Reviews (page 9 of 15)
Really good. To be alive when this came out would have been sick
Would listen again if the mood struck. Not sure what that mood would be.
I found myself really enjoying this one to be honest and I didn’t think I was so that’s cool. 4/5
The album that saved rock and roll! This was a birthday gift for my 15th birthday and I've been a fan ever since.
I forget how good these guys are.
Up there with Boston as one of the best debut in regards to its sound. It’s tight, and flashy. Perfect for arenas and gets down to business right out of the gate. 4
4 Ohhhh Van Halen. Sure, they’re cock rock, but I have to admit they really do have a number of great tunes, and a lot of them are on this album. In fact, I might go as far to say that this is their best album, so it always kinda puzzled me why my dad never owned this one on CD but had everything else, including Van Hagar stuff (I was going to mention here he would probably say like Fair Warning or something is a better album than this one, but after a phone call I changed my mind). But come on, this is everything that makes Van Halen iconic. You can feel David Lee Roth’s energy all over, to the point where you can practically visualize him doing that jump splits thing numerous times throughout listening. To me, that alone cements him as one of the best rock frontmen in history and why Sammy Hagar could never compare. And of course you have to talk about Eddie’s guitar playing - I don’t think many musicians could put out just a guitar solo as a standalone track on an album and have it be as iconic and as successful as Eruption. It complements the album so well it almost feels weird to not have it segue into You Really Got Me, which, as a Kinks fan myself, I have to admit is better than the original. Runnin’ with the Devil is also an all-time great opener, and I can never not visualize the opening shot of Freak and Geeks when listening, when the song cues as it pans to the burnouts smoking under the bleachers. Between the iconic guitar riffs, harmonies, solos, and David’s shrieking, I would probably go as far to say it’s the band’s best song. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love is of course iconic as well, though I always thought the line “You’re semi-good looking” line is kind of funny with how brutally specific it is. Finally, I’ll give a shoutout to Ice Cream Man - though a tad silly, it’s one of the band’s most underrated tunes. Great debut, great album, and great production - the guitar tone on this album is insane. While Van Halen isn’t an artist I typically seek out, when they do find their way to my Spotify, it’s always a good time.
Love
Wield the axe. Smell the spandex.
Unexpected middle part!
I already knew some of the songs, I just didn't know it's them hahaha.
ooo the first track is a bit rad. ahhh nice. Some famous tracks that I recognize far more than I expected. Okay there is actually some cool stuff here and some decent diversity. It's not exactly my style but doesn't overcrowd too much. its a solid 3.6/5
Ok, liked the guitars
Cali fun times! The template for every 80's poodle rocker
Great rock album. Really a classic of its genre.
A classic from my childhood.
4.5
4 Classic, good listening
Hell yeah. Iconic guitar record. Eddie’s shredding is obviously the highlight but he’s also an underrated rhythm player.
This is such a great record. The songs are so fun and obviously the guitar is incredible. This album is the definition of rock n roll.
4*
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I’d never heard a full Van Halen album and I liked what I heard
Like most hair metal, it's mostly just soft, fluffy rock with a few shreds thrown in for form's sake. But it sure is fun. I wanted to give it a lower score based on the sheer cheese factor but... but it's just fun, isn't it?
Iconic! This album has a lot of classics on it. Definitely cemented Van Galen’s sound. A couple meh tracks on here keep it from being incredible, but Eruption is almost enough to warrant a 5/5 on its own.
