So one thing that is always fun to do is write a review of an album that has been out for quite some time. I will be doing one of these from time to time along with reviews of newer albums too. I put a lot of thought and time into the album I wanted to review first and for the first retro review I wanted to make it a good one. I had narrowed it down to a few, but when it came down to it I felt the Self Titled album by Van Halen was the one to do. It comes at a sad time of course since Eddie Van Halen (the originator, lead guitarist of Van Halen) passed away earlier this year. He's considered one of the greatest guitar players to ever live and I couldn't agree more. Let's start with a little history.
Van Halen started recording demos around 1976 and with no record label interest began touring in early 1977. After playing a show at a venue called Whisky A Go-Go they had finally garnered some attention and were offered a record contract from Warner Bros. The album took 3 weeks to record and was eventually released in February 1978. It went on to sell 10 million records worldwide and reached Diamond Certification.
When I first heard this album back when I was a kid in the 90's I fell in love with it. It was an album that awed and amazed me. It's an album that had me listening over and over again. And more recently I purchased it on vinyl and had the pleasure of finally hearing it as it was meant to be heard. And at this point I have heard it twice now and without a doubt I have heard new parts in a few of the songs that I never heard on cd before. It was like listening with fresh ears. The opening track "Runnin' With The Devil" is perhaps one of my favorite opening tracks on any album. It's not an easy task these days to grab a listeners attention. In fact it is extremely daunting. And with music it is even harder to do so. I imagine it was the same back at that time too. Nonetheless "Runnin' With The Devil" immediately takes you by the shirt, slaps you in the face, sits you down, turns the volume up and gets you prepared for an explosion in your ears. And that explosion comes in the form of the second track called "Eruption". Considered the best guitar solo of all time, Eddie Van Halen truly shows off his skills as he bends, slides, hammers, and taps all over his ax. He practically invented two hand guitar tapping. The rest of the album takes you on a scorching rock trip. Between the guitar and David Lee Roth's unique vocals this made for an insanely great rock band. I personally love this album. It's the album that made me want to get into playing the guitar and I'm not quite at Eddie's level, but maybe a couple hundred more hours of playing and I'll get there. This album to me is the pinnacle of what a rock album should be. It would go on to inspire tons of bands and imitators especially in the 80's. So if you have never heard of this band or this album I highly suggest it. This manifesto of a debut album is absolutely a classic, and features several hits that are still rocking on the radio today.
You can most likely find a copy of this album on vinyl at any of your local record stores, and it regularly gets reissued, but if you're not sure where to start otherwise you can check the link below:
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