When 1978 came to the lives of many teenagers, I doubt if they knew that the initials VH were going to mean so much to them. Released early in the year, Van Halen turned out to be one of the best - objectively speaking! - debut albums in the history of rock. Not only did it recreate the frontman image so that now everyone had to be compared to David Lee Roth, but guitarist Edward Van Halen (Eddie to his 80 million buddies) was the last person to totally change the way the electric guitar was played.
Without getting into too much detail, once you most definitely buy this album, I would like for you to share in an experiment with me. First, listen for a couple of days to The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zep. Then listen some more to The Who, very, very early Journey, Aerosmith and early Kiss. Now I want you to take Van Halen and put it in your stereo or iPod. Now, to get into this whole trip, you should try to find yourself a set of BIG headphones, in order to closely simulate the listener experience of a kid in 1978 (no small earbuds back then!). Ok. Push play. Listen to the first song, Runnin' With the Devil. That first sound you hear is actually a car horn played backwards. Cool, huh? But then the song is over and what's this? The second song, Eruption, is only about a minute and a half long? What gives?
And that's when Eddie Van Halen changed the way the electric guitar was seen. Eruption used a new technique called "tapping" which, up until that moment, had never been heard in such a way in a commercially released album. After that, in the 1980's, literally thousands of guitarists all over the globe saw EVH as a major influence and emulated his tapping technique until their fingers bled.
So what about this album? Every single song is good, great, incredible - stick fan-worthy adjective HERE. Runnin' with The Devil, their cover version of You Really Got Me, the opening riff to Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Then we have the underappreciated Jamie's Cryin', a masterpiece called Little Dreamer, and the magestic Ice Cream Man, led by David Lee Roth, who in this one literally creates a new meaning to the word cool.
David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, brother and drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony recorded a sonic work of art that deserves to be in your audio library.
Reasons to run out and get it:
1) Eruption
2) The first album recorded by truly the last pioneer of the electric guitar.
3) The chance to find out why listening to Roth sing can actually make you COOL.
Van Halen. The first album by a band that made rock great at a whole different level.
Next up: Who is the ultimate rock star?
Without getting into too much detail, once you most definitely buy this album, I would like for you to share in an experiment with me. First, listen for a couple of days to The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zep. Then listen some more to The Who, very, very early Journey, Aerosmith and early Kiss. Now I want you to take Van Halen and put it in your stereo or iPod. Now, to get into this whole trip, you should try to find yourself a set of BIG headphones, in order to closely simulate the listener experience of a kid in 1978 (no small earbuds back then!). Ok. Push play. Listen to the first song, Runnin' With the Devil. That first sound you hear is actually a car horn played backwards. Cool, huh? But then the song is over and what's this? The second song, Eruption, is only about a minute and a half long? What gives?
And that's when Eddie Van Halen changed the way the electric guitar was seen. Eruption used a new technique called "tapping" which, up until that moment, had never been heard in such a way in a commercially released album. After that, in the 1980's, literally thousands of guitarists all over the globe saw EVH as a major influence and emulated his tapping technique until their fingers bled.
So what about this album? Every single song is good, great, incredible - stick fan-worthy adjective HERE. Runnin' with The Devil, their cover version of You Really Got Me, the opening riff to Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love. Then we have the underappreciated Jamie's Cryin', a masterpiece called Little Dreamer, and the magestic Ice Cream Man, led by David Lee Roth, who in this one literally creates a new meaning to the word cool.
David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, brother and drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony recorded a sonic work of art that deserves to be in your audio library.
Reasons to run out and get it:
1) Eruption
2) The first album recorded by truly the last pioneer of the electric guitar.
3) The chance to find out why listening to Roth sing can actually make you COOL.
Van Halen. The first album by a band that made rock great at a whole different level.
Next up: Who is the ultimate rock star?
1 comment:
Gato Te Pasassssssstes!!!!
VH is Kicking ASSSSSSSSS in America!!!!
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