Van Halen

Best Of Volume 1

Good music, bad compilation

Review Score:

(8/10)
Let me say that I love Van Halen. They--either with David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar--are one the best rock bands ever to exist. But, this compilation, though full of great music, does not serve either Roth or Hagar well at all.

Tracks 1-8 are from David Lee Roth's 1978-1984 years, plus 16 and 17 are two then-new songs with him on vocals. There is so much missing; "You Really Got Me," "Janie's Cryin',", "Beautiful Girls," "So This is Love?", "Mean Streets," "Inturder"/"(Oh!) Pretty Woman," "Dancing in the Streets," "I'll Wait," and "Hot For Teacher" are all radio staples and many were top 40 singles. Notice that DIVER DOWN (which is where "Pretty Woman" and "Dancing in the Streets" are found) is totally ignored. Also, while a great instrumental, "Eruption" doesn't make a good lead-off track. "Running with the Devil" or "You Really Got Me" (if it was included) would've made a better choice. The two new songs are okay rockers and it's nice to hear DLR on vocals again, but the lyrics are pathetic ("a slice at a time, like a pizza pie"?) and his vocals aren't up to his best.

Tracks 9-15 are sung by Sammy Hagar who was singer from 1986 to 1996. What's missing from here? Try "Love Walks In," "Best of Both Worlds," "Black and Blue," "Feels So Good," "Finish What Ya Started," "Top of the World," "Runaround," and "Not Enough." Also, most of the songs are ballads; "Poundcake" and "Right Now" are the only rockers by Sammy on here. An attempt by Eddie to make the recently-departed Sammy look wimpy? "Human Beings" is avaliable on a VH album for the first time (a song from the TWISTER soundtrack), but it's nothing to get excited about.

What I think should've been done is a two-disc set. Disc one should have tracks 1-8, the other DLR songs I mentioned, and the two new songs at the end. Disc two should've had tracks 9-15 and the other songs I mentioned on it. There's a lot of good music on here, but there could've been a lot more.

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