Ok so it has been way too long since I’ve done a music review but it’s hard to find the time to sit down and write one lately. Anyway, I had another one planned but I’m light of the death of Eddie Van Halen I thought that up next on the chopping block should be the Van Halen albums. Now I have really heard one or two albums and all their radio hits so let’s take a look……
Van Halen- so this is probably the first album of theirs I listened to ever. I actually heard it when my mom bought it for me on vinyl and I’ve got to say that you cannot deny the greatness and impact that this album had on music. I mean seriously, it’s that good. If you have never listened to this album in it’s entirety then stop reading and do it now. Aside from the hits in here, the rest of the album is fantastic. I give this one a 10/10.
Standouts: Atomic Punk, Ice Cream Man, Little Dreamer
Van Halen II- so I feel like there are two kinds of people regarding the first two records. Those that like one better and those that like two better. For me and nostalgia sake, I prefer one but this is a very close second. I wouldn’t say that this one picks up where one left off necessarily but it feels a bit more polished in terms of production. I will also give this one 10/10
Standouts: D.O.A., Bottoms Up!, Outta Love Again
Women and Children First- this one I feel like is a bit more serious than the previous two albums. You know for a band that was known for partying, they really have some seriously awesome albums/songs and they’re not just some gimmick like those hair bands of the 80’s. Again, this album feels more serious than the other two and this is definitely a worthy listen. At this point, I’d put Eddie up there with Hendrix. I give it 9.5/10
Standouts: Fools, Loss Of Control, Could This Be Magic?
Fair Warning- I feel like this one isn’t as strong as the other albums so far. By that I mean I just couldn’t really get into this one but the guitar work on this one is incredible. I feel like with the first two albums, they went out guns blazing and started to slow it down on this one and the last one. This one even has a bit of a darker feel to it. Either way, definitely worth a listen. I give this 9/10
Standouts: Dirty Movies, Push Comes To Shove, Hear About It Later
Diver Down- so didn’t realize that most of the songs on here are cover songs. Now they are done well and are good songs but this one you can tell they had fun with this album. I had read some reviews that some didn’t like this album but I thought it wasn’t bad it just doesn’t have a lot of original material. Overall, a decent album and I give it 9/10
Standouts: Hang ‘Em High, Little Guitar’s, The Full Bug
1984- ok so I know I’m gonna get shit for this but I don’t care. This album I feel like they went pop. Maybe they were trying to go mainstream I don’t know but I don’t know that much about the inner turmoil of the band and for this review, I didn’t want to read up on the background because I wanted to approach it from an unbiased opinion/first impression. Listening to this album back to back with the next album, I kind of see why this was the last one with David Lee Roth. I mean the main single is Jump and it’s keyboard driven. I’m sorry to say that this is probably my least favorite album of theirs thus far. Now it’s not a terrible album like Fear Inoculum or the newest Greenday but it’s too poppy for my taste. I give this one 7/10
Standouts: Drop Dead Legs, Top Jimmy, Girl Gone Bad
5150- so this is the first album with Sammy Hagar and as I said before, I can see why they went with him and kicked out Roth. This one feels like a return to form and it’s really good. Now there are some filler songs but as a whole, this is a great album. I know there are those that only like Roth but I encourage you to give this album a chance it’s really good. I give it 9.5/10
Standouts: Get Up, Summer Nights, Best of Both Worlds
OU812- to me, this one is a tad uneven meaning it goes from softer songs to harder edged songs. Do I think it’s better than 5150? No I don’t but it’s different. To me this sounds very much like an 80’s album. Now while the Roth era albums had this big large sounding production, this album seems to be more stripped down in a way. Either way, it’s not bad and I give it 8/10
Standouts: Black And Blue, Source of Infection, Sucker in a 3 Piece
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge- so this one is Van Halen in the 90’s. It seems to me that this one has great guitar work but something seems lacking on here. Not to say that this is a bad record but it just doesn’t have the hooks that were on others albums. The songs are good but as a whole, this album just seems to be missing that power that makes Van Halen so great. I give this one 7/10
Standouts: Man On A Mission, Judgement Day, The Dream Is Over
Balance- so for this one, there was a lot of fighting between Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen and to be honest, it kind of shows on here. To me the album feels a little disjointed and uneven. The songs that are fast are pretty good but this would be the last album with Sammy Hagar. Overall, this one is just ok and I give it 6/10
Standouts: Big Fat Money, Feelin’, Amsterdam
Van Halen III- ah here we are, the Gary Cherone era. This one I had heard was their worst album and in fact it’s hated by a lot of people. This one definitely feels like the odd ball of the bunch but I actually don’t think it’s the worst album I’ve ever heard. It’s different and to be honest, there are some decent moments but they are far and few. They should’ve just done this as a side project and called it something else but I can see that they were trying to start over wi5 a new singer. Overall, it’s not terrible but it’s also not great. I give this a 5/10
Standouts: Without You, From Afar, Dirty Water Dog
A Different Kind of Truth- so this is the first album with David Lee Roth back in the band and it’s also the first and only album with Wolfgang Van Halen on bass replacing Michael Anthony. This is a really good album. Is it a return to the first couple albums? No but it sounds the way Van Halen should sound in 2012. I actually really like this album and I wish I had heard it sooner. Eddie’s guitar work is awesome as usual and the band just sounds great. Overall, a really good album and I give it 10/10
Standouts: She’s The Woman, As Is, Outta Space
Obviously this is a band where everyone needs to listen to. It’s really too bad we recently lost Eddie because a new album would’ve been awesome. I regret not seeing them live too. Now the question is do I prefer Roth or Hagar? My answer is that I like the Roth era just slightly more but there are some great songs during the Hagar era.
Album Rankings:
- Van Halen
- Van Halen II
- 5150
- A Different Kind of Truth
- Women and Children First
- Fair Warning
- OU812
- Diver Down
- 1984
- For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
- Balance
- Van Halen III
Sinister Reviews 