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Van Halen (album)

January 01, 1970

Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on February 10, 1978, by Warner Bros. Records. Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock music,[7][8][9] the album was a major commercial success, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200.[10] It has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States, receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and making it one of the best-selling albums in the country.[11]

Van Halen
Studio album by
Van Halen
ReleasedFebruary 10, 1978 (1978-02-10)
RecordedAugust 29 – October 4, 1977[1][2][3]
StudioSunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood[4]
Genre
Length35:34
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTed Templeman
Van Halen chronology
Van Halen
(1978) 		Van Halen II
(1979)
Singles from Van Halen
  1. "You Really Got Me"
    Released: January 1978
  2. "Runnin' with the Devil"
    Released: April 1978
  3. "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love"
    Released: June 1978 (Japan)[5]
  4. "Jamie's Cryin'"
    Released: July 1978[6]
  5. "On Fire"
    Released: September 1978 (Japan)

Van Halen 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' 1964 song "You Really Got Me", and the instrumental "Eruption"; written and played by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time and helped popularize two-handed tapping.[12] In 2020, the album was ranked number 292 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.

Background edit

Van Halen recorded demos of 10 songs in November 1976 during sessions at Village Recorders in West L.A. and New York’s Electric Lady studios produced and financed by Gene Simmons of Kiss. [13] However, the resulting three-track demo tape attracted little interest from record labels, and Kiss’s manager Bill Aucoin even declined to manage the band.[13] Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was not convinced of the quality of the material because they could not make the recordings with their own equipment.[14] Simmons left to tour with Kiss after recording the demos, but said he would try to secure Van Halen a record deal afterwards.[15]

After recording the demos, the band was offered several concerts. At a sold-out show in their hometown, Pasadena, the group's future manager, Marshall Berle, discovered the band. He and musical entrepreneur Kim Fowley paired them with punk rock band Venus and the Razorblades for a gig at the Whisky a Go Go.[16] After being well received by Berle at the Whisky a Go Go, the band gained the attention of Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. who both attended the band's performance at the Starwood on February 3, 1977. Van Halen proceeded to sign a contract with Warner.[17] [18]

The recording of this debut album with producer Ted Templeman began August 29, 1977.[19] The tracks were recorded quickly during sessions between August 31 and September 8, 1977. [20] It was mostly recorded live,[21] but "Runnin' with the Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Feel Your Love Tonight" and "Ice Cream Man" contain guitar overdubs.[22] Edward also overdubbed his solo for "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" with an electric sitar.[23] Work on the album ended October 4 with the final mixing of "Little Dreamer" and "Eruption" (titled simply "Guitar Solo" on studio documents).[3] Overall, the album cost approximately $54,000 to produce. [2]

"We didn't have a ton of material," recalled bassist Michael Anthony, "so we basically just took our live show and all the songs we knew and went for it. The whole album only took a couple of weeks. Ted Templeman wanted to make a big, powerful guitar record, and he had all he needed in what Eddie was doing."[24]

The subsequent tour began March 3, 1978 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago with the band opening for Journey and Montrose in the United States.[25] [26] They later opened for heavy metal band Black Sabbath in Europe and the United States.[27]

Packaging and artwork edit

The cover photos for Van Halen were taken at the Whisky a Go Go, a Los Angeles club at which Van Halen often performed during late 1976-1977. The guitar pictured on the cover is Eddie Van Halen's signature Frankenstrat (before he added the red paint), a highly customized Stratocaster-style guitar built out of replacement parts.

The liner notes thank radio disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons,[28] the latter usually credited with discovering Van Halen[29] although Bingenheimer deserves credit for introducing Van Halen to Simmons. "A lot of people stick me on their [thanks list], even though I don't deserve it," Simmons remarked. "One that I did deserve to be on was that first Van Halen record – the guys still owe me a couple thousand bucks! But I love 'em."[30]

Release and reception edit

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [31]
Christgau's Record GuideC[32]
Classic Rock     [33]
MusicHound Rock5/5[34]
Q     [35]
Rolling Stone     [36]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [37]

In the United States, Van Halen reached number 19 on the Billboard 200; their debut single, a cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me", spent eleven weeks, three of which in the Top 40, on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 36.[38]