This is not my favourite van halen album, although eruption holds a special place in my heart. The guitars sound so Van Halen it sometimes starts to sound a bit like a parody. I love it
Tight, clean, energetic. Nice album :)
No weak tracks on it. It is a legendary near-flawless ode to rock heaven. "Nobody rules these streets at night but me!" Eddie Van Halen comes in strong on this initial album and showed us who the god of rock was. Technical talents-- near classical music level-- had never been applied to heavy rock before this. We had never heard this level of control and peacocking despite earlier heavy bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Molly Hatchet. Overwhelmingly, the VH sound was positive, but with a ton of hot dogging and sexual innuendo, and probable misogyny. I remember parents hated it and it was controversial. The boomers could not hang with VH. We had this album on vinyl, and I know I had it on tape later. It was an absolute staple. As a boy, 'Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love' was a top favorite, particularly for the "I've been to the edge..." segue. Still love it. Alex Van Halen was also a technical master and this is suddenly evident on 'Show Your Love'. Imagine, the very first album arrives and Alex and Eddie are rocking this hard this consistently on nearly every track. As for the elephant in the room, David Lee Roth is awesome. His funny light-hearted stage strutting in tights will never be forgotten. His voice was powerful and very California and like nothing we had ever heard. He was in it for fun and it showed and it made hard rock fun for us too!
Van Halen is synonymous with the hard rock sound of the 1980s. But their self-titled debut preceded that decade by two years, I have now discovered, and thus listening to and learning about this album has helped me to realize just how instrumental Van Halen was at shaping that aforementioned sound. The hard rock/heavy metal-lite/hair metal of the 80s is a guilty pleasure for many, myself included. But for early DLR Van Halen, it has come to my attention that it should be moved to the pleasure (guilt-free) category.
New turntable in older brother's basement bedroom is one's own personal creation myth for this record, which sounded just huge and powerful then. Seemed impressive that the four dudes on the cover could generate such undeniable energy and work so tightly and loudly. It still sounds big and breakthrough-ish today, even though that quality is both a feature and bug. On the one hand, Van Halen was always clear about who it was and showed real commitment to having a big time; they were not only in synch with, but the actual full manifestation of, a shameless sort of late '70s rock and roll ethos that wanted mainly to say fuck you to disco and Laurel Canyon and anything remotely soft, as well as to promote the virtues of rock's screaming and squalling over punk's sneering and slashing. On the other hand, the insistence on that very bigness (e.g., going big/HUGE on every single hook and lick) does prove a bit exhausting in the end (which is why "Ice Cream Man" at first makes for a welcome respite, before succumbing to yet more expansive and lurid shredding, and thus ultimately sounds better than it actually is). The band's mode and antics also forced one to choose, definitively bifurcating VH and new wave fans. Leaving the music aside, one always preferred the company of the latter group, for their understatement and aesthetic considerations, and considered the brashness and volume (not to mention bad haircuts and bad fashion) of the former to be a major strike against embracing VH musically, of declaring oneself a fan. They were never going to be more than a guilty and secret pleasure, a band one loved to profess hating more than one actually did (despite the 8th-grade reckoning of the debut). On the plus side, there's a likable crispness to the sound and of course no doubting Eddie's otherworldly chops (though one finds them unnecessarily showoffy). DLR was the perfect front man for this lot, unapologetically buffoonish though he was (and largely remains), and pretty effective (certainly not great) as a vocalist. Speaking of, one'd forgotten the many vocal harmonies, though they tend toward barbershop-quartet-y in a few places (rather off-brand those flourishes seem). "Jamie's Crying" is the ideal response to "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." They took an all-time hook, "You Really Got Me" and blew it out, taking a more-is-more approach that stopped just short of being too much and exceeds the original. The same could be said of "Eruption," fine, but, again masturbatory and showoffy, but thankfully brief. This type of restraint that would've served them well in the future (say by disbanding with some dignity intact rather than reforming with Sammy Hagar, for fuck's sake). "Running with the Devil" is an all-time opener, what with the thumping, booming bass. "Aint Talking About Love," "Feel Your Love" and "Little Dreamer" all have their merits. VH did what they did as well as anyone at the time, but one felt about them in 8th grade as one felt about Kiss in 6th grade and their musical development didn't much keep up with one's own. This list is right to include their debut and one has enjoyed reconsidering them but they were rightly a guilty pleasure then and remain roughly the middle-age equivalent now; one still loves to point out their gaudiness and silliness, and not entirely out of envy for the freedom (and perhaps even courage) they must have felt to be so insistently brash and loud and unapologetic. It's safe to say no one cares anymore which isn't hugely different than where this band ended up.
