The band leans towards a poppier sound, but keeps it real with jams like "Panama," L.A. anthem "Top Jimmy," and the song that gave rise to the coolest, hippest, and...
more >
Rather than take an extended break after spending nearly a year on the road promoting their exceptional 1978 debut, Van Halen went directly back into the studio to record...
more >
By Van Halen's third release, 1980's Women and Children First, the group was a bona fide arena headliner; hence, meaty guitar riffs and a huge, fat sound are featured...
more >
Van Halen's third and fourth albums (dating to 1980 and 1981) are combined onto a single cassette release of Women and Children First/Fair Warning. If cassette was your...
more >
Although Van Halen were enjoying an enormous amount of commercial success by 1981, not all was happy in the VH camp. While the public believed that the euphoric,...
more >
Another party-boogie favorite loaded with oldie/cover singalongs, bong-toking hipshakers, and even a sloppy barbershop take of "Happy Trails," good for getting your...
more >
Although it went platinum, Fair Warning didn't match the multi-platinum standards of Van Halen's first three records, so the group revamped their sound slightly for the...
more >
Still well-balanced musically between pop ("Why Can't This Be Love") and thump ("Best Of Both Worlds"--probably the best "Van Hagar" track), but suffering due to Hagar's...
more >
Few bands in rock history made as seamless a transition between lead vocalists as Van Halen. A platinum solo act in his own right, Sammy Hagar brought proven star power, a...
more >
Van Halen broke open the pop innovations of 5150 with OU812, their second album with Sammy Hagar. On OU812, Hagar's direct approach is fully incorporated into the group, as...
more >
Backing away from the diversity of OU812, Van Halen turns in some of the most basic, straightforward rock & roll of the band's career on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. At...
more >
Mostly Van Hagar material with "Ain't Talkin' About Love" and a buncha solo spots. They cover the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" but get fooled again...
more >
Van Halen assembled its first live album, the two-CD Live: Right Here, Right Now, from a collection of tapes dating from 1985, when Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth, to...
more >
The end of an era, thank God. Keeping fingers crossed for an upcoming return to form, but continually the ongoing problem with Van Halen is their ever-increasing...
more >
Balance tries to open up the Van Hagar formula somewhat. Eddie Van Halen sincerely attempts to improve the group musically, by adding more subtle and assured ballads and...
more >
Another decade, another new Van Halen singer. This time it's ex-Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone, who blusters and stays on pitch and has all the personality of the proverbial...
more >
An undeniable classic of hard rock bravado, and will still most likely charge up a kegger. The girls loved Roth and an army of junior guitarists woodshedded in bedrooms...
more >
Van Halen's self-titled 1978 debut is undoubtedly one of the all-time best debuts by a hard rock/heavy metal band. All of the components for a classic are represented --...
more >
By trying to give the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar eras equal space, The Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1 winds up a little uneven. The first eight songs run through several of...
more >
Video Hits Vol. 1 is a good Van Halen clip collection, but not a great one -- there's too much Sammy Hagar and not enough David Lee Roth. This video is a companion to the...
more >
