10 Albums That Changed Rock History

7. Van Halen - Van Halen

Towards the end of the '70s, it felt like rock was getting tired of...well...itself. Even if bands like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith were still household names, things were getting far too polished and extravagant for most fans to even care anymore. We needed something new and exciting, and it came from deep in West Hollywood.

Brandishing mammoth riffs and a boatload of charisma, Van Halen's debut is the kind of lightning in a bottle that we only get once in a lifetime. In just a few short minutes, Eddie Van Halen quickly became the world's next guitar star, with Eruption showcasing his amazing technique of tapping on the fretboard. Beyond just the guitar acrobatics, David Lee Roth became the biggest superstar frontman since Steven Tyler, cultivating the party animal reputation that no one could resist.

This was still a metal record though, and you can hear the power through every single note that's played. Even when things get toned down on songs like Ice Cream Man, the back half kicks things into high gear and takes you on a thrill ride that you didn't realize you needed. While Van Halen would keep getting better from here, this is where you get to see these legends at their hungriest.

 
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