Rocktober First Tracks Song #11: "Runnin' With the Devil" by Van Halen

Many apologies for the hiatus.  I unexpectedly had to go out of town to deal with a family medical issue for nearly a week, and then was catching up on work and other stuff last week.  But rest assured, Rocktober is still in full effect.

We've reached Halloweek, which means all the songs from here on out will have some sort of dark, macabre, Halloween, or devilish theme.  Today's first track from a debut album is "Runnin' With the Devil," from Van Halen's magnificent self-titled 1978 debut album.

The song starts with a chorus of horns, and until today, I didn't realize how that sound had been achieved.  The horns were car horns from the band members' cars, mounted in a box and controlled with a foot switch.  The album's producer, Ted Templeman, then slowed the horns down, giving them that air raid siren effect.  Then Michael Anthony's pounding bass comes in for a few beats before Eddie and Alex drop in with the riff and the drum beat.  And then Diamond Dave brings us home, announcing to the world the arrival of the next great American rock band with his signature howl.

Though it only reached #84 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song has become a classic.  Among other accolades has been ranked #9 on VH1's list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs of All-Time and #68 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time.