The Band’s Early Years
The Van Halen brothers Alex and Eddie were born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and in 1962 moved to Pasadena, California. They originally studied classical piano before Eddie took up drums and Alex learned guitar. However, they ended up switching instruments when Alex started playing his brother’s drums, leaving Eddie to take up guitar. He “became addicted to it, sometimes skipping school to practice, and by fourteenhe had learned every Cream lick laid down by his hero, Eric Clapton.” CS
They formed their first band, the Broken Combs, in 1964. After several name and lineup changes, they formed Van Halen in 1973 with Alex on drums, Eddie on guitar, and David Lee Roth on vocals. Michael Anthony came on board as the bassist a year later. It looked like they’d found their big break when Gene Simmons from Kiss saw them perform and produced a demo tape for them. Unfortunately, it didn’t create the break the band hoped for.
In 1977, producer Ted Templeton and Warner Bros. executive Mo Ostin saw the band perform and were impressed enough that they wrote a letter of intent on a napkin to sign the band. They recorded their debut album that fall and were booked as the opening act for tours by Journey and Ronnie Montrose. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in February 1978 and has since been hailed as “undoubtedly one of the all-time best debuts by a hard rock/heavy metal band.” AM
A Heavy Metal Classic
“It’s impossible not to rock out to the California quartet’s debut.” DBW It is “a perfect album packed to the brim with some of the most exciting and energetic rock tunes post-Beatles break-up.” PM “There’s an unquantifiable, daring magic here” PM on this “massive-sounding, exuberant…debut” TB in which the band “brought a touch of punk attitude to mainstream U.S. rock.” TB Without it, “glam and hair metal wouldn’t exist the way it does today—there would be no Appetite for Destruction or foil to mainstream pop.” PM
“Van Halen pulled no punches when it came to stockpiling all of their hits and letting them unravel right out of the gates.” PM “All of the components for a classic are represented – excellent songs and high-octane performances…are used to create an invigorating, original sound. Like other acclaimed debuts (Led Zeppelin, Are You Experienced?), Van Halen has a raw edge since it was recorded quickly, and every single song is a winner.” AM “Almost all of the tracks…have rightfully become radio staples.” AM
“Van Halen proved to be the ultimate coming-of-age soundtrack to many a teenager since its release.” AM It is “one of the ultimate party albums over the years, since the overall mood is excited and celebratory.” AM “Everyone on the planet should own a copy of this landmark release.” AM “It forever reshaped the landscape of hard rock – not to mention the repertoire of an entire nation of air-guitar players.” DV
Redefining Heavy Metal
Part of the reason the album became so celebrated is because it redefined heavy metal. Prior to Van Halen, “heavy metal approximated the sound of its own name: thick, powerful, weighty guitar riffs and bass lines with punishing percussion and dark themes of youthful angst, drugs, insanity, and the occult. It was music taken seriously by its earliest practitioners – Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer – and even more so by its fans.” CS
However, Van Halen brought “heavy metal into popular music territory, infusing it with a positive energy that appealed to the rocker and the partier inside music fans, who could now experience the power and energy of metal without its gloom-and-doom themes.” CS As Roth said, “We celebrate all the sex and violence of the television, all the rockin’ on the radio, the movies, the cars and everything about being young or semi-young or young at heart.” CS
“Van Halen sparked an explosion of California-based pop metal that would ring through the 1980s with bands like Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Ratt, Metallica, and Quiet Riot, suddenly giving rock and roll a new home base in Los Angeles.” CS Previously, “London had been the epicenter of the heavy-metal universe producing the overwhelming majority of metal acts in the decade or so since it had come into its own as a distinct genre.” CS
The Band
“Behind the macho swagger lay four supremely talented individuals” TB who “amply demonstrate their drive, showmanship, and musicianship throughout.” AZ They “could play and write – and, apparently, drink, snort, and screw – rings around the competition.” TB
“The main attraction was Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing” AM which “sounds like a cross between an electric guitar and a howitzer.” DV “Few other guitarists have had such an instant impact on a generation of up-and-coming players who copied his unorthodox, kamikaze style.” AM His classical training “opened the door to a new way of thinking about rock guitar, expanding the instrument beyond its blues roots and into a classically informed format” CS that “allowed him to play the guitar like a keyboard at unbelievable speeds.” CS
His “guitar pyrotechnics found a perfect complement” TB in the “sex god schtick” DBW of singer David Lee Roth. “A vocal gymnast of the highest order, Roth’s feral howl has the pheromone content of a sweaty football dressing-room.” TB He had an “ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy with his acrobatic leaps, party-rock vocals, and hypnotic presence.” CS
It was “grounded by Alex Van Halen’s clever drummer and Michael Anthony’s more-than-competent bass.” CS
Ted Templeman
Part of the album’s success is due to producer Ted Templeman. “The sound is marvelous,” DBW “the hooks are huge,” DBW and “the excitement of their live show was captured perfectly.” AM He “balances massive guitars with a thundering rhythm section…, light but effective use of studio tricks…, and performances that are precise without being clinical.” DBW
The album was completed in less than three weeks. TB Engineer Donn Landee said, “They cut 28 songs in about two hours. That’s when we knew we had a band that could play.” TB He and Templeman opted for “a no-overdubs approach.” TB Landee explained that some of the tracks were done in one take and that “Alex’s drums were probably cut using only four mikes total. You just don’t need a lot of tracks to get a great sound.” TB
The Songs
Here are thoughts on the individual songs from the album.
“Eruption”
“The album’s legendary solo, Eruption” AM was “a spellbinding amalgam of hammer-ons, whammy-bar dives, and scorching volume, performed from start to finish in a single take.” TB Eddie Van Halen “was the first guitarist since Hendrix to shake up rock guitar by opening a door to new sonic possibilities.” TB He “revolutionized the guitar community by introducing a technique called finger-tapping into the heavy metal lexicon.” AZ Paste magazine’s Matt Mitchell called it “one of the greatest instrumental tracks in rock history.” PM
“Runnin’ with the Devil”
“Step back in awe at the sheer savagery with which the band attacks the opener,” DV the anthemic, blistering Runnin’ with the Devil.” PM
“Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”
“Feast on the chiming chord shifts and monstrously fat chorus riffs of Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” DV It “is an underrated stunner that showcases David Lee Roth’s enigmatic frontman sensibilities.” PM
“I’m the One”
“Cackle with glee at the sassy lyric and effortless virtuosity of I’m the One.” DV
“You Really Got Me”
The band also offers a “driving, thrashing, ecstatic take on the Kinks’ classic You Really Got Me,” DV “probably best of a long line of Van Halen covers.” DBW It is both “riotous” and “sensual.” PM
“Ice Cream Man”
In a completely different vein, they deliver “the lounge-y Vegas start and blistering hard rock finish of Ice Cream Man.” DV “Roth found his vinyl persona through a sense of play – almost as if he were singing metal out of pure irony.” CS Both covers “remain awe-inspiring to this day.” AM
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