Van Halen I: The Album That Made Eddie A God

[@guitarmeetsscience]

EVH Deep Dive (4 part series): kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4bbk5Smdrqhla8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXu0nIl7pbSiiZo kzbin.info/www/bejne/inLMg5mYh8upd9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6K3mot8f7WnnLM

[@lawrencefine5020]

i first heard this in 1978 at the age of 14. I could not believe what I what hearing. It was loud, bombastic, fun and heavy. That first album was a punch to the gut and It was the very first album I ever bought. I'm 61 now and it still sounds as fresh as the day I first heard it. Hard to believe it will soon be 50 years old in a few years. Man we had it so good in the 70's and the 80's.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Wow - it's takes like this that really I love reading in the comments. I love to hear how albums hit people when they first heard them. People's reaction to eruption upon first hearing I really get a kick out of it as well, it was like who the hell is that alien playing guitar? Great album through and through!

[@MrUltraworld]

I first heard it at age 15 and it changed my life. I sold my drum kit and bought a guitar/amp. I still play to this day.

[@onefodderunit]

@@MrUltraworld I turned 16 in '78 and recognized EV had a unique style but always considered them clownish.

[@gooddognigel9992]

🇮🇱👍

[@jimfrost8263]

I was 13-1/2 sitting in the library in school, wearing headphones. My friend dropped this on the record player. My brain exploded and all hell was released! My parents bought me my first guitar/amp combo the next year. Today, I can't play anywhere near Eddie, but I still try. I have several guitars and still rock out with a black Rhodes Vee to this day. Long live the king. Mr. Eddie Van Halen and his merry band of playmates on this AMAZING album.

[@jdbash]

I'm not much for favorites, but that album is one of the very few that I own. Every song is gold. I used to practice guitar for 6 hours a day to try and get to that level...never made it, but still love playing...

[@guitarmeetsscience]

You've got some shred in you Joe, I remember! And some of those tunes you wrote are freaking incredible. Especially that ballad and that one with the cool Sabbath meets Zeppelin riff. DB & the MTs 🤘🤘

[@Ucolluke808]

In 1978 I was 14 and I first listened to Running with the Devil, I immediately was hooked. Then I heard Eruption followed by You Really Got me, I was floored. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar made sounds I didn’t hear before. He became my favorite guitarist from then on. The whole album is great. That album is the greatest VH put out. I shed a few tears when Eddie passed away. RIP Eddie. Your music lives on.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

I feel the same way man - that album was a huge influence on me as well. It’s a classic and Eddie was truly a legend.

[@Huddle_House56]

Learning eruption and hitting it note for note for the first time is the equivalent of a skateboarder hitting a clean kickflip for the first time.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Hahaha yep! When I thought I had it up to speed I realized I was still playing some parts of it wrong and had to go back in just obsess over them. Of course this was before the age of KZbin. One day it might be fun to get a hundred guitar players together to all play it at once 🤘🤘

[@me-fq8xf]

I saw them for the Balance tour at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. I was about 50' straight across from Ed on his side. The show was at the point where he'd sit in the riser for a minute and play lots of different sounds. It was more than amazing to watch his hands and then hear the sounds. The tone was pure and clear and loud and super strong - perfect. He knew how to extract his music from his gear. I could not see any hesitation or mistakes but a flow - as if he opened a path to his soul for the audience. Nothing and no person will ever sound like Ed. All I could do in those moments was stare and hear.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

That must have been pretty damn amazing to see

[@Murphy_R9]

I was lucky enough to have seen the VH I tour. It was at the philadelphia spectrum when they opened for Black Sabbath. What a show and Ed was never better. Talk about being on top of your game! My favorite era of Eddie is and always will be the 1978 Eddie. The video's we have do not do the actual experience justice! Being there in person was a whole nother thing! Very surreal!

