u/momenthunter24

Just recently started listening to Van Halen. Don‘t know anymore what exactly moved me to, but when I looked at the tracklist of the first self-titled album I was like, "Atomic Punk", "Little Dreamer" and "On Fire"? Those are cool song names, let’s check this album/side/run out. Only ended up liking "Little Dreamer" at first, and while I did like parts of "Jaimie‘s Cryin‘" ,the chorus just plain sounded disgusting to my ears. Lo and behold, a week or so later and it has since then become my daily fix. Kinda like with a cigarette it took some time to get used to it and realize how good it actually is. On the flip side it’s a bad thing, because at the rate I‘m moving at now, I‘ll be deaf by the end of the year - if my roof doesn’t collapse onto me before that. Also, since I got my vinyl copy last week (1978 German repress), I‘ve only played side A once. I‘m sorry to piss some of you off right upon entering this forum, but I honestly don’t care too much for it as of now. That‘s not meant disrespectfully, but is instead largely due to how intoxicating side B is for me. It’s so raw and aggressive, free and dreamy, going all over the place yet remaining -or always returning to being- locked tight. Love every single tune there now and wanna turn it all the way up to fucking level 12.

I really like this album for its diversity and just for the fact that Paul‘s still trying new things.. and putting them out there (at this age). It’s a really good album in my eyes at this moment. Now I‘m also finding myself having some of the songs that didn’t resonate with me that much before grow on me more due to listening to the vinyl for the first time this night. A marvelous lyric booklet and inside slip-cover as well.

My current song ranking would be:

1. As You Lie There

2. Never Know

3. Salesman Saint

4. Mountain Top

5. First Star Of The Night

6. Lost Horizon

7. Come Inside

8. Down South

9. Home To Us

10. We Two

11. Life Can Be Hard

12. Momma Gets By

13. Days We Left Behind

14. Ripples In A Pond

On vacation in Greece for the first time at the moment and (like pretty much always when I visit a city or a country I‘ve never been in before) wanted to buy a record, that, in the future, will make me look back on the experience of buying the particular vinyl, and, more importantly, my entire stay.

Not many record stores close to where I stay and very little international records in comparison to national ones and other countries I‘ve been too.

Luckily and coincidentally I came across this one! My first ever vinyl by one of my favorite Psychedelic Rock bands. Not one you come across every day as well from what I‘ve seen.

Can’t wait to play it! Anyone else here own it as well?