock hard. I remember when this came out. Appreciate it more as an old man than when I was a teen
First listen. I let out an audible “ugh” when I saw this one. Just not my kind of tunes. That being said, I knew every song on the album and it really is impressive for a debut. You can see why so many are such big fans.
Van Halen rules
Earns its stars on Eruption alone, but I have loved each and every one of these tracks for over 2/3 of my life. Van Halen have some other good tracks, but they never again had a wholly good album. Let alone an album where every single track is a classic.
Fun album
Total cheeseball nonsense but it’s short and it slaps
This is classic rock and is good if nothing amazing
Pretty cool
RIP to one of the greatest musicians ever
Classic. 4/5
David Lee Roth You really got me !
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.
Starts off strong, not amazing at the end. Great guitar solos in second song.
Top to bottom excellent. Songs flow very well together.
not bad!
very good
Interesting guitar noodling masks poor album
Meio chato, meio metal farofa
The beginning of a legend...
The album has a lot of hits. The first half of the album is great. The second half of the album drops off a bit. The album is not quite a 5 so I will round down.
7 years old, 1978 and thinking this was the devils music. Heavy Metal rock and roll. Oh, how I love the devil’s music! Lol! Running…with the devil, actually!
Didn't hate it as much as other American Hair Rock.
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.
"If Eddie Van Halen was a gunslinger there would be a lot of dead copycats". I grew up with this record because of my dad. My big takeaway from this record (beyond the guitar pyrotechnics) is they had a big DIY/almost punk aesthetic to how they approached creating music; and above all else - this is a fun record Sounds like: ...Van Halen, rock and blues suped up to the next level Standout tracks: "Running", "Eruption", "You Really Got Me", "Jamie's Cryin'" essential Van Halen "Ain't Talkin'", "I'm the One", "Atomic Punk" are excellent B-sides "Ice Cream Man" a fun break from the rest of the album
It’s Van Halen. It’s exactly what I expected.
Didn't much care for it.
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
Not as bad as I was expecting, but still not for me.
Van Halen smartly strikes the perfect balance of previously unknown guitar virtuosity with a murderer's row of incessant party jams all deeply indebted to Southern Boogie. Before EVH throws himself off the deep end into Shred City, he is always reeled in by the band's more sensible aspects, like plenty of swing rhythms, hearty riff-alongs in Eb tuning (à la KISS), and one of the most excitable frontmen in Rock's history. A truly game changing album, an album and band that would still be a total blast even if it never innovated a thing. Lucky for us, it did.
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
Juuh meinasi pilata kauniin aamun. Oli siinä joitain ihan hyviä koukkuja esim. ekassa biisissä. 1.5/5
Yh olipa geneeristä kasarirockia ja joka biisi kuulostaa samalta.
Almost a five star just for having Eruption. Really appreciated the short 35 minute runtime, no filler at all.
4.2
Once again Van Halen woos me with awesome guitar licks despite awful lyrical content.
Doesn't get much better! Classic debut.
Van Halen is a classic. The music isn’t ground breaking, and I’m sure it’s probably problematic now, but it was enjoyable to listen to.
More metal-y than I expected
Pretty rocking album from Van Halen. I have only ever really listened to their radio hits, but I was pleasantly surprised with this whole album.
Fine, not particularly interesting.
surprisingly good, my favourite track was 'Ice Cream Man"
I mean it's tens for the guitar, maybe 5s for the songwriting (bumped because 'Aint Talking Bout Love') and at best a 2 for the vocals, which are an approximation of passion most likely muddled up with constipation? Eruption is like a threat to all other guitarists. You want to play, Eddie is the end of level boss. If only there were a world where Eddie Van Halen met different people this would be Hendrix/Sabbath levels of great.
six stars
Stands up there with Appetite for Destruction and Boston in terms of strength of album and quality for first releases. Eruption truly lives up to it's name. Turn it up roll the windows down when you're cruising the town in your 5.0.
