(Original publication date unknown)

For someone who’s into a lot of “indie/alternative” music, I don’t think anything gets me more puzzling looks from like-minded listeners than the fact that I really like Van Halen. It seems younger, “hipper” music fans are, in increasing amount, rejecting anything labelled as classic rock out of nothing more than sheer principle, using stereotypes of older generations’ “outdated” cultures to justify not liking the music that supposedly portrays these stereotypes. When you get right down to it, it’s usually narrow-minded and unempathetic. What I’m getting at is, if you can’t turn your brain off to enjoy some brute force catchy happy hard rock about drinkin’ beers and havin’ a good time, you’re probably not very fun to be around.

Van Halen are the progenitors of stadium-summoning factory-fed ’80s arena rock but their reputation as showboaters, when rock’s egoism has dated back to at least the universally loved Led Zeppelin, is given a strange negative connotation—especially when it’s part of what makes them so likable. When Van Halen’s debut album hit the scene, nothing else sounded like it. It was louder and more in-your-face than even any heavy metal prior. Van Halen weren’t following a big trend like the similar glam metal bands of the ’80s, and it gives them a certain sense of genuineness and humility. Furthermore, Van Halen’s songwriting itself actually took inspiration from something out of style: ’60s pop rock. Eddie Van Halen and Michael Antony’s Beatle-esque harmonies and the band’s frequent covers of The Kinks (and one by Roy Orbison) make that much obvious.

And for all his common reputation of a flashy guitarist who only shows off his technical ability, in the beginning Eddie Van Halen mostly focused on simple repetitive power hooks. The main chords to “Runnin’ With the Devil” can be played by pretty much everyone, but much fewer people would be able to play those notes with the power and tone that Eddie Van Halen possessed. His chords struck like lightning, and his solos summoned thunderstorms that were so electrically powerful that it sounded like it was causing the guitar to short-circuit, firing sparks in all directions. Occasionally, Eddie Van Halen’s understanding of his instrument would allow him to add in little tricks to Van Halen’s songs to get some unique sounds that would make them more memorable, such as the “record-scratching” opening to “Atomic Punk.”

This is a perfect time to give due credit to the other Van Halen as well: Alex Van Halen. Alex Van Halen’s power drumming is of course forceful and a necessary part of the band’s strength, as is Michael Anthony’s fast bass work that tries desperately to keep up with Eddie Van Halen’s lead guitar. However, without a doubt, the most underappreciated aspect of Van Halen’s sound is the backing vocal harmonization of Eddie Van Halen and Michael Anthony.

For the longest time I assumed that the backing vocalists were both of the Van Halen brothers, because their voices fit perfectly in a way I thought just had to be from people sharing the same genes. Their voices meld so flawlessly that it sounds as if it was one vocalist with double-tracked vocals, but because it’s not, the vocals possess an unusual natural sound to them as well. If Eddie Van Halen’s guitar fretting is an electrical surge, then his harmonization with Michael Anthony has enough voltage to light up every neon sign in New York City, putting up in lights the name “VAN HALEN.”

Of course I would never forget David Lee Roth, AKA “Diamond Dave,” the party animal frontman who gave Van Halen their notorious personality. David Lee Roth is too much of a lovable goofball to really see him as your generic hard rock douchebag (see: Axl Rose). Lee Roth has a great sense of humor, and his good mood is contagious when it sounds like he’s always on the verge of bursting out laughing during his singing.

It’s true he doesn’t have much in the way of tone or a pleasant voice, but that’s exactly the point—his charisma and energy is so high that he overcomes his lack of raw singing talent. Yet he’s still an every man. Even so, he’s constantly competing with Eddie Van Halen’s guitar virtuosity in every song for your attention. This friendly competition would keep Van Halen’s songs full of energy but end up turning into a bitter rivalry that lost Lee Roth’s job as Van Halen’s frontman. The group would never be the same.

But there was a time, from 1978 to 1984, where Van Halen’s star power was unprecedented and unparalleled. They had it in spades; the true personification of a power plant.

Album Ranking: Van Halen > Fair Warning > 1984 > Van Halen II > Diver Down > Women and Children First

Top Five Songs: “I’m the One,” “Runnin’ With the Devil,” “Atomic Punk,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” “I’ll Wait”