VAN HALEN I
Album Review
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Not only were VAN HALEN effectively “the Black Sabbath of shred” but they ultimately paved the way for the L.A. hair metal shred scene that exploded during the 80’s.
Not only is this episode an ALBUM DIVE into the first VAN HALEN album (by none other than the mighty VAN HALEN), but If you’re into “reading books with your ears” then check out the audiobook “Van Halen Rising” as it provides some interesting insights into the origin story of the legendary band, including their rise to power, their earliest musical influences, and how Edward Van Halen’s signature brand of two-handed tapping virtuosity forever revolutionized guitar playing in the late 70’s and beyond.
VAN HALEN on the InterWebs: http://van-halen.com/
The Book https://www.facebook.com/VanHalen
Released Feb 10 1978
Recorded Aug 30 – Sept 1977
Producer Ted Templeman
Tracks
Side one
1 Runnin' with the Devil
2 Eruption
3 You Really Got Me8
4 Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
5 I'm the One
Side two
1 Jamie's Cryin'
2 Atomic Punk
3 Feel Your Love Tonight
4 Little Dreamer
5 Ice Cream Man
6 On Fire
Singles
"You Really Got Me"
Released: January 1978 (US)
"Runnin' with the Devil" Released: April 1978
"Jamie's Cryin'"
Released: July 1978 (US)
"On Fire" Released: September 1978 (Japan)
"Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love"
Released: September 1978 (US)
Remember, it’s never too early for ice cream, even if it’s “warm” and comes out of a “one eyed banana”. Go ahead and trim up that “Greek mythology bush”, get ready for the “super mix” and discover the sound of magic that was a game changer in the world of heavy metal when you JOIN US as we dive into the self-titled, debut album from the best backyard party band to come out of Pasadena: VAN HALEN.
RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL:
That mix is without question one of the most powerfully recognizable (and consistent) album mixes of the 70’s…and early 80’s really. Ted “T.T.” Templeman is a production genius!
That intro with the horn sets an eerie tone. The reverb makes it sound like they’re doing soundcheck in an empty concert hall.
And that’s perhaps also EVH’s simplest, most understated guitar solo ever (other than maybe “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”).
Even the bass has a darker vibe to it, especially with the ominous sounding distortion at the beginning.
“I got no VAG, no VAG you’d call real,
Ain’t got nobody, waitin’ at home…”
ERUPTION/YOU REALLY GOT ME:
Anyone who heard this on classic rock radio remembers them as one, continuous song. There’s really nothing that can be said about this other than “HFS, it’s EVH!!!”
That’s got to be the thickest sounding guitar solo tone in the history of metal.
The tapping part is still equally mind-blowing and beautiful to this day. Based on rock radio, this was always the intro to their cover of The Kinks “YOU REALLY GOT ME”: loud & raucous just like the original, with some extra DLR sleaze and EVH shred thrown in for good measure. That solo is just ridiculous, and a fantastic showcase of King Edward’s immense talent.
AIN’T TALKIN’ ‘BOUT LOVE:
A pretty straightforward song, but with such a ridiculous hook that within the first 2-3 notes, you instantly know EXACTLY which song you’re listening to. A timeless classic, straight ahead and to the point. That tone, that flange, that bass. Also, an incredibly simple and very understated guitar solo.
Kinda cool that Eddie didn’t feel the need to have incredible guitar pyrotechnics on each and every track. This one seems to concentrate more on his groundbreaking guitar tone more so than his otherworldly shredder skills. A nice contrast if you will.
“Ain’t talkin’ ‘bout VAG,
My VAG is rotten to the core…”
I’M THE ONE:
That tone is fucking sick! Probably the first “fast” shuffle style Van Halen song on the record. It has that ZZ Top “boogie woogie” vibe to it, something that would become a key component of the Van Halen sound throughout the 70’s and 80’s.
“Honey, I’m the one, the one you VAG,
C’mon baby, show your VAG,
Hey, give it to me…”
That guitar solo is, as usual, a face melter. Edward truly was Dime before Dime ever Dimed. Edward Van Halen and Dimebag Darrell are both cut from the comparable cloth of supreme greatness. And always remember, without Edward Van Halen, you would not have Dimebag Darrell: you can’t have one “innovative innovator” without the other.
JAMIE’S CRYIN’:
Again, this has been played countless times on rock radio and is likely one of the most recognized VH songs in the catalog. But nowadays, one really can’t hear this without also thinking of Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” from the late 80’s.
