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Van Halen - Van Halen



8.7 | 485 votes |
Release date: 10 February 1978
Style: Hard rock, Heavy metal

Owners:

652 have it
38 want it
1 trades it


01. Runnin' With The Devil
02. Eruption
03. You Really Got Me [The Kinks cover]
04. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
05. I'm The One
06. Jamie's Cryin'
07. Atomic Punk
08. Feel Your Love Tonight
09. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man [John Brim cover]
11. On Fire

Top 20 albums of 1978: 2
Top 200 albums of all time: 177

Guest review by
SeanC
Rating:
6.0
While the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was underway eight time zones away, the Californian rockers that made up Van Halen finally got into the studio in 1977 and recorded basically everything they had - including cover songs, a very common practice for early hard rock albums - live in making Van Halen, one of the most celebrated debuts of all time.

Read more ››
published 10.09.2019 | Comments (17)

For generations, ever since his explosive debut with this legendary album, Eddie Van Halen has been synonymous with the electric guitar. With the runaway success of Van Halen and the wild, high-energy rock/metal combination the band purveyed in so many hit singles, Eddie became one of the most visible and respected shredders of the '70s and '80s; his most lasting contribution to the craft may be the popularization of tapping, especially of the two-handed variety, and he expressed a familiarity with pinch harmonics, sliding, vibrato, and other techniques that had yet to be fully mined by his genre, but beyond that he wrapped the spotlight around himself and pushed the art of guitar-playing into a new plane of excess. From his distinctive tone to his knack for riff-writing to his seemingly effortless facility with his instrument, Eddie was a monumental figure, the gold standard for hard rock and glam metal in his heyday and even now one of the faces of the guitar to the world at large. We shouldn't forget how he pushed the envelope even further with his daring use of synthesizers on "Jump" and his collaboration with Michael Jackson on "Beat It," but it is this album that more than any illustrates why people have always talked about Eddie Van Halen as a revelatory force.

"Eruption" is a notorious benchmark of technical prowess, as iconic as "Smoke On The Water" or "Iron Man" but for a higher skill set, and songs like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Runnin' With The Devil" boast some of the most recognizable riffs of the decade; the name "Van Halen" itself has become an antonomasia to describe a musically skilled showman. Even the design of his trademark "Frankenstrat" has developed into an image and a brand all its own. I may not be the biggest Van Halen fan out there, but it's impossible to deny the status that Eddie enjoyed in the musical world and the sway he held over generations of players; I'm glad I was able to see him once and watch him live up to that reputation.

RIP Eddie.

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Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 935 users
13.09.2011 - 19:14
BeastOfMetal456
Account deleted
Great album. Excellent catchy songwriting with some kickass solos.
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04.05.2012 - 17:51
Cuca Beludo
Account deleted
Hard Rock perfection. Simple like this.
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07.09.2012 - 07:04
Rating: 9
Egigantea
Eruption has to be one of the greatest solos of all-time! This album is simply legendary!
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25.11.2012 - 18:32
megadeath13
Account deleted
Their first and by far their best. Some amazing tunes with amazing solos from Eddie.
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04.04.2013 - 22:41
Metropolis_Dream
Account deleted
Without doubt VHs best effort. Each song full of memorable hard rock riffs. Standouts are "Runnin with the devil" (which still belongs to my favourite songs), "Aint talkin bout Love" and the perfect closing track "On Fire".
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14.09.2022 - 11:34
John doe
Written by Egigantea on 07.09.2012 at 07:04

Eruption has to be one of the greatest solos of all-time! This album is simply legendary!

maybe when you first hear it, but it gets old really fast.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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14.09.2022 - 12:14
Rating: 9
nonZero
Starts off strong but the quality drops after track 4, although not enough to give it less than a 9 IMO.

8.6/10 for me - 'Runnin' With The Devil' is the standout song. 'Eruption', 'You Really Got Me', 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' and 'Little Dreamer' are all also great.
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02.01.2023 - 11:13
24emd
Theory Snob
Like most early Van Halen albums, some solid songs, with overall great guitar work (duh) but... boy do I hate David Lee Roth's voice...
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"I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense." - Proverbs 30:2
"Music? Well, it's just entertainment, folks!" - Devin Townsend

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02.01.2023 - 15:58
Boxcar Willy
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Written by 24emd on 02.01.2023 at 11:13

Like most early Van Halen albums, some solid songs, with overall great guitar work (duh) but... boy do I hate David Lee Roth's voice...

So you're a Van Hagar fan?
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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03.01.2023 - 01:15
24emd
Theory Snob
Written by Boxcar Willy on 02.01.2023 at 15:58

Written by 24emd on 02.01.2023 at 11:13

Like most early Van Halen albums, some solid songs, with overall great guitar work (duh) but... boy do I hate David Lee Roth's voice...

So you're a Van Hagar fan?

Not exactly. Sure he's a less annoying singer, but this is still Van Halen's best album, with some of their best songs.
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"I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense." - Proverbs 30:2
"Music? Well, it's just entertainment, folks!" - Devin Townsend

Best 2024 Albums
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28.02.2023 - 22:31
Boxcar Willy
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Eruption to this day still makes my hair stand up. I can only imagine seeing VH live and seeing Eddie slay it.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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