MoeFOH's Album of the Week... Week #14

[MoeFOH]

MoeFOH's Album of the Week 🎶

Same as the movie thread, each week we're going to spotlight an album... be it a classic, new release, hidden gem, or outright turd... and open it for discussion: i.e. post up your favourite tracks, clips, lyrics, experiences if you saw live, etc... or dive deeper and give us a critique on why you think it's great, overrated, or a complete train wreck... And finally score it for us...  

All contributors go into a monthly prize draw for a 3-cigar sampler! 

PM me with suggestions if there's an album you want to nominate for next week's discussion. 

 

Week #14: Van Halen

Wiki says: 

Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen. Released on February 10, 1978, Van Halen was a major commercial success. The album peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States. Van Halen received diamond certification by the RIAA and was received well by the general public making it one the best-selling albums in the United States.

The album contains some of the band's most well-known songs, including "Runnin' with the Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "Jamie's Cryin'", their cover version of the Kinks "You Really Got Me", and the 1 minute and 42 second instrumental "Eruption", played and written by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, having popularized two-handed tapping.

Thanks to @Puros Y Vino for the suggestion! 

Over to you...

Who's a fan? How highly do you rate this album?

Thoughts, memories, experiences, favourite tracks...? 

Post em up!

Score it out of 10!

[MoeFOH]

 

[Cigar Surgeon]

8/10? In my opinion the hands down best album from Van Halen. Possibly the quintessential hair band album of the 1980s. 

Thinking back on it also maybe top 5 debut albums of any band ... ever?

[KCCubano]

An easy 8/10 for me! We played it over and over while ripping the b--g!

[Greenhorn2]

This is the best album they produced in my opinion. The first time I saw Van Halen was at a hole in the wall beer garden in Myrtle beach South Carolina.  I was probably 12-13 years old and I couldn't get in, had to be 18 due to alcohol sales.  I climbed up on top of the dumpster and was watching over the fence until a bouncer told me I couldn't stand on top of "their " dumpster. I got down, walked about 30 feet and climbed another dumpster.  When the bouncer came back to run me off I politely explained that this wasn't their dumpster, that one over there was and that I tried to pay to watch the band but they wouldn't let me in! He laughed and said"enjoy the show." That was actually one of their best performances I've seen. 9/10 .

[KCCubano]

18 minutes ago, Greenhorn2 said:

This is the best album they produced in my opinion. The first time I saw Van Halen was at a hole in the wall beer garden in Myrtle beach South Carolina.  I was probably 12-13 years old and I couldn't get in, had to be 18 due to alcohol sales.  I climbed up on top of the dumpster and was watching over the fence until a bouncer told me I couldn't stand on top of "their " dumpster. I got down, walked about 30 feet and climbed another dumpster.  When the bouncer came back to run me off I politely explained that this wasn't their dumpster, that one over there was and that I tried to pay to watch the band but they wouldn't let me in! He laughed and said"enjoy the show." That was actually one of their best performances I've seen. 9/10 .

I ssw them first in 1981. Then saw them a few more times and the last at Sprint Center in KC in May 2012. Very good shows 

[Puros Y Vino]

In 1978 I was 9 years old.  My oldest brother was into rock/metal and would come home with various albums that I would eventually listen to and come to love.  At that age I got exposed to Judas Priest, UFO, Rush and the mighty Van Halen.  He had a pair of very expensive Koss headphones that would really bring out the best of any recording.  I'll cut to the chase. 10/10 right off the bat for me.  Love the songs, the guitar tone, Dave's voice (before he stopped trying) and the thunderous rhythm section of Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony.  Eddie is the star of the show though, who are we kidding?  Eruption is like nothing anyone has every heard before. Prior to that, IMO,the best guitar solo opus that set the standard was Michael Shenker of UFO playing an extended solo on Rock Bottom, captured on their live album Strangers In The Night. That was a melodic and jazzy interlude to an already solid song.  Eruption though, went in a different direction. So many sounds, scales, early shredding at it's finest. A fine sequence of "holy shit" moments condensed into a small showpiece for EVH.  And when that track was done, you were introduced to the crunchy, opening riffs of You Really Got Me.

Front to back one of the top debut albums of all time.  Right up there with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, GnR.  They really did hone these tracks over the years prior to being signed. Many of them part of their club show days and also cemented on early demos.  Either by Gene Simmons or Warner Bros.  I still listen to it often and to this day. 

[Chibearsv]

I still listen to a few songs off of this album.  Depends on the mood.  A loud listen to Aint Talkin Bout Love is necessary once in a while.  It's a good album and Eddie was a guitar genius for sure.  I think 8/10 is about right for me.  

[joeypots]

I liked the songs on the radio when this came out but lost interest pretty quick. I know I’m getting old, the last band I really liked was Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

[Doctorossi]

8/10?! I'm gonna buck the trend and go 9/10.

[KCCubano]

4 hours ago, joeypots said:

I liked the songs on the radio when this came out but lost interest pretty quick. I know I’m getting old, the last band I really liked was Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

Olivers Army! 

[Ford2112]

" nobody rules these streets at night like me....THE ATOMIC PUNK!!"

Changed the game forever. Eddie is important,whether or not you're a fan. When this came out it set the guitar and music world on its ear. My favorite VH record is still Fair Warning,  this vies for second with VH 2 and 1984 is probably 3 for me. I still pull out the Van Halen often,and I give this album a 9/10. As diamond Dave would say,it's a stellar production .

 

Rip Eddie. 

[bassistheplace]

i cried driving in my car when the news broke about Eddie

10/10