Track Listing

1. Runnin' With The Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
5. I'm The One
6. Jamie's Cryin'
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4233 in Music
• Released on: 2001-01-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
At least half of the songs on Van Halen's eponymous 1978 debut are still considered classics, and the Eddie Van Halen instrumental "Eruption" revolutionised the guitar community by introducing a technique called finger-tapping 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 continue to the present day. Regardless, Van Halen amply demonstrate their drive, showmanship, and musicianship throughout, blowing the needle off the scale on such tracks as "You Really Got Me", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Runnin' with the Devil", and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". --Jon Wiederhorn

CD Description
Quite simply put, no-one had seen or heard anything like it. Roth's flamboyant showmanship, with the microphone dangling provocatively between his legs on the cover, and Eddie VanHalen's monstrously inventive guitar playing became a textbook for air guitarists the world over. From the instrumentalblow-out of "Eruption", the gritty teen pop of "Feel Your Love Tonight", to the strutting riff around which "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" was built and the grandiose reworking of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Van Halen set their own absurd standards. One of the truly great rock and roll/metal debut albums.

Customer Reviews

The very bread that rock was buttered on
This is absoulte essential party-rock listening. Every track smacks of divine perfection. From the blues-rock maddness of 'Ice-cream man' to the slam-riffery that is 'The one' this album will not fail you.

Rocks finest moment.
Rock reached the highest level with the release of Van Halen back in 1978. It was good for may reasons, like the fact every single song is a classic, with blistering guitaring on tracks like Eruption and powerful vocals with wonderfully flambouyant leadman David Lee Roth. Many bands we hear now are at the pinnacle of playing, they have all the technique and talent in the word, but lack one fundamental thing Van Halen oozed; Feel. Every song has tons of it, it takes you away from wherever you are and puts you on a journey of true professional in music. You can feel how much fun they have whilst playing. A decade of grunge has killed the notion of fun in rock n roll, but a spin of this record will bring it back. Eddie's insanely good guitar playing coupled with the rock solid rhythms of Michael Anthony and technical precision of Alex Van Halen has been harnessed and layed down on CD, to create a masterpiece. Any rock fan or musician NEEDS this album.

Oh... the days when rock was about having fun...
Yes, Van Halen 1 is definitely an album that shows a band who are genuinely having a good time. There's also the small point that it is filled with brilliant songs. Eddie Van Halen's virtuoso guitar playing may seem rather strange to people who grew up after Nirvana killed proficiency in rock guitar, but I dare any sane and sensible person not to get addicted to the catchy riffs and wonderful tone of this guitar god. As for the lyrics, well, David Lee Roth does tend to repeat himself a lot in any given song, but there aren't many singers who could have sung "Aint talkin' 'bout love" like he did, and what he lacks in actual singing proficiency he makes up in attitude. As for the stand out songs, well, "Runnin' with the devil" and "Aint talkin' 'bout love" are superb, "Eruption" is breathtaking (for the uninitiated Eruption is Eddie Van Halen's groundbreaking guitar solo), "Atomic Punk" thunders along with true rock 'n roll attitude, and "Little Dreamer" is a pleasantly compelling song. This album is short, but that's a good thing, because you'll be needing heart surgery by the end of "Eruption", and that's only the second song. Also, it's short length prevents the inclusion of any boring filler tracks. Be warned, if depressed as hell nu-metal is your thing (don't worry, you'll grow out of it), then this album isn't for you. This is a band that is enjoying themselves (it was recorded in 1978), and it's one of the most important rock debuts ever.