Growing up a teenage boy in the ‘80s, I had ears that were deeply steeped in Van Halen. The band was an integral part of the classic rock atmosphere. But when it came to re-listening to Van Halen once more, in the interest of this website, I must admit I avoided them for quite a while.
I mean, I always liked Van Halen, but it seemed I knew a lot of guys who absolutely worshipped them. When I think of Van Halen, my thoughts inevitably leap to my idea of the stereotypical Van Halen fan—some 13-year-old boy, alone in his room, furiously playing air guitar at masturbatory speeds, or in public expressing amazement at how fast Eddie Van Halen could play guitar.
It’s not the most flattering of impressions.
But listening to Van Halen now, damned if I don’t still like this music, quite a bit—it’s great for what it is.
And what is it? you ask. This is cock-rock at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. Think I’m exaggerating? Just look at how and where frontman David Lee Roth holds his microphone on the front cover of their debut album, and what part of his body he leads with on the back cover. Many men think almost exclusively with it, so why not let its aura fill your ears as well?
When he’s not confusing speed with artistic quality, Eddie Van Halen can play a fiery hard rock guitar almost without equal. Check out the thunderous roar of “Running With the Devil” and the grind and strut of “Jamie’s Cryin’.” Wow.
What makes it all work is the flamboyant swagger of David Lee Roth. Oh, those squeals, those yelps, those shrieks! Roth sings with an arrogance and swing like no one else. He’s obnoxious as hell, of course, but his persona has a certain appeal, nonetheless. Without him at the helm, the music promises to veer into the mundane. Which it eventually would. And after this sentence, I promise not to disparagingly allude to people who can’t drive 55.
Note: This post is based on the text—already written but not yet published—for the 1978 entry for Van Halen’s self-titled debut. Post coming (relatively) soon.
This CD-length playlist provides a terrific career summary of Van Halen’s early incarnation. There’s more from that era for the interested to explore—I would have liked to include more of Diver Down and Fair Warning, plus a couple other tracks from other albums. But I think one disc is enough, in fact.
Cover Art:
- Van Halen (front and back covers): Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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