.

David Lee Roth Looks Back At Van Halen's Debut Album


Bruce Henne | 05-11-2023

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it Share on Reddit email this article

Van Halen Video still
Video still

(hennemusic) David Lee Roth is sharing stories about the recording of Van Halen's legendary debut album and his love of radio on the latest episode of The Roth Show.

As part of giving listeners a deep dive on his lifelong obsession with the media, Roth runs down an impressive list of disc jockeys that caught his attention growing up, as well as Van Halen's inspiration for performing and recording cover songs and a behind the scenes look at the making of the band's 1978 self-titled record, among other topics.

After securing a deal with Warner Brothers in 1977, Van Halen teamed up with producer Ted Templeman to record the group's first album at Hollywood's Sunset Sound Recorders.

The band would go on to release a cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" as their first single from the project, which featured instant classics like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't 'Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Atomic Punk."

"Van Halen" peaked at No. 19 on the US Billboard 200 while eventually delivering the rare feat of earning Diamond status for US sales of more than 10 million copies.

Stream the latest episode of The Roth Show here.

Related Stories
Van Halen Cofounder Reveals His Only Regret About The Band

Sammy Hagar Looking At Doing Another Las Vegas Residency

Wolfgang Van Halen Explains Band Name Change

David Lee Roth Shares Trailer For Summer Tour

Eddie Van Halen's Favorite Riff Revealed By Wolfgang

More Van Halen News