No. 21 Van Halen by Van Halen (1978)
This debut album from four rowdy party boys from Los Angeles set the stage for the sound and look that would dominate 1980s hard rock. Sparked by the virtuosic guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen and the over-the-top charisma of frontman David Lee Roth, VH’s blend of hard riffs, catchy hooks and high energy would influence seemingly every SoCal hard rock band for the next decade. For better and worse.
