Customer Reviews

Van Halen

5 star:		(146)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I don't really have a favorite VH album. I like most of the songs from all of their albums. But this one is great. 'Runnin' With The Devil' was the first song I learned to play.

To that n00b who just said that VH sucks because they aren't on MTV- MTV is a gay channel. It just plays rap and other gay stuff. Blink 182, Avril Lavigne and w/e else you suggest really, really suck. I mean, they are already forgotten and its only been less than a year since their last albums came out. This album came out in 1978 and people still talk about it- alot. It sold *10 MILLION* copies. Blink and Avril and all of them have a total of around 2 million copies sold- from all of their albums. VH has 13 albums counting their brand new one, each one is a massive hit. So go away and shutup. VH won't be played on a 'newest music' station since their newest music is '98 on VH 3. Actually, they have 3 new songs on BOBW so w/e.

Van Halen has lots of great albums but this just takes the cake. I won't make this a biased opinion.

1.Runnin' With The Devil-Great vocals by a young David Lee Roth screech's and screams thats what it's all about. great opening riff,very catchy.10/10

2.Eruption-I love eruption, reminds me of the Power Rangers theme song.But to get to the review...great instrumental in fact it's in the top 3 greatest guitar solos ever...GOOD JOB EDDIE! 10/10

3.You Really Got Me-Great cover turns up the heat when it comes to the vocals and the guitar...awesome guitar solo. This song will make people who say the, original is always better,think twice.9/10

4.Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love-One of the many hits from this cd. Great and catchy riff and solo. Very addicting song,once again great vocals.9/10

5.I'm The One-Very heavy intro also catchy but lacks the vocal support that David usually gives out luckly Eddie's great guitaring makes it an above average song.7/10

6.Jamie's Cryin'-Love the guitar very raunchy goes very well with the song. personally very underrated song on this album.Great vocals.10/10

7.Atomic Punk-Great use of a phaser by Eddie, lyrically could be better but other than that vocals are wonderful.Personally one of my favs.9/10

8.Feel Your Love Tonight- Here come the lady's this song is very catchy great back-up vocals, good song to use when your girlfriend or wife says no for the 3 time that week. Listen to the song and you'll understand.10/10

9.Little Dreamer-Good song,good lyrics,good guitar,good drums,good bass just...good.8/10

10.Ice Cream Man- One of Eddie's Great Solos starts off alittle folky but makes up for it later on.good vocals.9/10

11.On Fire-Starts of with amazing guitar but is probably my least favorite on this album.Vocals could be better not really catchy...but again amazing guitar.7/10

First of all, those of you getting so upset w/ Avril Lavigne's # 1 fan should realise ...this is a young girl who sits in front of the TV all day being furthur brainwashed by what is so called mainstream. She's not very bright either. When this album came out, it changed guitar rock. You can still hear the influence in Steve Vai and Satriani's playing today! (Finger tapping, whammy dive bombing) ...of course Hendrix had a great deal to do w/ that aswell. Van Halen as it began did not start off mainstream. Commercial radio (equivalent to MTV). Nevertheless they reached stardom w/out the aid of radio. Word of mouth. Once they decided to add synthesizer (Jump-1984), They became Mega-Stars and reached a whole new audience. Yes even MTV had to acknowledge the sheer vast popularity of Van Halen. This is the album that started it all. For those of you looking for a new rock guitar hero, even if it's almost thirty years prior, look no further. The technical ability but especially the ferocious attack in Eddie's playing is difficult to surpass even today!

Eddie Van Halen almost single handedly saved rock fr. disco & schmatzy ballads of the late '70's by using flamenco guitar licks and other innovative techniques within a straight forward rock guitar band. This album is hard to locate on vinyl since it is such a party record, but if you want to settle for a fantastic LP on CD, please do-I bought mine for less than $10 on amazon.

When Gene Simmons spotted Van Halen back in the 1970s, he knew instantly they'd be a hit. With a party-hearty image, an over-the-top vocalist, one of the most energizing and crazy guitarist ever, and a rock solid rhythm section, he knew they'd turn out some solid rock and roll music. So naturally he wanted to sign them up as soon as possible. And that's just what Simmons did.

