Van Halen

I feel a little strange reviewing this, as it comes off the back of listening to Led Zeppelin III and the Rolling Stones' Athermath, both of which I gave four stars. Now, the star system is not fit for purpose, and I guess for that reason I have to add a qualifier (I loathe needing to clarify what's cock-obvious). Anyway, I found this superior to the two albums I just mentioned: lean, fierce, dumb in the right way, organic, and above all rocking. But I've given 5 stars to 3 out of eight so far (this, along with The Sonics' Here Are The Sonics and Leonard Cohen's Songs from Leonard Cohen) , so am I diminishing the ratings system, or did I just have a fortunate streak? I supppose the albums in this exercise have the reputations of classics.

Oh shit this is good!

Way more complex than the straight up shred fest I was expecting. Still plenty of shred obviously but also some deeper cuts like little dreamer, what a voice (and love the bell smash). The doo wop harmonies into shred in I'm the one is hilariously good as well.

Running With The Devil!!!!! This album is a masterpiece of hair and guitar shredding. Atomic Punk I think is the sleeper hit on this album. deep, moody, shreddy and paints a clear story.

3/5 there were some interesting parts, but way too screamy for my taste

Stone cold classic. Only giving 4 instead of 5 as I need time in between listens to give it a sonic punch each time. Greatest electric guitar guru, 2nd only to Hendrix (sorry Stevie Ray, but Eddie added so much to the guitar vocabulary).

Its fricking Van Halen.

Rock classic!

Fun, but not life-changing. Wouldn't return to it.

Eddie was a genius.. the songs are alright.

I didn’t think I would like this having listened to 5150 and OU812 in the past, however I was really impressed with it. Bluesy in places with just the right amount of EVH on the guitar it was one that I listened to a few times before deciding that early VH material is kinder on my ears that the latter.

Classic. Over the top. Love it.

Great rock album top to bottom, so much feel good stuff

Good one

Not my taste

Again, another failure on the 5 start review process. Better than 3 but not a 4.

Wasn't overly impressed but gave it a second listen and a couple of songs like "Little Dreamer" bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars.

Rock and roll

Classic album. I can't say I enjoyed every single song, overall it was a great listen. The guitar riffs in my opinion really make this album great, they blew me away. Especially the guitar solo on Eruption.... that was insane in the best way. 4/5 stars.

Top to bottom amazing album. Underrated sleepers are "I'm the One" and "Ice Cream Man."

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.

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

Estuve cerca cerca cerca de ponerle nada más 4 estrellas a este disco, pero no veo la razón. Creo que es un parteaguas en la historia del Rock. No es que Eddie Van Halen sea el primer guitarrista en hacer solos, ni el más rápido o el más estridente, pero sin duda a partir de que él empezó a tocar así en 1978 se sentó el precedente de lo que la guitarra líder sería en el Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Glam, etc. usando técnicas como los armónicos, el tapping y encadenado de efectos que más de 40 años después siguen siendo sinónimo de Rock. Pienso también que el disco tiene un gran balance de estilos entre las distintas canciones: desde un cover a los Kinks y el de Ice Cream Man hasta el momento solista de Eruption, todo empaquetado en 35 minutos que se van como agua.

Puro hard rock.

\m/

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.

Oh god just more pure classic rock, just too much to handle. I imagine one of these songs on there own I could get on board with, but in one hit is a bit much

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.

A bit of fun, bit over the top - maybe more of it's time

A bit too fiddly for a day to day listen but undeniable classics.

Lots of fun

I’m way past the point in my life where I’m all of a sudden going to get into Van Halen. I also feel like I’ve heard their songs so much just by being alive that I can’t really form an objective opinion on them. Of course Eddie Van Halen is an incredible guitar player. Of course David Lee Roth is ridiculous. Of course these songs are a lot of fun.

I never really liked Van Halen, I never saw them live and I never bought any of their records... except this one. Which is terrific. I soon tired of Eddie Van Halen's "new" fingering technique that earned him guitar god status, but I have never tired of the fine songs on this record. This is a secret I have kept from all of my friends for over 40 years, but there it is. Jamie's Cryin, Running With the Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love and Little Dreamer are all first class melodies. The guitar playing does sound dated in 2021, and David Lee Roth has always been a first class assaholic, but the songs still stand up.

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.

Such cliched lyrics, such over-the-top guitar playing, and that voice I so despise - actually more the singer than the voice. I really don’t like them but I would have been very surprised if these anthems didn’t make it onto the 1001 list.

August 25, 2021 This album just does not stop. So good.

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

Mostly what's novel are the guitar solos, much of the vocals import a lot from other older music at the time and the musicality that accompanies those vocals doesn't do much to stand out save for a few tracks.

