Van Halen

Best Of Volume 1

Roth vs. Hagar results in a draw.

Review Score:

(10/10)
The "magic" of David Lee Roth that has captivated so many of Van Halen's longtime fans has always eluded me. I will say this: Roth was hands-down the better showman (check out Sammy Hagar's ludicrous stage costumes...), and also better as a lyricist because he takes the band's party ethic less seriously. But based on just recorded performances, Hagar wins by a large margin, with his blazing vocal range and emotional versatility.

So on this collection we get both sides of Van Halen -- and though it is a very selective sampling of the band's output, the music is great. Early Roth rockers like "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" and "Running with the Devil" hold up because of their playfulness, Eddie Van Halen's legendary guitar prowess (he never got enough credit as a rhythm player), and rock-solid songwriting. With the Hagar era, the sonic strength of the band increased dramatically -- Roth could never have handled a soaring lead vocal like "When It's Love" -- even though Sammy Hagar's locker-room lyrics often skirt the line of good taste. Line up the three bonus tracks, however, and it's obvious that Hagar has weathered the storm much better -- "Humans Being" is a dazzling display of explosive guitar work, aggressive vocals, exciting sonics, with a high-flying chorus beautiful in its simplicity. "Me Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More", however, simper off into the corner, timid and uncertain, with little excitement or songwriting pizazz, and Roth sounds like he's lost touch with how to sing lead.

That said, the legacy of both singers -- and the band, not the least of which Eddie Van Halen's revolutionary guitar fireworks -- remain intact, and this collection benefits from having collected only the cream of the crop, free of the filler that bog down most of even the best Van Halen albums.

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