Disco de Van Halen: “Van Halen [Remaster]”

It was the late 70's and unless you lived through it, it may be kind of hard to understand. Disco ruled the radio, you couldn't turn the dial without finding the latest and greatest by the Bee Gees or The Village People. The term "Rock" was now assigned to bands like Styx or Supertramp. The guitar driven rock of Led Zep, The Who and Kiss, were pushed to the back-burner of the American music scene. Then out of nowhere Van Halen burst onto the scene. With the opening chords of "Runnin' With The Devil" into "Eruption" and "You Really Got Me", Van Halen cemented the new American rock sound. No matter what era of Van Halen you prefer, DLR vs. Sammy, it's impossible to top the band's debut album. This was something new, something purely American, and opened the door to what we know as Hard Rock or Heavy Metal today. It's impossible to listen to any rock artist today and not hear the influence of Van Halen. The 80's hair-metal scene was basically made up of bands immitating this album. Is it coincidence that soon after Van Halen debuted disco died, and bands like Twisted Sister emerged? Why bother reviewing the songs on this disk, unless you have lived under a rock for the last 25+ years you have heard each of the songs on this album at one point or another? These songs are classics, and have stood the test of time. I have owned this album on vinyl, 8-Track, cassette and CD. If you don't own this disk already.....well what are you waiting for. Like The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper", or AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", "Van Halen" is an essenital album for your cd collection.

I'm an audiophile and have quite an investment in LP gear as well as computer gear so that I can capture my LP's in 24bit / 192khz glory. This album is the best sounding, best pressed, LP reissue I have bought in 20 years. It is so quiet that there is virtually no surface noise to be detected. I never thought I would hear vinyl this clear and clean ever again.

As for the sound, let's just say that it blows away every CD issued, including the DCC Gold disc version. The sound is warm and analog just like the original recording. All the minute details are there without any of that horrible over compressed, volume limited sound most "loudness war" cd's have these days. All you get is the sound the original artist intended.

I mean this 180g pressing sound so good that I'm litterally about to drool just thinking about listening to it again. I feel like this album is a bell and I'm Pavlov's dog! Mmmmm....

Picture this: I'm a teenager and I'm in to the electric guitar. I own a black copy Les Paul and a fairly nice amplifier. I am up in my bedroom and trying to learn all the cool guitar licks. I know of all the rock guitar Gods--Clapton, Beck, Page, Hendrix, Nugent,Derringer, the list goes on and on. I'm putting my guitar away for the night and switch on the radio on my stereo. The FM DJ announces that he's about to play a new band that just released a debut album. Half-curious, I kind of listen to hear what this new band sounds like...

Then the song "Eruption" blasts through my stereo speakers. I stand, slack-jawed, in the middle of my bedroom. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had never heard anything like it! Then the song goes right into the power chords of the Kinks clasic "You Really Got Me", only this version is louder and grittier. Then this kind of raspy, cocky, in-your-face voice starts belting out the lyrics. I AM SPELLBOUND!!

For the next two weeks, kids in school are talking about this new band called "Van Halen."

I wish I could describe what a buzz and rush it was when this band came on the scene. IT WAS AWESOME!!

Side-note: Yes, Eddie is a guitar God and I love Sammy Hagar, but I believe during the Van Halen years, David lee Roth was the greatest frontman in rock-n-roll. (notice I didn't say he was the greatest SINGER in rock-n-roll, I said he was the greatest FRONTMAN)

Now that it is remastered, it is great to hear these classics. I can almost see David Lee Roth high-jumping, doing in- the- air splits and kicks, I can see Eddie playing the guitar like it was in his hands the day he was born,Michael and Alex keeping the pulsing beat.

WOW! Sometimes I wish we were all back there!

The evolution of Rock Guitar playing:

1. Chuck Berry

2. Jimi Hendrix

3. Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page

4. Edward Van Halen.

5. C'mon there's hasn't been anyone since then...

When Eddie erupted (pretty punny) on the music scene way back in the day (I was a senior in "High" School), his outrageously phenomenal extravagonzo guitar playing basically blew away all the reigning guitar gods who thought they were cool (a few were pretty decent, though) and had them all scrambling to learn and re-create the supersonic sounds that came so easy to Sensei Eddie Van Halen. Every song on this album is basically an advanced lesson in futuristic guitar playing. Nowadays, anyone and their grandmother's grandmother can do hyperdrive hammer ons and pull offs sprinkled with some telepathic psycho harmonic doorbells concluding with a kamikaze dive bomb whammy bar...but way back then, it was Eddie. Just like Jimmy with a violin bow, it was Eddie and his tapping. He introduced these techniques and more to us mere mortal guitar wankers weaned on Marino, Montrose, Nuge, Travers, Trower, and Derringer. Another thing, Eddie's practiced in the art of D&D; Denial and Deception. He claims he's influenced by Clapton when really it's Jeff Beck. Sure he knows a few Clapton licks but he did this to throw all guitar pretenders off his trail. Listen to Beck and you'll see. At that time only a young Randy Rhodes matched Eddie for sheer extreme virtuosity. He's another favorite of mine and I will soon comment. Van Halen's debut album has to be ranked as one of the top 10 best rock albums of all time. It is truly pioneering and hey, I haven't even mentioned Diamond Dave yet. Okay, in a nutshell: bar none, he's the best rock frontman ever. But that's another story.

First of all if you think Ashlee simpson is better than Van Halen then you really need to get a life. Second of all van halen was the best is the best and will be the best.