10 Perfect Hard Rock Albums Everyone Tried To Copy
3. Van Halen - Van Halen
As rock started to get a little darker, the world of metal was not meant to be all that fun. The sounds of Black Sabbath was the stuff of nightmares for parents around the world, and every band that came afterward seemed more concerned with making something scary than something that might actually get on the radio. Metal is also about having fun though, and Van Halen turned all of their heaviness into one big party.
Working out of the clubs of West Hollywood, the sounds of Van Halen's debut feels like the greatest party that Los Angeles would ever throw, with David Lee Roth holding court as one of the greatest hype men in history. Outside of the raw sound of the record, the songs are also timeless, having the same kind of sex, drugs, and rock and roll mentality as the first years of rock and roll, only with Eddie Van Halen's fiery leads over the top, giving the rock scene a new guitar hero specializing in tapping with both hands on the guitar neck.
Coming right at the end of 1978, this album is practically a blueprint for the rest of the hair metal scene that was to come soon afterward, with bands like Motley Crue and Poison taking the good time spirit of this album and pairing it with the theatricality of T Rex and KISS. You never really forget your first though, and Van Halen's debut is about as close to perfect that the Sunset Strip would ever get.