[@guitarmeetsscience]

I can imagine that must have been incredible in person - especially during that era when they were opening for Sabbath. There were really young and hungry. And the guys in Sabbath were actually really cool with them too even though they were having their own problems. Man I could only imagine!

[@Murphy_R9]

@@guitarmeetsscience Honestly it was surreal. I cant describe it any other way.

[@GhostRider-il8en]

I first heard this album in reading lab. I was 12, and it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me up to that point! It was Van Halen and Kiss!

[@guitarmeetsscience]

That's awesome - the album definitely hits hard! Even to this day

[@ziggyscatworld]

Cool collage of videos, topic. Saw Van Halen's '78 tour (twice), during early teens. Beyond groundbreaking, mind blowing. Debut LP still holds high.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

You are lucky to have experienced that tour! They were definitely groundbreaking. Thanks for the kind words!

[@mattw4461]

Still sounds amazing to this day. I remember using my sisters tennis racket and pretending to be Eddie fuckin' VanHalen.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Hahaha Right on! Tennis rackets make awesome air guitars, baseball bats too!

[@floydburney6060]

... Well, since we're talking about this, here goes. June 1976 & I just graduated from high school in the SF bay area. Went to LA ostensibly to go to Disneyland for a job well done. Never made it there, stuck at an apartment we were staying with friends while they went clubbin (they were over age 21 & I was 18) It was a Thursday nite & I decided to go out on foot to Tower Records & spend my Disney money there. Saw the billboard there bands would put up flyers for their gigs & I spotted the Gizzarri's poster announcing their shows for the month. A band called "Van Halen" was playing that nite, also Friday & Saturday. I figured what do I have to lose? Walked to the club that was up the street & decided to take my chances. Yes, I was still 18 & this was a 21 & over establishment. I had no fake ID (just my real CDL) I dressed like a guy from the SF bay area too (think Ramones 1st record album cover with an Oakland Raiders tee shirt #12) no spandex, no glitter, no shiny clothing like the rest of the kids in line. I get to the door, hand him my CDL & the bouncer looks me over. I said "Yeah, I'm not 21 but I wanna see this band before I go back to the SF bay area. I hear the guitar player is pretty good" To my amazement, the bouncer tells me "look. Tell ya what I'm gonna do. Because you didn't try to BS me like the rest of these fake ID rich kids, I'll let you in. But there's gonna be some ground rules. If you can follow them, you get in. Do we have a deal?" I said, of course. (Ground Rules: I stay at a table 5 ft. from an exit sign. No wandering around. If bouncer comes to my table & knocks 3 times, I walk discreetly out the exit door right then - means ABC is there. I pay the 5 dollar door charge & buy 2 drinks - No Alcohol... Seemed fair enough to me). So I suffer through the opening band (Atomic Kids) a bad coverband that played all glam stuff. Thought it was gonna be a short nite. Then in walk 4 guys through the exit door I was sitting so close to. Yup, it was them (now, you have to remember in those days, Gizzarri's was an L-shaped 2-stage room with stage curtains. On the far end/shorter part of the "L" was for the opening act. The longer part of the "L" was for the headliner & I was sitting right in front of that longer portion "L") Opener finishes, 15 minutes later, curtains open with DLR doing/shouting his "We're Van Halen - From Pasadena!!" 1st song was Aerosmith's "Back in the saddle again" (btw - VH was all cover tunes that nite) & so they blasted through song after song after song like they did when they became arena headliners. Yes, I was Godsmacked!! I musta been less than 20 ft. right in front of Ed's Marshall stack. I couldn't believe my luck. 4 full sets of it. Zeppelin, UFO, ZZ Top, Kiss, & even Ohio Players/K.C. & the Sunshine Band!! Incredible. Eddie was simply incredible. The whole band was & this was them playing cover tunes!!.... There's more to this story but I'll save that for later if people wanna hear it (hint - I followed Ed out the door & talked to him during breaks) Changed me as a musician & guitar player.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Damn! Quite a good read there. By all means, I definitely encourage more - folks who come in here really like to read stuff like this. I appreciate you sharing that! Right in front of the stack too. Damn!

