10 Dark Horse Albums By Legendary Bands
2. Women and Children First - Van Halen
The Roth-era of Van Halen tends to be called one of the most perfect streaks of albums in hard rock history. From their amazing debut all the way to 1984, most hair metal aficionados can't really find much bad to say about any of these records. On the other hand, Women and Children First may be the one record from this time that deserves to be celebrated just a little bit more.
Coming out almost immediately after Van Halen II, this was in the middle of the prolific release schedule that these guys went through at the hands of their management. However, they hadn't lost one iota of heaviness in the process, with songs that sound like they're able to cut through steel. From the opening strains of And the Cradle Will Rock, this is a lot more heavy than many might have expected from the guys who made songs like Dance the Night Away, with songs like Loss of Control having a punk like energy and the closer In a Simple Rhyme having some of the more consistent grooves of the group's career.
Since this was in the midst of the Van Halen glory streak, a lot of these new ideas got lost in the shuffle, with the label wanting to just push the radio-friendly material. As it stands though, this is the sound of a hair metal act gently toeing the line of just how heavy things could get.