One of the best lyrics in rock “Blue-eyed murder in a size five dress”.

That opening riff makes my nads rumble. So fantastic. It makes Unchained one of my top 5 favorite Van Halen song. Its just so GOOD.

Eddie's legendary guitar tone just draws you in. The Brown Sound. He could play anything , drunk or sober. The King is dead , long live The King. He and Mr. Rhoads are my Heros. Miss 'em both. Let me not forget to pay respect to Dimebag. Eddie was his Hero as well.

This song is pretty much what the original Van Halen was all about: great musicianship combined with loads of fun...

This was the first LP my father (may he RIP) bought me back in 81 when i was 12... thank you dad, i still have it.

Bassist Michael Anthony was definitely the secret sauce of Van Halen. He provided the high harmony backing vocals you're hearing. If you ever react to Hot for Teacher, I can assure you the video is just as entertaining as the song. RIP Edward Van Halen.

David Lee Roth has always been a powerhouse and Eddie's playing are just simply magic... Legends...

One of the best guitar intros ever. Eddie playing just off the beat a bit is part of what makes him one of the best players ever. The drummer is his brother and they had a chemistry that is just natural. It let's Eddie just freewheel around.

The things you can’t explain is what makes music great. Van Halen the pinnacle of great rock songwriting

One of the best riffs of all time. Absolutely amazing driving music, Van Halen set the stage and the bar for pop metal. This was their prime IMO

Unchained is certainly a phenomenal start to diving into Van Halen’s catalog. While I could go on and on about which of their iconic tracks deserve an analysis, “Ice Cream Man” from their 1978 debut album is both incredible and so uniquely Van Halen. The first half of the song is Roth sing-talking in a Doo-Op style. So cool and in control but also having fun with it. Then the song ramps up to whatever setting exceeds overdrive. Eddie Van Halen’s fingers shred away and Roth explodes with an eruption of energy, charisma and swagger. The track perfectly encapsulates the 2 sides of Van Halen; a fun, not taking themselves so seriously effort combined with some of the finest technical rock North America has ever produced.

One of the best riffs of all time!

My favorite VH song of all time. That opening riff is just killer and then pounds once MA kicks in🤘🤘🤘🤘

My favorite Halen tune,hands down.

Eddie's guitar tone on this song is unreal

The harmonies sound to me like a group of friends singing together at a bar when a song they all know plays on the juke box. It kind of invites the listener to sing along too, without worrying about sounding perfect.

Great reaction! Van Halen was a big influence to my youth. David Lee Roth was a perfect frontman for the band, giving their sound a certain swagger and playfulness. He’s known for his screams and ad-libbed quips. I’ve heard his screams described as double harmonics (?). A song that showcases his screams is from their song “Runnin with the Devil” off their debut album. Also, it should be noted their bass player, Michael Anthony, provided fantastic background vocals. Michael has a very high voice.

Ah, this warms my cold, jaded, cynical heart! ☺️ Van Halen has been my favorite band for close to 40 years. They just represent to me the ULTIMATE Rock N Roll band. It was great fun to listen to this through your ears and hear your take on it. Hard to decide on a recommendation for another VH song… but let me go with “In A Simple Rhyme” from the album Women And Children First. ENORMOUS vocal goodness in that one!

One thing I always loved about the original Van Halen: not only could they play bone-crushing rock and roll (with one of the few guitarists I would consider a true game-changer in rock), they almost always had a sense of humor about it. The breakdown in this...."Hey, man that suit is YOU!"....always makes me smile. Their videos were hilarious (thanks, Pete Angelus) and they were a HUGE breath of fresh air in the barren rock and roll landscape of the '80's.

One of the best intro screams of all time.

That little string drag stutter she is speaking of is some of the secret sauce riffing Eddie does in this song. Sooooooo Good!

Van Halen is the ultimate party band. Dave was more like the MC of the party and the band was like party goers singing harmonies and playing the hell out of their instruments. Great reaction!

That guitar tone is a beast, the bass is deep and wide, and the drums superb as always, and Dave screams like no other

one of the best not cut studio moments ever!! the whole "hey man that suit is you" line from Dave is golden. maybe not the best technical singer but a great frontman

This is quintessential old school Van Halen. If anyone young asks about Van Halen I play them this song.

Love your eye-popping reaction at 12:21 to Eddie's guitar! Fascinating evaluation of the song. Thank you!

