VAN HALEN — Women And Children First (review)

VAN HALEN — Women And Children First album cover

Album · 1980 · Hard Rock

4.5/5 · 2020-10-07
siLLy puPPy

VAN HALEN experienced a phenomenally fast rise to the top after the release of the debut album in 1978. The combo effect of David Lee Roth’s charismatic vaudeville laced frontman antics in tandem with Eddie Van Halen’s pyrotechnic guitar wizardry was enough to give the world of hard rock and heavy metal a much needed kick in the ass and as a result the band quickly ascended to top dog status. The band toured extensively and then dropped the sophomore album “Van Halen II” only a year later but round two failed to catch the magic of the debut. The sophomore slump could’ve been interpreted as VAN HALEN falling from grace as quickly as it arose from nowhere but all those fears were put to rest when the band released its third album WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST on March 26, 1980.  

After two unapologetic party rocker albums VAN HALEN decided to move on a bit and solidify its rather scattered musical approach and as a result VH focused on a sound that firmly cemented them in the world of the 80s heavy metal scene with much more emphasis on rowdy metal rockers that emphasized fast tempos, sizzling guitar antics and strong rhythmic drives accompanied by Roth’s already flamboyant singing style. One could even say the album was a bit more serious although VAN HALEN was never known for its philosophical meanderings into existential quandaries. The more focused approach was also matched by the band’s first album of all original material which yielded two of the band’s best classic tracks that were concert draws for years including “And The Cradle Will Rock” and “Everybody Wants Some.”

Ted Templeton once again sat in as producer and while WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST failed to produce any hit singles as had the first two albums, the band’s unrelenting heavy rock approach made them a successful album oriented band that became very popular in arena sized concerts. The leading track “And The Cradle Will Rock” began with a phase-shifting Wurlitzer electric piano masquerading as a guitar effect debuted Eddie’s fascination with keyboard tricks which would culminate with heavy synth use on “1984.” The track became one of the most beloved live songs of the band’s repertoire and equally popular was the jungle drum / vocal led “Everybody Wants Some!” which gleefully celebrated Roth’s sexual conquests which also showcased another VH trait, namely Roth reciting spoken word dialogue like a lustful teenager in a whorehouse.

While none of the album’s remaining tracks became FM radio classics like the first two, the entire album seriously rocks the house with tracks like “Fools” showcasing some of Eddie’s tasteful guitar antics ushering in a groovy bluesy guitar led riff with a bass stomp that allowed Eddie’s improv virtuosity to have a moment in the spotlight. While “Romeo Delight” takes things into even heavier metal territory with head banging guitar riffs and Hendrix-esque feedback it manages to keep that VH charm of mixing louder and softer dynamics. The true surprise comes from the brief instrumental “Tora! Tora!” with trippy synthesizer effects along with a Black Sabbath inspired doom metal riff accompanied by Eddie’s restless fret workouts. The track bleeds into “Loss Of Control” which keeps the metal pace going strong with an unusual song arrangement that showcases not only Eddie’s guitar techniques but unusual rhythmic cadences and lots of VH vocal tradeoffs. Somehow they keep the boogie-woogie underbelly in tact.

“Take Your Whiskey Home” finds Eddie in classic acoustic blues guitar form, a trick that would later be recycled for “Hot For Teacher” but turns into a heavy rock hard hitter that displays a bass line reminiscent of the “Running With The Devil” playbook. The track that started out acoustically and turned hard rock is followed by the all acoustic “Could This Be Magic?” which is the only track in the entire VH canon to feature a backing female vocalist however Nicolette Larson is practically drowned out by the rest of the band also belting out vocal harmonies. It’s also somewhat of a title track with the lyrics WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST appearing several times. The beautiful slide guitars and a rare appearance of Roth on acoustic guitar create a nice little respite from the heavy metal heft. It’s a beautifully melodic track which is followed by the final rocker “In A Simple Rhyme” which originally was supposed to connect to the ending to the beginning of the next album but that never happened.

This is my second favorite VAN HALEN after after the debut notable for its consistency and heaviness only punctuated by brief moments of slower paced acoustic parts. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST pretty much stated that VAN HALEN was here to stay and went multi-platinum and ushered the band into the heavy metal 80s as one of the top acts of the day. It was also becoming clear that the egotistic frontman David Lee Roth was increasingly in conflict with the Van Halen brothers which led to serious tensions brewing in the band but due to the success the band was enjoying was always worked out in the end but after many decades since the band’s heyday it’s been revealed that Roth’s antics clashed big time with the brothers’ desire to steer the band in a different direction. There are many moments that are a sneak preview to Roth’s solo career and while he would split just a few years down the road, for this moment in time the chemistry and tension worked to everyone’s advantage. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST is an outstanding classic hard rock / heavy metal album of the era.

more than 2 years ago
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Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Damn, if that's true about Simple Rhyme that would explain why that fantastic ending riff doesn't last long at all. Never knew that, while I love Fair Warning as it is, would be interesting to hear how the two albums connecting would've turned out.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Strange. The overall rating was 4.01 and when i published the review it went down to 3.98. Glitch in the matrix or did a bunch of haters rate this low all at once?