Some omissions, but still a great disc

Review Score: (8/10)
Best Of albums can never quite satisfy everybody. A disc from a band like Van Halen is going to have to omit some songs; there just isn't room for all of them. That being said, where are "Hot for Teacher" and "Jamie's Cryin'"? It's just criminal to leave those off in favor of the two new Dave songs, "Me Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More." I think the new cuts are pretty good, and it's nice to hear Dave back with the band (even if only for those songs), but they're not anywhere close to being the Best of Van Halen. A double-disc set probably would have been the best approach, followed by MWM and CGTSNM on a TRUE Van Halen III with Dave on lead vocals.

Some have complained about the omission of "You Really Got Me," "Ice Cream Man," etc. I think the logic behind that move is that this is the best of _Van Halen_, so no covers are included. I think I can live with that.

I think the disc is solid overall. It's a decent retrospective, and it served as my introduction to the band, but if you really want to get into the band, check out any/all of their albums, starting with their masterpiece, Van Halen I.

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