Van Halen

Best of Both Worlds

I Brought My Pencil....

Review Score: StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar (8/10)
I remember Dick Clark having a quote from years ago that, to paraphase, said something to the effect that music is the soundtrack of our lives, and that's why it's so important.

It's hard to believe that this is what Top 40 rock used to sound like. Talk about a bygone era. When I was in middle school, Van Halen was starting to reach the pinnacle of their success with "1984". I remember being electrified by "Jump"--still am today. A couple years later the whole new iteration of the band came along with "5150"--a line-up taking me all the way through college with "Top Of The World". I never really cared about whether it was David Lee Roth or the Red Rocker fronting the band. Van Halen was still Van Halen as far as I was concerned. If that's the way you feel, you'll probably enjoy this collection quite a bit. The soap opera is just part of the scenery.

I can't really think of anything that's missing from this double CD. It's the best collection I've ever come across for Van Halen. From "Eruption" to "Love Walks In" both eras are well-represented. The Sammy Hagar years seemed to have more power ballads--at least that's my perception. You'll find those here. The flamboyant David Lee Roth rockers like "Hot For Teacher" and "Panama" are also here.

So, why not a full five stars? First, while Roth and the band can't play nicely together, it would still be nice to have seen some vintage photos of the original line-up. He helped put them on the map with both his powerful vocals and his antics. He's briefly mentioned in the liner notes and that's it.

Second, the new songs are largely forgettable. Why bother slapping them on a collection that can sell just fine without new junk material?

Third, I'm a little disappointed that the "Oh Pretty Woman" guitar solo which leads into the song has been chopped off. We get the barebones radio single here. Ironically, at my radio station, we play the album version.

Finally, the live versions of "Panama" and "Jump" are pretty lackluster--and performed by Sammy Hagar. That borders on sacrilege! They come off as album filler. The worst is "Panama", which has Sammy doing an embarrassing foul-mouthed diatribe mid-song, partly lamenting the fact that instead of joining the rest of the band to party with a congregation of hot girls the night before, he had been in his room watching TV. It would have been funny were it not for the fact that Sammy qualifies for the senior menu at Denny's. Instead, it sounds contrived and somewhat pathetic--not unlike David Lee Roth's buttless pants from the 80's.

These thoughts aside, I'm happy because my favorite material (from both eras) is on the double CD. Since that includes all their major hits and then some, I feel I can recommend the collection. You'll enjoy the edgy, dangerous beginnings to the safe but still solid later years.

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Best of Both Worlds

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Reviews: 210
Rating: 6.71

Random Review: StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar (6/10)

Second Best Of Could Have Been Better...

First of all I cant believe how much they want for this on TV and other places. I went to my local Best Buy and paid what this album is real [ ... read complete review ]

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