Album Review: Van Halen's Debut

In early february 1978, an album arrived in the world that not only revolutionized rock, but also the technique to make the guitar explode, and the album that inspired thousands of young people to play guitar.

The band formed by the brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, accompanied Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth would arrive to make history with one of the best debuts in rock history.

In that 1978 I was not yet born, but without a doubt I share the first impression that those 1978 fans had the first time they listened the album, a powerful bass of Michael Anthony that gives away to the first track, Runnin’ With The Devil, a heavy and very fresh theme for the time following the instrumental and out of this world, Eruption, a song that left more than one person open-mouthed when listening such a guitar and tapping technique that few dared to do with the naturalness that Eddie Van Halen did, it seemed that he was born with the guitar in his hands!

Next comes a cover of You Really Got Me, the Kink’s classic, a version that Eddie Van Halen gives more power to magnificent riff, the first heavy riff ever created. With songs that slow down like Little Dreamer where Van Halen plays with blues influences, David Lee Roth voice’s hypnotizes you, even the first time I heard Van Halen, I couldn’t believe that voice came out to joyful, flowery and rebellious man.

Van Halen still sounds as powerful and sincere as it did 45 years ago, an album that refuses to get old, an album that will always surprise you, because the talent plagued by its 4 members. And it only remains to thank Eddie, Alex, David and Michael for having us a tremendous musical work. And we are also thankful that Eddie Van Halen refused to be a guitarrist for Kiss, otherwise we would not have been able to witness this.