Maps of Music

Van Halen (1978)

Where the lyrics of Van Halen take you, and where it was really made.

Gene Simmons of Kiss financed the band's first demos, yet later joked that the guys still owed him a couple thousand bucks.

Key places

Recording at Sunset Sound (1977)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California, from September to October 1977, with sessions beginning August 29, 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover shot at the Whisky a Go Go (1978)

Album cover Whisky a Go Go — The cover photos were taken at the Whisky a Go Go, a Los Angeles club where Van Halen often performed during late 1976 to 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Van Halen: debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen
• Released February 10, 1978 by Warner Bros. Records
• Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock music
• Peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart
• Sold more than 10 million copies in the United States; RIAA Diamond certification
• Includes "Runnin' with the Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "Jamie's Cryin'", a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me", and the instrumental "Eruption"
• "Eruption" written and performed by Eddie Van Halen; widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time

Background

• Demos of 10 songs recorded in November 1976 at Village Recorders in West L.A. and Electric Lady studios
• Demos produced and financed by Gene Simmons of Kiss
• The three-track demo tape attracted little interest from record labels
• Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was not convinced of the material's quality, since they could not use their own equipment
• Marshall Berle discovered the band at a sold-out show in Pasadena
• Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. attended the band's performance at the Starwood on February 3, 1977
• The band signed a contract with Warner
• Tour began March 3, 1978 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, opening for Journey and Ronnie Montrose; later opened for Black Sabbath in Europe and the United States

Recording

• Recording with producer Ted Templeman began August 29, 1977
• Tracks recorded quickly; mostly recorded live
• Guitar overdubs on "Runnin' with the Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Feel Your Love Tonight", and "Ice Cream Man"
• Eddie overdubbed his solo for "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" with an electric sitar
• Work ended October 4 with the final mixing of "Little Dreamer" and "Eruption"
• Overall production cost approximately $54,000

Cover

• Cover photos taken at the Whisky a Go Go, a Los Angeles club where the band often performed in late 1976 to 1977
• Guitar on the cover is Eddie Van Halen's signature Frankenstrat, built from replacement parts, shown before the red paint was added

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972.
• The brothers Alex (b. 1953) and Eddie Van Halen (b. 1955) were born in Amsterdam, moved to Pasadena in 1962, and began playing together in the 1960s.
• The band went through the names Broken Combs, Trojan Rubber Co, Genesis, and Mammoth before becoming Van Halen in 1973.
• David Lee Roth joined as lead vocalist in 1972 and Michael Anthony joined on bass in 1974.

Members

• Eddie Van Halen (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Alex Van Halen (drums), David Lee Roth (lead vocals, 1974–1985), Michael Anthony (bass, 1974–2006).
• Sammy Hagar replaced Roth in 1985 and Gary Cherone replaced Hagar in 1996.
• Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son, replaced Anthony on bass in 2006.

Career

• The self-titled debut album (1978) reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified Diamond by the RIAA.
• The album 1984 (1984) produced 'Jump', the band's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
• With Hagar, the band released four U.S. number-one albums, including 5150 (1986) and OU812 (1988).
• Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020; Wolfgang later confirmed the band had ended.
• The band has sold more than 80 million records worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone critic Charles M. Young predicted the band would fall into decline within three years, while also expecting them to be a big deal in the meantime
• Young wrote that Eddie Van Halen had mastered lead and rhythm guitar in the tradition of Jimmy Page and Joe Walsh
• Young praised vocalist David Lee Roth for infusing the largely forgettable lyrics with energy
• Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote that the music belongs on an aircraft carrier
• Kerrang! magazine gave the album a very positive review and considered it an essential purchase
• Initial critical reception was mostly negative, according to the source

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Van Halen as monumental and seismic
• Erlewine noted the album is typically not viewed as an epochal generation shift like the debut albums of Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, The Rolling Stones, and the Sex Pistols
• Erlewine said the album set the template for how rock and roll sounded for the next decade or more
• A retrospective review by Q noted that hit singles came later but this debut remains their trump card
• In 2020, the album was ranked number 292 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Records

• Peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart
• Gold certification on May 24, 1978; Platinum on October 10, 1978
• 5x Multi-Platinum on October 22, 1984; 6x on February 1, 1989; 7x on September 29, 1993; 8x on July 11, 1994
• Diamond status by RIAA on August 7, 1996
• Over 10 million copies sold in the United States

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Gene Simmons later joked that the band still owed him a couple thousand bucks for the first record
• Work on the album ended October 4 with the final mixing; the track "Eruption" was titled simply "Guitar Solo" on studio documents
• Michael Anthony recalled that the whole album took only a couple of weeks to make
• The liner notes thank radio disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer, who introduced the band to Simmons
• The cover guitar is the Frankenstrat, shown before Eddie Van Halen added red paint

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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