10 Perfect Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
6. Van Halen - Van Halen
As the '70s wore on, rock was going to need something bold to carry on into the next decade. It's not that the giants like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin had gone anywhere...they were just becoming a bit more stale, with no new artists coming to take their place. Whereas the British Invasion may have started something in the '60s, the late '70s saw everything turn to West Hollywood for Van Halen's debut.
To say this album was a gamechanger would be massively underselling it. This is the kind of record that goes for the kill from the word go. Looking to just capture the spirit of the band live, each of these songs distill everything great about each individual member of the band into a neat package, from Michael Anthony's distinctive high vocals to David Lee Roth's showmanship being the greatest presence in rock since Robert Plant.
But it's all in the name...Eddie is the real reason why everyone went nuts over this album. In just a few seconds, Eruption sent him to the top of the musical food chain, introducing different techniques to the guitar that no one thought was even possible. Although every album does have its fair share of sore spots, this is the kind of lightning in a bottle that keeps you engaged from top to bottom.