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... 😆

Not his best album but still great

oh baby, that makes me feel old

I really wanted to give this album 5 stars; it's that good. However, it's just a tiny-bit too campy to get a full 5 stars. The guitar riffs are amazing, and Eruption is my favorite guitar solo of all time. This is a solid debut album. 4.5/5.

Classic rock is classic. But Eddie is fucking in heaven!

Very few albums mix clear virtuosic playing and fun silly jams as well as Van Halen does on their debut.

Like KISS, but fun-filled, more raw, and with less schmutz. Everything is done right here.

Loved it. Ends very abrupltly though.

-It is literally Van Halen by Van Halen -"Runnin' with the Devil," "Eruption," "You Really Got Me," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Jamie's Cryin'," "Atomic Punk," and "Ice Cream Man" are all bangers

Tasty riffs. Catchy tunes. Juvenile lyrics.

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

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

"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.

What an effort, the conversation between rock music old and new on this is so good. They also balance technicality and fun like no other band

Cultura general ya que es un disco bastante vendido a nivel mundial.. Esta entretenido. No me atrapo del todo.

Solid, energetic album. Pure rock sound and lots of fun.

Meh

faves: little dreamer, feel your love tonight

Just look at some of the SONGS on this. Runnin' with the Devil, Eruption, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Jamie's Cryin'...come on. Easy, easy 5.

Very interesting

Eerste album van Van Halen. Klassieke rock met een aantal zeer sterke hits

Great album. spectacular guitar work

Classic rock but cooler Damn I love that fingering technique So does my girlfriend

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.

Fantastic rock. Some really great riffs and outstanding guitar from Eddie.

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

While I am not the biggest classic rock n' roll guy there is no denying the absolute powerhouse that this album is. Still widely considered one of the greatest rock debut albums ever, and well, for good reason. There is a reason why half the album gets played on classic rock radio. The guitar tones and techniques have inspired and continue to inspire generations after. And when it comes down to it, the pure energy of the songs coupled with the talent on display make for nothing short of a classic you gotta respect. Might not be what I ever search out to listen to, but there is no denying its impact and the pure enjoyment most of these songs bring.

Whats to say? Perfect debut album

Some good songs, al lot of mediocre ones, 3 stars for the fabulous guitarplay

Classic. This record was so great to me as a teenager. Nobody played guitar like Eddie Van Halen. It holds up pretty well, I haven’t listened in a while, but I still love it, even though I hardly listen to VH anymore.

AMAZING cover art, i need that energy in the music. its their debut and its 35 min long, sweet. yup i'm going to like this. okay im not crazy about his voice but it could work. well its done, a bit of an abrupt ending?? i did like it though overall. lyrics are very basic stuff but its okay, only song i didnt care about is ice cream man.

pretty nice! i like

absolutely not!!

Not a huge fan of it due to the genre of the album is Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Plus, the beats of each song sound exactly the same to me due to the over usage of a guitar. Overall, I only liked 2 songs from the album but barely at that.

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.

Really tried to understand it. The covers were great tho

Nice.

Here's what I wrote for the previous VH album that came up on this list: Dang, I love these guys. One of the most fun, energetic, innovative pop/rock/metal-esque (kind of sort of, at times) bands I've heard. It's hard to pen any praise of EVH because anything I have to say feels too, I don't know, pedestrian and trite. I'm a bumbling beginner guitarist who high-fives himself when I remember how to play a major scale properly or plays through a medium-tempo 4-chord song with only a few slips, then I put on any song with EVH on guitar and I feel like I've been transported to another semi-comprehensible dimension inhabited by some form of demigods and demigoddesses whose very beings are entangled completely with the Music of the Spheres. And, honestly, sure, there are countless amazing guitarists in all eras, but it's Eddie's genuine joy he shares when playing that is the most infectious aspect of his musicianship to me. Play on, Eddie -- I know you always will! This album was the second Van Halen record I owned. I was introduced to them via VH II. Such an unforgettable band.

Classic hard rock sound

A fine album, just not to my taste.

Already listened. Classic rock album, not my complete cup of tea but some excellent little jams on this.

Very cliché but not bad.

An amazing debut from one of the best bands that basically created the whole genre of hair metal and thusly hundreds of rip offs. Every solo here shreds and all the songs can stand tall on their own.

Good album

Among revolutionary rock albums, Van Halen's debut often gets short shrift. But make no mistake, Van Halen is as monumental, as seismic as those records, but part of the reason it's never given the same due is that there's no pretension, nothing self-conscious about it. In the best sense, it is an artless record, in the sense that it doesn't seem contrived, but it's also a great work of art because it's an effortless, guileless expression of what the band is all about, and what it would continue to be over the years.