[@ministerofdarkness]

Pure Rock & Roll Masterpiece!! PLAY LOUD

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤘🤘

[@kevinwaters1197]

I remember my older brother bought their first album. The first song he played was Eruption. I was hooked. I heard the whole album and loved the drums. Alex is one of my favorite musicians

[@guitarmeetsscience]

He really had a great drum sound especially in those early albums - actually later too because in some ways it didn't really change except for on 1984 and 5150, it's like he sort of brought it back later on but in a bit more of a polished for him. I've always really dug his drum sound as well

[@gabrieljohannson6777]

Remember hearing *fire” at a musical instrument store. Never heard of VH before. I was floored.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah - that's a great introduction to them right there!

[@doctordetroit4339]

I remember when VH first came out. It was a very crowded musical scene in the 70s and even more so in the 80s.....so much unbelievably timeless music. Each week had a new eternal hit that you still hear playing today in bars and cars. You had to be there to believe it. Indescribable. Somehow, someway VH broke thru it all. Mostly it was EVH's shredding and tapping. We had some guitar heroes already (Angus, Jimmy, etc. etc.) but EVH was the first band where the guitarist really rose above the rest, especially above the singer. Now granted, DLR is the greatest US-born frontman ever. But in the very beginning...EVH made the waves. Big ones. Of course DLR went on and got at least as much fame and notoriety. It wasn't too often that guitarists were household names back then, like they eventually became. EVH was right away. RIP Edward.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Absolutely spot on! I was a kid then and I remember just hearing Eddie Eddie everywhere. People talked about him as if he was some kind of alien that landed on this Earth. Interesting hearing old recordings of the group playing parties, where Eddie was playing just like that but it wasn't like many people in the crowd got it. All of a sudden they break out on the scene and his playing is validated in the minds of listeners and the rest is history. Eddie went on to keep on slaying it, but something really special about those early days when they first hit the scene can never be replicated. RIP Eddie

[@brion-l1b]

Everyone has an opinion about the best all-time this or that, including best all-time rock album, but it really is difficult to seriously argue any album is ahead of Van Halen I.

[@jimmyjennings4089]

As an 18 year old guitar player in 1978 a guitar player buddy of mine called me and said dude you gotta get over here and listen to this new band called Van Halen, and the guitar player is scary good, I said just calm down man, nobody can be as good as your acting, he played the first song on their first album on his 78 record player running with the devil and then he took the needle off and asked me what I thought, I said their are pretty good and the guitar player has a very different very cool sound but it's not as wild as you were acting on the phone and my buddy always had a grin on his face kinda like Jim bruer that makes you think he's always stoned, he then said hold on a put the needle back to the vinyl and then eruption started, my jaw hit the floor and hard then when it was over he said now what do you think and all I could say was I think that's impossible that's what I think and I've never been the same sense, I almost quit playing but I thought damn that's to interesting not to try and figure out, it took me nearly 10 years to get eruption down due to not having anything to go by to show what Eddie was doing, there was no KZbin and no music teacher's that had a clue so I had to get it by meeting other guitar players that had only figured out bits and pieces, im telling you unless you were there at the time you have no clue what Eddie Van Halen did to change how music was played, R.I.P. Eddie you will never be forgotten.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤘🤘 I was there.... That's why to this day I marvel at how Eddie took music theory and twisted it on its head making it completely work. Anybody with a trained ear back then could figure out the typical guitar solo pretty quickly then a long comes Eddie doing all sorts of wild symmetrical patterns tricking you into thinking that he's playing something modal or pentatonic meanwhile you try to put it to that pattern and it all falls apart. That's because Eddie was operating on a completely different plane. A music theory freaks nightmare haha. RIP Eddie 🤘🤘

[@LaurieValdez-zk3dy]

As soon as we hear it It was magical ❤🎉🎉

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah Laurie!!! The album still Burns even to this day!