A cracker! Iconic solos from EVH.
Twee keer hetzelfde hahah
Running With the Devil - Easy 5/5 Eruption - A fun guitar solo 5/5 You Really Got Me - 5/5 Classic Cover Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - 5/5 Nice song I'm The One - 4/5 Not bad Jamie's Cryin' - 5/5 Love the Chorus Atomic Punk - 3/5 Eh not my favorite Feel Your Love Tonight - 4/5 Pretty Good Little Dreamer - 4/5 Not bad Ice Cream Man - 3/5 Decent On Fire - 3/5 Ok Overall, 4/5. Some hits, some decent songs, and some semi-duds.
Quite good
I never realised that all the Van Halen songs I liked are all from one album. And their debut nonetheless. If your 4 opening songs on your debut album are the classic rocking 'Running With The Devil,' guitar virtuous 'Eruption,' super cover 'You Really Got Me' and one of the best riffs of all time 'Ain't Talking About Love,' than how can this be any less than 4*?
This is probably a watershed album, taking all that came before with 70s metal and glam and combining it with amazing technical skill, yet focusing on a "front man" rather than a singer. Stunned at how many of their classics came from this album, and it's all over in 30 minutes too.
Wonderfully stupid.
Hard rock classic, definitely a beautiful record.
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.
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
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.
eventhough its released in 78 it feels like one of the core 80s rock albums, eruption is even more impressive in live versions
Sounds like my childhood in the 80's!
It's good. I do think it deserves a bit more than a 3
Classic hair-metal album with some fantastic tunes.
Very cool
Listen to while driving a military vehicle
Very much enjoyed this
Listened before: No Listens: No Enjoyed: Yes
Van Halen rules
Fun album
Total cheeseball nonsense but it’s short and it slaps
This is classic rock and is good if nothing amazing
Classic. 4/5
Starts off strong, not amazing at the end. Great guitar solos in second song.
not bad!
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.
Didn't hate it as much as other American Hair Rock.
"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
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.
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.
surprisingly good, my favourite track was 'Ice Cream Man"
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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
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.
this album fucking rules
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.
Good stuff
Didn't really want to like it but it's pretty good.
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.
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
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
Cock rock at its finest!
Listened for the first time earlier this year and it was a 3. With that added familiarity, this time was a 4.
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
It's a classic, innit? Not all the tracks hold up but the guitars are still blindingly good.
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.)
Rock and roll, baybeeee.
I mean, it's Van Halen--just good, solid rock
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.
Pretty damn fire. Might be peak hair metal (not saying much) 🤷
this album is ICONIC
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
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!
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.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: You really got me, Aint talking about love, Jamie’s crying
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.
Dit is natuurlijk goud, zo lekker klassieke sound. Blijft goed :)
I prefer their later work.
Maybe hair metal wasn’t a mistake
Many familiar tunes. Up beat, easy going rock.
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.
Hair metal's not really my thing, but what a classic guitar record.
Fairly archetypical rock for the time, still holds up today
Great Band ! Like this music very much
Þetta var góð skemmtun. Eiginlega stórskrýtið að maður hafi aldrei hlustað almennilega á þetta skemmtilega rokk.
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
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.
Classic. How could anyone not like this?
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
8/10
A lot richer (musically) than they are often derided as being. Rock on brother
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
This was *quite* good.
Jump!
Simply fantastic. No wonder no one wanted to rival them. (8/10) FT: I'm the One, Ice Cream Man, Eruption
Really a good debut album for the band. The songs are good but there is no flow for the album as a whole.
Oh shit this is good!
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).
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
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.
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.
Puro hard rock.
\m/
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.
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.
Very few albums mix clear virtuosic playing and fun silly jams as well as Van Halen does on their debut.
Loved it. Ends very abrupltly though.
Solid, energetic album. Pure rock sound and lots of fun.
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
Fantastic rock. Some really great riffs and outstanding guitar from Eddie.
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.
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
Nice.
Classic hard rock sound
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.
