Van Halen

Van Halen delivered one helluva debut in 1978. The album not only put the band on the map, but it also raised the bar for rock groups in general. Most of the songs on Van Halen are still staples of FM radio, including "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love," "Jamie's Crying," and "Runnin' With the Devil." A true rock classic.

Van Halen were veterans of the Pasadena, California, bar circuit, but on their 1978 debut
their sound was already large enough to fill football stadiums. Singer David Lee Roth yowled
like a Vegas performer in heat, Michael Anthony played the bass lines that let Eddie Van
Halen go wild on guitar, and Eddie crammed a whole season of soap-opera plot twists into
every solo, making liberal use of the whammy bar but never losing the melody. T... More >

For some reason Warners wants us to know that this is the biggest bar band in the San Fernando Valley. This doesn't mean much--all new bands are bar bands, unless they're Boston. The term becomes honorific when the music belongs in a bar. This music belongs on an aircraft carrier. (Grade - C)