I bought Van Halen’s first album when I was 12 in early 1985. I lived in a small town in the Blue Mountains, but luckily the record store in the next town was pretty awesome. My friend Chad, who was 10, had told me he saw this album there a few days earlier. There was no way I would be allowed to “waste” my limited money that I had left from Xmas in buying this, so I convinced Chad to wag a day off school pretending to be sick, on the day that both our mum’s did the weekly shop. I somehow managed this and as soon as my mum left I dressed over my pj’s and left with Chad in tow (how he managed to fool his mum I’ll never know) on our bikes for the 6km each way ride. It was a bit of a slog, uphill all the way there, but we got there and back and I was in bed before my mum returned. How I got away with this still amazes me now. The record blew me away especially Eruption, and a few years later I was playing guitar myself. I recently looked up Chad on facebook, and he’s into motorbikes. I still play guitar. RIP Edward, you changed my life that day. p.s. I have since “wasted” thousands on records. Love ya Mum!!
