Van Halen

Van Halen III

One of the worst releases by a major rock band... EVER!

Review Score:

(4/10)
There are some die-hards out there who will tell you that "Van Halen 3" is just fine... well, don't believe them! Their love for Van Halen has made them blind! This disc deserves all the endless pans. So, here's one more: I love Van Halen. I love Extreme. Van Halen and Gary Cherone (plus Mike Post) DO NOT mix. If you've never heard this album before, it's literally painful to your eardrums. Someone forgot to tell Gary Cherone to sing IN KEY! What were they thinking? I bought this album when it was first released back in '98 and have only listened to it 3 times, in an effort to give the band the benefit of the doubt. Guess what? It still stinks. There are only 2 decent songs, in my opinion, that could conceivably wind up on "Van Halen: Best Of, Volume 2"--"Without You" and "Fire in the Hole." That's IT. Every other song suffers from being a) off-key, b) too long, and/or c) completely insipid lyrics courtesy of Cherone and Eddie (check out "One I Want" and the ever-dreadful "How Many Say I" and you'll know what I mean). I believe in karma, folks, and I'm starting to wonder if Eddie and the boys were indeed the "bad guys" during the Dave and Sammy break-ups and that "Van Halen 3" is their come-uppance. Unless you're looking for a good, stupified chuckle, then AVOID THIS CD AT ALL COSTS. Time to put on the original "Van Halen" album and relive the glory days.

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