Around 1977/78 there was some real evidence of a downhill turn in the Rock Music scene. From 1968 to 1977 Hard Rock and Progressive Rock had achieved massive success thanks to lively imagination, stunning music and amazing lyrics further supported by live and studio performances which struck a chord with the audience, to make the whole thing even more remarkable.
Around 1977 it was clear that the generation was changing, furthermore it seemed that the remarkable period (1968 – 1977) wasn’t as engaging and extraordinary as it once was. So new musicians influenced by the political and social transitions acted in such a way as to create changes in the Rock music, which had become less spectacular and no longer impactful.
They wanted to return to the Classic Rock’n’Roll of the 50s where music riffs were simpler and effectively captivating so that audiences mind listening to that music felt an unconscious desire of freedom and revolution escaping from the pressure of the norms and rules of society but in a different way, more adrenalinic, compulsive, as a consequence audiences would dance and behave hysterically and frantically.
Behaviours which characterised the Punk Rock Music genre. Punk Music bands played classic Rock’n’Roll harking back to the basic sound of the ‘50s adding to that a rhythmic session louder and faster with some pause to enhance the refrain of the tune. The solos were as shorter as possible so as to enrich the rhythmic session. Unforgettable bands like the Sex pistols and The clash, the Ramones, The Dead Kennedys and The Misfits defined the era.
Suddenly, as an alien coming from the space down to the earth, there appeared on the Rock music scene the great guitarists, Eddie Van Halen and his namesake band that took the music world by the storm and completely revitalised the Rock scene. In their first attempts at playing music Eddie Van Halen used to play drums and his brother Alex play guitar and mulled over exchanging roles and accompanied by the singer and great frontman David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony talented at the bass guitar. It came extraordinarily out that Eddie Van Halen was incredibly capable of proposing new and original ways of playing guitar licks representing a radical new departure in guitar styles, styles which were totally different from those of Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore.
The first LP of Van Halen undoubtedly put the seal on their reputation as some of the greatest musicians in the world, their soundtracks contain old blues(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RKWJD5ops), Spanish intros(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6umKShwSVQA) all mixed into the basic Rock so that you can feel power, rhythm, energy which then catapult you into a dancing frenzy.
We also need to remember that Eddie Van Halen inspired and influenced the most of other rock musicians who came after. Thanks to his guitar-basic style of playing made up of techniques like Tapping, Artificial Harmonics and sound distortions that on the whole emphasized the entire song.
To explain more in depth , the difference from others virtuoso rock guitarists was that he was more than capable of creating colourful rhythmic sessions, he also created and performed wonderful solos(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2I0a7EwWa8) to further enrich his music. Eddie Van Halen was the Pelé of guitarship, the complete musician that could turn his hand to anything. Ever since the role of solos get back in terms of relevance capable to fully emphasise the tunes and after that guitarists began to develop furthers techniques always more new and engaging involving the listening of the audience
Each of Van Halen albums show off originality in the tunes, intros and solos. Furthermore you will be intrigued by the mysterious progress of music listening to the tunes which are a sort of a patchwork of music art at all.
In addition you will find broadly in their lyrics an easy approach to the lifestyle and relationships within related, and if things can’t be sort out make a laugh, have a drink and get on with your life on your own, as you’ve got Van Halen Music as the best support. This put the seal on the new decade of the Heavy Rock in terms of creating the most successful band model just in the 80s in which music videos together with fashion styles played a striking role.
P.S: (Of course they supported also the remarkable statement of the Rock: Sex, drugs and Rock’n’Roll)