Total Metal Shop

VAN HALEN “Women And Children First” /LP/


    Band Info

    Band: VAN HALEN
  • Product Code: RR1 3415 / 081227954963
  • You will get bonus-scraps: 28
  • Availability: In Stock

  • € 27.90

  • Price in bonus-scraps: 279

< >

VAN HALEN
Remastered re-release of the third full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band.
The first Van Halen album not to feature any cover songs, and the record where the band started to get heavier.
After two pure party albums, the inevitable had to happen: it was time for Van Halen to mature, or at least get a little serious. And so, "Women And Children First", a record where the band started to get heavier, both sonically and, to a lesser extent, thematically, changing the feel of the band ever so slightly. Where the first two records were nothing but nonstop parties, there's a bit of a dark heart beating on this record, most evident on the breakneck Metal of "Romeo Delight", but also the pair of opening party anthems, "And the Cradle Will Rock" and "Everybody Wants Some!!", which don't fly quite as high as "Dance the Night Away" or "Runnin' with the Devil" because of the tense, roiling undercurrents in Eddie's riffs, especially the thudding, circular keyboard riff propelling "And the Cradle Will Rock". The very fact that a keyboard drives this song, not a guitar, is a signal of Eddie's burgeoning ambition (which would soon become inseparable from his desire for respectability), and there are already some conflicts between this sombre musicality and David Lee Roth's irrepressible hunger for fun. Where that tension would eventually tear the band apart, here it just makes for compelling music, adding richness and depth to this half-hour blast of Rock & Roll.
This is the first Van Halen album to consist entirely of original material and there's some significant growth here in the writing, evident in the winding, cynical neo-boogie "Fools" and also in the manic "Loss of Control", which gallops by with the ferocity of Hardcore Punk. These, along with all previously mentioned songs, are the heaviest music Van Halen has made (or would ever make), but as the album rushes toward the end Diamond Dave pulls them toward his Country-Blues jive fixation with "Take Your Whiskey Home" and the all-acoustic "Could This Be Magic?" giving the album a dose of levity that is welcome if not necessarily needed. Then, before the album comes to a close, the band unleashes its first stab at a power ballad with "In a Simple Rhyme", where the band's attempts at melodic grace are undercut by their compulsion to Rock. This may not make for a full-fledged power ballad, but this tension between the two extremes, by their increasing song craft and their unhinged Rock & Roll, makes for dynamic music, and captures all the contrasting glories of the album in one song.
Kerrang! Magazine listed the album at number 30 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time", and Rolling Stone Magazine listed the album at number 36 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".
Remaster 2015.
Warner Records Inc., A Warner Music Group Company, 1980/2020 (RR1 3415 / 081227954963). Made in the Netherlands.


Tracklist:

Side 1
1. And The Cradle Will Rock... 3:31
2. Everybody Wants Some!! 5:05
3. Fools 5:55
4. Romeo Delight 4:19

Side 2
1. Tora! Tora! 0:57
2. Loss Of Comtrol 2:36
3. Take Your Whiskey Home 3:09
4. Could This Be Magic? 3:08
5. In A Simple Rhyme 4:33

Total playing time: 33:13 min.


Leave a review

Please login or register to review


Related Products

VAN HALEN “The David Lee Roth Years” /DVD/
VAN HALEN “The David Lee Roth Years” /DVD/

Documentary film about the legendary American Hard Rock/Glam Metal band. With David Lee Roth as the lead singer, Van Halen became one of the most beloved Rock bands of the eighties, only to part ways with the singer after their greatest success. This documentary examines the tumultuous period with ..

€ 9.90

VAN HALEN “5150” /LP/
VAN HALEN “5150” /LP/

The seventh full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar (former Montrose singer), who replaced David Lee Roth. The album named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law ..

DIscount -25%
RARITY

€ 29.90 € 39.90

VAN HALEN “5150” /CD/
VAN HALEN “5150” /CD/

The seventh full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar (former Montrose singer), who replaced David Lee Roth. The album named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law ..

€ 12.90

VAN HALEN “Winged Logo” /Pin Badge/
VAN HALEN “Winged Logo” /Pin Badge/

High quality enamel metal pin badge. Beautifully cast metal badge with pin on the back that fasten with butterfly clip. Just fasten these cool badge to your favourite jacket! Badge type: shape Metal type: zink alloy Measures: approx. 18 x 28 mm...