Didn't rate this at all

They could just retitle the album The Best of Van Halen

Had no idea I liked Van Halen. This album slays. A I didn't realize this was their first album. This is a hell of a break out album. - LukeDogg

Most enjoyable

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

Boring

Not my cup o tea

While the band had yet to peak, their debut perfectly captures everything Val Halen are about. It’s not contrived or pretentious it’s just a lot of fun. Van Halen really sounded unlike anything that came before it, and while it might be a bit more hit and miss than say 1984 is still an incredible rock album. Runnin with the Devil and Ain’t talkin bout Love are as good as anything the band produced and there probably wasnt an aspiring young guitarist alive that wouldn’t have sold their soul to be able to play Eruption.

Mejor de lo esperado - me quedo con las partes instrumentales y con Eruption

Still fun but not as good as 1984, bit too old school rock n roll for my taste.

Garbage - band and songs sound like they have just been stuck onto some guitar licks - says it all when the best song is a kinks cover

Great album and fun listen

Kinda fun, some classic tunes. Could get into it if I'm in a certain mood

Not really my cup of tea 🍵

Awesome. 4.3 R. I. P. EVH - 2020

their best album and one of my favorite hard rock albums of all time.

Good fun but a bit samey throughout

Vreemd hoe je soms een groep denkt te kennen, maar het album u dan toch volledig verrast

Magnifiek gitaarwerk, glamrock op z'n best

it feels so old and tired. or maybe that's me. i genuinely wonder what kind of people still like this music. even the aging-loser-who-peaked-in-the-80s stereotype feels dated.

Face melters and screaming spandex. BT: Running With The Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Jamie's Cryin'

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

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!

Mja, Van Halen zal voor mij altijd die gast van de Beat It solo zijn. Openingsnummer is bekend, maar verder sprak het me niet zo aan.

Hmja, paar aardige tracks die nog wel een beetje een scherp randje hebben, maar het verzandde toch best snel in wat pathetisch big-hair-loud-guitar-solo geneuzel.

Goh, ik wist niet dat 'Ain't talking about...' eigenlijk van Van Halen was.

C’mon now. This is solid gold.

4+. Not my style but about as good of a hard rock album as I can imagine

I'm not sure I liked it as much as some other 4s, but as far as hard rock goes it was great. Would definitely relisten in certain contexts

2 Van Halen albums in 3 days. Wow. Their first, and in my opinion less like-able. A couple of tracks were not bad but this isn't for me. If you must make this sort of mindless no depth music at least make it catchy, fun and have some hooks. Thats missing here. Sounds like a parody of everything they think a rock band should be. 2/5

Pretty enjoyable, with a couple of songs with some good nostalgia. And of course I can't be too critical of my namesake

2. Would have been 3 if they had the vocals only tracks

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

Yeah definitely haven't heard this before.

Guys, it's the first Van Halen album.

Very nice memories

Just good rock.

this is a rock music

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

Short and sweet. Good vocal harmonies, interesting style change ups and of course that Van Halen Guitar

Great stuff

If you take away Eddie, the songs quickly become average. But as it is, it’s still one of the great rock albums.

AMAZING ALBUM. ALREADY LOVE IT

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

I'm not gonna lie... hairband music triggers me 8 out of 10 times. Its not them its me, people love this band. But I really don't like it. I am not into the theatricality of it, the hair, the makeup, the "glamor", the tight pants, and the moderate tempo with a giant splashy snare. I acknowledge this is a band that changed Rock, and are talented musicians... just not in a way I vibe with. Shout out to eruption's guitar solo, it sure sounds like it was hard to do, and its sure hard not press fast forward. I think most of all its the lack of groove, this music never gets my body moving. glam out of 5

great rock tunes. Val Halen crushed this record

amazing album. one of the best guitarist of all time

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.

Three kind of lack luster albums in a row this week. Dated. Not terrible, but this kind of sounds like a parody of a big flashy guitar album at this point. It is impressive how almost every song is familiar... but it is most certainly not timeless like some other 70s albums we've listened to. 1.5

good album. all songs rocked

Bängeri Jag vet inte egentligen varför alla bara lyssnar på Panama eller Jump, här fanns så många rockbängerin som jag aldrig har hört

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

Ah sure Jump isn't on this album :( Pretty quintessential example of 80s hard rock. Not exactly my style, the guitar solos are really long and boring. But still it's a fun album. Downrated for the dodgy rapey lyrics: "We're gettin' funny in the back of my car I'm sorry honey, if I took it just you little too far, yes"

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

Great guitar solos and a bundle of classics 4.2

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

His voice is annoying as fuck and the guitar can be a bit masturbatory but you can’t deny this was a huge album. Full of hits and influence.

Not objectionable, but I don't love the showy guitar glam rock they do so well.

Classic 80s glam rock. Still awesome

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

Classic. Probably the best Van Halen record.

Great classic rock!

