Van Halen

Best of Both Worlds

Great collection of Van Halen for NEW fans.

Review Score:

(8/10)
I should (and I did) rate this cd based solely on it's own merit independent of other issues (read second paragraph). It is what it claims to be; a greatest hits compilation. Van Halen is a great rock and roll band and the music proves it. If you are one of those people out there considering making this your first Van Halen cd then I say go for it. This two cd set has great songs by one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. Keep in mind that these songs are "hits" (or were at one point). This doesn't mean that you won't find better VH songs on regular studio releases that didn't qualify as a "hit". For example: "So This Is Love", "Somebody Get Me a Doctor", "Romeo Delight" and "5150" to name a few that you won't find on this cd set. If by some wild & insane chance "It's About Time" is the first Van Halen song you've ever heard, and you are considering purchasing this cd based on the sound of that song you might (or not) be disappointed. "It's About Time" is considerably different and not exactly representative of VH's greatest hits. The packaging includes a nice summary of the band's history for those that are not familiar with it. For two cd's worth of Van Halen this is worth buying. I suppose it also depends on how you look at the 3 new and 3 live tracks; bonus or filler?

FROM A LONG TIME FAN'S PERSPECTIVE:
This cd did not need to be released. Van Halen could have gone on tour with sold out shows across the country without this compilation of hits. I'd like to see some statistics showing how many new fans they actually gained by putting out this two cd package. I have a suspicion that the only real goal with this cd was to milk all of the pre-existing fans (like myself) for as much money as possible. How disappointing! As much as I want to see them perform live again, I still think they should have taken the time to record and release a complete new studio album before starting the tour. Had they omitted the 3 new songs from the "Greatest Hits" compilation I'd probably feel differently, but it's obvious that the die hard VH fans who have been anticipating new music from these guys for a number of years will spend the money just to get the new songs. Maybe they should have released them as singles. Better yet; Compile the new songs along with "Humans Being", "Crossing Over", "Mean Wise Magic", and "Can't Get This Stuff No More" (and any other odd VH stuff) for the long-time die-hard fans so we don't have to spend the money on the Greatest hits and Best Of cd's.
On a positive note, I like the 3 new songs. "Up For Breakfast" is my favorite of the 3. In response to an earlier reviewer who stated that the lyrics were not mature enough and were insulting to their intelligence, I say perhaps you're in search of a business journal, a science book, or fine literature. Van Halen is a rock and roll band pure and simple. If you want to hear a message or fight for a cause look elsewhere. If you want to hear some damn good rock and roll music then nobody does it better than Van Halen.

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