They could just retitle the album The Best of Van Halen
Most enjoyable
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
Great album and fun listen
Awesome. 4.3 R. I. P. EVH - 2020
their best album and one of my favorite hard rock albums of all time.
Face melters and screaming spandex. BT: Running With The Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Jamie's Cryin'
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
Pretty enjoyable, with a couple of songs with some good nostalgia. And of course I can't be too critical of my namesake
Very nice memories
Just good rock.
Short and sweet. Good vocal harmonies, interesting style change ups and of course that Van Halen Guitar
If you take away Eddie, the songs quickly become average. But as it is, it’s still one of the great rock albums.
great rock tunes. Val Halen crushed this record
amazing album. one of the best guitarist of all time
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
Great guitar solos and a bundle of classics 4.2
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.
Classic. Probably the best Van Halen record.
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.
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.
Révolutionnaire en terme de son à son époque.
I enjoyed the album. Not too long and all the songs had really happy undertones... changed my perception of Van Halen
One of the best hard rock a-side openings? Excellent music for cleaning and not too long either
Didn't realize this was a debut album. Iconic 80s rock album.
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.
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.
Fun, lots of energy
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
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.
Too aggressive, I like chiller rock
running with the devil - такий розігрів eruption - соло прикольне you really got me - я знала цю пісню aint talking bout love - вайби 80х im the one - куди вони біжать jamie's crying - бахнулась в голову atomic punk - чому я згадую the smiths? feel your love tonight - добра пісня little dreamer - добра теж ice cream men - хехе така пісня сусі, блюзова, як писали кавер на John Brim on fire - кежуал пісня на фіалку
mto bom album, porem não é tanto do meu gosto. nao salvei nenhuma na playlist
El padre de airbag jajaj. Solido disco pero nada del otro mundo. 3,25/5.
🙂 never been a Van Halen fan…DLR, is cool as fuck, though 😎
Repeat listen
It was cool, but I've never been a fan. 3.5
Great
Guitar panned left is annoying
I'm not really into this kind of macho spandex rock anymore but it's not really that bad. somewhere between 2 or 3 stars. If you give me a beer I'll make it three.
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t expecting to like Van Halen that much. Hard rock isn’t really my favourite genre, and I was pretty reluctant to give this album a proper chance at first. But sometimes an album just catches you off guard, and that’s exactly what happened here. What immediately stands out is how much energy this record has. It’s loud, confident and incredibly fun without feeling like it’s trying too hard. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing is obviously a huge part of that. Even if you’re not particularly into guitar-heavy music, it’s hard not to appreciate how creative and exciting his playing sounds, especially on tracks like “Eruption” and “I’m the One.” There’s a real sense that the band is having a great time playing these songs. David Lee Roth’s vocals and personality also give the album a lot of character. His style can be a bit much depending on your taste, but here it fits the music perfectly. The whole album has this carefree, almost reckless feeling that makes it surprisingly easy to get into. I think what impressed me most is that the album managed to win me over despite not being my usual kind of music. It doesn’t feel like a record you have to study or force yourself to appreciate. You just put it on and, before you know it, you’re nodding along. For a debut album from 1978, Van Halen still feels remarkably alive. It’s energetic, catchy, technically impressive and, most importantly, a lot of fun. I went into it with low expectations and quite a bit of hesitation, and ended up understanding why this album has such a strong reputation. Definitely not the genre I usually reach for, but this one was a very pleasant surprise.
I’m really not a fan of Van Halen. Overrated imo. This is just average. 3/5 Guitar is good but vocals always annoyed me
I didn’t give this enough time to go above a 3 but the bits I listened to were very well done and I think I will come back to this
Ovi rock bendovi kraj 70-ih/početak 80-ih su kod mene do ove liste bili nepravedno ocijenjeni, svi su sasvim ok i jedina im je greška što su prevaziđeni vremenom a nisu uopšte loši kao što su meni djelovali.
Great debut including re-invention of electric guitar
꽤 신나는 느낌이었지만 엄청 좋다는 느낌은 없었다. 전체적으로 평범했다. It felt quite exciting, but it didn't strike me as amazing. Overall, it was just average.