[@Unmonroe]

Just this debut alone is why Ill never understand anyone who prefers Van Hagar over Van Halen.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Yep, two totally different bands really

[@christaylor8337]

True. Haggar better musician but Roth had attitude and lyrics

[@jamesmohline6281]

Word!!!

[@jk-76]

I remember hearing Van Halen when I was a kid (born in 1976) and liking the guitar tone but I didn't get it untill I was older. I was more into AC/DC, Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer. Nothing against it I just didn't get the fluff and flash. It took me being in my 20's to hear what other people heard.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

It's funny how those things work, right? You get into something and then it opens the door to other things.

[@jk-76]

@@guitarmeetsscience I learned Hot For Teacher on the guitar and it made me want to know where he was coming from with that playing. I am more open minded than when I was a kid and have gotten into all kinds of music and artists.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

It definitely opens a lot of doors. I remember when I learned hot for teacher as well, and then I was like here we go....time to learn the solo, and was pleasantly surprised that it started with the same symmetrical pattern tap lick that ended the intro. Even within one song Eddie was able to successfully repurpose a lick. He did something similar with I'm the one and that symmetrical pattern. Then I started digging into Holdsworth, and even though they're very different guitar players you can definitely really hear how Alan influenced Eddie. Eddie took some cool elements of holdsworth's playing and brought it into the good time hard rock realm, and I couldn't be more thankful for it. So I can relate with what you're saying - it opened me up to listening to more jazz players and fusion players. There's a whole world right there!

[@HelenRundell]

Can't think of another lp that made a bigger impact on what was to follow. Boston, Bad Company made incredible debuts, but not quite the influence this one did. Props to the producer for his less is more approach. For all it's misgivings, the 8-track tapes we had offered excellent playback before cassette sound was refined.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

You nailed it Helen - especially in terms of how simply it was produced. That's really what added a lot of power to it in its own way. As intended, it replicates the live performance a lot more and that's what they were going for. Ted Templeman really made that less is more approach have impact. We used to have fun using the balance control to hear only the drums and bass for most of it, and then going the other way, which gave you a different way to hear the album. Too much fun!

[@HelenRundell]

@@guitarmeetsscience you had me at 'nailed' lol( my mother's account)- we hard-panned the balance control on our Electrophonic combo unit to isolate the stellar tracks coming from those cheap speakers. KUTGW

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Hahaha I was like - right on Helen knows her music! Well that's okay props to your mom anyhow. 🤘🤘 Nailed it bud!

[@scottwhite2757]

DLR 's Vocal gymnastics .. Perfect .

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤘🤘

[@DaxMaboyder]

Dildo Dave couldn't carry a tune in a wheelbarrow. That's why he had to distract with squeals and karate. He's the one who pushed so many cover songs and showtunes on the band. Ed is a guitar god. And he's a keyboardist who learned guitar

[@frontman62]

Very good review of an iconic album, certainly from a guitar players point of view. Like a lot of people I remember the first time hearing Eruption and think WTF.. Also appreciated your comments about scales & key changes..🙏

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you so much! This one was definitely quite a hell of an introduction of a band to the world. I'm glad you enjoyed the info about the theory as well. I find Eddie's note choices really fascinating. A lot of symmetry in there but he made it work. Much appreciated!

[@AndyMarowski-d5o]

1st Album VH made him what he became A MONSTER in the world of Rock n Roll

[@rajman7644]

The genius was putting "Running With The Devil" and it's simple guitar playing/solo first. Then "Eruption" kicks you in the face...

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Haha nailed it perfectly!!!!

