On This Day, Feb. 10, 1978…
Van Halen released their self-titled debut album, which peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
The album featured such future classics as “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” the instrumental “Eruption,” and a cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”
Van Halen, which features the band’s original frontman, David Lee Roth, went on to become a huge commercial success for the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S. to earn a Diamond certification from the RIAA, one of two the band received. The other was for their sixth studio album, 1984, which was their last to feature Roth, until 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