Obviously not

Better than Van Halen's 1984, with fewer singles, but ultimately just didn't hold my attention as I was listening. I don't think I'll find much occasion to come back to Van Halen in general since I don't have the nostalgia for it.

I'm listening to the first album from Van Halen released in February of 1978. First off, I'm not sure Eddie's guitar genius fits in with a tired morning sitting in a fluorescent cube. Beyond that, it makes me start thinking about being young and driving around with my brother and his friends. I was too young to enjoy this at the time. But Van Halen was always mixed in with the music we listened to on cassette. The alchemy here is pretty stunning and fully formed on their debut. I know Eddie died in 2020, so it's bittersweet to hear his work so early in his career. I remember a former manager for the group said Eddie was dumb as a rock and they always purposely tried to keep Eddie from talking too much in interviews. I think it was understood though that Eddie and his guitar did all the talking, and changed popular music and what hard rock sounded like. I'm not sure how this album might fit into my current life. Perhaps when we need to some upbeat music to clean the house, or some other chore. It's like a freight train. And the best part of listening to these albums is hearing their hits within the context of their original album. The back half, or side 2 of the album, is full of the sort of rocking songs I would expect. With these songs literally pulled out of the air, and never had existed before, I get why this album was so big for guitar rock. I can't imagine listening to this on a regular basis, but I'm enjoy it today.

I don't usually go for this sort of thing but I think it works really well. It's fun rock n roll. And Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing is ridiculous. Ice Cream Man is dumb though. I listened to it a bunch of times and it ended up growing on me. I kept wanting to hear it again. Surprised even myself.

Did not dislike as much as I thought I would. Now I'm not sure if Van Halen or The Kinks version of "You Really Got Me" is the one I've heard over the years. Can't deny the legacy and technical prowess of the guitar playing, but beyond a fun novelty every once and awhile doesn't do much for me.

Started really strong and ended just fine. 3 heavy hitters at the beginning were a slight shock as I didn't expect they were from Van Halen's debut album.

Not terrible, but not really my jam.

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

Révolutionnaire en terme de son à son époque.

Probably the best Van Halen album. The first side of it, for glam metal, is probably as good as it gets but that’s not saying much. I think the guitar playing is obviously stellar but the singing isn’t really my thing. Favorite song: You Really Got Me Least favorite song: Ice Cream Man

I enjoyed the album. Not too long and all the songs had really happy undertones... changed my perception of Van Halen

3.5

Nooooooooooooooooo

One of the best hard rock a-side openings? Excellent music for cleaning and not too long either

More like David Lee rocks, amiright?

Didn't realize this was a debut album. Iconic 80s rock album.

Classic record

A fun album with some fantastic guitar work. That said, there are a few too many fillers to warrant anything about a 3.

Still a banger

This is just a solid fucking rock album. So much energy, lots of raw power in the songs. 4/5

Ein sehr bekannter Name und hält was er verspricht. Coole Riffs und gute Melodien! Werde ich noch einmal hören und ich bin gespannt, was die anderen Platten hergeben. Gleichzeitig hat mich schon lange kein Album so enttäuscht. „Eruption“ schürt so große Erwartungen. „Ain‘t Talkin 'Bout Love“ macht in der ersten halben Minute richtig Stimmung, nur um im Rest des Liedes nicht weiter drauf einzugehen und es lediglich mit daran erinnernden Schnipseln vor den Ohren baumeln zu lassen. In dann diese ewigen Strophen, die mit Gesang dominiert werden. Wer will denn das hören? Ein deutliches Gefühl von ungenutztem Potential. Ich hoffe in späteren Alben ist Van Halen etwas dominanter im Auftritt. Die Reaktion der Fans hat ihn doch sicherlich darin bestätigt. Dabei ist der Rest der Band keinesfalls schlecht. Bisschen mehr Altruismus, bitte.

Stunning. Brilliant. Obviously.

Decent, little disappointing though because if it wasn't for the guitar play, this would be a 3 star album

I was expecting to this be super cheesy, but it's incredibly catchy.

More fun than I expected

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

Tempofyldt, vild elguitar, hard rock

Fun, lots of energy

RIP to one of the GOATs

Great album filled with hard-hitting rock songs with some classics thrown in, this album is also not too short so you should give it a listen one day

Come on.

The length should have tipped me off, but I was expecting more filler. It's a solid rock album, with hooks on both sides that have survived decades. The whole band seems to be moving toward the same goal, which makes it a bit hard to understand why Van Halen was so important for guitars. Guitar music, sure, but no playing strikes me as superlative.

Absolutely classic, just not the biggest Van Halen fan. The bass is too simple and David Lee Roth is too screechy of a singer for me.

I didn't know Van Halen sang all these other songs... rip Eddie :( what a great rock dude

Ugh, horrific pedestrian plodding enlivened with what are now rather hackneyed guitar solos. Of its time. Not one to tolerate now.