“Now Jamie’s been in VAG before,
And she knows what VAG is for,
It should mean, a little, a little more,
Than one night stands…”
ATOMIC PUNK:
One of the best and heaviest Van Halen songs ever, a very similar vibe (and riff) to “On Fire”, and with a heavier vibe than most of the other, more accessible songs on the record.
Btw, that sound at the very beginning is EVH rubbing the side of his hand against the strings with a ton of phaser and distortion mixed in for good measure. Pure fucking GENIUS!
“I am the ruler of these nether worlds,
The underground, whoa yes,
On every wall and place my fearsome name is heard,
Just look around, whoa yes…”
FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT:
“I can’t wait to feel your VAG tonight!”
Let’s be real, “Feel Your VAG tonight” is probably a more accurate (if not way more “precise”) song title. But that might have been a bit too “insanely descriptive” for 1978.
There’s a different energy to side 2 than side 1…you can almost hear the beginning of hair metal from this album. Actually, this is probably the one album that stands as the foundation for everything that became the hair metal genre of the 80’s.
LITTLE DREAMER:
Kinda paints a picture of how ultra dark and sleazy strip clubs must have been in the 70’s.
“Seems no one’s talking ‘bout those crazy days gone past,
Weren’t they amazed when you were really last?
ICE CREAM MAN:
Bluesy acoustic intro…definitely a changeup. After everything up to this point, this one’s a definite curve ball.
Thought he said “One eyed banana”, which I suppose makes sense (given the context). Definitely seems like 11:00 is a bit early for ice cream though, but hey, live your life.
And enjoy your “ice cream”.
ON FIRE:
Same vibe as “Atomic Punk”, a bit heavier and darker than the rest of the album.
“Good God, y’all…”
Those harmonics have a strange sound…almost like a siren in a way. Solid closer for sure.
“Lay your bodies down
I’m in your beds, your beds,
Throw your headphones on,
I’m in your heads…”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “I hate it when people don’t get obvious analogies…” / #arbysdoublestuff vs #hamsandwich #downthere / #superarbys / “You know what I’m talking about?” / “I’m trying to make this show interesting…” / “Don’t worry about it…”/ #strangerinthetub / #chainofcustody / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***/ #NOLA #coffeeliquer / “That might be #Christmas for me…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “It’s mighty but powerful…but miniature…”/ ***If you wanna skip the nonsense and go #straighttothemeat just go to #TheDocket or fast forward about 20 minutes…***/ #OlanMillsASMR / #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode #PipeWorksBrewing #RudolphVsUnicorn #TheVerdict / “That’s gonna get you drunk…”/ “It came in a 2 pack…”/
Pipeworks
Rudolph vs Unicorn
Peppermint Imperial Milk Stout
You can find us on the #socialmedia at #instatits and #instavag and #facefuck and #youboobs at #metalnerderypodcast OR you can GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!! / #thevoicemailsegment #tripsix and #thesourceoftheyeah #DaleCarnegieASMR #KISSAvatars (“Tennessee? Or Dynasty?”) / #notjustbuttholes #onlyfans (“Metal Nerdery came up 12th…”) / #voicetotext / “I think that’s the proper way to say Dynasty…” / #KISSbootleg / “In this case, #KISS could go back to 1977…”/ “Watch this fucking thing…”/ “The entertainment industry is jumping the shark…” / “Why not? / “That’s some preparation for a phone call…” / You can email us at metalnerdery@gmail.com / #endlessyeahs / #alltheyeahs / “apparently, the darkest #MetallicaAlbum with #zeroyeahs is…”/ #yeahless / NOTE: Umm, that was on Kill ‘em All, bro… / #machomanrandysavageASMR