Amazing dominant and original. Van Halen lands its debut with an incredibly energy and seems to be the quintessential definition of hedonistic rock. One of the most important rock records of all time.
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
It’s Van Halen. You know it’s good. It’s a fun listen with fast riffs and unique solos.
Gave this a listen to on my morning run and will definitely be saving it for future runs. Being really only familiar with their hit song "Jump", it was cool to listen to their early works. The cover of the Kinks "You Really Got Me" was a surprise and also incredible guitar solo riff with the instrumental "Eruption".
The best!
First thought is, seriously? You're going to make me listen to Van Halen after spending yesterday with Sonic Youth? I guess it is the first album--their best--so I will go for it. Always respect a classic, trendsetter when you are able. I know these songs well, grew up with them. Eddie Van Halen is a master and genius. Love the guitar on the whole album. I think I could appreciate it more as an instrumental-only album. It's not just David Lee Roth, though I'm not really into him, and really never have been. It's the lyrics don't do it for me. Sounds funny to say for such iconic rock songs, but turn off the lyrics, and I could listen to this all day.
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.
It's like being at a high-energy 80s party where everyone is sweaty and on uppers and the sexual tension is off the charts. This peaks at You Really Got Me and Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. The sound becomes more playful than intense later in the tracklist; see Jamie's Cryin', Feel Your Love Tonight, and the rock n roll treat that is Ice Cream Man. Does this album make me want to headbang or groove? Yes.
Hard rock. Un virtuoso Eddie. Vinilo.
Muchos megahits.
Genre: Hard Rock 4/5 Van Halen's rip-snortin', ball-grabbin', guitar-squealin' self-titled debut album is a damn good rock album. One of the best-selling albums of all time, and featuring some of the genre's most popular singles, Van Halen started off their career with a mighty bang. From David Lee Roth's screams and shouts to Eddie Van Halen's shreds and guitar squeaks, which single-handedly birthed an entire generation of shred guitarists, Van Halen had a little of everything to offer in their debut offering, and it still sits as an icon of the times. The entire A Side is an absolute torrent of rock. From their tremendous hit single Runnin' with the Devil, to the shred-tastic introduction to Eddie Van Halen on Eruption, to their well-known and well-arranged cover of the Kinks' You Really Got Me, and all the way down. With boy band-style 3-part harmonies, love-themed lyrics, and big, beautiful, singalong choruses, the hard pop rock crossover sound was very succesful. The B Side isn't as much of a firebrand, but tracks like Jamie's Cryin' and Little Dreamer are there to keep it movin' and groovin'. Really great rock record, and one that will continue to stand the test of time. Love these guys.
Pretty good.
Meh....dull, dated technical playing, with too much treble. A few cool riffs, that work better sampled in other songs, apollo 440 'ain't talkin' 'bout dub' ...but nothing much for me here
Just a great rock album, with the standout hit being the cover of The Kink's 'You Really Got Me.' I don't think there was enough amazing material to push this to a five, but it was still consistently, extremely good. A great show put on by Van Halen as to what you could expect from them.
TOPPENplatta. Felfri.
Åter igen inte superspännande, men det funkar. Några bangers dock.
"Pitkän" tauon jälkeen levy josta on aidosti helppo tykätä. Soi hienosti edelleen ja varmasti edistyksellistä settiä omaan aikaansa.
Tiukka ja vaikka lyhyt, niin iso
Pretty fun album to listen to I’d say it still holds up pretty well
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.
This album kicks ass
Great debut from Van Halen, I'm The One rocks! Catchy and groundbreaking guitar-playing.
This must have been unbelievable when it came out. No one was playing like Eddie, mixing hard rock, classical and jazz tones into one sound. And they wisely start the album off with something easy to comprehend like “Runnin’ with the Devil” before loading it with the crazy stuff. To fault it, the latter half has some filler, but at least it ends strong with “Ice Cream Man” and “On Fire”, even if this should have been a 10 track LP instead of 11. A-
Pretty good glam metal album. Some of the songs are definitely filler (Feel Your Love Tonight, On Fire, Little Dreamer, etc.) but it's hard to deny how cool Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, Eruption, or I'm The One are. Jamie's Cryin' is a bad and overrated song, and Running With the Devil is pretty lame in hindsight too. VH would go on to have much better albums, but this is a great debut.
