10 Rock Music Acts Who Peaked With Their First Album

3. Van Halen - Van Halen

One of the all-time great rock bands, delivering one of the all-time great rock albums with their debut record. That was the case when Val Halen served up their self-titled 1978 offering.

Van Halen undoubtedly changed the face of rock music when they came on the scene. At that point in time, so many of the great rock acts of yesteryear were partaking in acts of overindulgence and music that was dripping in self-importance and ego. The lively punk scene was veering more towards a more hardcore sound, disco was finally, slowly dying a death, and thus the Van Halen fellas stepped up and led the charge for what would become hair metal.

Some of their later albums may have been rough - here's looking at you, Van Halen II - but Van Halen continued to put out great material for a solid decade or more after their debut. And while that material was indeed great, there was still nothing quite as all-out perfect as 1978's Van Halen record.

Setting the stage perfectly, Runnin' with the Devil is a beauty of an opening track, immediately making you aware of what Van Halen were bringing to the table; harmonies, energy, chugging bass lines, driving guitar licks, those David Lee Roth vocals, and of course the sheer wizardry of a young Eddie Van Halen.

I'm the One is possibly the standout track on Van Halen, but it's a close call between that, Eruption, Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, Atomic Pink, You Really Got Me, Jamie's Cryin'... and, well, all 11 tracks on this iconic, revolutionary rock album.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.