Van Halen - Women and Children First

Japanese pressing. Reissue of 1980 original release has been remastered and comes in a standard jewel case. Warner. 2005. Album Description

Women & Children First

Though not quite as good as their first two albums, Women & Children First, nonetheless, is still a very good album. The album went to #6 on the charts & had one charting single: "And the Cradle Will Rock..." which peaked at #55. By the release of this album the group Van Halen was a household name & headliners worldwide. Women & Children First was the first Van Halen album to not have any cover versions of other songs.

The album opens with the hit "And the Cradle Will Rock..." which is probably the second best song on the album. "Have you seen junior's grades?" Once again Van Halen combines some serious lyrics & yet they have the tongue in cheek. "Everybody Wants Some!!" opens with Alex Van Halen's drums putting down a steady beat. On Van Halen's first album no song cross the four minute mark; on their second album they crossed the four minute mark twice. On Women & Children first they cross the five minute mark twice with "Everybody Wants Some!!" being the first. This might be some of the reason that the album suffers some; their songs just aren't as concise. I do love the bit in the middle where Diamond Dave throws in a little male fantasy stuff. Next is "Fools" which is the other song that surpasses five minutes. Some of the problem with this song & the previous one is the somewhat extended openings. In "Fools", once they get to about 1:30 into the song, then the song improves. By this time you can tell that Van Halen has kicked much of their pop side to the curb. Because of this they're not quite as innovative though I really don't mind that Eddie extends his leads a little bit. "Romeo Delight" kicks it up a notch but isn't one of the best songs on the album. "Tora! Tora!" is a short solo instrumental by Eddie which was a staple on most of their albums. This segues into "Loss of Control" is the shortest song on the album that has lyrics. It borders on thrash. "Loss of Control" is probably the weakest song they had included on any of their first three albums. "Take Your Whiskey Home" is the best song on the album. It starts off with Eddie playing a mean acoustic guitar & Dave singing. At about 0:45 they kick into the full band & rock out. I love the way Eddie riffs on the song. "Could This Be Magic?" is filler & has Eddie reveling in some blues with Diamond Dave throwing in his diverse background. "In a Simple Rhyme" finds Van Halen closing the album in fine fashion adding just a hint of pop to the song. Even Michael Anthony throws in some bass riffs.

With hindsight it's easy to see how this album was leading into the territory they would cover with Fair Warning. I think Van Halen was trying to change it up a little with this album; their first two albums were very similar & Women & Children First certainly breaks away from that. The remastering is excellent (wish Warner Bros. would remaster ALL Van Halen albums!) but, once again, the booklet doesn't offer any information beyond the ordinary. September 25, 2008

This disc gets played the most

Although I had heard some of Women and Children First at a friend's house, I didn't really get into it until after I heard And the Cradle Will Rock on the radio. Then I had to buy the album and listened to it again, and again and again. Most VH fans I'm sure similarly wore out their turntables (not to mention enraging their parents and neighbors since of course the volume had to be turned all the way up). Now I have everything on CD and this disc, along with Fair Warning, get played more than the other DLR-era albums.

From a broadcast of Off the Record with Mary Turner I remember Roth joked that Eddie sleeps with his stratocaster. I think this album, more than any other, demonstrates what he was getting at, in terms of Eddie's familiarity with the instrument. The virtuosity of Eddie's playing is superlative. Although maybe performing a solo like Eruption is harder technically, here he has a kind of spontaneity that has never been replicated. Indeed I believe the entire album was recorded in about two weeks.

(As I recall there were two interviews conducted by Mary Turner for Westwood One (circa 1980-81). One was with Roth and Alex, the other with Eddie. Eddie was modest and unpretentious, even a little shy; Roth was Roth. Just polar opposites.)

My favorite song on this record is Fools. July 21, 2008

Van Halen's Third More Collective Work But Value For Money?

I'm assuming as it's not stated by Amazon anywhere on this page to date that this is the Japanese mlps version and if so, this review refers to that version.

This album is the third by this seminal rock band and shows a band maturing when compared with their first two excellent albums as the topic and subject matter of their songs become more mature and complex. Although all the tracks have been tuned down to E flat tuning for the guitar (so if you've been trying to play along with the cd and have been finding it hard to do so this is the reason) this is done to accommodate David Lee Roth's singing range. While the first two albums showcase the brilliant guitar genius of Eddie Van Halen, this album involves the rest of the band a little more and takes a little of the spotlight off the guitarist alone which is a good thing as it shows a band that is growing together as a unit.

The remastering though is the 2001 version and so if you already have the old cd of this version, I'm struggling to find any extra value that will justify the hefty price tag on this baby when you are essentially paying for cardboard that isn't one of the better mlps designs that I've seen out there. The cardboard is thin and flimsy and looks as if it will come apart once the glue gets old. For examples of good mlps designs, check out The Band and Hall & Oates releases which are simply works of art on good quality thicker and stronger cardboard.

This is essential listening although this mlps version does not represent good value for money and if you already have a 2001 remastered version in the jewel case, you are better off sticking to it as this is no real upgrade to me. June 12, 2008

Van Halen - A Nice Comeback After The Lackluster II

After the somewhat lackluster "II" album Van Halen made a nice comeback with this one. In fact I think this is one of the band's best discs. Things get started with the heavy rocking "And The Cradle will Rock..." and "Everybody Want's Some" both big hits and great songs. I am not a huge fan of the next track "Fools", but after that "Romeo Delight", the short Sabbath like instrumental "Tora Tora", "Loss Of Control" and the bluesy acoustic "Take Your Whiskey Home" are all great tunes. "Could It Be Magic" and "In A Simple Rhyme" close out the album and are both good tunes as well. By today's standards this album would only be an EP at a little over 30 minutes, but at least it is all original material with no covers. This is one of the band's best discs and essential for fans. June 8, 2008

70s + 80s Meet

While the first Van Halen record will always be my favorite, I did enjoy "Women and Children First." While "Van Halen I" has more of an 80s sound, and "Van Halen II" has kind of a 70s sound, "Women and Children First" seems to have a little of each. 'And the Cradle Will Rock' is a pretty good opener. 'Everybody Wants Some' is one of the most 80s sounding songs on the record. 'Fools' was strange, but interesting. 'Romeo Delight' is listenable. 'Tora Tora' was unusual but still good. 'Loss of Control' has kind of a strange sound, but it does have its charm. 'Take Your Whiskey Home' sounds notably softer, but has a 70s charm. (Some would probably say 60s.) While also on the gentler side, 'Could This Be Magic' cleverly inserts the title of the record. (While not the most heavy track on the record, 'Could This Be Magic?' arguably steals the record.) 'In a Simple Rhyme' is a bit anticlimactic, but still good. Overall, it's a good record. May 6, 2008

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