Van Halen – Van Halen -

193

5 Stars

One of the greatest party albums of all time by one of the greatest party bands of all time, these young tearaway Americans knew how to rock and enjoy themselves to the limit and beyond.

Discovered by Gene Simmons of “Kiss” after playing the American Club circuit, they were rushed into the studio with experienced rock producer Ted Templeton and came out with this raw product.

It was given no chance at the time (1978), a fully-fledged Rock ‘n’ Roll album at the height of the seventies disco scene. However, it shot straight to the top of the charts, almost single-handedly killing disco (for which we should all be eternally grateful) and giving Van Halen four top ten hits along the way.

As for debut albums, this one just about tops the tree, especially for a bunch of total unknowns.

At least half the songs on this eponymous debut are still considered one hundred percent solid gold classics. Each band member establishes their own character in every song.

Frontman and showman extraordinaire Dave Lee Roth pants, rants, screams and pouts his way through the album like the old tart he was.

Sticksman Alex Van Halen made his own sound, very heavy drums with plenty of double bass work and open high hats, always pushing the other members of the band to the limit.

Michael Anthony was the ultimate good-time rockin’ bass player. In later years he had a guitar painted and shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniels.

But the man who really grabbed the headlines was the soon-to-become legend Eddie Van Halen. He created his unique style with legato, palm silencing, fat rhythms, finger pinching, and hand tapping; almost every song starts with something original from the man.

After the opening salvo of “Runnin’ With The Devil,” Eddie is allowed to let rip with “Eruption” – one minute thirty seconds of guitar that would change the world of guitar rock forever, revolutionizing the guitar community and inspiring a thousand imitators into the heavy metal lexicon.

A magnificent debut for sure, but maybe the band should have held onto a few of their blockbuster tunes to bolster the lean years that started after 1984 and continued to the present day. (I mean, does anybody even know who is lead vocalist with them now? And does anybody care?)

But on this album, Van Halen amply demonstrates their drive, showmanship, sense of fun (Ice Cream Man) and musicianship throughout, blowing the needle off the scale on such tracks as the old Kinks classic “You Really Got Me,” “Atomic Punk,” and “Ain’t Talkin About Love.”

Turn it up and turn on. Party time boys and girls.