10 Greatest Debut Albums Of The 1970s
4. Van Halen - Van Halen
Any fan of hard rock music looks at the 70's with the utmost reverence. From the start of the decade with Led Zeppelin to larger than life acts like Kiss and Alice Cooper, there was no short supply of music for folks who wanted something a bit heavier than the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac. While glam rock started to quickly take over the mainstream, a group from the Sunset Strip set their sights on the big time and delivered a stunner.
From the opening descent of "Runnin With the Devil," Van Halen's debut record is one of the greatest pieces of hard rock music ever put to tape. Each of the songs on the record show a different facet of the band's sound, from heavy tracks like "Atomic Punk" to the irresistible pop of "Jamie's Cryin." Even when interpreting other bands' material, their takes on the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" brought the garage rock classic into the arena.
With just one record, the rock world found both a new guitar god in Eddie Van Halen's tapping prowess and the most charismatic frontman of all time in David Lee Roth. Coming towards the tail end of the decade, this was the future of rock and roll that launched the beginnings of millions of hair bands in the 80's.