Van Halen is today’s listen, and I must admit I was really surprised by this album. I went into it expecting fairly generic late 70s dad rock, but what I actually got was loads of variety, great songs and some absolutely superb musicianship. Obviously, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing is the star of the show. It’s aggressive, inventive and ridiculously good throughout, but the album isn’t just an excuse for endless guitar solos. There are proper songs underneath it all, with great riffs, catchy melodies and David Lee Roth’s powerful, slightly dirty vocals giving the band loads of personality. I was also surprised by how much variation there is. “Ice Cream Man”, for example, starts off sounding nothing like the Van Halen I was expecting before exploding into something completely different. Their cover of “You Really Got Me” was another great surprise. It takes an already brilliant Kinks song and completely makes it their own. Then you have tracks like “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” and “Jamie’s Cryin’”. There are so many recognisable songs here that it almost feels like a greatest hits album rather than a debut. I expected this to be exactly the sort of rock album I normally struggle with, but I was completely wrong. It’s loud and full of swagger, but there’s also melody, variety and some fantastic songwriting. A superb album and a very welcome surprise. Favourite tracks: “I’m the One” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love”. Honourable mention to their brilliant cover of “You Really Got Me”. I really wasn’t expecting that! Least favourite tracks: Nothing. Everything on the album was superb and worth a listen. Album artwork: Great album cover. Simple, energetic and perfectly captures the band.Van Halen is today’s listen, and I must admit I was really surprised by this album. I went into it expecting fairly generic late 70s dad rock, but what I actually got was loads of variety, great songs and some absolutely superb musicianship.
3,5
3.5. Great riffs and choruses.
3.5 There were some songs i loved but in total? Somewhat underwhelming
Good
Van Halen can obviously 'play,' & I'm sure he can 'play' better than a good handful of other pluckers out there, but it's also a truism that 'impressive' music often doesn't impress much of anything. Like, I know that V. Halen changed how people approach rock guitar, but guess what, Van Morrison changed how I approach my life, & that's more important to me. For what it's worth, I like the energy of this record, & I like that the songs are short, but there's a vapidity here that has me tuning out as soon as I tune in, as well as a formulaic, generic quality that simply doesn't do much for me. I said 'vapidity,' which is different from superficiality: I'll take empty calories, not negative calories. Better than I expected, but ZZ Top is my bar band.
Essential arena rock. Not really my thing, but a lot of these tracks are great, and Eddie just shreds. 3.5.
David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen are over the top, which sometimes is great, but sometimes annoying. Still: ginormous riffs, manic energy, monster fun, and huge hook hard rock that reeks of SoCal 70s. When it's good it's good.
Pre Listen: Yeah, I know Van Halen, they're the guys who did "Jump". I like the song well enough, it alright. Mid expectations, however. Notable Tracks: Eruption/You Really Got Me - I had no idea this was Van Halen, I always thought this was by some punk/alt rock band from the 90's. The guitar solo as part of 'Eruption' is my favorite part of this whole album, it's electric. That said, I must've only heard the Radio edits of 'You Really Got Me' cause the rather "Passionate" noises towards the end of the song ruin it all for me. Atomic Punk - Least favorite track. I didn't know you could make a guitar sound like it's brushing its teeth. The lyrics and vocals are really what sucks here though. I'm staying off bro's streets if it means I don't have to hear him yap. Post Listen: They just about met my expectations, if a little bit more mid than expected. I get the same feelings listening to back-to-back Van Halen songs as I did from listening to Boston (1976). Its rock done with professionalism and gusto, but it just lacks that special something that would make it memorable to me. That said, the guitarist was making his instrument wail in ways I've never really heard before, which was incredibly impressive at times, and is certainly noteworthy. The lyrics are middling throughout, and all the songs don't really stick out from one another, sound wise. I've never met a big Van Halen fan in my life, despite their popularity. 3/5
🇳🇱
van halen
I wanted to be able to give this a better score than their other album in the 1001. I think this is better than 1984, and in its time it was certainly more innovative. But it hasn’t dated that well and while I am perfect capable of enjoying it as what it is, largely fun, crass, stoopid, r&r cliché, I can’t take it too seriously. It may have invented many of those clichés, but that was almost 50 years ago and I’m reviewing it now. 3.5 but I’m not feeling I can justify a 4.
