Jump - Van Halen

One of my favourite games when I am reflecting on my record collection, is finding out which artist has the lowest and highest registration number, i.e. which is the furthest apart. Van Halen is the winner at this point: I only have two singles by the band, 'Running with the devil' being number 51 and 'Jump' has just become number 4943. Breaking this record is quite hard, unless I am ever going to buy another single by Oliver, Patrick Hernandez or Peaches & Herb (which seems unlikely) or the Jam (which is very likely).

'Jump' is one of those Eighties anthem that pretty much everyone knows. It is not representative of the band's style, who usually have a harder sound.

My collection: 7" single no. 4943
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, October 8, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Jump' / 'House of pain'

Running with the devil - Van Halen

Hardrock was a genre that I got slightly lured into because of my fascination for Kiss. I was only nine years old when Van Halen stormed the charts with their single 'Running with the devil'. I loved the solid sound of the track, and the manic, bizarre vocal acrobatics of singer David Lee Roth. Later in life I would learn that Van Halen wasn't really playing the hardest variety of hardrock, but it sounded impressive enough to me.

My collection: 7" single no. 51

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Running with the devil' / 'You really got me'

Download: Running with the devil, You really got me