Vandenberg

Vandenberg is the debut on which the band balanced melody and weight around Adrian Vandenberg’s singing guitar. The Dutch group — Bert Heerink (vocals), Adrian Vandenberg (guitar, keyboards), Dick Kemper (bass) and Jos Zoomer (drums) — formed after Adrian, coming from his earlier band Teaser, failed a Thin Lizzy audition. Released on Atco in 1982, recorded at Jimmy Page’s Sol Studios and produced by Vandenberg and Stuart Epps, it was written entirely by Adrian. The riffs are hard, the solos expansive, and each song carries a European hard-rock class. “Burning Heart,” considered one of the early-’80s’ first power ballads, became a No. 39 US hit, and the album reached No. 65 on the Billboard 200. From the racing “Your Love Is in Vain” to the guitar acrobatics of “Wait,” driving rock and lyricism connect naturally. Adrian never forces technique, using it to strengthen a song’s emotion. Built up through tours with Ozzy Osbourne and KISS, it is an underrated great debut.