Turns out Simmons' gut instinct about Van Halen was right on the money. When VAN HALEN was released in 1978, it put these four young men on the musical map, and also rewrote the rules of heavy metal. The ultimate frat-boy band was boosted most by David Lee Roth, who was a genius at being one of the premier frontmen in all of rock. With vocals, squeals, screeches, and an amazing voice, he brought the performance of the band to an adrenaline-driven high, and was an essential part of their early sound. Hunter S. Thompson, with his gonzo-style journalism, became the embodiment of the over-the-top, wildly inventive rock journalist. Just as Thompson changed journalism and became a legend in his own right, Roth likewise took the role of lead singer and revolutionized it. One of the ultimate showmen in rock, Roth was pure genius as becoming a larger-than-life icon to so many rockers.

Of course, the real meat of the Van Halen legacy is, naturally, Eddie Van Halen's guitar. By introducing finger-tapping into the rock scene, Eddie showed what the guitar could really do. With spit-fire solos, that incredible little instrumental they tucked away on this album (Eruption), and some of the most amazing riffs ever to grace a rock and roll record, Eddie stepped into the long vacated shoes of Jimi Hendrix to be one of the most imitated, influential guitarists from the rock era.

Musical virtuosity does not always make for great music, however (browse the Rush canon sometime to see what I mean); fortunately Van Halen had some very strong material prepared for the debut. Many became radio staples, such as "Ain't Talkin' About Love," "Running with the Devil," "You Really Got Me Now," and "Jamie's Crying." The other songs aren't played as heavily on the radio, but nontheless sport some brisk rhythm work and some great, head banging riffs provided by Maestro Eddie.

And while I don't agree on a moral standpoint with some of these songs or the band itself, there's no denying that when they released this record, Van Halen was one of the most exciting bands out there. Decades later, the music found here is invigorating, metallic, amazing, and just essential rock listening. While most of their other records didn't meet this high standard, here the band was spot on. This was also back in the band's history when there wasn't petty interpersonal politics, inflated egos, and Eddie only going by Edward. This was released back when it was about the music. Buy it now.

To the Reviewer who called VAN HALEN a POSER
LOL,LOL,
What kind of loser looks up Van Halen, selects the bands best album and then attempts to compare it to Blink 182 and Good Charlott. (I hope you read this by the way). It is apparent that you Know nothing about Guitar playing or music. Groups like blink 182 play worse guitar solos than I do. They are so musically simple and genaric, their names do not deserve to be uttered in the same sentence as Van Halen who is a guitar God.
By the way Van Halen is no poser it is they who are posers because Van Halen came first. Look at eruption, Linkin Parks guitar player couldn't tap like Edie, Give me a Break, MTV went down the hole to MUSIC CRAP!! over a DECADE ago.(ps. thir not on MTV becuse their a 70's and 80's band
The album is Great
It features the Famous Eruption, Running with the Devil and Ain't Talkin bout love.
BUY it NOW

In 1978 L.A. rockers Van Halen released their first album seemingly out of nowhere and it would prove to be the start of something big. The self-titled Van Halen went on to sell over ten million copies and stands as of the most successful debut albums of all time. Van Halen re-energized rock'n'roll when it needed it the most (also inspired and made way for hundreds of imitators along the way); this was a pivotal rock album, no doubt about it. By the late 1970's most bands that had ruled that decade had either changed styles, past their prime or soon to be disbanded or experienced changes in its members. VH pretty much set the standard for how rock bands were supposed to look and sound at the dawn of the 1980's. The band's self-titled album is Van Halen as I remember it best, when I think of the band this is the album and sound that first comes to mind. It's hard not to like or ignore some of the songs on this album like "Runnin' With The Devil", The Kinks cover "You Really Got Me" or the out of this world "Eruption". Even the album cover screams classic. Eddie Van Halen famously displays his talent for the guitar here; he helped popularize the finger tapping technique and came up with some great riffs and solos, a guitar legend and this album is proof of that.

