Van Halen @ Olho Nu (Discography)

Van Halen have a long history when it comes to records released. Since the self-titled album was released in 1978, a lot has happened, from the dark ages of "Fair Warning" to the synth ages of "MCMLXXXIV" or the sober age of "Van Halen 3".

Looking closely at their albums, or LP's as they were once called, we have:

VAN HALEN

When "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "You Really Got Me", "Running With The Devil" or "Ice Cream Man" (not to mention "Eruption") got to people's ears, a new age saw its dawn. David's energy along with Edward's revolutionary playing and sound quickly became a reference. Alex's connection with his guitarist brother and Mike's ability to play and sing also prooved to be keys for the band's success. [ + info ]

VAN HALEN II

Then followed "Dance The Night Away", "Beautiful Girls" and "Spanish Fly" and the confirmation was there, as if anyone really doubted it. It was clear that David's message was all bout girls and the band's sound was a bit more elaborate, despite the fact they had been prooving to be a "live band"... overdubs were a bit more common and producer Ted Templeman's ability to bring out their best sound was remarkable. [ + info ]

WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST

The band's unique personality becomes an identity. The band starts to enter into a darker sound with Edward experimenting a lot and starting to use everything he could grasp in order to achieve unheard sonorities... tremolo springs pulling, metal picks slidind were present in his playing, not only in the solos but also throughout the rhythm sections. He and Alex showed a deep connection instead of the typical bass-drums link. [ + info ]

FAIR WARNING

This was as dark as Van Halen would get... at first, it was one of the least favourite albums but, through the ages, it has become one of the most influential albums in rock. If we were to pick any singles to be in radio stations, choices would be "Push Comes To Shove" or "Hear About It Later" but even these two address the audience in a very particular way. It was clear that the band was mature an knew exactly what they wanted. [ + info ]

DIVER DOWN

For some, this was a step back. The supposed necessity of producing singles to be on the radio playlists led to an excessive presence of cover tunes like "Oh! Pretty Woman" or "Dancing In The Streets", songs that didn't have a lot to do with their earlier work. But fortunately, there are still a few jems there, like "Cathedral", "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" with Ed and Alex's father on clarinet and the closing anthem "Happy Trails". [ + info ]

1984

Also known as "MCMLXXXIV", this album revealed the band's need to break away from "Diver Down". The new studio was in Edward's home and the new sound was the keyboard. The opening song is an instrumental piece that sets up the band's greatest hit, "Jump". But this album had it all, new sounds, new approaches... nothing left to say after hearing "Panama", "Ill Wait", "Drop Dead Legs" or "Hot For Teacher" and especially this one's intro. [ + info ]

5150

With Sammy Hagar replacing David Lee Roth (who went on to pursue a solo career, taking half the crew with him), changes were noticeable. Again, a lot of keyboards (although many people thought "Why Can't This Be Love" main riff was played on a guitar) and the lyrics direction changing slightly from "girls" to "feelings". A lot of singles present (like "Dreams" and "Love Walks In") but without loss of identity. [ + info ]

OU812

With "When It's Love", "Black And Blue" (the first single!) and "Finish What You Started", this album was a huge selling success. Viewed by many as the reply to David's "Eat'em And Smile" monster success, "OU812" (or "oh... you ate one too!"), it led the band to its first album #1 on the charts (a fact that was remembered by Sammy live in New Haven's concert that became "Live Without A Net" on video). [ + info ]

FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

When Ted Templeman returned to the producer spot (this time with Andy Johns), the band recorded the almost unanimously best produced album. Great songs with an absolutely fantastic sound that was only critisized because it was too perfect... songs like "Poundcake", "Runaround", "Right Now", "Top of The World" or "This Dream Is Over" are clear examples of both adjectives. And of course, the album initials caused controverse... [ + info ]

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

After the album-tour-album-tour... it was time for a live record. A few years earlier, a video had already been put out with enormous success and this "Right Here, Right Now" was no different. Two cherries on the top of the cake: Sammy sings different songs in the two days the concerts were recorded ("Give To Live" on the CD and "Eagle's Fly" on the video release) and the band playing The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". [ + info ]

BALANCE

For many, "Balance" is the album that best shows Van Halen matureness and sobriety. Several great songs and, like its studio predecessor, great producing (now from studio legend Bruce Fairbairn). The singles "Can't Stop Loving You", "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" and "Not Enough" are reason enough to dive into the album and find "Baluchiterium", "The Seventh Seal" or "Take Me Back (Deja Vu)". [ + info ]

BEST OF... VOL.1

If you're looking for "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "Dance The Night Away", "Jump", "Why Can't This Be Love", "Dreams" and all the classics, this is your all-in-one package. The the compilation also included two new songs with David Lee Roth, "Can't Get This Stuff No More" and "Me Wise Magic" and also the main song from the "Twister" soundtrack, the last they recorded with Sammy, "Humans Being". [ + info ]

VAN HALEN 3

The third age of Van Halen was the dawn of a new era... from day one, Edward and Gary created a bond that was clearly visible on the records, but mostly on stage. The lyrics stepped up and the focus on the guitar too. Mike Post, who won a Grammy for the "Hill Street Blues" theme, was in the producer's seat but, despite these arguments and great tunes like "Without You" or "Once", the fans unfairly rejected Gary for the wrong reasons. [ + info ]

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

After a six years hiatus, the band headed back to the studio with Sammy Hagar. In order to release an album and tour before the summer, the band decided to release only three new songs in this new hits compilation and, after the tour is over, go back to the studio. All the songs from the "Best Of... vol.1" are there, along with two live recordings and the three new songs, "It's About Time", "Up For Breakfast" and "Learning To See". [ + info ]

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH

Since 1984, it has been 27 years since David Lee Roth had participated in a record with Van Halen (after the two songs recorded in 1996). This is their heaviest album ever, with well balanced songs where we can listen to some that clearly bring us back to the late seventies and early eithies.
They're back!. [ + info ]