Soon after its February 1978 release, Van Halen became regarded by fans and critics as one of rock music’s greatest debut albums; however, its initial critical reception was mostly negative. In 1978, Rolling Stone critic Charles M. Young predicted, "In three years, Van Halen is going to be fat and self-indulgent and disgusting ... follow[ing] Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin right into the toilet. In the meantime, they are likely to be a big deal."[39] But he also wrote that: "Van Halen's secret is not doing anything that's original while having the hormones to do it better than all those bands who have become fat and self-indulgent and disgusting. Edward Van Halen has mastered the art of lead/rhythm guitar in the tradition of Jimmy Page and Joe Walsh; several riffs on this record beat anything Aerosmith has come up with in years. Vocalist Dave Lee Roth manages the rare hard-rock feat of infusing the largely forgettable lyrics with energy and not sounding like a castrato at the same time. Drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony are competent and properly unobtrusive."[40] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said, "For some reason Warners wants us to know that this is the biggest bar band in the San Fernando Valley ... The term becomes honorific when the music belongs in a bar. This music belongs on an aircraft carrier."[32]

According to Rolling Stone's Holly George-Warren, with the album's release the mainstream media focused on Roth's "swaggering good looks and extroverted persona", while fans and musicians "were riveted by Eddie Van Halen's guitar mastery", which included "an array of unorthodox techniques."[41] She notes that, even before the band's debut, "Eddie became a legend among local guitarists."[41]

Kerrang! magazine gave the album a very positive review, and considers the album to be an "essential purchase." They wrote, "IT'S DIFFICULT to overstate the effect VH's debut had upon its release. With the music world split between punk, disco and prog rock, Van Halen combined a dazzling live show with a party-hearty motto and, in Eddie Van Halen, a guitarist who redefined what was possible on six strings. His sound on this album—christened 'The Brown Sound'—remains the holy grail of guitar tones."[42]

Record World called the single "Jamie's Crying" a "driving rhythm piece, which may be [Van Halen's] most interesting single to date." saying that "its rock energy never lets up."[43]

Commercial performance edit

On August 7, 1996, Van Halen was re-certified by the RIAA for selling ten million copies in the United States alone.[44] One of only seven rock bands to release two RIAA Diamond status albums, Van Halen remains one of Van Halen's two best-selling albums, along with 1984.

Van Halen went to Gold status on May 24, 1978, and then went to Platinum status just a few months later, on October 10, 1978. In less than a year the album sold more than one million copies in the US alone, meaning that the album was already a great success. On October 22, 1984, the album went to 5× Multi-Platinum status. The album went to 6x Multi-Platinum on February 1, 1989, and then went to 7× Multi-Platinum on September 29, 1993. In less than a year later, on July 11, 1994, the album went to 8x Multi-Platinum, and finally, on August 7, 1996, just two years later, the album went to Diamond status by RIAA.[11]

The Van Halen album, like Van Halen's other David Lee Roth-era albums—excepting Van Halen II, which was re-certified in 2004, to coincide with the promotion of a Warner Bros. Records greatest hits collection—was last brought by Warner Bros. Records to the RIAA for re-certification in 1996, while 1984 was re-certified on February 8, 1999.[11] The band's split with Warner Brothers in 2002, and subsequent agreement with Interscope has eliminated Warner Brothers' incentive for paying the [relatively substantial] fee to promote Van Halen's back-catalog by having its albums re-certified. Despite lack of re-certification, Van Halen's 1978 debut has continued to sell prolifically, re-appearing numerous times on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums charts, as recently as 2020.[45]

Legacy edit

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Van Halen as "monumental" and "seismic", while noting that it is typically not viewed as an "epochal generation shift" in the same way as the debut albums of Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, The Rolling Stones, and the Sex Pistols.[46] He explains, "The reason it's never given the same due is that there's no pretension, nothing self-conscious about it."[46] He commented: "The still-amazing thing about Van Halen is how it sounds like it has no fathers ... Like all great originals Van Halen doesn't seem to belong to the past and it still sounds like little else, despite generations of copycats."[46] In Erlewine's opinion, the album "set the template for how rock and roll sounded for the next decade or more."[46] A retrospective review by Q noted, "Hit singles came later, but this dazzling debut remains their trump card."[35]

In 1994, Van Halen was ranked number eight in Colin Larkin's Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums. Larkin described it as "one of the truly great" debut albums of heavy metal.[47] According to authors Gary Graff and Daniel Durchholz, writing in MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1999), Van Halen is a "headbanger's paradise"; before its release, "no one had heard or seen anything like it."[34] In 2003, Rolling Stone, listed it among The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, at number 410;[48] the list's 2012 edition had it ranked 415th.[49] The 2020 list placed it at 292. According to Rolling Stone's Joe Levy, the album "gave the world a new guitar hero and charismatic frontman" in Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth, respectively.[48] Levy credits the tracks "Runnin' with the Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" with "put[ting] the swagger back in hard rock", praising Eddie Van Halen's "jaw-dropping technique", which "raised the bar for rock guitar."[48] In 2006, Guitar World readers ranked it number 7 on a list of the Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time.[50] In 2013, Rolling Stone listed the album at number 27 of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.[51]

