Paced by Netherlands-born Alex and Edward Van Halen, along with California's Michael Anthony's bass and David Lee Roth's lead vocals, this quartet plays some of the most intense rock'n'roll you'll hear. Its fiery brand of barroom, small-club, loud driving rock contains some blistering guitar riffs by Edward Van Halen along with the powerful bass riffs of Anthony. Roth's vocals never quit. The album's first single, a remake of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," is already climbing the Hot 100. Best cuts: "You Really Got Me," "Runnin' With The Devil," "Jamie's Cryin'."

- Billboard, 1978.

Bonus Reviews!

For some reason Warners wants us to know that this is the biggest bar band in the San Fernando Valley. This doesn't mean much -- all new bands are bar bands, unless they're Boston. The term becomes honorific when the music belongs in a bar. This music belongs on an aircraft carrier. C

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

The prototype: Eddie Van Halen proves the hand is quicker than the ear, while David Lee Roth plays the role of outrageous frontman to perfection. Includes "You Really Got Me" and "Runnin' with the Devil." * * * * *

- William Ruhlmann, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Van Halen is a headbanger's paradise, brimming with muscular romps such as "Runnin' With the Devil," the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," "Jamie's Crying" and Eddie's brilliant guitar-gasm, "Eruption." * * * * *

- Thor Christensen, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

The ultimate in bad-boy rock & roll, this rowdy, rambunctious record started their legacy off with a bang and helped get heavy metal out of its plodding stage. Guided by singer David Lee Roth at his most obnoxiously great, every song begs you to stand up, scream along with the lyrics, air guitar and bang your head. "Eruption" elevates Eddie Van Halen to the status of a god -- copied by many, surpassed by none, he's an influence upon all. * * * * *

- Zagat Survey Music Guide - 1,000 Top Albums of All Time, 2003.

Van Halen's debut gave the world a new guitar hero (Eddie Van Halen) and charismatic frontman (David Lee Roth). Tunes such as "Runnin' With the Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" put the swagger back in hard rock, and Van Halen's jaw-dropping technique, particularly on "Eruption," raised the bar for rock guitar.

Van Halen was chosen as the 415th greatest album of all time by the editors of Rolling Stone magazine in Dec. 2003.

- Rolling Stone, 12/11/03.

Van Halen were veterans of the Pasadena, California, bar circuit, but on their 1978 debut their sound was already large enough to fill football stadiums. Singer David Lee Roth yowled like a Vegas performer in heat, Michael Anthony played the bass lines that let Eddie Van Halen go wild on guitar, and Eddie crammed a whole season of soap-opera plot twists into every solo, making liberal use of the whammy bar but never losing the melody. The only element of the formula missing was a spoken Roth rap (the pinnacle of that art would come two years later, with the "I like the little way the line runs up the back of the stockings" bit on "Everybody Wants Some!!").

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Van Halen Lyrics

Multiple tracks from Van Halen crashed into heavy rotation on rock radio. "Runnin' With the Devil," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and their version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." The best was "Jamie's Cryin'." Discarding crass lyrics such as "You know you're semi-good-lookin'," Roth wrote a surprisingly empathetic song about a girl regretting a one-night stand, while Eddie delivered a guitar lick that would later do wonders for Tone-Loc's "Wild Thing."

During the making of the song, Roth was monitoring his diet and exercise to preserve his voice -- but found that he didn't sound right in the studio. So he sucked down a joint, a soda and a cheeseburger, and promptly nailed it. Rumor has it that Van Halen have continued in recent years with a new lead singer, but since their 1985 breakup, nobody involved has ever recaptured that spontaneous cheeseburger music. * * * * *

- Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone, 11/25/04.

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