[@JuanGregorGuitar-nn6pw]

A very good description of the tracks. They were absolutely at their peak as a band on the first 2 records and tours. The small amount of audio and video bootlegs from that time show a frenetic, insanely talented band…..so good, my involuntary response is to just laugh. By the invasion tour they were coked-up, drunk and sloppy. The fact they tracked 25+ tracks in one day -and Eruption and I’m the one were both recorded live in 1 take is just insane. The narrator sums it up perfectly with reference to their charisma as a band, it just oozes out of the speakers, the doo wop in I’m the one, the tongue in cheek ice cream man intro….. are the perfect self deprecating foil for their ludicrous collective musicianship, the narrator nails it in saying without those touches, the musical intensity would be too much, this is why Roth is THE best VH frontman; that vaudevillian, roll-up roll-up Al Jolson schtick is so much deeper and more complex than just another ‘rock star’ trip. This is what Hagar and roths millions of imitators never understood. Admittedly, Roth, himself nicked a lot of his moves from Jim dandy, but he was unique in his eclecticism. Any one of a dozen front men could convincingly cover Hagar songs, nobody can do the Roth stuff with conviction. For me the notion and spirit of rock & roll reached its innovative peak with the Roth era albums. Insanely great music made by cartoon super heroes. What a magical time in history

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you so much - and can I say, you nailed Roth and his persona perfectly! I remember seeing clips of Jim dandy and being floored by the resemblance. I appreciate you sharing your take, that is some great stuff!

[@richardmitchell8213]

I find it hard to believe that VH had difficulty getting signed. They were just as good or better than “any” band in the 70s (including Led Zeppelin) equipped with great songs, vocals and Eddies guitar innovations, I would have guessed they would be a “can’t miss” act who would instantly be a major success immediately.

[@frankwren8215]

A universal rule of the music industry is that good does not equal successful

[@elevationblue]

We all love Edward, but the fact is that without those songs and melodies, Ed most likely would never have gained the notoriety he did. It was the songs that grabbed everyone and Ed just blew his icing all over it.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Yep, the songs with the perfect vehicle for him too get all wicked with the leads, and of course his rhythm work was equally awesome as well. He's actually sort of underrated as a rhythm guitar player though I think a lot more people are picking up on the fact that he could lay it down!!!

[@elevationblue]

​@@guitarmeetsscience aye, his rythym playing was criminally underrated.

[@kurikokaleidoscope]

Awesome album.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah one of a kind!

[@everydaystuffandthingsguy4554]

Gene Simons wanted the band to change their name to “Daddy Long legs.” Also, Eddie showed interest in replacing Ace after he left the band KISS. His interest of him joining KISS was born out of frustration with David Lee Roth. Though KISS would have loved having an EVH they thought it would be a distraction and decided to go with a lesser known guitar player: Vinny Vincent and later Mark St John, and Bruce Kulick and obviously Tommy Thayer from Black and Blue, a band that Gene produced ended up being the last guitar player in KISS. Interesting fun fact: Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora also tried out for KISS and later said he that he really didn’t want to play for KISS because he wanted to be in a more “Blues Based” Band. Paul Stanley sarcastically commented that his Bon Jovi albums isn’t next to Howlin Wolf in his record collection. I’m so glad that KISS didn’t get their hooks and influence on the VH because if so we would have a total different version that would have been stripped of what makes VH what VH is today. I still remember being a 10 yr old kid hearing Eruption for the 1st time 😮wow!

[@guitarmeetsscience]

You put some good stuff in there! Thanks for sharing that. I had no idea about Sambora lol. Far from Blues based for sure haha. Thanks for sharing that man - that's going to be a great read for folks coming in here. Happy New Year!

[@everydaystuffandthingsguy4554]

@ thank you sir. You always take the time to comment back and I appreciate you! Also, Steve Farris from Mr. Mr. was another one that tried out, but just wasn’t a good fit for the band. Slash didn’t audition but at 17 talked to Paul Stanley about joining KISS. The one that surprised me the most was Yngwie Malsteen. They called him in Sweden after he was recommended to them but they ended up not inviting him to audition. I can’t imagine him stepping in and playing for a band that was simplistic and him not being able to showcase his talent because working for Paul and Gene they make it clear that you are an employee. Lastly sir: Robin Crosby from Rat auditioned as well. Always love seeing my notification that you put out something new. I’ve watched them all and many more than once!! Happy New Year!