On April 15, 2013, David Lee Roth was interviewed by Jay Mohr for his podcast, where he selected the album as his favorite Van Halen recording.[52]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Runnin' with the Devil" 3:36
2."Eruption" 1:42
3."You Really Got Me"Ray Davies2:38
4."Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" 3:50
5."I'm the One" 3:47
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jamie's Cryin'" 3:31
2."Atomic Punk" 3:02
3."Feel Your Love Tonight" 3:43
4."Little Dreamer" 3:23
5."Ice Cream Man"John Brim3:20
6."On Fire" 3:01

Personnel edit

Van Halen edit

Production edit

  • Dave Bhang – art direction and design
  • Jodi Cohen – typesetting
  • Elliot Gilbert – photography
  • Logan Jervis – engineer
  • Donn Landee – engineer
  • Peggy McCreary – engineer
  • Jo Motta – project coordinator
  • Kent Nebergall – engineer
  • Ted Templeman – producer

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for Van Halen
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[66] 4× Platinum 400,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[67] Gold 25,305[67]
France (SNEP)[68] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[69] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[70] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[72] Diamond 10,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Renoff 2015, p. 279.
  2. ^ a b Gill, Tolinski 2021, p. 55.
  3. ^ a b "Van Halen "Eruption" Work Order & You Really Got Me Mic Technique! Sunset Sound Roundtable". YouTube. Sunset Sound Recorders. November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2023. [Brian Kehew]: In fact, on the original boxes it says Guitar Solo. Years later or months later it was scratched out, and they wrote Eruption and the catalog number of the Warner Brothers song. [Paul Camarata]: I actually have the invoice right here. This is the actual invoice, and yeah, as you can see, it's October 4th. They did Little Dreamer that day in Studio 1, and then they did Guitar Solo.
  4. ^ "Sunset Sound" (PDF). sunsetsound.com.
  5. ^ "Van Halen - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 866. ISBN 9780862415419.
  7. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Ten Greatest Debut Albums". Rolling Stone. April 3, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "100 Greatest Rock Debut Albums". digitaldreamdoor.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "The 10 Greatest Rock Debut Albums Of All Time". I Love Classic Rock. May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Album Chart for 1978-05-27". Music Charts Archive. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "You searched for van halen - RIAA". RIAA.
  12. ^ . NME. November 11, 2017. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ a b Gill, Tolinski 2021, p. 26.
  14. ^ . hardharderheavy.de (in German). Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  15. ^ Grow, Kory (March 22, 2016). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016. I gave the demo back to the band, told them I had a tour to go on and afterward I would try to get them a record deal, but until then, I tore up our contract and set them free. It didn't take them long to get on Warner Bros.
  16. ^ Renoff, Greg. . medium.com/cuepoint. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  17. ^ Gill, Tolinski 2021, p. 49.
  18. ^ Tolinski 2010, p. 38.
  19. ^ "Sunset-Sound.pdf" (PDF). Sunset Sound. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  20. ^ "Van Halen debut album multitrack master tape boxes".
  21. ^ Tolinski 2010, p. 116.
  22. ^ Renoff 2015, p. 561.
  23. ^ . Guitar World. November 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2023. I doubled the solo section with an electric sitar.
  24. ^ musicradar.com/news/guitars/michael-anthony-my-6-career-defining-records-249695
  25. ^ Gill, Tolinski 2021, p. 59.
  26. ^ "Journey's Past Tour Information". journey-tribute.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  28. ^ "Van Halen (1978)". albumlinernotes. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  29. ^ "Gene Simmons Reveals The Van Halen Demo Most Deserving Of Release: 'It'll Make Your Jaw Drop'". Van Halen News Desk. December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  30. ^ Gitter, Mike (March 6, 1993). "Talkin' 'bout revolutions". Kerrang!. No. 433. p. 39.
  31. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Van Halen – Van Halen". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  33. ^ Rock, Classic (February 19, 2018). "Album Of The Week Club: Van Halen - Van Halen". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  34. ^ a b Graff & Durchholz 1999, p. 1187.
  35. ^ a b Q, August 2000
  36. ^ Edwards, Gavin (November 25, 2004). "Van Halen:Van Halen (2004 review)". Rolling Stone. from the original on February 14, 2008.
  37. ^ "Van Halen: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012.
  38. ^ George-Warren 2001, p. 1028; Whitburn 2010, p. 683
  39. ^ Young, Charles M. (May 4, 1978). "Van Halen:Van Halen". Rolling Stone. from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  40. ^ . Rolling Stone. April 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007.
  41. ^ a b George-Warren 2001, p. 1028.
  42. ^ . March 15, 2014. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014.
  43. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. August 26, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  44. ^ . RIAA. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  45. ^ "Billboard 200 Charts, Week of October 17, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  46. ^ a b c d Stephen Thomas Erlewine (February 10, 1978). "Van Halen - Van Halen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  47. ^ Larkin 1994, p. 182.
  48. ^ a b c Levy 2005, p. 203.
  49. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  50. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Albums". Guitar World. October 2006. A copy can be found at "Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time – Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  51. ^ "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time: 'Van Halen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  52. ^ . YouTube. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  53. ^ . Guitar World. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  54. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  55. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3556". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  56. ^ a b "Dutchcharts.nl – Van Halen – Van Halen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  57. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  58. ^ "Charts.nz – Van Halen – Van Halen". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  59. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  60. ^ "Van Halen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  61. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Van Halen – Van Halen". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  62. ^ "Van Halen Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  63. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1978". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  64. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  65. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  66. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen". Music Canada.
  67. ^ a b "Van Halen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  68. ^ "French album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen" (in French). InfoDisc. Select VAN HALEN and click OK. 
  69. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Van Halen; 'Van Halen')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  70. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved February 27, 2020. Enter Van Halen in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1984 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  71. ^ "British album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen". British Phonographic Industry.
  72. ^ "American album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen". Recording Industry Association of America.