Light Up The Sky is a great vocal song from them, even background vocals are sweet.

We used to crank this ridiculous on my buddies killer stereo system while doing major bong hits and drinking beer on Friday and Saturday nights back in high school in the early 80’s 😝🥳🤘

One of the "magic sauce" of the Van Halen sound was that they could sing in 3 part harmony. Michael Anthony (the bassist) was unreal holding down the high harmonies. Also cool piece of trivia: Van Halen pretty much recorded a lot of their songs "live," all band members in the same studio room, essentially in one take. During the "talking part" you actually hear their producer Ted Templeton buzzing in over the intercom and give the "C'mon Dave, Gimmie a break".....

Beth, you are my new hero for being open to reacting to this. "I'm the One" off of VH1, or "Little Guitars" with the intro, off of Diver Down, but there's plenty of songs to reveal Edward's unique sense of timing. It does switch up during the "Thought you never missed me..." part, but I'm not sure anyone can explain it with sheet music. The same with Ed's solos, this one is short, but it weaves its way through there somehow and still makes sense. Ed is imo the best rhythm guitarist rock ever had. This song is pretty straight, but he came up with more ways to drive a song than anyone before him, which I think you'll notice if you listen to some more. Hope so!

legendary guitar tone. The intro is amazing.

Something you said about the backing vocal made me think. Maybe looseness is what is missing in a lot of music. Thinking of my youth, Van Halen, the Cars, Talking Heads, etc. had a loose vibe. The lack of auto tune, the time period, whatever. Possibly why arena rock, 80s hair bands and modern music get called out for being overproduced and bands like Van Halen, Nirvana, Sex Pistols still hold respect. Either way, Van Halen had it.

Eddie is the architect of VHs music. His brother Alex is the pulse. Eddie grew up playing classical piano, but did not read. His musical memory was so good he could hear something and repeat it almost instantly. It took his teacher a while to realize what was going on. The house was a musical house and the family was from the Netherlands so Ed had exposure to classical composers, and show tunes. This musical soup is a big part of his timing. The show tunes especially. He was also influenced by early rock n roll. So his musical perspective is much different than the folks he influences daily. Seldom does he play a straight 4. He will swing and manipulate the pocket. Some of his solos are so fast and precise they sound like straight time, until you try to play them. Slowing things down in the computer, he’s swinging it. His melodic sensibility and ability to process notes and rhythm at lightening speed to where it comes out as organic pure rock n roll/rock is unmatched. He always stayed true to just regular ole rock. Hopefully that gives you some insight. It’s was all an extension of him. It just came out, and has influenced millions of people. RIP SAINT EDWARD

Roth killed it in the studio but in concert he was all over the place. Thankfully the band was always on point

First concert I ever went to was VH. Eddy's guitar playing was other worldly.

Been listening to the song for 40 yrs! Never thought about it too much or disected it. It just kicks ass!

Roth era VH is party rock on a 10 scale. It’s best described as perfectly imperfect.

Ohhh that opening riff... sooo classic EVH....as much as I love DLR, those Michael Anthony harmonies are just brilliant, as always...

This is my favorite song by Van Halen. I have been a fan as a teen in the ‘70’s.

In my humble opinion the best and my favorite album in the catalog !

Van Halen was also a visual show. I would recommend seeing the live Oakland 1981 version of Unchained.

She really loves that intro, can't blame her. The pedaling bass reminds me of ACDC and is so powerful. Another vote for Michael Anthony adding the vocal and bass magic.

The feeling you are having in the intro is not knowing exactly where 1 is until Alex comes in with the drums and they all start riding 8th notes. I remember hearing this for the first time and feeling one in a different place than where it is from Eddie’s guitar and having the same exiting fun surprise. I’ve since been able to play this song myself years later with cover bands. The intro is still exciting even though I know exactly where one is. Also the backing vocals sound “casual” your words, because this is all pre autotune and digital editing. You could either sing or you couldn’t. Human imperfections made things sound better and made the most iconic albums stand the test of time vs beat mapped autotuned manufactured new pop. Such a great song. Fun watching you experience the song as well. 😊

Two suggestions for you if you’d like to hear what the mighty Van Halen was capable of in terms of vocal harmonies “Jamie’s Cryin’” and “In A Simple Rhyme”

Vocal coach ignoring DLR and totally grooving to Eddie. I think she was even blushing a the first pause. Welcome to Van Halen my dear.