€ 3.90

VAN HALEN “Diver Down” /LP/
VAN HALEN “Diver Down” /LP/

The fifth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Released per the label's request that the band record an album to keep them in the public eye, "Diver Down" was recorded with producer Ted Templeman over the course of twelve days. As a result of its quick produc..

DIscount -17%
RARITY

€ 18.90 € 22.90

VAN HALEN “5150” /LP/
VAN HALEN “5150” /LP/

The seventh full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar (former Montrose singer), who replaced David Lee Roth. The album named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law ..

DIscount -33%
RARITY

€ 19.90 € 29.90

VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /LP/
VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /LP/

The second full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Compared to the band's debut album, "Van Halen II" sees the band stretching out their sound and developing on directions only hinted before, and is often seen as lighter and Poppier in tone; however, according t..

€ 29.90

VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /CD/

The second full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Compared to the band's debut album, "Van Halen II" sees the band stretching out their sound and developing on directions only hinted before, and is often seen as lighter and Poppier in tone; however, according t..

€ 12.90

VAN HALEN “Diver Down” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Diver Down” /CD/

The fifth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Released per the label's request that the band record an album to keep them in the public eye, "Diver Down" was recorded with producer Ted Templeman over the course of twelve days. As a result of its quick produc..

€ 12.90

VAN HALEN “1984” /CD/
VAN HALEN “1984” /CD/

The first Australian release of the sixth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The last Van Halen album until "A Different Kind Of Truth" (2012) to feature lead singer David Lee Roth, who left in 1985 following creative differences. As of 2019, this would be the ..

€ 14.90

VAN HALEN “The Collection: The Studio Albums 1978 - 1984” /6CD Box Set/
VAN HALEN “The Collection: The Studio Albums 1978 - 1984” /6CD Box Set/

The first re-release of the first Box Set by legendary American Hard Rock band. Van Halen needs no introduction – it's one of the world's most legendary rock bands with some of the world's most unforgettable songs. This 6CD Box Set documents the band's indelible history, conta..

€ 26.90

VAN HALEN “Women And Children First” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Women And Children First” /CD/

Remastered re-release of the third full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The first Van Halen album not to feature any cover songs, and the record where the band started to get heavier. After two pure party albums, the inevitable had to happen: it was time for Van Halen to ..

€ 11.90

VAN HALEN “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” /CD/
VAN HALEN “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” /CD/

The first re-release of the ninth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. It’s the third album of Van Halen to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. The smirking title ("F.U.C.K.") indicates the true nature of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". Backing away f..

€ 15.90

VAN HALEN “OU812” /CD/
VAN HALEN “OU812” /CD/

The first re-release of the eighth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. "OU812" (pronounced "Oh, You Ate One Too") is the band's second album to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. Van Halen began work on the album in September 1987 and completed it in Ap..

€ 13.90

VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Van Halen II” /CD/

Remastered re-release of the second full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Compared to the band's debut album, "Van Halen II" sees the band stretching out their sound and developing on directions only hinted before, and is often seen as lighter and Poppier in t..

€ 15.90

VAN HALEN “Van Halen” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Van Halen” /CD/

Remastered re-release of the debut full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in Rock music, it was a major commercial success, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. The album has sold more than 10 mil..

€ 15.90

VAN HALEN “Balance” /CD/
VAN HALEN “Balance” /CD/

The tenth full-length studio album by legendary American Hard Rock band. The last of the band's four studio releases to feature Sammy Hagar as the lead singer. It is also the final Van Halen album to feature bassist Michael Anthony in its entirety. Featuring a more serious tone than other Van ..

€ 15.90

VAN HALEN “The Collection II: Studio Albums & Rarities 1986 - 1996” /5CD Box Set/
VAN HALEN “The Collection II: Studio Albums & Rarities 1986 - 1996” /5CD Box Set/

The second Box Set by legendary American Hard Rock band. Van Halen has 12 studio albums, with their first 1978 debut, featuring David Lee Roth, and their 2012 album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", being the last studio effort. Notable studio albums include "1984" and "5150&qu..

€ 69.90

SUPPORT UKRAINE
<b>SUPPORT UKRAINE</b>
GLORY TO UKRAINE!

SUPPORT THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE