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Artist: Van Halen

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Van Halen Homepage

CD Title: Van Halen

 

Category: Hard Rock

Year: 1978

Label: Warner Brothers

Catalog Number: 3075-2

Personnel

David Lee Roth vocals
Eddie Van Halen guitar, backing vocals
Michael Anthony bass, backing vocals
Alex Van Halen drums
This self-titled debut album contains 3 songs that appeared on the charts. Runnin'with the Devil, and Ain't talkin' 'bout love both became instant successes. The third was the cover of the Kinks' You really got me.

Tracks

1.	Runnin' With The Devil
2.	Eruption
3.	You Really Got Me			Cover: The Kinks
4.	Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
5.	I'm The One
6.	Jaime's Cryin'
7.	Atomic Punk
8.	Feel Your love
9.	Little Dreamer
10.	Ice Cream Man
11.	On Fire

If you see any errors or omissions in the CD information shown above, either in the musician credits or song listings (cover song credits, live tracks, etc.), please post them in the corrections section of the Heavy Harmonies forum/message board.

The music discographies on this site are works in progress. If you notice that a particular Van Halen CD release or compilation is missing from the list above, please submit that CD using the CD submission page. The ultimate goal is to make the discographies here at Heavy Harmonies as complete as possible. Even if it is an obscure greatest-hits or live compilation CD, we want to add it to the site. Please only submit official CD releases; no bootlegs or cassette-only or LP-only releases.

EPs and CD-singles from Van Halen are also welcome to be added, as long as they are at least 4 songs in length.

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Existing comments about this CD

From: Phil	Date: June 11, 2001 at 13:45
This album fucking rocks. One of, if not THE best album ever.

From: Sal	Date: July 10, 2001 at 23:38
phil is right, this album is fun even when your...

From: Mike G.	Date: July 25, 2001 at 13:47
This is probably the all-time greatest guitar album of all!! This album opened all of the doors for guitar players all over the world!! Guitar playing has never been the same since!! Every song on this album rocks!!! Get it!!!

From: Kim	Date: September 7, 2001 at 15:51
This is the best hard rock album ever made. īNo albums even gets close to this one. Its a classic.

From: Rob	Date: October 10, 2001 at 11:29
This is a classic. Changed the world of rock/metal forever.

From: TrendsDestroy	Date: March 29, 2002 at 20:45
I don't know what I can say that comes close to describing the experience of this and its importance.

From: Desslar	Date: April 5, 2002 at 11:58
Nothing more to say - it rocks! Ice Cream Man may be one of Dave's most entertaining songs.

From: freddy de keyze	Date: September 16, 2002 at 2:48
Another milestone in history of hardrock. This, their debut, is their best and never be topped by the band again. The guitarlicks of Eddie are fabulous, great CLASSIC hardrock record. A MUST !!!!

From: jarett r.	Date: October 21, 2002 at 22:13
i've heard that eddie and alex van halen's pre-van halen band mammoth recorded a demo tape in 1973. mammoth were: eddie van halen- lead vocals and guitar mark stone- bass alex van halen- drums

From: Bob D.	Date: November 11, 2002 at 20:05
Look in a Dictionary under rock and roll, and it'll say VH's debut Van Halen! This is a gooddamn experince not to be missed, and gets better and better every time i play that MoFo....

From: rob	Date: December 31, 2002 at 0:45
Their best without a doubt. This is what rock n roll should be. Anyone know if VH are going to be recording a new album or did they break up? if they are who is their vocalist?

From: Great Dane	Date: January 7, 2003 at 16:49
Best album ever.

From: TIM	Date: January 7, 2003 at 17:05
Definately in my top 10. What an album!

From: harry	Date: January 9, 2003 at 21:15
one of the best rock albums of all time!

From: jack	Date: January 16, 2003 at 3:00
noone can dissagree, this is raw, but one of the top 5 greatest hard rock albums of all time, and probably one of the most influential!! A must for the cd collection....9.5/10

From: ROB GARCIA	Date: January 25, 2003 at 15:36
four excellent musicians giving it all theyve got.pure raw power!!.with this album a guitar god was born.

From: Hot-Rod	Date: April 12, 2003 at 19:32
Your right Jack, it's definetly a top 5 hard rocker of all time! But there's no probably about it's influence on hard rock......10+!!!!!!

From: RichieRocker	Date: April 12, 2003 at 21:36
Groundbreaking release from Van Halen. This is a classic rock album that should be in everyones collection. An influence for any rocker in my mind.

From: Romolo	Date: April 25, 2003 at 4:37
Pure Hard Rock, pure Guitar, This disc made a time , Powerful and great disc, the cover from Kinks You Really me got is perfect, and the Aint Tlk boult Love, is unbiliveble

From: steve	Date: May 1, 2003 at 18:04
another fun VH album, great songs that are fun

Heavy Harmonies Volunteer
From: Whiplash1972	Date: June 3, 2003 at 23:05
My second fave Van Roth album right behind 1984. Runnin' With the Devil is one of my all time favorite songs.

From: dusty gibbons	Date: August 18, 2003 at 17:25
Obviously a great album with ALOT of cross-over appeal. I do find it somewhat more rewarding to listen to the cd zeros's, which is a bootleg recording of the demos they did with gene simmons pre warner bros. It sounds pretty good and the band only play a few numbers that appeared on the debut. hope no one minds me plugging a boot.?

From: Great Dane	Date: August 19, 2003 at 14:09
Dusty, youre right. I just happened to trade to the Zero disc, and even to a 2 cd set called After Zero. Damn thats good stuff.

From: Rocker65	Date: September 30, 2003 at 16:46
After I overheard (and i still Listening it) that album i must agree with most of you.

From: AOR freaky	Date: December 5, 2003 at 9:29
Their first, their best and an all time classic ! Innovative guitars by Eddie ! Fantastic hardrock record !

From: lance1	Date: December 14, 2003 at 0:15
this cd rocks.every song is so heavy for the 1970s.only kiss and van halen ruled then to me.eruption is the foundation on this cd.that sound on eddies guitar is so amazing.im on fire is heavy too.you gotta go get this one.

From: Motley	Date: December 18, 2003 at 9:31
The best guitarist ever and dont come telling me names like Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen and bla bla bla millions of others lame guitarists. Eddie Van Halen really created the magic and bringing the heavy and rnr guitarplaying onto a new dimension. Yes he is my fave OF ALL the other guitarists followed by Georg Lynch and Randy Rhoads.

From: 442danny	Date: December 23, 2003 at 11:45
this cd is ageless..... it sounds as great today as it did in 78... this album is over 20 years old and still kicks ass... i would van halen to put something out as great as this today...wouldnt you?

From: Great Dane	Date: December 25, 2003 at 16:31
I think this is the best Rock album ever released. # 1.

From: Sahara Jack	Date: January 13, 2004 at 11:11
The ULTIMATE ROCK RECORD!!! EVH is GOD spelled RIGHT!!!

From: AOR freaky	Date: January 13, 2004 at 11:18
Great Dane and Sahara Jack : maybe not the best ever (that's so difficult to say, there are other masterpieces out !) but indeed AN ALL TIME CLASSIC and a record I still enjoy listening to ! The best VH ever !

From: Sahara Jack	Date: January 15, 2004 at 19:56
There are other masterpieces, but is like the ONE record that made an entire decade you know. Others sounds good within a already existing sound, but this was something mindblowing amazing new refreshing, super awesome, loud, proud, rock n' roll record. This is THE record. The only thing that comes close would be Randy Rhoads.

From: sparkyass	Date: January 25, 2004 at 2:01
the greatest rock album of all time!!!!!!!it changed my life forever.

From: gener8tr	Date: January 28, 2004 at 19:18
The first 'rock' LP I ever purchased. A classic that will live in my heart forever.

From: Dave	Date: February 11, 2004 at 18:00
Would someone PLEASE kick Eddie Van Halen in the head and get him to reunite with Roth?

From: Impaler	Date: February 23, 2004 at 0:22
A Classic

From: Atomic Punk

Date: February 28, 2004 at 11:01

I think it's all been said. This is THE single album that changed the way rock guitar was played. Eruption is obviously phenominal, but listen to the riffs he plays in the song I'm The One...MIND BLOWING! And what can be said about Roth...Killer voice...and those patented screams he does that seem to really add to the song. By the way, he cannot do those sceams anymore. A bit too big of an ego...but the ultimate showman!

From: Rockhead	Date: March 9, 2004 at 5:28
The GREATEST HARD ROCK ALBUM EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

From: Rockhead	Date: March 13, 2004 at 15:54
Listening to this RIGHT NOW!!!! CRANKED UP and sounding awesome-after 27 years this CD ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If im lucky I might even get some sex later as my wife loves this CD

From: jack

Date: May 20, 2004 at 3:45

People might say judas priest or iron maiden who started all the heavy metal things but i think Van halen is the true innovator.Prove?THIS ALBUM! i have no doubt that this album change the face of metal music. All the songs here are all metal madness,except for ice cream man and this album is one of the heaviest,if not the heaviest in the late 70's. Every one of the songs here are all under the works of one of the most creative and innovative rock band ever:VAN HALEN-THE METAL GOD!

From: Mike h	Date: June 3, 2004 at 21:30
There ain't one bad song on the cd. all of them are catchy and powerful!

From: Rycheage	Date: June 27, 2004 at 18:20
One of the geatest debut albums of all-time. An instant classic. Shred work that no one has ever heard before or since. There is magic here. 'Jamie's Crying', 'You Really Got Me', 'Little Guitars', 'Little Dreamer', Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love', and 'Feel Your Love' are ALL staples on all FM classic rock radio. Classic stuff here. 10/10.

From: Big Papa K	Date: June 30, 2004 at 16:24
Few times in music history has a debut album been as important as this one. It changed the way metal and hard rock would be played afterwards, and with good reason because the songs are all great. Almost each one of these has become a radio standard and I have yet to hear a debut album better than this. 10/10

From: jack	Date: July 19, 2004 at 6:53
hey Big PapaK,What about Firehouse by firehouse or appetite for destruction by Gun N Roses or skid row by skid row?

From: Rockhead

Date: July 19, 2004 at 6:57

Jack-None of those albums you have mentioned are as vital as VH1 (Appetite comes close. VH1 is a genre making album, same as Montrose 'Montrose', Led Zeppelin 1, DRN, Kill Em All. These are genre defining (albeit in different rock categories). To Quote Skid Row and Firehouse in the same sentence is laughable as both added nothing or indeed were innovative-rather a couple of very solid albums in a sea of very solid albums.

From: CheeseStooge24

Date: July 19, 2004 at 22:10

Big Papa K & Rockhead, your both right. This was a defining, or rather, a re-defining moment in rock. One of the greatest debut albums ever. The only other one that comes to mind for me is 'Montrose' in terms of sheer power and ferocity. Definately, definately, one of the all time great albums in rock. Such a shame that they sold out and became just another wad of radio fodder later in their careers.

From: jack	Date: July 20, 2004 at 0:56
Sorry,my insane saying there, i keep on thinking about which debut album makes a big sale or chart topping instead of the genre changing part if you get what i mean. What about altars of madness which perhaps change the face of death metal. But thats another story!

From: Uusiolli	Date: August 5, 2004 at 22:05
A classic. One of the best records ever made. With this album Eddie started totally new wave of heavy metal guitarplaying, and quite soon he had lots of followers. Nearly every guitarplayer who thought they were something started to make their own Eruptions. I just love this album. 10/10

From: aaron rocks	Date: August 17, 2004 at 22:50
the cd is very good its best ha ha

From: harrytb104	Date: October 2, 2004 at 3:49
one of the best albums of all time! 10/10

From: ptw	Date: October 17, 2004 at 21:44
Classic even if the girls I grew up with in the 8th grade cringed when they heard it. Classic metal !! Can't get any better.

From: Metalhead66

Date: November 17, 2004 at 12:15

This is the most perfect Hard Rock Album of ALL TIME!!PERIOD!! Not only did it Spawn a legion of other guitar player to change how they sounded and PLAYED, but it also came out at a time when punk&disco ruled.It actually has both in it's D.N.A. Yes Both!! The punk came out in it's anger and Furious sound!!The disco(??) in it's ability to make people DANCE!!!They looked and Sounded like Know one else!!!It was Recorded in 3 weeks....Hell that is now how long some bands take to tune!!!!!!!

From: Metalhead66

Date: November 17, 2004 at 12:23

The songs are there,the Harmonies ,the brilliant lyrics...The Front Man David Lee Roth is the standard by which ALL Hard Rock Singers Will Be Judged! He made up the Stage Persona that every Band has stolen since! I Don't even need to Talk about Eddie....He lets the fingers do that!!!! without Roth= Crap!! Sammy is great and I think he is really a talented Singer,but the vibe with Roth..well It took you to California...10/10!!!!!

From: Propane	Date: December 3, 2004 at 16:00
Blew me completely away at first listen. I had to see these guys once I heard this. Great debut! I saw them and was disappointed with the amount of mistakes Dave made, chugging whiskey between songs. Eddie had a clear plastic thing mounted on the back of his axe so he could cheat at his toe tapping. Enough ranting... Lousy in concert but killer album.

From: TomSawYa	Date: December 7, 2004 at 11:18
The whole record a gigantic wonderful heavy metal eruption. And eruption was the first track I ever heard of them. The first cut is the deepest.

From: Leo	Date: May 4, 2005 at 11:30
Amazing!!!!!!! Van halen forever Brazil loves you

From: meradona	Date: June 4, 2005 at 8:47
solo hay que ver el aņo en que se saco este disco y escuchar la primera cancion, vaya sonido, vaya guitarras aqui dije eddie es el mejor guitarrista de todos los tiempos, para mi un disco imprescindible.