Thank you again! I wish you could have been there waaaay back then , we were all at the record store waiting to buy the album! It was a great time!

The harmonies reflect a bunch of talented, fun-loving, (wasted) dudes! 👍

On Fire is the song that you should check out. Roth's vocals are top notch.

This lady knows when she hears something good. This tune rocks.. This whole album is awesome. Enjoy my dear.

This is one of my favorite Van Halen albums, it sounds so RAW and amazing.

Great analysis Bethany !! Try out Dreams. Different pace totally. Love your channel. Keep it up 👍👍

🎉enjoyed this massively 🎉 The intro phrase starts on the 4and beat (a push beat). It changes onto the 1 half way through phrase. Hope that makes sense. The pre choruses, they are just unique and have a very long evolving phrase. It’s very much an Edward and Alex Van Halen signature.

the "mimic" you heard was eddies pick scrape-tapping the wound strings down the neck from about the neck pickup to the 12th fret.. things you learn when you spend 40+ years covering these songs.. this is still one of my favorite VH songs to play live.. this, panama, jamies cryin, feel your love tonight, aint talkin bout love, beautiful girls, pretty woman.. oh the list goes on.. i love playing VH

They were a live band massive high energy you have to do a live video.

"I need to find a way to express what I'm hearing." Heh! You and my parents back in the day! 🤣🤣🤣

That's funny. I was trying yesterday to search if you'd reacted to David Lee Roth, and now here it is. Thank you!

Greatest rock tune ever written. It’s got it all.

You can find a live version of this tune where Alex VH lights his gong on fire, pure rock n roll insanity.

You should do I'm The One next. It's a deeper cut, but its easily their most metal song and it features a vocal surprise 2/3 through.

One thing seems universal about people experiencing the Mighty VH for the first time…a big smile on their faces!

Now that's a Jam!

The effect on the line "Come on Dave, gimmie a break!" is supposed to mimic the communication microphone of the producer at the mixing desk talking to rhe singer in rhe vocal booth.

The reason for the raw "unfinished" sound is Van Halen on their early albums, did very little dubs and over tracking. These were mostly recorded live in the studio.

6 a.m. in the morning and this blaring out the windows. Good times and good friends 40+ yrs ago.😎🎸🎸🎸

This was great! Again, non-vocalist here (as legendary drummer Aynsley Dunbar once said, "'Sink' would be the word. I only sing in the shower."), but I always felt Dave's vocals - screams excepting - were primarily chest/throat. Definitely sounds like a lot of throat here. Interesting observations re: the background vocals as they relate to the lead vocals. The words "casual" and "relaxed" never occured to me, but I hear that now. The spoken word section was an improv between Dave and producer Ted Templeman, who can be heard through the talkback ("C'mon, Dave, gimme a break"). And that pesky pre-chorus is comprised of alternating bars of 3/4 and 4/4 (or one bar of 7). That part was usually played differently live. Dave's voice was such a critical component of the band's sound. Ironically, the Van Halen brothers auditioned and rejected him TWICE (because he apparently sucked that badly) before finally hiring him, which inspired him to work on his voice. He actually took lessons prior to recording his vocals for Van Halen's debut. Thanks, as always, for your insights.

Hello new subscriber is here Thanks for the reaction 😍❤ Would you like to try "NEVER ENOUGH (The Greatest Showman)" by a Filipino girl group 4TH IMPACT Have a great day.

"Mean Street" off that same album is well worth a listen.

DLR's voice and his persona was perfect for Van Halen.

so when dave was talking at the end of the video. you was smiling. you evern loved it. thats what we love. its amazing. its us

A deep track that shows good vocals is “Could This Be Magic?” from the Women and Children First album. It’s acoustic with Dave and Edward and it’s 4 guys having some fun! It would be interesting to hear your take!

