Vote for the GOAT: Adam 12’s Van Halen Top 5
I’ve made my stance public repeatedly: I’m a Sammy guy, not a Dave guy. But don’t think for a minute there’s not plenty of Dave in this Top 5.
Funny enough, this took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I’ve had the Van Halen catalog swimming around in my head ever since my marathon tribute to Eddie Van Halen last fall. And dammit, there are so many amazing songs in the catalogue. Whittling it down to five is no easy task. So let’s look at your Top 5, then we’ll dive(r down) into mine. You can see the rest of the Vote for the GOAT Top 5s here.
Vote for the GOAT – Van Halen
5) Eruption/You Really Got Me
4) Runnin’ With the Devil
3) Panama
2) Jump
1) Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
OK, my turn.
5) Runnin’ With the Devil – It took seeing this song performed live to truly appreciate what a monster it is.
4) Love Walks In – Synths and Sammy, all day long.
3) Why Can’t This Be Love? – Synths and Sammy! Did I stutter?
2) Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love – OK, so it’s not *always* synths and Sammy for me. Gotta give props to one of the nastiest riffs in the entire VH catalogue.
1) Poundcake – Poke fun at me all you want. I know this one wouldn’t crack the Top 5 on a lot of Van Halen fan’s lists. But that bit with the electric drill still melts my face every damn time. This song’s a ripper and I love it.