Works cited

  • George-Warren, Holly, ed. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll (2005 ed.). Fireside. ISBN 978-0-7432-9201-6.
  • Gill, Chris; Tolinski, Brad (2021). Eruption: Conversations With Eddie Van Halen. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-0-306-82665-8.
  • Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-061-2.
  • Larkin, Colin (1994). Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums (1st ed.). Gullane Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-85112-786-6.
  • Levy, Joe, ed. (2005). Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (First Paperback ed.). Wenner Books. ISBN 978-1-932958-61-4.
  • Renoff, Greg (2015). Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77041-263-7. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  • Tolinski, Brad (April 15, 2010). Guitar World Presents Van Halen. Backbeat Books.
  • Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 1955–2009 (9th ed.). Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-8554-5.

Further reading edit

  • Gill, Chris; Tolinski, Brad (2021). Eruption—Conversations With Eddie Van Halen. New York: Hachette Books. pp. 103–123. ISBN 9780306826658.
  • Van Halen Guitar Anthology. Van Nuys, California: Alfred. 2006. pp. 3–45. ISBN 9780897246729. OCLC 605214049.

January 01, 1970
halen, album, halen, debut, studio, album, american, rock, band, halen, released, february, 1978, warner, bros, records, widely, regarded, greatest, debut, albums, rock, music, album, major, commercial, success, peaking, number, billboard, sold, more, than, mi. Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen released on February 10 1978 by Warner Bros Records Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock music 7 8 9 the album was a major commercial success peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200 10 It has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA and making it one of the best selling albums in the country 11 Van HalenStudio album by Van HalenReleasedFebruary 10 1978 1978 02 10 RecordedAugust 29 October 4 1977 1 2 3 StudioSunset Sound Recorders Hollywood 4 GenreHard rock heavy metalLength35 34LabelWarner Bros ProducerTed TemplemanVan Halen chronologyVan Halen 1978 Van Halen II 1979 Singles from Van Halen You Really Got Me Released January 1978 Runnin with the Devil Released April 1978 Ain t Talkin bout Love Released June 1978 Japan 5 Jamie s Cryin Released July 1978 6 On Fire Released September 1978 Japan Van Halen 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 1964 song You Really Got Me and the instrumental Eruption written and played by guitarist Eddie Van Halen it is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time and helped popularize two handed tapping 12 In 2020 the album was ranked number 292 in Rolling Stone s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list Contents 1 Background 2 Packaging and artwork 3 Release and reception 4 Commercial performance 5 Legacy 6 Track listing 7 Personnel 7 1 Van Halen 7 2 Production 8 Charts 8 1 Weekly charts 8 2 Year end charts 9 Certifications 10 See also 11 References 12 Further readingBackground editVan Halen recorded demos of 10 songs in November 1976 during sessions at Village Recorders in West L A and New York s Electric Lady studios produced and financed by Gene Simmons of Kiss 13 However the resulting three track demo tape attracted little interest from record labels and Kiss s manager Bill Aucoin even declined to manage the band 13 Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was not convinced of the quality of the material because they could not make the recordings with their own equipment 14 Simmons left to tour with Kiss after recording the demos but said he would try to secure Van Halen a record deal afterwards 15 After recording the demos the band was offered several concerts At a sold out show in their hometown Pasadena the group s future manager Marshall Berle discovered the band He and musical entrepreneur Kim Fowley paired them with punk rock band Venus and the Razorblades for a gig at the Whisky a Go Go 16 After being well received by Berle at the Whisky a Go Go the band gained the attention of Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros who both attended the band s performance at the Starwood on February 3 1977 Van Halen proceeded to sign a contract with Warner 17 18 The recording of this debut album with producer Ted Templeman began August 29 1977 19 The tracks were recorded quickly during sessions between August 31 and September 8 1977 20 It was mostly recorded live 21 but Runnin with the Devil Jamie s Cryin Feel Your Love Tonight and Ice Cream Man contain guitar overdubs 22 Edward also overdubbed his solo for Ain t Talkin bout Love with an electric