If there was one 70s rock band that seemed machine-tooled for the dawning new decade, it was Van Halen. Frontman David Lee Roth knew it back in 1978, with the debut album Van Halen going platinum.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts. Van Halen’s Balance arrives on the Official Album Sales chart for ...

“If you put a Van Halen album in your record collection, it will melt all the rest of your records,” was famously David Lee Roth’s sales pitch for the legendary California hard rock quartet he ...

If you step to the plate for the first time and hit a home run, you’ve established an impossibly high bar. Likewise, there are many iconic rock bands whose first album remains their best. Swing and a ...