12 No-Skip Hard Rock Albums
2. Van Halen - Van Halen
The album so nice, they named it twice. This album was the soundtrack for many American teens in the late 1970s and is fondly remembered as a classic.
Beginning with Running With The Devil, this signature track is all about living with reckless abandon and is a fun, uplifting song that makes it hard to sit still.
Eddie Van Halen earned himself the monicker as the greatest guitar player since Hendrix with the next track, Eruption. This popularised finger tapping in guitar solos and must have been thought of as wizardry at the time.
The album’s third track is the band’s homage to The Kinks, with their dirty distorted You Really Got Me. David Lee Roth’s vocals are so present in this tribute to the influential Ray Davies.
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love is another Van Halen hallmark, and I’m The One a fast which blends the axe talents of Eddie Van Halen, the vocal catcalls of Roth, and the fast-paced rhythm section. Special credit to Alex Van Halen on drums in this track.
Jamie’s Cryin’ contains a funky pump reminiscent of Hard Rock contemporaries, Thin Lizzy.
The album flows at a fast rate, leading to the penultimate track, Ice Cream Man. A fun blues tribute which remains a live staple, Ice Cream Man is a delicious double-entendre drizzled doozy that would make AC/DC fans drool.
The album ends with the explosive On Fire, and this is bassist, Michael Anthony’s time to shine. With heavy reverb, it is the baseline that carries the album to a climax.