No Life 'til Metal - CD Gallery

Van Halen burst onto the metal/hard rock scene in the late 70's after Gene Simmons (Kiss) "discovered" them playing in a club. In 1978 they released the groundbreaking self titled album and became on of the biggest arena bands in the world. After releasing six hugely successful studio records, vocalist and front man David Lee Roth split from the band to pursue a solo career. Sammy Hagar became their second vocalist and stayed with the band for many commercially successful years as well. Gary Cherone, formerly of Extreme, became the band's third vocalist but only recorded one CD with them as his style clashed with the band.

1. "Runnin' with the Devil" (3:32)
2. "Eruption" [instrumental] (1:42)
3. "You Really Got Me" (2:37)
4. "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" (3:47)
5. "I'm the One" (3:44)
6. "Jamie's Cryin'" (3:30)
7. "Atomic Punk" (3:00)
8. "Feel Your Love Tonight" (3:40)
9. "Little Dreamer" (3:22)
10. "Ice Cream Man" (3:18)
11. "On Fire" (3:01)

Does anyone really need to read a review of this CD? I mean, it was only one of the most influential albums in the history of rock and heavy metal. Guitar playing, and heavy metal in general, would never be the same after this one. "Eruption" left jaws dropping all over the world in '78. Van Halen was a winning combination from the get go. The voice, charisma and character of David Lee Roth, the guitar antics of Eddie Van Halen, and the tight rhythm section of drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony. Van Halen's debut takes listeners through a tour of the many spectrums of heavy rock n roll; from scorching metal tracks like "Atomic Punk","Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "I'm the One" and "On Fire" to rhythmic party rockers like "Running With the Devil" and "Jamie's Cryin'". On top of this we get Diamond Dave's first lounge rocker "Ice Cream Man", Eddie's smokin' guitar instrumental "Eruption" and the first of a long line of killer covers in the Kinks "You Really Got Me". Mix it all up with some of the best production and heaviest guitar tones to come out of the 70's, thanks to Ted Templeman, and you have yourself one of the greatest albums ever released. Gene Simmons sure picked a winner when he spotted Van Halen.

Other than the annoying opening track, which happens to be a cover of a song that was a hit for Linda Ronstadt, the rest of this CD is prime Van Halen. "Dance the Night Away" became a huge hit for the band. From there on the album just rocks hard! I know that is cliché as can get, but it really is the best way to describe songs like "Somebody Get Me a Doctor," "Bottoms Up!," "Outta Love Again," "Light Up the Sky," and "D.O.A." David Lee Roth was the man in '79! Nobody could touch him for sheer, testosterone charged front man abilities and masculine vocals. (Actually, Ted Nugent was already doing most of his antics in the early 70's.) Eddie Van Halen blew the world away with his tap-on abilities on Van Halen's debut. On this follow-up we get the equally jaw dropping "Spanish Fly", an acoustic solo that is outstanding! He also lets loose on the opening to "Women In Love." It's also worth mentioning that this disc, as well as most of the Roth-era VH catalogue is only about 30 minutes long. While this may seem short, it also is a solid listen from beginning to end. No such thing as a filler on this album. VH would not learn the use of filler material until "Diver Down." Van Halen II didn't top the debut, but it came damn close!

1. "And the Cradle Will Rock..." (3:31)
2. "Everybody Wants Some!!" (5:05)
3. "Fools" (5:55)
4. "Romeo Delight" (4:19)
5. "Tora! Tora!" [instrumental] (:57)
6. "Loss of Control" (2:36)
7. "Take Your Whiskey Home" (3:09)
8. "Could This Be Magic?" (3:08)
9. "In a Simple Rhyme" (4:33)

In an era when heavy music was being squashed by the newly emerging 'new wave movement' and the remains of disco, Van Halen rocked harder than most, and certainly harder than their contemporaries. In 1980, they stole the crown from bands like Kiss, who were dabbling with disco, Aerosmith who were to busy imploding and Led Zeppelin who were permanently grounded due to the death of John Bonham. Even band's like Judas Priest and the Scorpions were not yet well known in the U.S., which allowed Van Halen to take the heavy metal crown in '80. "Woman and Children First" is probably the most obscure of the David Lee Roth-era albums. However, this does not mean that it is a bad album. Rather, it just means that this album is less worn out from repeated radio play. There are a few radio hits on here, especially "Everybody Wants Some". However, for the most part these songs remain fresh and uncorrupted by FM radio. This one gives us plenty of heavy, meaty rockers like the appropriately titled "Loss of Control" or the melodic, classic "Everybody Wants Some." "Take Your Whiskey Home" manages to successfully mix bluegrass and heavy metal together to create another of Van Halen's classic tracks. I never did understand why this one wasn't a huge radio hit for the band. In any case, Woman and Children First is the third excellent disc in a row from Van Halen.