sitar 23 Work on the album ended October 4 with the final mixing of Little Dreamer and Eruption titled simply Guitar Solo on studio documents 3 Overall the album cost approximately 54 000 to produce 2 We didn t have a ton of material recalled bassist Michael Anthony so we basically just took our live show and all the songs we knew and went for it The whole album only took a couple of weeks Ted Templeman wanted to make a big powerful guitar record and he had all he needed in what Eddie was doing 24 The subsequent tour began March 3 1978 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago with the band opening for Journey and Montrose in the United States 25 26 They later opened for heavy metal band Black Sabbath in Europe and the United States 27 Packaging and artwork editThe cover photos for Van Halen were taken at the Whisky a Go Go a Los Angeles club at which Van Halen often performed during late 1976 1977 The guitar pictured on the cover is Eddie Van Halen s signature Frankenstrat before he added the red paint a highly customized Stratocaster style guitar built out of replacement parts The liner notes thank radio disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons 28 the latter usually credited with discovering Van Halen 29 although Bingenheimer deserves credit for introducing Van Halen to Simmons A lot of people stick me on their thanks list even though I don t deserve it Simmons remarked One that I did deserve to be on was that first Van Halen record the guys still owe me a couple thousand bucks But I love em 30 Release and reception editRetrospective professional reviewsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 31 Christgau s Record GuideC 32 Classic Rock nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 33 MusicHound Rock5 5 34 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 35 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 36 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 37 In the United States Van Halen reached number 19 on the Billboard 200 their debut single a cover of The Kinks You Really Got Me spent eleven weeks three of which in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 36 38 Soon after its February 1978 release Van Halen became regarded by fans and critics as one of rock music s greatest debut albums however its initial critical reception was mostly negative In 1978 Rolling Stone critic Charles M Young predicted In three years Van Halen is going to be fat and self indulgent and disgusting follow ing Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin right into the toilet In the meantime they are likely to be a big deal 39 But he also wrote that Van Halen s secret is not doing anything that s original while having the hormones to do it better than all those bands who have become fat and self indulgent and disgusting Edward Van Halen has mastered the art of lead rhythm guitar in the tradition of Jimmy Page and Joe Walsh several riffs on this record beat anything Aerosmith has come up with in years Vocalist Dave Lee Roth manages the rare hard rock feat of infusing the largely forgettable lyrics with energy and not sounding like a castrato at the same time Drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony are competent and properly unobtrusive 40 Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said For some reason Warners wants us to know that this is the biggest bar band in the San Fernando Valley The term becomes honorific when the music belongs in a bar This music belongs on an aircraft carrier 32 According to Rolling Stone s Holly George Warren with the album s release the mainstream media focused on Roth s swaggering good looks and extroverted persona while fans and musicians were riveted by Eddie Van Halen s guitar mastery which included an array of unorthodox techniques 41 She notes that even before the band s debut Eddie became a legend among local guitarists 41 Kerrang magazine gave the album a very positive review and considers the album to be an essential purchase They wrote IT S DIFFICULT to overstate the effect VH s debut had upon its release With the music world split between punk disco and prog rock Van Halen combined a dazzling live show with a party hearty motto and in Eddie Van Halen a guitarist who redefined what was possible on six strings His sound on this album christened The Brown Sound remains the holy grail of guitar tones 42 Record World called the single Jamie s Crying a driving rhythm piece which may be Van Halen s most interesting single to date saying that its rock energy never lets up 43 Commercial performance editOn August 7 1996 Van Halen was re certified by the RIAA for selling ten million copies in the United States alone 44 One of only seven rock bands to release two RIAA Diamond status