It's so fitting I got this on a Saturday in June. This is such a classic, windows rolled down in the summer kind of album, long a favorite. On the short list for best debut album ever to be sure. Out of the box, these guys were just perfect and so distinctive sounding. Nobody sounded like them, and for a good decade, countless bands chased that sound, unsuccessfully. Roasting hot licks and insane, virtuosic solos from Eddie. Perfect, hard driving rhythm section in Michael and Alex. One of the most mesmerizing and enjoyable front men ever in Dave. Slammin', roaring, swaggering fun. Turn it up and ROCK. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, Eruption/You Really Got Me, Jamie's Cryin', Runnin' with the Devil, Atomic Punk, On Fire, Little Dreamer, Feel Your Love Tonight, I'm the One, Ice Cream Man
this album fucking rules
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.
Great guitar and bass. 1st half is great 2nd half is ok. Definitely an album to listen to but not a top one on my list.
Few hits and most tracks good.
My pussy moistened as soon as that first bassline started, and was fully wet by the time DLR began screaming. I squirted in sync with the last ringing note of eruption and had a shaking orgasm as the innuendo in ice cream man hit home. I'm a straight guy. 5/5.
Good stuff
Didn't really want to like it but it's pretty good.
Muuuuuito booom! Clássicos do Van Halen! Melhores músicas: Running with the devil, Eruption e You really got me.
A fun listen with rock and a little blues tossed in for good measure.
Klassisk glamrock. Fattar att det är SVÅRT att spela elgitarr jättesnabbt och att Eddie Van Halen är DUKTIG, men även om jag kan uppskatta själva hantverket får det mig inte att känna speciellt mycket. Låtarna är för rättfram, enkla, släta, vilket gör att de blir lätta att glömma. Bäst är Little Dreamer. Eruption ska ju vara historiens bästa gitarrsolo, och visst, det är väl bra. Det känns fel att refrängen i The Kinks-covern sjöngs på amerikansk "You Really Got MEE" istället för brittisk "You Really Got MEH". Bästa låt: Little Dreamer.
One of the best debut albums of all time. Absolutely legendary.
Rock suave casi ochentero, con buenas guitarras y voz. Inconfundibles.
A classic rock album that is a ton of fun. Probably the true turning point in rock from classic rock bands to stadium rock. Their songs are high powered and leave a good impression. The album isn’t too long and provides some solid hits along with fantastic guitar work. 7.7/10
A great classic album. RIP EVH! "Eruption" is top 10 on the list of songs that made teenage boys want to play guitar. The cover of "You Really Got Me" is one of the best covers of that song. "Jamie's Cryin'" was also a great track. Overall I liked the album, but it is not my favorite Van Halen album I look forward to 1984.
It seems churlish to give this a rating because it is so 'of its time', but, you know...
Great album, pure rock
The first Van Halen album, containing classics like Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Runnin' with the Devil, and, of course, Eruption, which cemented Eddie Van Halen's status as hard rock's most virtuoso guitar shredder. While the rhythm section is no slouch either, Eddie and David Lee Roth are clearly the stars of the show, delivering what was to become Van Halen's trademark of extroverted hard rock with fratboy lyrics. The album keeps to this style throughout, which is very entertaining, yet maybe lacks a bit of variation. Still, this is one of the albums that really deserves to be on this list. 4/5
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
Starts off with 4 absolute classics. Crazy.
Although I'm not a fan of them, one thing I can always admire about Van Halen is their musical talent. Eddie is a great guitar player with solos and hard catchy riffs. The guitar tone throughout is electric. Alex is a neat drummer who provides enough to make interesting yet simple patterns. Mike Anthony is a good support vechicle for the band and plays when needed, and David Roth oozes charisma throughout. The songs themselves mostly great, but there is some notable filler. Would say my favourites were Ain't Talkin 'bout Love and Jamie's Cryin.
