Van Halen’s debut release: it obviously did well (reaching #19 on the charts and certified “diamond” in 1994, having sold 10 million copies in the US at that time) and continues to have massive staying power and influence. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to hear this in the context of 1978 (I’m sure I didn’t back then) with its rock power and insanely intricate guitar virtuosity.

Van Halen is one of many bands I have a hard time listening to critically because of their overarching popular music and popular culture influence. Who doesn’t have a memory of head-banging in the back seat of high school’s friend’s car to songs like “You Really Got Me” or “Runnin’ With the Devil,” whether that was in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or last year? Didn’t matter if you were a punk, headbanger, prep, nerd or something out of the box, Van Halen managed to rock us all.

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