(14:00): “Did you guys like #theoutro of the last one?” / #ummmkay / “That was all you, brother…”/ #positiveenergy / “I gotta tell y’all a weird, supernatural, dreamish kinda thing…” / #pissingpostASMR / #Sleigher / #RussellsTShirtReflections / #dreamscapeASMR / “Were you jerkin’ off?”/ #notinpublic / “Like a cross between Tarantino and the kid who played John Connor in T2…”/ #insanelydescriptive #imsweatin / “I guess because I live the dream every day…” / #RussellsReflectionsASMR / “I’ve been watching gladiator films…”/ “A whole lotta gay…and lots of bush…”/ #markthetime / “Like in the arenas and coliseums?”/ #noteven / “If you like watching shirtless men kill each other…”/ “I kinda miss bush…it adds some mystery…”/ #greekmythologybush / “You were right the first time…” / #leavetheworldbehind / #easyfella / “Do you think it’s diet and consumption or good genes?”/ An email from #darrylswhammybar regarding #Exodus and #AnotherLessonInViolence / #dayjobhair / “What that dude said…” / Take a #getreadypill for #metalnerderypodcast in 2024
(24:58): #TheDocket / “It’s like a #christmaspresent to me…”/ METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: VAN HALEN I / #tracklisting / The difference between the actual album tracking and what’s on the back of the album / #VanHalenConspiracyASMR / “Once you see that, you can’t unsee it…”/ “Oh I’ll put it in…” / #albumcondom / #debutalbum / “The #BlackSabbath of #shred …”/ #VanHalenRising #audiobookASMR /
The downward trend in popularity of rock bands in the late 70’s / “In this book that I’m listening to…”/ The dawn of #disco and #newwave / Notable albums from 1978 / “Reggae is the exact opposite of thrash…”/ #upstrokes vs #downstrokes / “What’s that?”/ #multiplevocalcordsASMR / #TenYearsAfter I’M GOING HOME (“You can hear that influence a little bit…”) / #boogiewoogie / #Cactus PARCHMENT FARM (“Yeah, you can hear the shuffle…”) / #deepcutresearch and #KISStangentionalality / The #GeneSimmonsFromKISS connection to #VanHalen
(38:20): “You can’t go by that…” / #killeropener RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL #creepycarhorns (“I’ll tell you all about it…”) / “That’s probably the simplest #EddieVanHalen solo in #VanHalenHistory …”/ #TedTempleman / #isolatedDLRvocals / #sexnoisesoundtrack / Track 2 needs no introduction… / ERUPTION (“None of those effects are post production…”) / “But wait…there’s more…”/ “That sounds like magic…”/ The tapping mastery of #EVH / “You okay over there?” / “This is #greatradio …”/ “EVH became THAT dude…”/ WHOA! / “THAT’s fucking great radio!” / #unclamped #unredacted #technicaldifficulties (“It fell out of the hole?”) / “Leave it in, dude…make it raw.”/ YOU REALLY GOT ME (originally done by #TheKinks and made into something completely unique by #VanHalen ) / #sorcerysteakummm / “That’s the name of our band…”/ When Ice Cream Man was ALWAYS on the radio…on #96Rock
(52:07): AIN’T TALKIN’ ‘BOUT LOVE (“The single strings sound so thick…”) / “If so then yes, if not then no…” / #coughmedicine / #lingering / “I’m due for the 2nd vacuuming of the year…”/ #sideonecloser I’M THE ONE / “The #DimebagDarrell of the 70’s…”/ Paycheck amounts per gig / Concerts in the 70’s / #krell (“That sounds like shampoo…or tooth polish (or hand sanitizer).”/ JAMIE’S CRYIN’ / “Is Jamie a dude…or a chick?” / “That dude’s got a vagina…”/ #favoriteVanHalentrack ATOMIC PUNK (“I always thought this would be a cool one to thrash up…”) / “Not a buh, a bomb…”/ “It was like a rackmount before rackmounts were rackmounts…”/ #innovativeinnovator / “You can’t say that word on airplanes…or at the TSA checkout…”/ “Don’t they just seem like elitist music pricks?” / “Who is he the boss of?”/ “It’ll get wormed…”/ #doingthecarlson
(1:04:25): FEEL YOUR LOVE TONIGHT / “I can’t wait to feel your VAG tonight…”/ Where there’s LOVE…it’s VAG. / #whycantthisbevag #LMAO / LITTLE DREAMER (“It’s got (sleazy 70’s) strip club vibes all over it…”) / “The #vagsupermix …” / ICE CREAM MAN (“Dedicate one to the ladies…”) / “Hold on, one more…” / “Seems kinda early for ice cream…”/ “How many different flavors do you have?” / #oneeyedbanana #misheardlyrics / ON FIRE #killercloser (“Sorta like Atomic Punk…heavier and darker.”) / “Good God, y’all…”/ “Let’s go get some coke and hookers…” / “That one sounds very different from the rest of them…”/ #tangentionalality / #fancyclothes / “They gotta be able to shake their steak-umm…”/ #trackingchanges relative to #thebackofthealbum / #TedTTTempleman / ***THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US!!!*** / #untilthenext / ***COME GET YOUR LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY SHOPPING DONE AT THE BUNKERPOON GIFT SHOPPE LOCATED AT metalnerdery.com/merch !!!*** / #outroreel #imsweatin