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh wow Malmsteen as well! And slash, that would have been interesting too. It might have been interesting if kiss would have pulled in somebody with the chops of yngwie. Their music might have taken an interesting twist - who knows! Thank you kindly, I'm glad folks like yourself enjoy this, it's really what makes it worth doing. 🤘🤘

[@JohnnyBeane]

A classic LP. =VH=

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah Johnny you know - when they hit the scene look the hell out!

[@filippocorti6760]

If you use a pattern one place on the neck, then the same pattern elsewhere on the neck, aren't you then going into a different key?

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Depends on how many frets - one octave difference would be the same exact key. But when I'm talking about the symmetrical patterns in this case, it's about actually staying on the same fret but changing strings - that's what Eddie was doing so it sounds somewhat like a scale, but drastically different in terms of note choice.

[@filippocorti6760]

@@guitarmeetsscience Thanks. So the symmetrical pattern was a different key since it stayed on the same fret. If I'm not mistaken, it's playing chromatically rather than diatonically.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Well it's not really chromatic or diatomic, of course if you play it chromatically that means that you could just ascend or descend fret by fret and play the same pattern on the same string, but when it's going actually up the strings you get sort of a hodgepodge. Because there will be a separation of notes so it's not fully chromatic, but if you were to look at it as a whole you will find notes that are directly adjacent to one another. It's weird because it's so easy to pull off on the guitar, but very hard to describe. And once I actually asked a pianist to play the notes of one of those patterns the way it would be so laid out easily on the guitar and they had a hell of a time with it lol

[@filippocorti6760]

@@guitarmeetsscience I wonder if it fits within one of the exotic scales. I forget the name of them. One may be the Hungarian something or other scale. If it does, I doubt Eddie knew it.

[@mrmaxaxl]

Their best album. Just like Appetite by Guns n' Roses, nothing after that came close.

[@CJCon885]

Not sure I would call anyone a god. Eddie was good along with many other guitarists. I would say there are a number of guitarists out there that are better, or the same, and of course not as good. Its always an opinion thing along with originality, and precision.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with describing Eddie as a guitar god. I'm all for making the argument for more technical guitar players as previous videos I've put up have shown, but it was Eddie who really made jaws drop when their first album came out. But it's all semantics, and opinions differ so I can definitely respect that

[@Spoohkybooh666]

well when richie sambora ,uli john roth, yngwie malmsteen too ppl called them gods , as well ppl from folk era may have thoughts others who played faster too as gods ?

[@Spoohkybooh666]

i find some classical composers n musicians as gods btw😅😮

[@derangedhermit2879]

In hindsight, history has been very kind to Van Halen. I myself highly favor Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top & Heart’s phenomenal catalogs over Van Halen’s lack luster catalog. Van Halen was a flash in the pan that barely had 20 minutes of good music, as there are only 5 Van Halen songs that make my playlists, Ain’t Talkin Bout Love, Jaime’s Cryin, Beautiful Girls, Unchained, & Panama…🎸

[@jk-76]

Yeah, I am 48 and was a teenager when Hagar was in the band. I was into Pantera by then so they weren't my first choice but they were great songs. The bands you mentioned can STILL cause the hair on my arms to stand up. Van Halen is more like seeing an old Mtv broadcast.

[@Unmonroe]

Lol Are you from the south? I'm from Louisiana originally and they mostly have the same lame mediocre taste that you have.

[@johndef5075]

Everyone's a critic😂. Seriously? There's 5 great songs on each album. Just because you don't like them doesn't change that.

[@johndef5075]

And 3 of the songs you picked wouldn't be on any list I would make.