March 26, 1980. Van Halen releases their third album a year and three days after releasing their second. Cradles everywhere are rocked.
I wrote about Van Halen's work ethic in this post celebrating the anniversary of Van Halen II. The band took the same approach to Women and Children First that they did for that second album: waste no time. Tour, write, record, release. Gotta respect that. And the fruits of their labor were heavier, too.
Fun fact? That iconic riff at the beginning of "And the Cradle Will Rock..." ain't a guitar riff. It's an electric piano, phase-shifted and played through a vintage 1960s Marshall Plexi amp. So now you can listen to a VH fave you've heard hundreds of times through new ears.
adam12Writer
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.