As much as I dislike glam rock, you can't deny their legacy
So. Many. Guitar Solos.
La face A est franchement réjouissante et pleine d'énergie. La face B est pleine de remplissage.
First track (Running With The Devil) was amazing, with some tasteful melodic solos and insistent harmony vocals. Thought I was in for a treat. Sadly that hope quickly evaporated with the second track, one and and a half minutes if guitar wankathon. Yeah it was Ok in places, but mostly just meh.
Amazing guitar player. Enjoyed the couple of hits. Rest of the album just blurred together. It was ok
Not as bad as I feared. Guitar solo song strangely com0leling
Hair metal? Cock rock? Whatever subgenre this is i don't like it at all
Surprisingly good.
Cock rock at its finest!
It's good rock, but long guitar solos do nothing for me 3.3
Listened for the first time earlier this year and it was a 3. With that added familiarity, this time was a 4.
Shit.
I've never been a big Van Halen fan, and, now that I've heard a full album by them, I'm still not.
Enjoyed this way way more than I thought I would, especially on second listen At first the You Really Got Me cover shook me to my core and not in a good way, but now I think it's fun Little Dreamer and Atomic Punk are *chefs kiss* my faves Ice Cream Man is absolutely not what I was expecting from this album but I kind of love it lol its jokes
Bleh, I didn't really get it. I mean it's definitely distinctive, and has its moments (especially the first few songs), but a bit over the top for me.
Fine
Runnin With the Devil is a great song and Eruption is very impressive, but the rest of the album is just very anticlimactic. Lots of flash but no substance
It's been a long time since I've listened to van halen, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Hair metal is all about energy, and extremely few bands could pack an album with so much nonstop energy without it getting extremely old. Eddie and David Lee Roth are insane as always, and eddies brother and whoever plays bass have done pretty solid performances too.
It's a classic, innit? Not all the tracks hold up but the guitars are still blindingly good.
This is where is all started! VH is one of my all-time favorites!
What a run of opening songs. A great album that kinda sags in the middle. Best track: Runnin' with the Devil
Альбом очень бодрый и веселый (неподходящее слово, но тем не менее, легко было слушать). Хард-рок по душе, звучало хорошо.
Me gusto más de lo que esperaba. Conocía más canciones de lo que pensaba.
ROCK! WHITE GUYS! (I loved it.)
My favorite song was a bad Kinks cover. The electric guitar annoyed me
Rock and roll, baybeeee.
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.
I mean, it's Van Halen--just good, solid rock
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.
Awful. Embarrassing
Easy 4 for me. Probably not a 5 but somewhere in between. So much groundbreaking stuff that holds up today.
This is really, really good. Wouldn't have been able to name any of the songs ahead of time, but definitely a couple that seemed familiar. Runnin' with the Devil, followed by the guitar solo in Eruption (which is enough to show that these guys are great with their guitars and love pushing them to the limit but not so long that it gets nauseatingly self-indulgent and overstays its welcome), and a rocky cover of the Kinks is an amazing way to start, and the quality stays high right the way through. Also seems pretty well put together, tracks flow nicely and it's nice and snappy, doesn't overstay its welcome. 4/5, will listen again, loved this.
Always loved but never sat down and listened to an entire album. Wonderful and absolutely set the mood for the day.
Muito bom tchê
Stone cold classic, wonderful combination of tunes, playing and great production.
sort of fun but not my thing. 2
Meh
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.
Pretty damn fire. Might be peak hair metal (not saying much) 🤷
this album is ICONIC
All you need is Eddie Van Halen on guitar
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.
not entirely my style but it still has some great songs on it. it's very energetic and fast and i really appreciate that. solid 4
"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.
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.
Bit of a groan when i saw this, but was ok
Absolutely not.
