Women And Children First (studio album) by Van Halen

I'd say the front half is probably a bit stronger than the back half, but there is a bit more variety in Women and Children First than there is in the prior Van Halen albums. Fools is probably my favorite Van Halen deep cut of all time. I'd say the first four songs are the strongest.

Key Tracks: And the Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some, Fools, Romeo Delight.

My favourite Van Halen album. Such a great album.

Possibly my favorite VH album. It marks a change in the bands sound from their early party rock days to a more mature form of their music.

Van Halen's third album sees the band slightly branching out musically with hints of jazz and folk in their songs. Women and children first, is another rip roaring rock'n'roll record from a band who were untouchable at this time. And the cradle will rock, everybody wants some, and, take your whiskey home, are all great, while, could this be magic, goes for that jazz/rock sound. Another fine Van Halen album.

This is such a fun album to listen to haha. Almost like a guilty pleasure.

This one's alright. Not a lot of standouts.

This is actually a fairly cool album.

I read that Van Halen was the other finalist for "Rock N' Roll High School." The Ramones got it.

Both bands sound like they're forever 13, but "Women and Children First" would've made a great soundtrack. "And The Cradle Will Rock" is about teen delinquents, "Everybody Wants Some!" is about sex; "Romeo Delight" is about going to a high school rager; "In A Simple Rhyme" is about first love.

VH's first heavy blues song, "Fools," is great, but "Take Your Whiskey Home" is amazing, and "Could This Be Magic?" is brilliantly cheeky.

Van Halen expands its musical palette on "Women and Children First," maturing beyond the party anthems of "Van Halen" and "II," while retaining its lust for life.

The dark undercurrents and tension evident throughout "Women and Children First" are unlike anything heard on Van Halen's two 1970s albums. They're created by Eddie Van Halen's tension-and-release guitar rhythms - and add depth to Van Halen, which heretofore, had been dominated by David Lee Roth's (seemingly indomitable) sense of fun.

These dueling sensibilities - often fighting for attention in the same song, e.g. "Take Your Whiskey Home;" "Everybody Wants Some" - are what make Van Halen the most fascinating hard rock band since Led Zeppelin.

From Bork 05/12/2010 23:29

A definite step down from the two first albums, but still well worth the while. Suffers a bit from never being able to take off.