Van Halen

Best of Both Worlds

A great collection, perfect for new or old fans

Review Score:

(10/10)
Van Halen's back, and they've kicked off their return with a remastered collection of all their most popular songs. One of the only 80's bands to survive the grunge movement, Van Halen broke up just as their crossover appeal was exploding, leaving Aerosmith to take their place as the band 90's kids could listen to when they didn't feel like moping along with Kurt Cobain and company. This 2-disc set plays like a Van Halen fan's perfect driving tape. After the obvious album starter, Eddie Van Halen's legendary solo "Eruption", the album debuts the first new songs since their reunion with Sammy Hagar on the microphone. "It's About Time" is one big wink to the fans, an apology for being gone so long. Musically, it's in the same vein as "Top Of The World", and "Runaround". Next up is "Up For Breakfast", an anthem for the glory of morning sex. The thinly-veiled food innuendo (handled more tactfully, and cleverly than David Lee Roth's "Hot Dog and a Shake") and surprisingly heavy guitar work is enough to make any heterosexual that's gone through puberty grin. "Learning To See" rounds out the new songs, as the required ballad.

What follows is non-stop Van Halen hits (the number of which, when seen all together in this compilation is staggering). Standout tracks are "Dreams" (the song you've heard at every air show you've ever been to right after they played The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane"), "Hot For Teacher" (the best example of David Lee Roth's always-entertaining lyrics and party-starting vibe), "Right Now", "Panama", Dance The Night Away" (my favorite song of all time), and "When It's Love". The number of tracks may be intimidating to newcomers, but a quick listen to the album will have anyone who's turned on rock radio since 1978 saying "oh my god! Thay wrote that?!". Older fans will be re-living the days when songs had guitar solos and David Lee Roth had hair.

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