Van Halen: Women and Children First (1980) Song by Song

For me personally: Motorhead or Thin Lizzy, yes. Saxon or Venom, no.

It's funny. I know and love the Jailbreak album, but don't have very much familiarity with the rest of Thin Lizzy's discography. I'm only familiar with some of Motorhead's albums, but I would bet pretty much any of them would be worth examining.

I hope you (or @Musicman1998) keep doing the AC/DC threads, as well!

 

Bad Reputation is a great follow up to Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox 2nd best.

Heavy Metal began to enter the picture on Black Rose, and was fully realized as an influence by Thunder and Lightning. But Lizzy did metal well, mainly because Phil Lynott's heart was in his vocal chords - not a forced emotion in sight, anywhere!

For pure heartwrenching emotion, Renegade is difficult to top - those 2 throwaways on side 2 (Fats and Mexican Blood) are absolutely necessary as comedic relief in the midst of the emotional weight of the remainder of the album.

 

I have fallen behind on this and HTH, but I do plan to finish both. And I'll take II and 1984

And yes I would love to do Thin Lizzy or Motörhead!!!!!

 

Thunder.
And.
Lightning.

 

I remember hearing Black Rose and liking it, but it's been so long I don't think I remember anything off of it! I don't believe I've ever heard Thunder And Lightning.

 

As long as you appreciate (or tolerate) fleet fingered guitar solos bordering on shred (courtesy of John Sykes), T&L should meet a warm welcome - Phil is still Phil, and gloriously so.

 

All the more reason we need this thread! Lynott and Sykes were undeniable.

 

"This Is The One", "Sun Goes Down", and "Bad Habits" have the most in common (musically and lyrically) with the Jailbre

it's crushing to think what Lizzy was about to become.

I'd even dig the hell out of a Sykes-Gorham-White trio - ala the new Iron Maiden.

And of course add Robbo to the mix, if the bad blood between him and Phil could be reconciled.

 

I can’t even imagine their final form, but I know for a fact it would’ve been absolutely glorious.

I feel like “Heart Attack” and “Someday She is Going to Hit Back,” signaled, to me, just how melodic AND progressive they were going to get. Those songs are pure triumphs.

 

Flat out one of the most ignored and forgotten records of the 70's. And it is brilliant.

 

Genocide has aged very well too (the Snowy White era takes a bit longer to hit, but when it does its also great) , everything from Bad Rep on is criminally underrated - but all save Jailbreak can be seen as underrated

 

Can't not get chills listening to certain stanzas on Heart Attack. Foreboding and eerie.

 

The song is heartbreaking

 

I guess we can be thankful that the tinderbox of personalities that was VH gave us 6 albums, while other great bands could barely manage 2-3 (Cream and Jane's Addiction come immediately to mind) due to personality conflicts.

corrected: 7 albums (AKDOT) with DLR now, and a few good tunes on the 1998 Best-of Comp.

 

I vote for VH II - Fair Warning would be great too, but if I had to choose I'd say II.

Any of them would be great though. And also difficult. The problem I have is I love all of it so much I end up not knowing what to say. I kind of turn into Beavis when he hears sounds.



it rules! it rules! it rules!

 

In a Simple Rhyme - This is my favorite song on the album and possibly my favorite Van Halen song of all.

The whole band is great on this one but Dave is really the star here. His lyrics and vocal are just tremendous. 'She up and left and I almost died'


and then...

"She made the mountains sing/ birds against an icy sky

And I hear bells ringing/ I think I hears an angel sigh

And she said..."

The way he sings this song is just... well it's just so great. He puts so much into it. The feel and the phrasing are just....well I don't know what else to say about it except that in my opinion DLR is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time and this song is one of the best examples of why that's true (to me).

I know (many) others disagree but... I just don't understand these people.

 

He is technically better than Sammy Hagar. Oh he can sing high? Kick me in the nuts and I can sing high, but it won't sound good, it will sound like Sammy Hagar.

 

That’s a good one. This is going to require some thought. I think I want to do II and something else. I’ll kick it around after I finish Highway To Hell.

Edit: @Musicman1998 wants II. I don’t want to step on any toes. We’ll see.

 

If “... Truth” wasn’t brickwalled to **** and if “Let’s Get Rockin’” didn’t feature infinitely dumber lyrics than the original, it would be a solid album.

 

Tora! Tora!:
And now we get into "Eddie's Wacky Experiment of the Week", with the backmasking, with it launching into Black Sabbath territory at :23, and it make take you back initially, but the album feels incomplete without it, especially as it leads into....
Loss of Control:
What an awesome, slamming, off the wall rocker, this is such an awesome song, love Alex's unorthodox drumming throughout this song and Mike's backing vocals getting to shine on this song. This song is so awesome, everybody is ON on this song, I absolutely love it!

 

For a brief moment in time, DLR could go flat or slightly off key, and the other three merry men could pull the weight. DLR was pure heart then - enough talent to make it stick - but when you have an ace backing vocalist and an ice guitarist and drummer, you can flub a bit and go for broke with heart at the slightest expense of technical prowess.

 

I vote for II if only because its discussed less than the debut and Fair Warning, but is perhaps the single VH album that grows the most with age.

 

I take it "Judgment Day" is supposed to read "Loss Of Control"??

 

Yes, that's why I edited it just now. Christ, I would never praise Judgement Day. That song sucks.

 

In A Simple Rhyme is a fine song. It is their take on a cross between hard rock and California folk rock 70s balladry. The vocal harmonies are great. The shifts in dynamics and tempo are cool and somewhat different territory for them.