By November 2013, there is little that I could write here about Van Halen that hasn't written or said a thousand times over. It is a seminal album, one that broke new barriers, created some new ones, and launched not only this band but a hundred others that came in the years following its release. In the end, the only thing I can write is my own thoughts and opinions on it, and no doubt they too mirror many others from down the years.
Van Halen showcases the wonderful talents of the four members, and how they combine so well in the band. Alex Van Halen has a terrific drum kit and the sound he gets out of it on this album is terrific. He shows off all his skills and rolls. Michael Anthony plays his bass with what seems like simplicity but is much more effective than that, and his backing vocals are a real key to the music. And then you have David Lee Roth's soaring vocals, and Eddie Van Halen's guitar. A pretty awesome foursome.
Much of the album I think you can either take or leave depending on your mood. The album opener "Runnin' With the Devil" is a moody piece, dominated by David Lee Roth's vocals with a short stint from Eddie Van Halen's guitar in the middle. This is followed by the 103 seconds that changed a million guitarists lives, the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo entitled "Eruption". This is what made this album so significant, and still does to this day. It showcased Eddie's talent to the world, a position from which he has never turned back, and he has dragged the band with his name in the same direction. It was then a clever move to follow this with a cover of The Kinks" "You Really Got Me", because it has one of the most recognisable guitar riff intros in the history of music. Thus, even though he may not have written it, the listener goes from hearing Eddie's "Eruption" into this well known riff, and it all falls into place. His guitar re-working of the song also works very well, along with the vocals from both Dave and Michael.
In many ways the album has dated over the years. It isn't as fresh as it was when it was released. The one obvious exception to this is "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", which still maintains the best of what Van Halen had to offer - a terrific riff from Eddie, a really nice underscore bass line from Michael, great drumming from Alex and Dave's pointed and scene-stealing vocals. 35 years later and this remains one of their greatest ever songs.
Songs like "I'm the One" and "Jamie's Cryin'" are very much dominated by David's vocals and lyrics than anything the rest of the band are doing. They're doing their bit of course, but the memorable parts of the songs are the vocals. Realistically, the remainder of the album doesn't stand out itself, but becomes more of a conglomerate of the whole. "Atomic Punk" allows Eddie to become creative on guitar, which dominates the song. These songs all have that atypical early Van Halen sound, guitar and drum oriented with Dave's story-telling vocals being complemented by the harmonies of Michael and Eddie, but are not ground-breaking material or standout tunes. Eddie's solo is the highlight of "Feel Your Love Tonight". "Little Dreamer" is more introspective with a slower pace and feel to it that the hard rock songs of the first half of the album. The cover of John Brim's "Ice Cream Man" seems all out of place, but was obviously a band favourite - and the blues is not really my thing either. The album comes to a close with "On Fire", which is back to the pace and rock that you expect from the band, and completes this debut opus with a bit of heart.
Van Halen has never been a band to be pigeon-holed, and the album Van Halen is of the same stuff. There is a mixture of everything here, though it all has what can now be categorised as a Van Halen sound to it. Some of it still holds up brilliantly, some of it can probably be best papered over. It is still a good listen if you go from start to finish, but picking out selected songs to play may have you questioning their worth in the greater scheme of things. There is certainly no doubt that it was a groundbreaker when it was released, and that it still has its place all these years later.
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