The highs are high but it was mostly just fine. Some of it was much bluesier than expected, especially Ice Cream Man. Best song: Runnin’ with the Devil. Worst song: Jamie’s Crying.
они молодцы и милые но это не моя музыка
O sea entiendo por qué van halen es van halen pero no es mi paladar
Eh plutôt bien. Exceptionnnel Guitare, le reste j'accroche moins
Nice hard rock and roll.
Great guitar skills but the music is quite slow and boring. 3/5
‘Yeah baby’
Perfect riff forward classic rock, big vocals, if you don't take it too seriously it's brilliant. Could crush a bunch of beers and listen to this all day long.
It was good stuff but it felt too messy
3/5 Good album.
Fairly OK one.
Live commentary from an elder millennial lady who mostly knows Van Halen for "Jump": - Oh, Runnin with the Devil? I know this one! - Damn, how is "Eruption" physically possible? - They covered "You Really Got Me?" - I really don't want to like dude rock hair metal, but is this going on my album of the summer list? - I should call my dad today. Anyway, I had a great time.
Actually pretty fun. Honestly I thought I was too good for Van Halen. Guess not.
Kevin: eh Jamie: liked the first half more, childhood memories of Jamie's Cryin soured me on that one
xxx
Okayyy,
Has this aged well? No - probably not. But without it, we wouldn't have so much...
De sange jeg kendte var gode, resten var ok. Kan godt høre igen I ny og næ
Pretty cool
The album has a whole is pretty good, but just not it. And that is very much personal taste.
High energy, a bit arrogant, but overall a nice listen. Solo count: 20+?
It's a fun album, but I didn't love any song in particular
We all love Eruption. Ain't Talkin Bout Love is cool. Then there's the rest of the album. It's just meh. It's not the cheese fest that the band would become and inspire, but the songs lack any emotive or melodic spark.
Good stuff, keeping in my back pocket for my next road trip
if this was an EP consisting of the first 5 songs it could've been an easy 5 star, but unfortunately the rest of the album just isn't as good
Pretty good hair metal. 7/10
Eh
I mean it’s good rock, it just didn’t stand out to me from all the other good rock.
This was fun.
In the end it is a pre cursor of the mid 80's pop metal. Yes, great soloing, but not hard or heavy at all.
Good album.
enjoyable enough!
Didn't like it much. The 1 famous song was nice.
Definitely not something I'm too drawn to, and not sure how I feel about some of the things this has influenced. Was entertaining, though!
The birth of cock rock. So much shit music sprang from this, but the ur text is solid lizard brain music and you can't deny Eddie's playing. I won't say I ever particularly WANT to listen to this, but throw a coors banquet in my hand and I won't hate if any of these tunes came on the jukebox.
A classic of hair metal, the massive influence is obvious, though not all of it has aged well.
Een andere Van Halen. Stiekem vind ik hun sound best nice, misschien wat repetitief. Maar ach je kan niet alles hebben. Sommige nummers op deze plaat voelde wel echt anders dan de rest.
Cool pero para un poco con el grito
Guitar solos were overkill sometimes.
Alright Eddie, settle down. We know you can play guitar well, it doesn't make the songs that interesting.
Just a fun album. Great vocals and noodling. Too similar to Spinal Tap and too many covers to warrant a higher rating
Heaps of fun, the production on this album sounded amazing. The drums and guitar just kill. I don’t love the singers voice but the songwriting was catchy and iconic for this era. Solid
I very classic sounding rock album that i really enjoyed! some lyrics made me chuckle as they feel rather cliche but I think that was a staple of the time. Fun listen but not something I would add to my playlist.
Rock.