albums Van Halen remains one of Van Halen s two best selling albums along with 1984 Van Halen went to Gold status on May 24 1978 and then went to Platinum status just a few months later on October 10 1978 In less than a year the album sold more than one million copies in the US alone meaning that the album was already a great success On October 22 1984 the album went to 5 Multi Platinum status The album went to 6x Multi Platinum on February 1 1989 and then went to 7 Multi Platinum on September 29 1993 In less than a year later on July 11 1994 the album went to 8x Multi Platinum and finally on August 7 1996 just two years later the album went to Diamond status by RIAA 11 The Van Halen album like Van Halen s other David Lee Roth era albums excepting Van Halen II which was re certified in 2004 to coincide with the promotion of a Warner Bros Records greatest hits collection was last brought by Warner Bros Records to the RIAA for re certification in 1996 while 1984 was re certified on February 8 1999 11 The band s split with Warner Brothers in 2002 and subsequent agreement with Interscope has eliminated Warner Brothers incentive for paying the relatively substantial fee to promote Van Halen s back catalog by having its albums re certified Despite lack of re certification Van Halen s 1978 debut has continued to sell prolifically re appearing numerous times on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums charts as recently as 2020 45 Legacy editAllMusic s Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Van Halen as monumental and seismic while noting that it is typically not viewed as an epochal generation shift in the same way as the debut albums of Led Zeppelin the Ramones The Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols 46 He explains The reason it s never given the same due is that there s no pretension nothing self conscious about it 46 He commented The still amazing thing about Van Halen is how it sounds like it has no fathers Like all great originals Van Halen doesn t seem to belong to the past and it still sounds like little else despite generations of copycats 46 In Erlewine s opinion the album set the template for how rock and roll sounded for the next decade or more 46 A retrospective review by Q noted Hit singles came later but this dazzling debut remains their trump card 35 In 1994 Van Halen was ranked number eight in Colin Larkin s Top 50 Heavy Metal Albums Larkin described it as one of the truly great debut albums of heavy metal 47 According to authors Gary Graff and Daniel Durchholz writing in MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide 1999 Van Halen is a headbanger s paradise before its release no one had heard or seen anything like it 34 In 2003 Rolling Stone listed it among The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 410 48 the list s 2012 edition had it ranked 415th 49 The 2020 list placed it at 292 According to Rolling Stone s Joe Levy the album gave the world a new guitar hero and charismatic frontman in Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth respectively 48 Levy credits the tracks Runnin with the Devil and Ain t Talkin Bout Love with put ting the swagger back in hard rock praising Eddie Van Halen s jaw dropping technique which raised the bar for rock guitar 48 In 2006 Guitar World readers ranked it number 7 on a list of the Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time 50 In 2013 Rolling Stone listed the album at number 27 of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time 51 On April 15 2013 David Lee Roth was interviewed by Jay Mohr for his podcast where he selected the album as his favorite Van Halen recording 52 Track listing editAll tracks are written by Eddie Van Halen Alex Van Halen David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony except where notedSide oneNo TitleWriter s Length1 Runnin with the Devil 3 362 Eruption 1 423 You Really Got Me Ray Davies2 384 Ain t Talkin bout Love 3 505 I m the One 3 47 Side twoNo TitleWriter s Length1 Jamie s Cryin 3 312 Atomic Punk 3 023 Feel Your Love Tonight 3 434 Little Dreamer 3 235 Ice Cream Man John Brim3 206 On Fire 3 01Personnel editVan Halen edit David Lee Roth lead vocals acoustic guitar on Ice Cream Man credited as David Roth Eddie Van Halen guitar backing vocals electric sitar on Ain t Talkin bout Love 53 Michael Anthony bass backing vocals Alex Van Halen drums Production edit Dave Bhang art direction and design Jodi Cohen typesetting Elliot Gilbert photography Logan Jervis engineer Donn Landee engineer Peggy McCreary engineer Jo Motta project coordinator Kent Nebergall engineer Ted Templeman producerCharts editWeekly charts edit Chart 1978 Peakposition Australian Albums Kent Music Report 54 17 Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 