There’s nothing that says iconic like a self-titled debut. Here are three self-titled debuts from 70s rock music that we still talk about today.
‘Van Halen’ by Van Halen
Between Eddie Van Halen‘s guitar work and the fact that this one is regarded as one of the best rock albums ever, there was no doubt that Van Halen had to have a spot on this list. Featuring songs like “You Really Got Me” and “Eruption”, this project has everything you could want from a rock album. Plus, as Van Halen told Steven Rosen, it sounds pretty much the same live as it does on the radio.
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“…I hate people – without namin’ names – who over-produce in the studio and then when they walk out on stage people go: ‘Wow! Is that the same band?’” he shared. “It doesn’t sound the same. With us it sounds exactly the same. Maybe even better, because you get to see it us doin’ it at the same time. It’s very energetic. We’ll get you up and shake your a**.”
‘The Cars’ by The Cars
The Cars formed as a band in Boston in 1976. You can’t help but get excited about this project, which seamlessly combines classic rock and new wave all in one.
What’s unique about this album is that many of the lyrics on it are ironic and sarcastic. Just take a song like “Good Times Roll”, for example.
“There was definitely a little self-conscious irony in there,” keyboardist Greg Hawkes shared in the liner notes of The Cars Anthology. “We started out wanting to be electric and straight-ahead rock, and it kind of turned into an artier kind of thing.”
‘Boston’ by Boston’
Boston’s debut album was the best-selling LP at the time of its release, backed by iconic songs like “More Than a Feeling”.
The way this album was recorded centered on a deal between Tom Scholz and producer John Boylan. Scholz wasn’t used to recording in an actual studio, so he ended up recording most of the tracks, except for “Let Me Take You Home Tonight”, which was recorded at home. The hope was that Epic, the band’s label, wouldn’t have a clue.
“John Boylan, the producer Epic chose, offered me a deal,” Tom Scholz explained to Louder. “I would make the record in my basement and wouldn’t tell anybody, and he would take Brad and Barry Goudreau – my old friend that used to play guitar with me – and a couple guys he knew out to LA. They would record some songs out there, and Epic would think all the recording was done in LA…”
Photo by: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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