I won't go through all the songs, but these descriptions should give you an idea of what to expect. The album starts off with the classic "Runnin' With The Devil", starts off with slow bass and then kicks into high gear to never really let the listener go. David Lee Roth's voice sounds really powerful here with his high pitched screams and Eddie's solo is highly effective. A classic track and favorite among Van Halen fans. How can you be a Van Halen fan and not remember hearing "Eruption" for the first time? Wondering how something could sound so futuristic and epic at the same time. "Eruption" shows no modesty, this one's really about showing off how good a guitarist Eddie is. Basically a solo, this one has inspired many to pick up a guitar wanting to BE Eddie Van Halen. A Kinks cover,"You Really Got Me" is one of the essential and most popular VH tracks. Here Van Halen took a song and made it their own, no disrespect to the band that originally made the song but it has now been largely identified with VH. One's of Eddie's most famous solos. "Ain't Talkin' `Bout Love" is not only one of the album's best songs but is also one of the greatest Van Halen songs, it's a softer and more melodic rocker. "I'm The One" is terrific VH, doesn't get much better than this (just listen to those barbershop vocal harmonies towards the end, genius!). "Jamie's Cryin'" is another classic, quite memorable and a bit on the softer side. "Atomic Punk" is pure Van Halen, fast, energetic and Roth's sexual energy is all over the place, terrific track and once again, excellent solo. "Little Dreamer" is another excellent song, I feel this one is underrated because other songs get most of the attention and therefore this one tends to be overlooked.

This album is essential to any serious fan of rock/metal music and needs to be in their collection if it isn't already. Guitar players will no doubt want to look into "Eruption" but it's a guitar-oriented rock album and Eddie makes his presence known in each of the songs. Some 30+ years on the album has stood the test of time and has become a true classic album. Van Halen's self-titled debut album remains my VH favorite album after all these years and was one of those albums that got me into this type of music in the first place. 5/5 for this one, I can't recommend this album enough!

Hey, Avril Lavigne Fan, do you wanna know why Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai aren't on MTV? Two reasons-1. MTV sucks and everyone who plays on there sucks! 2. Van Halen, Malmsteen, and Vai are so great at the guitar, they're too good for sucky MTV!!!! Blink 182, Avril, and Good Charlotte suck!!!!!!!!
EVERYONE WHO IS ON THIS PAGE...........BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!It is phenomenal!!

Everyone says that Quiet Riot and their debut 'Metal Health' launched a decade of heavy metal madness. AC\DC's Back in Black album was one of the strongest albums of that decade being released in 1980, but it was far from their debut album. Turn the clock back two years to 1978 and we have the true roots of everything the 80's were; decadent, wild, noisy, and ridiculous. Van Halen's debut album Van HAlen 1 started it all.

First you got Eddie Van Halen, the guitar hero to millions who took a one minute and forty-two second guitar solo and turned the music world on ite ear. Eruption was aptly named, suddenly every guitarist was tring to figure out what 'finger tapping was all about.

Second, what wouyld a band be without a frontman? Is there anyone better at this than Diamond David Lee Roth? Not a supurb singer, but a master showman. Who else can sing 'Running with the Devil', 'Jamie's Cryin', and 'Ain't Talking 'bout Love'? Well aparantly no one if you've ever seen Van Halen live anytime after 1985. David Lee Roth will always be the vocalist for Van Halen for millions of fans. The Van Hagar debate will last forever, but for purists, the debut release is as sweet as it gets.

Next we have Michael Anthony. Famous for his Jack Daniels bass guitar in the 80's, his playing is solid. He's not flashy, he's not spectacular. He's a meat and potatos player that keeps things on the ground while Eddie launches himself up into the clouds.

The second band member who shares the name Van Halen is the drummer Alex. Though he has been voted many times the ugliest man in rock n roll..... ever, his skin pounding techniques and sense of rhythm are not to be shunned. It's probably only fitting that for the first couple of seconds of Eruption, we get a quick drum intro.

Van Halen has gone through ups and down over their 30 year career, but this release will seal their places in rock n roll history.

Aerosmith waited until the 3rd album to have a breakthrough LP.Nazareth also waited 3 albums.But these guys,one of the legends of rock and roll,were a breakthrough from the beginning.And you can hear it in the music.I'll keep this short.This album is spectacular and completely original.No synthesizers,disco,or punk on this album (all of which were on the rise in 78).This is straight,raunchy,in your face,ear-shattering rock and roll.Van Halen could very well be my fav band of all time.After one listen of this,it's clear to see why they're up their with Zeppelin,The Stones,Aerosmith,and AC/DC.BUY THIS!