If you don't know, the album starts off with "Runnin' With The Devil" which tells you all about Van Halen straight away. The band's USPs of great musicianship, of course, from the Van Halen brothers and the greatly under-rated Michael Anthony, over-the-top vocals and lyrics that sound like a West End musical plot from DLR and huge huge chorus. It sets the scene of following songs like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "I'm The One" "Atomic Punk"
...but....
Van Halen don't follow with those songs which, along with "Jamie's Crying", would make an awesome start to any album even now. No, VH follow with over a minute and a half of a Eddie Van Halen guitar solo and then a cover of "You Really Got Me" which completely reinvents the Kinks. Madness, absolute madness. Any other band deciding the running order for their first album would set their stall out early doors and maybe play around on the second side (which they do anyway with "Ice Cream Man")
As it is, the then ground-breaking EVH guitar sound is all over the songs and is astonishing as is, the wit and intelligence of the band's songwriting are present throughout the rest of the song, not least in the barber-shop section of "Ain't..." as well. For any established band on their tenth album to say "After song one, we are going to have a guitar instrumental and then have a pop at a Kinks classic" would make managers and record labels cough nervously but this was a bunch of 20 year olds recording their debut album for WB. No wonder they had no problem blowing Black Sabbath offstage at their home ground later on.
The thing is that it works. Like I say, you could have the album running order without Eruption and You Really Got Me in (or later on in the album) and it would still be a brilliant and audacious start but with those two in, it is like they are saying "Do you know what, not only can we do this and we will do this but we are quickly going to piss around with it as well". I know this as I have just listened to it and, 35 years later, it still works. Indeed, in retrospect, it is even more astonishing. At the time, it sort of just made sense but, now, you wonder what they were thinking at the time (a bit like Gary Glitter and Adam Ant albums). Madness and genius.
I am nearly 45, have been playing in bands for almost 30 years, am in my second brilliant band, have released a couple of albums and have a bulletproof ego and I still wouldn't start an album like that.
Anyway, I suppose the premise of the thread is is there a favourite album of yours that you sort of granted at the time but now think "Where on earth did that come from? What were they thinking?"
...but....
Van Halen don't follow with those songs which, along with "Jamie's Crying", would make an awesome start to any album even now. No, VH follow with over a minute and a half of a Eddie Van Halen guitar solo and then a cover of "You Really Got Me" which completely reinvents the Kinks. Madness, absolute madness. Any other band deciding the running order for their first album would set their stall out early doors and maybe play around on the second side (which they do anyway with "Ice Cream Man")
As it is, the then ground-breaking EVH guitar sound is all over the songs and is astonishing as is, the wit and intelligence of the band's songwriting are present throughout the rest of the song, not least in the barber-shop section of "Ain't..." as well. For any established band on their tenth album to say "After song one, we are going to have a guitar instrumental and then have a pop at a Kinks classic" would make managers and record labels cough nervously but this was a bunch of 20 year olds recording their debut album for WB. No wonder they had no problem blowing Black Sabbath offstage at their home ground later on.
The thing is that it works. Like I say, you could have the album running order without Eruption and You Really Got Me in (or later on in the album) and it would still be a brilliant and audacious start but with those two in, it is like they are saying "Do you know what, not only can we do this and we will do this but we are quickly going to piss around with it as well". I know this as I have just listened to it and, 35 years later, it still works. Indeed, in retrospect, it is even more astonishing. At the time, it sort of just made sense but, now, you wonder what they were thinking at the time (a bit like Gary Glitter and Adam Ant albums). Madness and genius.
I am nearly 45, have been playing in bands for almost 30 years, am in my second brilliant band, have released a couple of albums and have a bulletproof ego and I still wouldn't start an album like that.
Anyway, I suppose the premise of the thread is is there a favourite album of yours that you sort of granted at the time but now think "Where on earth did that come from? What were they thinking?"
Comment