VOL. XIX, NO. 11
MAY 5, 1978
Van Halen
Sweden's Newest Rock Band
Assaults Listeners' Senses
Sweden's Newest Rock Band
Assaults Listeners' Senses
BY KEVIN BUSCH
What's more deadly than a bottle of nitro glycerin resting on the San Andreas fault line, just as damaging as the neutron bomb, and almost as devastating to your system as lunch before gym on running day? It's the 35 minutes and 13 seconds of molten hot volcanic rock that burns like an atomic fire on the first album from Van Halen.
Van Halen is also the last name of two of the group's members who are brothers. Van Halen consists of Edward Van Halen, guitar; Alex Van Halen, drums; Michael Anthony, bass, and David Roth, vocalist. This band hails from Sweden, the home of the immensely popular Abba. However, Abba's music is like cellophane compared to Van Halen's iron chord bar‑b‑que of your brain.
There are 11 assaults of sonic sound on this record, nine original numbers, and a remake of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," which sounds like a rocket train going full speed down a mountain. There's also a remake of an old blues song, "lee Cream Man," which starts with an easy going acoustic guitar; but after one chorus, stand back or else the second half of the song will turn you into melted ice cream.
What's more deadly than a bottle of nitro glycerin resting on the San Andreas fault line, just as damaging as the neutron bomb, and almost as devastating to your system as lunch before gym on running day? It's the 35 minutes and 13 seconds of molten hot volcanic rock that burns like an atomic fire on the first album from Van Halen.
Van Halen is also the last name of two of the group's members who are brothers. Van Halen consists of Edward Van Halen, guitar; Alex Van Halen, drums; Michael Anthony, bass, and David Roth, vocalist. This band hails from Sweden, the home of the immensely popular Abba. However, Abba's music is like cellophane compared to Van Halen's iron chord bar‑b‑que of your brain.
There are 11 assaults of sonic sound on this record, nine original numbers, and a remake of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," which sounds like a rocket train going full speed down a mountain. There's also a remake of an old blues song, "lee Cream Man," which starts with an easy going acoustic guitar; but after one chorus, stand back or else the second half of the song will turn you into melted ice cream.
"Little Dreamer," "I'm the One," and "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love," fall into the same lyrical and musical mold, haunting melody and looser in love lyrics.
Then the group indulges into sci‑fi with the deep purple‑like "Atomic Punk." "On Fire," the last cut on the album, is like the theme of the album. The group's guitarist, Edward Van Halen, lets loose a minute and a half guitar solo on side one right after the albums opening cut, "Running With Devil." That song shows that Van Halen also has good vocal harmonies. This is also evident in the Top 40 "Feel Your Love Tonight" and "Jamie's Cryin'." "Jamie's Cryin" sounds quite a bit like something Chicago's own Cheap Trick would do.
So if fast, loud, laserbeam rock is what treats your eardrums, then Van Halen is the album for you.
Then the group indulges into sci‑fi with the deep purple‑like "Atomic Punk." "On Fire," the last cut on the album, is like the theme of the album. The group's guitarist, Edward Van Halen, lets loose a minute and a half guitar solo on side one right after the albums opening cut, "Running With Devil." That song shows that Van Halen also has good vocal harmonies. This is also evident in the Top 40 "Feel Your Love Tonight" and "Jamie's Cryin'." "Jamie's Cryin" sounds quite a bit like something Chicago's own Cheap Trick would do.
So if fast, loud, laserbeam rock is what treats your eardrums, then Van Halen is the album for you.