Album Rocks !!!!! One of the Greatest !!!!!!!
Eddie van van hail an
Fun in it's own way - nothing ground breaking, but I guess it was 1978. Nothing tagged to be added as a favourite. Don't understand the hype around these guys except for Murica F Yeah
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.
This is my first time listening to Van Halen. Sure I've heard songs of theirs over the years, but I've never actively sought them out to listen to. My expectations were far exceeded since this didn't really sound like the Van Halen I've heard before, which I guess is the 80s version of the band. I loved the sound of Eddie's solos here and it didn't sound like the wankery that it would eventually become (which while technically impressive sounds very stale to me). This is an absolutely great album and one I will be revisiting. 4.5/5
The summer of 1979 was my first full summer of going to arena-sized rock concerts seeing bands like, Cheap Trick, Supertramp and Van Halen. This was an eye-opening and ear splitting experience that forever secured my love for live concerts. The sheer energy and captive stage presence of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth was mind-melting, at the time and it set my standards pretty high of what a great rock concert should be. Though I can't say I'm still a band of Van Halen, I must admit their first album was very influential on so many levels and it is must be considered one of the great debut records of the 70's. The instrumental, Eruption introduced the world to the guitar wizardry of Eddie Van Halen and if you love guitar, this is essential. Listening to it now (loud), brings back a lot of happy memories, but I'm glad I expanded my music tastes after the first couple Van Halen albums because they became a shell of their former self and self-parody later in their long career. Still, this a must-hear!
Excellent Album, one of the classics of the rock. Master piece
Listened to on 2/28/22 4.5 Favorite song: little dreamer, ice cream man Classic with the most amazing guitar rifs
Multiple classic rock songs with Runnin with the Devil and Ain’t Talking Bout Love, an impressive display of guitar on Eruption, and a nice change of pace with the potential favorite of the album in Little Dreamer. It was packed with energy and fun to listen to.
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
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: You really got me, Aint talking about love, 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
Instantly forgettable average rock.
Groovy
Loved it in high school
A fantastic debut by the best glam metal band of all time. I've raved about the polished opus magnum of 1984, and I'll do it again with the mind blowing bluesy experimentalism of Fair Warning, but here we have the same consistent strengths they would continue to have during the Roth era. Roth is an energizing and dynamic vocalist, with simple unforgettable lyrics you couldn't resist singing along. Eddie Van Halen establishes himself as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, sometimes just showing off as in "Eruption." The man can shred like no other. These guitar plays are damn impressive, so lively especially combined with the excited vocals and rapid drumming that there's no way you could block them off. Although I may prefer 1984 for its high production value and Fair Warning for best songwriting and consistency, this album has the strongest raw energy and genuine fun songwriting. First half is full of hits, but the second half could easily match them. I love the heavy metal riffs of "Atomic Punk," Roth's fun singing in "Feel Your Love Tonight," the mellow speed and angelic back vocals of "Little Dreamer," and that soft-to-hard blues transition and mind blowing Eddie solo in "Ice Cream Man." Weak tracks my ass. As my saying goes, if I love the tracks except at most one or two (in this case "On Fire") it has to be a 5.
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.
Refused to listen. You might as well ask me to take up ballet. Not going to happen.
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
Is what it is I suppose - competent but leaves me cold. However happy to listen to a landmark album a couple of times
Another classic cockrock record. Fav tracks: - Running With The Devil - Eruption - Ice Cream Man Least fav: - Feel Your Love Tonight
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.
I dig it
It's fun and I appreciate the energy, just not for me.
Ну для любителей
not bad tbh
This is great fun. The precise point at which you can hear metal pivoting from the Sabbath era to the eighties. Of course down the line it would beget the horrific hair metal bands, but this is sharp, tight and both heavy and pop at the same time. Terrific. Can't forgive them for Jump though.
One of the greatest albums of the era. And a game changer for guitar players.
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.
