Women And Children First
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Album Summary
Women and Children First was laid down at the legendary Record Plant in Los Angeles and unleashed upon the world on March 10, 1980, through Warner Bros. Records. The helm was held once again by the masterful Ted Templeman, the same cat who had been shaping Van Halen's sound since day one — and honey, that partnership was firing on all cylinders. This was the third studio album from the boys out of Pasadena, arriving on a wave of unstoppable momentum, with the band riding high off the seismic impact of their previous work. Van Halen walked into that studio knowing exactly who they were, and what came out was a record that hit like a freight train with the throttle wide open.
Reception
- Debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and went on to achieve multi-platinum certification, eventually moving over 3 million copies in the United States alone — a testament to just how hungry the people were for what Van Halen was serving.
- Received strong critical praise for the raw energy and technical firepower on display, with Eddie Van Halen's guitar work drawing particular reverence from critics and fellow musicians alike.
- 'Everybody Wants Some!!' became an instant staple of rock radio, cementing itself as one of the band's most beloved and enduring party anthems.
Significance
- Women and Children First stands as a monument to Van Halen's dominance at the dawn of the 1980s, helping to define the sound and spirit of hard rock and arena rock for an entire decade.
- Eddie Van Halen's guitar innovations throughout this album — his fearless use of tapping, unconventional effects, and sheer physical expressiveness — continued to rewrite the rulebook and inspire generations of guitarists who came up in his wake.
- The album revealed a band with genuine range, balancing bone-crushing rock fury with more introspective and acoustic-leaning moments, proving that Van Halen was far more than a one-trick powerhouse.
Samples
- "Everybody Wants Some!!" — one of the most recognizable samples in the Van Halen catalog, lifted by numerous hip-hop and pop producers across the decades for its infectious energy and iconic opening groove.
Tracklist
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A1 And The Cradle Will Rock... 107
3:31
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A2 Everybody Wants Some!! 144
5:05
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A3 Fools 166
5:55
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A4 Romeo Delight 106
4:19
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B1 Tora! Tora! 119
0:57
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B2 Loss Of Control 148
2:36
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B3 Take Your Whiskey Home 100
3:09
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B4 Could This Be Magic? 120
3:08
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B5 In A Simple Rhyme 136
4:33
Artist Details
Van Halen burst onto the scene out of Pasadena, California in 1974, bringing a volcanic brand of hard rock that was equal parts street-level swagger and high-wire virtuosity — led by the incomparable Eddie Van Halen, whose two-handed guitar tapping technique straight-up rewrote the rulebook on what six strings could do. These cats dropped their self-titled debut in 1978 and it hit like a thunderbolt, launching them into the stratosphere alongside David Lee Roth's larger-than-life showmanship, and they went on to become one of the best-selling rock acts of all time with anthems like "Jump," "Eruption," and "Runnin' with the Devil." Van Halen didn't just define the sound of arena rock in the late '70s and '80s — they inspired an entire generation of guitarists and kept the flame of hard rock burning bright when the music world needed it most.