From: Andrew	Date: July 2, 2005 at 12:43
One of the best rock albums of all time. Two throwaway tracks with 'Ice Cream Man' and 'Little Dreamer' but every other song is a classic. 9.5/10

From: Eddie Van Driver	Date: July 28, 2005 at 8:34
I saw them tour the UK supporting Black Sabbath on their 10th anniversary tour. Van Halen were amazingly good. What a brilliant debut album which has well stood the test of time.

From: AOR freaky	Date: September 12, 2005 at 11:37
Just listened to this one again and it still sounds fresh ! Isn't that the ultimate proof of classic work ? SUPERB !

From: Priest On E

Date: April 6, 2006 at 12:41

If you have long hair and dont own this album you're probably a chick...heavy metal/hard rock/sleaze milestone right here. Every track a classic...nuff said bout that. Every band for the following 12 years was directly influenced by this and the following 5 albums. It is impossible to underestimate how many bands on this website worship Van Halen and the sheer number of ordinary people that have been inspired to grow their hair as a result of this album...

From: Priest On E	Date: April 6, 2006 at 15:56
...MOTLEY CRUE, KIX, LONDON, ICON, GRIM REAPER, SEDUCE, RATT, QUIET RIOT, RANDY RHOADS, ANTHRAX, ANVIL, ARMOURED SAINT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BLACK 'N BLUE, WASP, TESLA...

From: fenixx	Date: June 13, 2007 at 20:26
what is there to say about this and other albums from them?? a real rock classic!!! it opened the ground to a lot of bands that came out by the same time and after them. itīs 70's rock like it or not, bands on this decade where very unique. a pity this feeling didīnt go on into the 80īs, outshined in the 90īs and extremely rare in 2000!

From: shark attack

Date: July 29, 2007 at 19:00

Classic debut release which was the inspiration for guitarists and singers for years to come....ground breaking in all aspects this record single handedly changed metal for ever and still sounds fresh and innovative today....without doubt the cornerstone to any serious record collection what ever music your into...probably the ultimate compliment would be that thousands of bands copied them but no one could sound like VAN HALEN.10/10

From: shark attack	Date: July 29, 2007 at 19:06
Got to laugh when I see some of the dross clogging up the HEAVY HARMONIES top 100(the new look version)and I see no VAN HALEN but every STRYPER CD`s there(this is july 29 2007) get a life people (and some brain cells).

From: Figge

Date: August 4, 2007 at 17:07

Simply put a FANTASTIC album in every sense. Complete work of genious. Just listen to the riff of 'Ain't Talking 'Bout Love', and consider the recording is from 1978. Incredible! EVH was before his time and he's easily one of the most infuencial guitarists in the world, no news of course, but it was never more obvious than on this album. DLR takes some getting used to I guess and he's not for everyone but other than that the quality is unquestionable. A real classic.

From: Rafo Phoenix	Date: March 1, 2008 at 0:48
Super Classic of Hard Rock and the best Van Halen album totally agree with all the world.

From: rick kerch vzla

Date: April 30, 2010 at 0:22

By far a classic of the genre!...4 great musicians gathered together to record one of the most succesful albums of all times..Eddie Van Halen became a guitar sensation worldwide,basically a monster!,David Lee Roth...what can i say..a talented showman maybe not the best singer but his charisma and attitude on stage swept all!..Alex,well, a powerful drummer and the always somehow shadowed Michael Anthony on bass...just fantastic!...killer tracks and the "Eruption" started just after that release..4 albums after they played in Venezuela..3 concerts in a row and a big sold out every night....i was there!.100/100

From: pie75

Date: August 22, 2010 at 3:40

man this is quite possibly the greatest debut album of all time 1978 it was made and still sounds fresh today it rocks,it's cool and it inspired every guitarist of the 80's including randy rhoads the minute they heard eruption i also love running with the devil,aint talking 'bout love jammie's crying,feel your love and little dreamer i can't think of to many debut's that influenced so many people simply a timeless classic

From: rockinhorse	Date: May 23, 2011 at 14:32
this cd always sounds fresh to this day.it is very rare to find a cd where every song is good.eddie van halen what more can you say about this gifted guitar player.this has got to be one if my favorite cds of all time.david lee roth has a lot to thank jim dandy for.

From: hair metal again	Date: December 25, 2019 at 7:34
VAN HALEN s explosive debut is a milestone in the hard rock genre ,a pioneer far ahead of its time that changed things especially in guitar playing!flwaless from start to finish,energetic,electric ,rocking this is a must have with classics like "aint talking about love" ,"running with the devil" and "jaime s cryin" but the rest is great too!a def classic

From: Doug	Date: October 6, 2020 at 22:38
I picked this album, because this where it all started. RIP EVH, man you were a legend. Rock hard up there in heaven for us.

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