It wasn’t all about David Lee Roth, y’know. With Sammy Hagar as frontman, the ‘Van Hagar’ incarnation of Van Halen eclipsed the 1974-85 DLR era in terms of sales. The Collection II covers the four consecutive US No.1 albums released during Sammy Hagar’s initial tenure with the band: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991) and Balance (1995). A fifth disc offers a collection of studio rarities.
And yet it was all about Roth, really, wasn’t it? Van Halen’s first five albums with Diamond Dave had a swaggering pizzazz; these days this stuff with Hagar sounds a bit... meh. A bit corporate. A bit rock-by-numbers. A bit... uneventful. Apart from Why Can’t This Be Love?, the keyboard-dominated mega-hit from 5150, it’s hard to name many other truly memorable songs this version of VH recorded.
Seven of F.U.C.K.’s 11 tracks were released as singles, but – and here’s a challenge for ya – apart from Poundcake, can you name any others? Seventh Seal (Balance’s opener) is a fabulous, almost mystical, Eddie Van Halen showboat, and Hagar, for once, is not on are-you-ready-to-rock autopilot.
But throughout, eruptions in one’s pants are at a noticeable premium.
