When Van Halen’s debut album was released in 1978, it changed how guitars were played forever. Eddie Van Halen, the band’s guitarist, introduced new techniques, including “Brown Sound”. The album was immensely popular, and Eddie became the most well-known guitarist of the late 70s and well into the 80s.

I will be reviewing the entirety of this famous album and giving my ranking for each song, as well as a final ranking at the end.

Runnin’ With the Devil 

Runnin’ With the Devil was a great introduction to the band. This song showed off David Lee Roth’s vocals, as well as doing great at introducing Eddie and drummer Alex Van Halen, though Eddie’s best stuff was yet to come. Overall, this song embraces what the hard rock genre is made of: life on the road. I would give this song a solid 8/10

 Eruption

Despite only being around a minute and twenty long, this song introduces Eddie’s full potential. The whole song is essentially Eddie having fun with his guitar, and it’s dubbed as one of the best solos of all time. Despite Runnin’ with the Devil showing what Eddie could do, Eruption is the one song that sums up Eddie and his talent. This song definitely deserves a 10/10.

You Really Got Me

This song is a cover of the Kinks, way back in 1964. Though most of the time I think you can’t beat the original, I do think Van Halen does a pretty good job here. They keep the same basic rhythm, but with a Van Halen twist. Roth does a good job with the vocals in this one, and overall it’s a solid song. It also pairs well with the end of Eruption. I give this song an 8/10.

 Ain’t Talkin Bout Love

This song is mostly known for its opening riff. Despite it being incredible and one of my personal favorites, I would say the rest of the song is underwhelming compared to the opening. Maybe it’s because the opening riff is so hard to follow up. However, it’s still an awesome song. Definitely in the top half of this album. For the opening riff alone, the song gets a 9/10.

 I’m the One

Roth’s vocals in this song are great, though his style of singing can sometimes sound more like talking than actual singing, but boy, does he make it work. Alex, the drummer, gives a good rhythm throughout the song, and of course, Eddie is awesome as usual. I do, however, think this song gets overshadowed by the songs before it, mostly because the other songs are so iconic. Doesn’t mean it’s not good, but the other previous songs top it by a big margin. I give this song a 7/10.

  Jamie’s Cryin

This song includes beautiful choruses throughout the song, something Van Halen did a lot in the Roth era. Eddie is still fantastic in this song, delivering once again with a good opening riff and continuing it throughout the song, and overall, it is just a solid song. Nothing much else to say about it, so my ranking for this song is 8/10.

 Atomic Punk

This song is not as well-known as the previous songs, as the second part of the album does not get as much attention. Sometimes, great songs get pushed out because radios don’t play them as much. This is the case for this song. Part of it could be the fact that there isn’t much to talk about in terms of this song. All members of the band do great; no one stands out more than the other. This song is a solid 8/10.

Feel Your Love Tonight

This song is my personal favorite. Like Atomic Punk, this song is extremely underrated and extremely underplayed. For Van Halen, it’s on the calmer side compared to other songs on this album, and maybe that’s why it’s not well-known. But the choruses and overall vibe of this song to me is unmatched by any song in this album, and really no song since. Once again, Eddie delivers a beautiful opening riff, and Roth delivers beautiful vocals for the rest of the song. This song to me is a solid 10/10.

Little Dreamer

This song is one of the slower songs on this album. To me, it feels “boring” and never gives that big jump of excitement. Though Eddie does have a good guitar solo mixed in the middle. But overall not my favorite song. A very forgettable song, to say the least, and by far my least favorite song on the album. I’d give this song a 6/10.

Ice Cream Man

This song starts very slowly, almost as if it weren’t Van Halen at all. The rest of the song, however, makes up for it. As usual, Eddie is incredible; his tone throughout is just amazing. Overall, I give this song an 8/10

On Fire

This song is a beautiful way to finish off one of the best debut albums ever made. This song has everything Van Halen has to offer: Roth’s vocals, Eddie’s guitar playing, Alex’s drums, and bassist Michael Anthony. Anthony is often overlooked because of the other band members’ fame, but his bass lines give the foundation of who Van Halen is. He also provides most of the background vocals, like the choruses I mentioned earlier. It is especially noticeable in this song. The finishing touch of this gem of an album gets a 9/10 from me

Overall, this is one of the best debut albums a rock band has ever come out with. And not only with it being good, but how influential it was and how it changed rock forever. Based on all this, I have to give the album a 9/10. I don’t give it a 10 because that would mean every song is my favorite. Little Dreamer is still good, but to me, it’s not as strong as the other 10 songs. But many of the other songs I mention here bring it up to a nine. Despite Van Halen’s success after this album, nothing will ever top the influence or vibe that this album had.