Product 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.

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: #8160 in Music
• Released on: 2001-01-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

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

Customer Reviews

Eddy is God!
Don't hesitate, buy it.
Classic tracks, remastered.
Probably the best guitar playing you will ever hear.
Steve

essential album
i do not have this album on cd, but on the long lamented and still the best vinyl. i bought the LP, as they were knowen as then, the day it came out. as then this album is a classic in every sense. from 1st to last, it drags you up by the scruf of the neck and throws you around like a rag doll.the 2 mister's lee roth and van halen (eddie of course)are masters of there craft. eddie is still one of the top axe men ever. i know everyone talks about eruption, but running with the devil, is a song that will always be in my top 3 classic rock songs. if you do not have this album. GO AND GET IT YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT.

How can anyone not like this album?
This album is probably famous mostly for the fact that it was where Eddie Van Halen, definitely one of the greatest guitarists there ever was, invented the technique of tapping. That technique was indeed unveiled here to stunning effect and is best exemplified by the guitar showcase Eruption. His technique has been imatated so many times but never really equalled. However, this brilliant, monumental album has much more to it than just tapping.
Firstly, an important factor in the album is the production, which was groundbreaking at the time because it captured the live atmosphere so well as well as making all the instruments perfectly audible.
Listening to the album, it feels so energetic and fiery. It sounds arena in scope, but club in its attitude. Its style left such an impact on the rock music scene that it now sounds timeless. One of the reasons for the album's hugely energetic feel is David Lee Roth's vocals. His streetwise, larger than life performance fits perfectly with the music and yet adds even more energy. At it's core though, the album really belongs to Eddie, who's stunning guitar drives the album. His mind-melting solos and scorching riffs are consistently, reletnlessy amazing but also very original. In fact, the entire album sounds totally unprecedented and unique. So, David and Eddie may drive these songs but this is not to detract from the performances of the other band members. Alex Van Halen's drums are superb, although I don't think he reached his peak until the 1984 album. Even Michael Anthony's bass is excellent.
All this is little without the actual songs, most of which are classics of the genre and need lttle explaining. This is an extremely consistent album, but it's also varied enough not to get even remotely repetitive. Scorching, anthemic rockers like Runnin' With the Devil, Jamie's Cryin' and Feel Your Love Tonight which helped change the face of rock music boast massive, confident riffs and anthemic choruses. Faster cuts like I'm the One, Atomic Punk and the surprisingly metal-sounding On Fire are brilliantly theatric in their rocking intensity and all feature stunning guitar dive-bombing from Eddie Van Halen. To diversify even more, there's the eclectic Ain't Talking 'Bout Love which uses an electric sitar and there's the moody Little Dreamer. The cover of Ice Cream Man also brings a huge breath of fresh air near the end of the album and is just awe-inspiring to listen to. What else could you want? A cover of The Kinks' You Really Got Me that surpasses the original? That's here too.
These songs are all fiery, larger than life rock songs with stunning guitar playing that must have sounded beyond imagination back in 1978, and have lost none of their power today. This is rock and roll entertainment at its best, original, extremely energetic, consistent, accessible and unforgettalble. The guitar is out of this world, the vocals ultra-charismatic and the drums are excellent too. It's probably the most entertaining rock album of it's time and in the end I can think of no reason not to buy this monumental classic.