Das war nicht nur heftig langweilig und nervtötend, sondern hat mich an einigen Stellen echt aktiv wütend gemacht. Auf 30 Minuten ist das irgendwann die reinste Qual, will nicht wissen wie das wäre wenn es noch länger wär.
Van Halens "Eruption" and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. Damit meine ich die Art, Gitarre zu spielen, die von Van Halen pioniert wurde und heute noch einen großen raum in der "Kultur" des Instruments einnimmt. Das ist natürlich eine persönliche Meinung, aber ich finde diese Art von Musik einfach schrecklich. Weder die Songs noch das Gitarrenspiel an sich haben irgendwas besonders. Über den Verlauf des Albums jault die Lead-Gitarre immer im Hintergrund wird, dass man nicht mal die songs an sich wirklich hört. Vielleicht ist das bezweckt, da auch diese keinen Funken Originalität haben. Treffenderweise gibt es hier auch ein Kinks cover, dass außer Tiergeräuschen und dem üblichen Gitarrengedudel keine neuen Ideen hat. Das hier ist das erste Album in der Serie, nachdem ich eine schlechtere Laune als zuvor hatte. Und Musik muss wirklich viel "leisten", damit mir das passiert.
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.
Offensichtlich schlecht gealtert und größtenteils uninteressant. Aber ein 1-3 catchy tracks sind hier schon drauf, zb. You Really Got Me ist obergeil tbh, und Jamie's Cryin geht auch irgendwie klar, weil weniger soli!! Ansonsten naja MEH
Ok der jig ist up ich hab leider kein besonders großes musik hirn und dass van halen mitten im song anfängt zu scatten hat mich mit am meisten von allem bisher abgeholt. Das ist halt alles auf eine weise käsig die mich enorm abholt. Das kinks cover hat mich auch sehr abgeholt und ich sags wie es ist da hatte ich mehr spass mit als eminem oder cypress hill hab mich bisschen in eine ecke geratet aber so ist das halt
N@j@
Also es ist irgendwie diese Mischung aus extrem simplem Riffing (vgl. zeitgleiche Entstehung von Punk) und diesen total übertriebenen Solos + der Glam Stimme die das Ding nicht greifbar für mich machen. I'm the one fand ich rythmisch ganz interessant aber dieser Zwang gleichzeitig komplex und zugänglich zu sein wirkt für mich heute einfach peinlich. Das war leider echt nix für mich. Kann mir einfach keine Situation vorstellen wo eine Person abseits von Jugend Nostalgie sagt "jo genau DAS muss ich jetzt hören".
Extrem tedious.
Dit is natuurlijk goud, zo lekker klassieke sound. Blijft goed :)
I prefer their later work.
Sure is glam metal! I liked the cover of 'You Really Got Me'.
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.
Eruption.. ‘nuff said.
Great album. Really enjoyed listening to it
Maybe hair metal wasn’t a mistake
Many familiar tunes. Up beat, easy going rock.
Uplifting and fun album.
Some great classics, can't believe its my first time listening to this album
Van Halen is real cool, and this album is fucking jammed to brim with hits.
A rock classic.
Poodle rock
Actually didn't dislike as much as I expected but still not really my sort of thing
Can't say I liked this one very much
Hair metal's not really my thing, but what a classic guitar record.
Not for me, but the guitar on this album is insane.
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
Brilliant good take on the kinks song aswell nice 👌🏻
I did not like this.
Greatest debut album of all time. Can you imagine seeing this shit in small a small venue
sometimes you forget how good they were. what talent all-around
┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌ It wasn't bad, but it was boring. I have nothing to say.
Feel Your Love Tonight sounds a lot like Social Disease from Bon Jovi. I can hear how this album inspired hair bands.
Too rock but some classics
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.
Fairly archetypical rock for the time, still holds up today
Great Band ! Like this music very much
I liked it
Þetta var góð skemmtun. Eiginlega stórskrýtið að maður hafi aldrei hlustað almennilega á þetta skemmtilega rokk.
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.