For something that is not really my thing it's better than I thought
ok
Great debut for Van Halen, maybe that's why Van Halen is what it is. Some songs didn't stick out to me enough, but definitely it's the perfect album to play infront of your friends and be like "yeah I listen to Val Halen", even though I listen to taylor swift when I'm alone.
This is a good album with awesome guitar work, but it isn't quite my style. Worth listening to nonetheless. Favourites: Feel Your Love Tonight On Fire
It’s a fine rock album, but there’s not much I can say that I liked in particular about it.
this aged well
Party time rock n roll album. If you like guitar solos and and howlin' glam vocals this for you. I can appreciate the talent but I am so torn on how to rate this cause it just doesn't get my juices flowing. I would love to have been there to see them live but it doesn't translate on record for me.
The first four tracks are solid gold. Some of the greatest songs of the entire decade, if I'm being honest. How is it that I still get chills from "Eruption" some 15 years after hearing it for the first time and being blown away as a kid? EVH was a mythological figure. The rest of the album? Not so much. Pretty underwhelming and I don't think the experience totally works on the whole. I'll be curious to listen to their other stuff to see how it compares, but the filler is really filler-y and reminds me that this was a debut because of how frontloaded the record is.
There were some flashes of brilliance but it was also a little bit obnoxious. Fun when I am in the right mood, but I need to tap into the 'horny teenager' state of mind to fully enjoy this one. Eddie Van Halen was a really good guitarist though.
Indifferent but cannot deny it
Yes, you’re very, very good at playing the guitar. We’re all very impressed.
this is certainly one way to kick off a Monday morning. Listen, I am not typically a fan of most hair metal bands (I feel like Van Halen counts as a proto-hair metal band because they basically kickstarted the whole genre, or as someone in a reddit comment just said, they 'gave birth to hair metal' lol), but if I *had* to choose one to listen to, it would be Van Halen. This is solidly fine, I feel like I would enjoy it way more on a road trip somewhere versus sitting at my desk staring at a google sheet but alas.
Heard some before; 3.5; This is another really impressive debut album. Along with the Boston and Cars album I just got, this is another album where I didn't realize all the songs I knew were on a single album, let alone a debut. Extremely impressive guitar playing with simple and fun song structures. With that said, not quite as strong as those other albums I mentioned, with some of the songs being not quite as memorable and sounding a little similar. Favorite Track: Runnin' with the Devil
1978. Debut studio album. Contains some of the band's most well-known songs. "Eruption"; written and performed by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time and helped popularize two-handed tapping technique.
first time really hearing Van Halen,beyond my expectation but not really amazing yet breathtaking overall 7/10
less hits than 1984 but still a fun cohesive album, saved 1/11
prima rock
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iha ok ei mun juttu
This rocked! Just a fun party album. Its a shame these guys couldnt just get along because it sounds like when they were it was a good time.
I expected something more
Bowling alley music. I always forget that Van Halen is good. I think it's because I find David Lee Roth so off-putting. He's got the pipes. He also sounds like he's got some kind of vd. But the Van Halen brothers? Yeah, they rock. The album has lots of technical skill and musicianship but no substance. Which is fine, if you like that sort of thing. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. Today, I don't.
Just the right side of 80s kitsch for me
I quietly love Van Halen, mostly for nostalgia reasons. An older kid we used to hang out with would drive us around blaring Van Halen, and its charms are irresistible in that setting. Listening today, I felt like that kid again for a moment, and I loved it. I may prefer the Sammy Hagar over-earnest era to the David Lee Roth everything's-a-joke era, but Eddie's guitar and Alex's perfect-for-the-genre drums are the draw here. Eddie's solos never reach that "expressing something from deep within" like I hear from Hendrix, Prince, and Eddie Hazel, but they are face-meltingly fun. Van Halen albums ranked worst to best: 11. Van Halen 3 10. Diver Down 9. Fair Warning 8. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge 7. Women and Children First 6. Van Halen 2 5. Balance (this album isn't that great, but it meant a lot to me in 1995; I contain multitudes, apparently) 4. OU812 3. Van Halen 2. 1984 1. 5150
Listened