55 18 Dutch Albums Album Top 100 56 36 Japanese Albums Oricon 57 44 New Zealand Albums RMNZ 58 22 UK Albums OCC 59 34 US Billboard 200 60 19 Chart 1980 Peakposition Dutch Albums Album Top 100 56 10 Chart 2011 Peakposition Italian Albums FIMI 61 89 Chart 2020 Peakposition US Top Rock Albums Billboard 62 4 Year end charts edit Chart 1978 Position US Billboard 200 63 33 Chart 1979 Peakposition US Billboard 200 64 15 Chart 2020 Peakposition US Top Rock Albums Billboard 65 88Certifications editCertifications for Van Halen Region Certification Certified units sales Canada Music Canada 66 4 Platinum 400 000 Finland Musiikkituottajat 67 Gold 25 305 67 France SNEP 68 Gold 100 000 Germany BVMI 69 Gold 250 000 Netherlands NVPI 70 Platinum 100 000 United Kingdom BPI 71 Gold 100 000 United States RIAA 72 Diamond 10 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone See also editVan Halen discographyReferences edit Renoff 2015 p 279 a b Gill Tolinski 2021 p 55 sfn error no target CITEREFGill Tolinski2021 help a b Van Halen Eruption Work Order amp You Really Got Me Mic Technique Sunset Sound Roundtable YouTube Sunset Sound Recorders November 21 2020 Retrieved December 25 2023 Brian Kehew In fact on the original boxes it says Guitar Solo Years later or months later it was scratched out and they wrote Eruption and the catalog number of the Warner Brothers song Paul Camarata I actually have the invoice right here This is the actual invoice and yeah as you can see it s October 4th They did Little Dreamer that day in Studio 1 and then they did Guitar Solo Sunset Sound PDF sunsetsound com Van Halen Ain t Talkin Bout Love Dutch Charts in Dutch Retrieved February 19 2024 Strong Martin Charles 1995 The Great Rock Discography Canongate Press p 866 ISBN 9780862415419 Readers Poll The Ten Greatest Debut Albums Rolling Stone April 3 2013 Retrieved May 1 2023 100 Greatest Rock Debut Albums digitaldreamdoor com Retrieved May 1 2023 The 10 Greatest Rock Debut Albums Of All Time I Love Classic Rock May 17 2017 Retrieved May 1 2023 Album Chart for 1978 05 27 Music Charts Archive Retrieved May 1 2023 a b c You searched for van halen RIAA RIAA 50 greatest guitar solos of all time NME November 11 2017 Archived from the original on November 11 2017 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link a b Gill Tolinski 2021 p 26 sfn error no target CITEREFGill Tolinski2021 help Volume Van Halen Biography and Discography at HardHarderHeavy hardharderheavy de in German Archived from the original on January 12 2017 Retrieved December 30 2016 Grow Kory March 22 2016 Gene Simmons Talks Lost Seventies Van Halen Demos Rolling Stone Archived from the original on March 23 2016 Retrieved December 30 2016 I gave the demo back to the band told them I had a tour to go on and afterward I would try to get them a record deal but until then I tore up our contract and set them free It didn t take them long to get on Warner Bros Renoff Greg How punk and new wave resurrected Hollywood s legendary Whisky a Go Go in the 1970s medium com cuepoint Archived from the original on October 1 2016 Retrieved December 30 2016 Gill Tolinski 2021 p 49 sfn error no target CITEREFGill Tolinski2021 help Tolinski 2010 p 38 Sunset Sound pdf PDF Sunset Sound Retrieved February 3 2022 Van Halen debut album multitrack master tape boxes Tolinski 2010 p 116 Renoff 2015 p 561 Prime Cuts Eddie Van Halen Breaks Down 10 Van Halen Classics from Eruption to Right Now Guitar World November 13 2013 Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved December 25 2023 I doubled the solo section with an electric sitar musicradar com news guitars michael anthony my 6 career defining records 249695 Gill Tolinski 2021 p 59 sfn error no target CITEREFGill Tolinski2021 help Journey s Past Tour Information journey tribute com Retrieved December 30 2016 Black Sabbath Online Tour Dates 1978 Archived from the original on July 2 2009 Retrieved July 10 2009 Van Halen 1978 albumlinernotes Retrieved February 3 2022 Gene Simmons Reveals The Van Halen Demo Most Deserving Of Release It ll Make Your Jaw Drop Van Halen News Desk December 10 2020 Retrieved February 3 2022 Gitter Mike March 6 1993 Talkin bout revolutions Kerrang No 433 p 39 Erlewine Stephen Thomas Van Halen Van Halen AllMusic Rovi Corporation Retrieved February 10 2023 a b Christgau Robert 1981 Consumer Guide 70s V Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor amp Fields ISBN 089919026X Retrieved March 9 2019 via robertchristgau com Rock Classic February 19 2018 Album Of The Week Club Van Halen Van Halen Retrieved April 30 2019 a b Graff amp Durchholz 1999 p 1187 a b Q August 2000 Edwards Gavin November 25 2004 Van Halen Van Halen 2004 review Rolling Stone Archived from the original on February 14 2008 Van Halen Album Guide