Revisiting Van Halen 1

[JohnnyGtar]

Revisiting Van Halen 1

When I was 15, I heard Kiss Alive 1 for this first time. I played that record a million times. I till do. It's a perfect record. It made me want to play drums and guitar, so I started learning both of those instruments. I'd messed around with drums starting when I was 10, but Kiss Alive 1 made me get serious about playing. And then, a year later...

"Oh... My... GAWD. What the FUCK is THIS?! This new music from this new band called Van Halen is EVERYTHING!!" That's how I felt.

Eddie Van Halen's playing and the sounds coming out of his guitar were impossible.

This guy was better at being Jimmy Page than Jimmy Page.

Every so often I crank up the volume and let this masterpiece take over. This is another one one of those perfect albums, but it's more than that: it's a nuclear explosion leveling everything in it's path. I have NEVER gotten bored with this record. It still makes me feel the way it did when I was 16 on February 10, 1978 on a butt ass cold Wisconsin night. The radio station DJ said "Here's a new band called Van Halen. Van Halen". Then I experienced Eruption and You Really Got Me for the first time. Like millions of other kids, I was never the same after that. Van Halen 1 changed everything for me. My life's course was set right then and there. I STILL play air guitar when I hear it. Thank you, guys.

PS. I thought he was playing the best sounding Les Paul I had ever heard and I wondered how he got a Bigsby to dive bomb so low. LMAO

Here's the first tune. It's on a YouTube playlist, so you'll hear the entire album. You're welcome.

 

[NorCal_Val]

A work of “sonic art”.

 

[hammered]

I’ve been revisiting it religiously since I got it in ‘79

 

[romanianreaper]

I got into Van Halen when I was 13 and 1984 came out. Then I went back and heard VH 1 on cassette in high school and was hooked. My full fanantc started when I was 19 and in the military. We drove to D.C. for a fun trip and listened to VH only the whole way. A girl that was with us begged us to play something else after a few hours, lol.

 

[sideburns]

We share the same feelings on KISS Alive and VH 1. Both are works of art by both bands. I know ALIVE was doctored up in the studio but thats never been an issue with me.

 

[rsm]

In 1978 I saw Black Sabbath on their Never Say Die tour. They had an unknown band named Van Halen opening.

The next day, I went to the local indie record shop and purchased VH1. Saw them on the VH2 tour too. And Ozzy with Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Oz and Diary tours.

 

[Techdeth]

I love it . But I like his out there playing on 1984

 

[romanianreaper]

I love it . But I like his out there playing on 1984

That break in Panama always sounds like an engine motor. He is playing light but just sounds amazingly insane.

 

[Techdeth]

That break in Panama always sounds like an engine motor. He is playing light but just sounds amazingly insane.

All the solos on side 2 are just awesome and out there . He was going for it

 

[SpiderWars]

I remember preferring live records because the guitar tones were more aggressive/raw. I wanted moar distortion. I kept thinking cmon man, Mississippi Queen came out a long time ago it’s not like it can’t be done. And then VH1 dropped and all was right in the distorted guitar universe.

 

[hammered]

That break in Panama always sounds like an engine motor. He is playing light but just sounds amazingly insane.

It is an engine motor roar . Ed’s Lamborghini

 

[gtrwun]

All the solos on side 2 are just awesome and out there . He was going for it

Allan Holdsworth influence.
He was VERY into Allan.

 

[cragginshred]

I was 11 or 12 and a neighbor came over and pout on Eruption - mind blown! Funny is looking at the labum cover I'm thinking these guys are rich and famous. In reality they liver with their parents between tours until the 3rd album or there abouts. Read Noel's book and others but his was the best to me

First few tours was paying the record company back and then there is all the tour 'expense' -booze ect Something along the lines of "guys the tour did great you made X amount, HOWEVER you spent Y amount so you owe us"!

 

[cragginshred]

In 1978 I saw Black Sabbath on their Never Say Die tour. They had an unknown band named Van Halen opening.

The next day, I went to the local indie record shop and purchased VH1. Saw them on the VH2 tour too. And Ozzy with Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Oz and Diary tours.

Sadly I missed each of those due to being 12 years old and ma would not let me go see 'devil worshipping bands'... All those tours came thru Fresno Ca. (being 4 hours north of LA) often as a first stop to prep for bigger cities. On the Diary tour I remember Oz having to cancel and randy was hospitalized from the flu - Oz may have been on a binge tho??