The best of this album IMO: - Runnin' with the Devil - I'm the One - Jamie's Cryin' - Little Dreamer - On Fire Talk about a fun album to listen to. I love the voices, the harmonies, the energy. 3.8/5
10
one of my favorite bands of all time
boring and repetitive
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.
There aren't many bands who have ever announced their presence on a debut album the way Van Halen does on side A of this one.
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.
Still don’t like this band. Their entire catalog could have been cut to two songs from this record and then maybe I’d have thought they were the greatest band in the world but they just had to keep going 🤷🏼♂️
Classic. How could anyone not like this?
Still holds up really well. Even the non-classics are super good, and of course the instruments and vocals are top notch. If there's any complaint, I get a little fatigued by DLR's doo-wop stylings but Eddie makes up for all of it and more. I mean, it has Eruption.
I can recognize the quality of music, but it’s not really my jam. I wouldn’t be against having it on, but it’s not something I’d seek out actively
Not a single bad song on the record. I don't think I can give this a 5 yet, but I was really digging the sound here. Much better than my initial dive into Van Halen (1984).
Awesome sound and groove with iconic players.
This is so much more interesting than other popular rock bands from the time like Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, but sometimes enters the boring parts of a KISS album when the whole band is screaming in unison but without the glamour. Eddie Van Helens guitar is legendary for a reason though. It's crazy. A concrete 4. Pretty strong. "I'm The One" and "Ice Cream Man" slaps hard
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. The sound of his guitar was so influential, we really didn't over it until grunge started knocking the edge off mainstream playing over a decade later. Some fo the songs are relatively weaker, especially in the back half of the album, byut a record with Runnin' with the Devil, Eruption, and Ain't Talking about Love (not to mention their cover of You really Got Me) as the first four tracks is always going to seem soft int he 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. You just know you're going to have a great time with this band. A dead-set classic.
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 🌟
Classic. Just love the vibe and so many good hard rock/hair metal songs.
8/10
Bing chillin
A lot richer (musically) than they are often derided as being. Rock on brother
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....
Love the Second song - guitar solo that just trips you out
- Great start. Running with the devil is iconic. - Amazing they could follow it up with a guitar solo for track 2 - You really got me sounds a bit pop - Ain't talking 'bout love is good. - Atomic punk reminds me of Rage Against The Machine - Really like the vibe of Little dreamer
I loathe long electric guitar solos. I understand the contribution to rock. It doesn’t get much appreciation from me.
Great guitar work. Poppier than I was expecting. Great vocal performances. Not earth-shattering, but maybe worth revisiting.
This was *quite* good.
Fun to break this out of the closet. Used to be in heavy rotation, but I stopped listening to most VH due to radio overplay. This album really changed rock music when it was released, and I liked hearing it again. Great songs, guitars (of course) and vocals. Easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Knew a lot of Van Halen singles, but never knew this album specifically all the way through. Helluva debut! A lot of the tunes I was less familiar with actually were favorites. The guitar and drumwork on 'I'm the one' in particular was awesome. Noticed more great bass throughout than I expected! I'm not a huge fan of all of Van Halen's stuff and where they ended up in cheesy Stadium rock, but this is huge for the development of metal, and Eddie is an INCREDIBLE guitarist. Album feels fun and definitely worthy of a 5.
not bad, nice rock!
Jump!
Rockin!
Simply fantastic. No wonder no one wanted to rival them. (8/10) FT: I'm the One, Ice Cream Man, Eruption
surprising easy listen. 3 for being overplayed tho
Me mama.
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.
Really a good debut album for the band. The songs are good but there is no flow for the album as a whole.
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
Whenever I listen to the album I find myself thinking, are they all in a race to see who can finish the song first? Eddy and Alex always neck on neck, fast, furious and powerful, with David jumping in here and there just to let them know they are not alone, with his unforgettable high pitch. Recorded in 3 weeks mostly as a live set. 5 world hits and the most recognizable instrumental intro...... what a debut for a band.
Loved it! of course