Rolling Stone Music Rolling Stone Archived from the original on December 10 2012 George Warren 2001 p 1028 Whitburn 2010 p 683 Young Charles M May 4 1978 Van Halen Van Halen Rolling Stone Archived from the original on April 27 2007 Retrieved July 15 2011 Rolling Stone Van Halen Van Halen Music Reviews Rolling Stone April 27 2007 Archived from the original on April 27 2007 a b George Warren 2001 p 1028 Van Halen Where to Start with Kerrang March 15 2014 Archived from the original on March 15 2014 Hits of the Week PDF Record World August 26 1978 p 1 Retrieved February 13 2023 Gold amp Platinum Searchable Database February 21 2014 RIAA Archived from the original on September 5 2013 Retrieved February 22 2014 Billboard 200 Charts Week of October 17 2020 Billboard Retrieved October 15 2020 a b c d Stephen Thomas Erlewine February 10 1978 Van Halen Van Halen Songs Reviews Credits Awards AllMusic Retrieved February 22 2014 Larkin 1994 p 182 a b c Levy 2005 p 203 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone May 31 2012 Retrieved September 4 2019 100 Greatest Guitar Albums Guitar World October 2006 A copy can be found at Guitar World s 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time Rate Your Music rateyourmusic com Retrieved October 12 2011 The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time Van Halen Rolling Stone Retrieved February 22 2014 Mohr Stories YouTube Archived from the original on April 29 2016 Retrieved February 8 2015 Prime Cuts Eddie Van Halen Breaks Down 10 Van Halen Classics from Eruption to Right Now Guitar World Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved December 9 2016 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Top RPM Albums Issue 3556 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved February 2 2024 a b Dutchcharts nl Van Halen Van Halen in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved February 2 2024 Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970 2005 in Japanese Roppongi Tokyo Oricon Entertainment 2006 ISBN 4 87131 077 9 Charts nz Van Halen Van Halen Hung Medien Retrieved February 2 2024 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved February 2 2024 Van Halen Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved February 2 2024 Italiancharts com Van Halen Van Halen Hung Medien Retrieved February 2 2024 Van Halen Chart History Top Rock Albums Billboard Retrieved February 2 2024 Top Billboard 200 Albums Year End 1978 Billboard Retrieved February 2 2024 Top Billboard 200 Albums Year End 1979 Billboard Retrieved February 2 2024 Top Rock Albums Year End 2020 Billboard Retrieved February 2 2024 Canadian album certifications Van Halen Van Halen Music Canada a b Van Halen in Finnish Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland French album certifications Van Halen Van Halen in French InfoDisc SelectVAN HALENand clickOK Gold Platin Datenbank Van Halen Van Halen in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Dutch album certifications Van Halen Van Halen in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved February 27 2020 EnterVan Halen in the Artiest of titel box Select 1984 in the drop down menu saying Alle jaargangen British album certifications Van Halen Van Halen British Phonographic Industry American album certifications Van Halen Van Halen Recording Industry Association of America Works cited George Warren Holly ed 2001 The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll 2005 ed Fireside ISBN 978 0 7432 9201 6 Gill Chris Tolinski Brad 2021 Eruption Conversations With Eddie Van Halen Hachette Books ISBN 978 0 306 82665 8 Graff Gary Durchholz Daniel 1999 MusicHound Rock The Essential Album Guide Visible Ink Press ISBN 978 1 57859 061 2 Larkin Colin 1994 Guinness Book of Top 1000 Albums 1st ed Gullane Children s Books ISBN 978 0 85112 786 6 Levy Joe ed 2005 Rolling Stone s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time First Paperback ed Wenner Books ISBN 978 1 932958 61 4 Renoff Greg 2015 Van Halen Rising How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal Toronto ECW Press ISBN 978 1 77041 263 7 Retrieved December 30 2016 Tolinski Brad April 15 2010 Guitar World Presents Van Halen Backbeat Books Whitburn Joel 2010 The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits 1955 2009 9th ed Billboard Books ISBN 978 0 8230 8554 5 Further reading editGill Chris Tolinski Brad 2021 Eruption Conversations With Eddie Van Halen New York Hachette Books pp 103 123 ISBN 9780306826658 Van Halen Guitar Anthology Van Nuys California Alfred 2006 pp 3 45 ISBN 9780897246729 OCLC 605214049 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Van Halen album amp oldid 1208933744, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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