Limited 180 gm vinyl LP pressing. With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what the electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-on's, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines and animals. It was wildly inventive and over the top, equaled only by vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to near-performance art standards. Mastering engineer Chris Bellman, who remastered the original albums at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios, was enlisted for this new version. In order to produce the original sound the band intended, Bellman cut straight from the quarter-inch tapes.
In 1978, Pasadena's Van Halen released its debut album and shook the rock world to its foundations. VAN HALEN, featuring the fiery fretwork of Eddie Van Halen, and the talented howling of David Lee Roth, gave a kick-start to the moribund heavy rock genre. As Kiss turned disco and Black Sabbath sank in a morass of drugs and alcohol, Van Halen adopted a blues base, added a metal sheen, and created a sound that remains influential today.
Michael Anthony's thumping bass line, followed by Alex Van Halen's hi-hat and Eddie Van Halen's first chord, heralds "Runnin' With the Devil," Roth's tale of excess. "Eruption" follows, the guitar solo here a breakthrough in speed and creativity. In addition Van Halen takes the Kinks' classic "You Really Got Me" to new heights on its metal version. The melodic structure remains intact, while the band adds crunch and Diamond Dave's sexy patter. Including the catchy "Jamie's Cryin'" and bluesy "Ice Cream Man", there is absolutely no filler on VAN HALEN, one of the finest rookie efforts by a musical act.
Van Halen: David Lee Roth (vocals); Eddie Van Halen (guitar, background vocals); Michael Anthony (bass, background vocals); Alex Van Halen (drums, background vocals).
- Format: Vinyl
- Released: 03/31/2015
- Genre: Rock
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