The last of Van Halen's 100% pure, smokin' heavy metal albums before their dive into more pop terrains. Nothing 'pop' about this one though. Pure, unadulterated rock 'n roll. Tracks like "Mean Street", "Sinners Swing", "Unchained" and "So This Is Love?" all rock hard, especially for 1981. I am also partial to the noisy instrumental "Sunday Afternoon in the Park". "Fair Warning" was Van Halen's fourth consecutive platinum album and it certainly wasn't their last either. Still one of my favorites some three decades later.

1. "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?" (3:04)
2. "Hang 'Em High" (3:28)
3. "Cathedral" (1:22)
4. "Secrets" (3:25)
5. "Intruder" (1:39)
6. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (2:55)
7. "Dancing in the Street" (3:45)
8. "Little Guitars (Intro)" (:42)
9. "Little Guitars" (3:48)
10. "Big Bad Bill" (2:45)
11. "The Full Bug" (3:21)
12. "Happy Trails" (1:05)

The Sex Pistol's put out their "Great Rock N Roll Swindle" album but to be quite honest, this album is the great rock 'n roll swindle. First of all this "album" is more like an EP. The entire album is only 30 minutes in length, which is about average for Roth-era VH albums. However, a song by song examination reveals that only about 1/3 of this CD is actual Van Halen songs, 1/3 are covers, and the other 1/3 is silly fluff consisting of jokes and guitar instrumentals. Of the original material, "Hang "Em High" is perhaps the best track with it heavy, rhythmic pulse and Diamond Dave's signature croon. Of the silly stuff, " Happy Trails" is an amusing way to end the album. Of the covers, Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and the infectious "Dancing in the Street" are the most obvious choices. These songs actually helped propel this album and gave Van Halen several radio hits that are still played on rock radio today. The other notable thing about this disc is the band started to go in a more 'pop-rock' direction here, which was to be a forecast of what was to come. Overall, "Diver Down" is a weak CD in comparison to anything the band had written prior. The funny thing is, it sold like gangbusters! Go figure!

1. "1984" (1:07)
2. "Jump" (4:04)
3. "Panama" (3:32)
4. "Top Jimmy" (3:02)
5. "Drop Dead Legs" (4:15)
6. "Hot for Teacher" (4:44)
7. "I'll Wait" (4:45)
8. "Girl Gone Bad" (4:35)
9. "House of Pain" (3:19)

This was a HUGE album for Van Halen. AMG calls it "the best and most defining rock release of the '80s." Hmmm, I wouldn't go that far. It did, however, break Van Halen into new areas of pop with songs like "Jump" and the new-wavish "I'll Wait" which are more saturated in keyboards than Eddie's signature guitar crunch. "Panama", a slightly harder rocking number, was also a hit and is still a rock radio staple decades later. While their exploration into pop paid off for the band, it alienated me for a time. I just didn't care for it in a time when I was searching for heavier music and bands like Priest and Maiden were ruling the heavy metal scene. Despite this, there are still plenty of meaty rockers on this one in "Hot for Teacher," "Top Jimmy," "Drop Dead Legs," "Girl Gone Bad," and "House of Pain." Unfortunately, the album would be the last Van Halen recording to feature David Lee Roth, who left in 1985 at the height of the band's popularity to do his hugely successful solo album "Eat 'Em and Smile." Unfortunately for Dave, despite being hugely popular with his first couple solo records, his popularity would diminish over the years while Van Halen continued to reap popularity with Sammy Hagar behind the mic. Personally, I think that Van Halen ended with the loss of Roth. It just wasn't the same band anymore in my opinion.