FOUR KEYS TO THE VAN HALEN SOUND: DIAMOND DAVE’S SCREECHING WITH WHOOPS AND HOLLERS EDDIE’S GUITAR 🎸 ALEX’S SNARE DRUM 🥁 AND MICHAEL ANTHONY’S STRATOSPHERE BACKING VOCALS!!! VAN HALEN: I SAW ALL THE TOURS WITH ROTH FROM VAN HALEN 1 IN 1978 TO 1984 AND AGAIN IN 2013! I SAW 5150, OU812, FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE AND BALANCE WITH HAGAR. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER EDWARD VAN HALEN!!! RIP EDDIE

The brown sound changed the way I play still get tears when I noodle around with some van halen jams eddie was and will always be the inspiration and dedication to all of us that play rip to God of guitar

This song as an opener DESTROYED the audience...

You have a beautiful smile and when you really like a song I never get tired of that smile 😁

Roth sounded damned great in the studio. 100% unique.

This is awesome like when my kids discovered rock on guitar hero. It’s like opening presents on Christmas Day watching her reaction

I just want to spend one night with you "The vocalyst" listening to music ...you get me

That mimic you mentioned it a foot pedal Eddie was using called a phaser.

The thing about Dave's and the backing vocals is the unbridled charisma. But right behind is Eddie's monstrous tone, Mike's rolling bass, and Alex's thundering drums. This band is the essence of "The synergy of the parts is greater than the whole."

Kudos to you on learning about THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN !!!!!!!!!!! iTS A WONDERFUL WORLD WHEN YOU HAVE A LITTLE VAN HALEN IN YOUR LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!

The mighty Van Halen. David Lee Roth Vocals Eddie Van Halen Guitar/ Keys/ backing vocals Alex Van Halen Percussion Michael Anthony bass guitar backing vocals Saw them 3x both alliterations, they personify American rock and roll and EVH arguably the greatest guitarist of our time… Thanks for the reaction and review

I love her facial reaction to Diamond David Lee Roth 😎

One of my favorites. That riff is pristine.

"Dreams" from the 5150 album with Sammy Hagar for some total contrast from this one. Personally I love both songs.

Your smile at the beginning tells me everything I need to to know about the music I grew up with. 😊

Great review!

Love this. Eddie would tune one if not two of his guitar strings slightly flat which ended up in the band sounding almost out of tune at moments, but it was absolutely brilliant.

Unchained is quintessentially what vh was all about. They were THEE PARTY and David Lee Roth was the ultimate frontman/ringleader/superclown. A band like no other before or since or ever will be. The original Van Halen will forever the best. Later attempts with Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone just never reached the magic like VH fronted by Roth. Interesting story about the Van Halen brothers you should dig into.

Fair Warning is my favorite VH album and I can listen to it top to bottom any day of the week

Of all the concerts that I have attended, (to me) nothing can compare to this as an opening song...that opening guitar riff sets the stage. Literally and figuratively.

Some other Van Halen songs to check out are Panama, Ain't Talkin bout love, Ice Cream Man, You Really got me. David Lee Roth was the singer then. Sammy Hagar also sang for Van Halen. Songs like - Finish what ya started, why can't this be love, love walks in, dreams, and can't stop loving you to name a few. Of course there are many more songs. These will introduce you to Van Halen.

You are smart. We were angry. We still are. Live hearing your educated analysis.

I would recommend you listen to either "Women in Love" or "Beautiful Girls" next. Keep the Van Halen reactions coming!

This song still gives me goosebumps

Mean Street is my all-time favorite Van Halen album. Look into more songs on the record. You’ll not be disappointed!

The word she was having a hard time finding for the chorus vocals and background vocals is "Energy". It's not over produced to the point of losing it's essence. Van Halen is PURE energy in the music and vocals. They were a party band. They had fun, they were about fun, their music was FUN!!! The word is "Energy".

I'm a EE/math guy -- this music is great for engineering. It's adrenaline feel-good - almost college-band sounding at times - as though made by a group of friends "jamming" (with serious talent and great care for what is being produced). I think the non-ensemble voicing (I guess is the term) adds a lot to that not stuffy feel. David Lee Roth is an interesting character all the way around (I heard he was even an EMT - definitely experiencing life). I agree with you totally about Triumph and definitely Rush. I love Early Music and Baroque, but this is the music I listen to regularly. Thanks for your great channel ... Subscribed ... Cheers ...

I'm from California and we love Van halen ......thanks for the video

My VH recos for you : "Ain't talkin' 'bout Love", "And the Cradle will Rock", "Dance the Night Away", "Panama", "Jamie's Cryin' ", "Mean Street" and "Could this be Magic"

You see voice coach,Rock n Roll is all about attitude.