I'm interested to know how people would rank the Sammy Hagar Van Halen albums. From best to worst, I think they are:
Balance
5150
FUCK
OU812

5150 - way out in front
OU812
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Balance

Wow, looks like I'm listing them by release date.

1. 5150
2. FUCK
3. Balance
4. Right Here,Right Now
5. OU812

-Fuck (Dunno why, just seems more 'even')
-Balance (swaps with Fuck, mood dependent)
-OU812
-5150 (I dunno, I just dont like it)

With all the Hagar albums, I always found the tap to run REAL hot or REAL cold on every album, y'know.. for every 'seventh seal', there was a 'big fat money'... for every 'poundcake' there was a 'spanked'.. no middle, love it or hate it.. thats why I edge up FUCK above the others - of the lot, I find it a more consistent listen.

------------------
A little zen... Headed your way...

I'm excluding the Live album, RHRN.

Okay, here's my ranking:

#1 "5150'
#2 "OU812"
#3 "FUCK"
#4 "Balance"

Wow, it's in the same order of release! That tells me Van Hagar wasn't getting any better. (just my opinion)

------------------
Eat Us and Smile!

(VV)

Balance
5150
OU812
FUCK

balance
fuck
5150
ou812

Hmmm. Here I go:

1) 5150
2) OU812
3) F.U.C.K.
4) Balance
5) LRHRN

1. 5150
2. OU812
3. FUCK
4. Balance


------------------
Tim

Here's my listings:

1) Its' a tie!!!!- 5150 and Balance
2) FUCK
3) OU812
4) LRHN

I find myself listening to Balance more than any VH album next to Fair Warning.

1. 5150 - By a long shot
2. Balance
3. FUCK
4. OU812

Thats easy.
1.5150
2.FUCK
3.Balance
4.OU812

1.5150
2.F.U.C.K
3.Balance
4.OU812

5150 and F.U.C.K rank very closely on my list and RHRN is an incredible live effort-also very cool.

1. OU812
2. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
3. Balance
4. 5150

I hate lists.

I like lists. Hey this is my 200th post yaay! Okay here's mine.

1) 5150
2) F.U.C.K.
3) OU812
4) Balance

1.Balance
1.5150
3.F.U.C.K.
4.ou812

1. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
2. Balance
3. 5150
4. OU812

I think that "Rank" sums all of them up!

------------------
"...it's not who sleeps with you...it's who'll sleep with you again!" -David Lee Roth.

Here it is in all of it's splendor
5150
ou812
FUCK
balance

FUCK
Balance
OU812
5150

5150
OU812
FUCK
Balance

Wow VV I think I would be in agreement here. They just didn't get any better as they went. The music grew, the lyrics didn't. Sorry Sambo.

------------------
EAT US AND SMILE!!!!!

Ok here is my ranking.
1. 5150
2. FUCK
3. Balance
4. OU812

I despise OU812 because of the way it is mixed. I really liked FUCK as a whole, and it is real close to 5150 as far as my liking it. The thing with 5150, I like all the songs except for 3, but I hate the guitar tone. It's too harsh sounding.

------------------
Eat Us and Smile

1 Balance
2 5150
3 F.U.C.K.
4 ou812


That says something when last SAMMY album IMO is best of era!!! 5150 & FUCK can switch depending on mood!!!Although ou812 has 1 of my favorite songs on it (Black & Blue) overall it has too be last!!

Here's mine:

1. 5150
2. OU812
3. F.U.C.K.
4. Balance

I pretty much tuned out after F.U.C.K. hit the racks. 5150 kicked some ass ("Summer Nights," "Best of Both Worlds," etc.)

without a doubt: 1.5150 2.balance 3.ou812 4.fuck 5.rhrn

1.5150 2.balance 3.ou812 4.fuck 5.rhrn

------------------
MATT

1. F.U.C.K.
2. 5150
3. Balance
4. OU812

5150 - no weak songs
FUCK - lyrics to spank and manonamission and inandout are weak tho
BALANCE- whats with the filler?
LRHRN- poor
OU812- my worst VH disc (including III)


------------------
"I wasn't born with enough middle fingers!" -Marilyn Manson

1. 5150 I have wasted 3 cassettes, 2 cds, and I will buy the 're-mastered' version when it comes out FIRST! 'Dreams' is my favorite song, esp. b/c of the solo and the ride out that mimics the opening, just an octave up.

2. F.U.C.K. Only song that I could do w/o 'Spanked' and that is b/c of the lyrics, mostly. This release was mixed as well as any VH disc. Ed complained that the sound was 'too warm' and 'too mid-rangey', but I think that translates well to car-stereos and boom-boxes. Maybe not headphones, but...

3. Balance Really a good disc, from front to back. Could do w/o 'Amsterdam', 'Strung Out' and 'Doin' Time', but I didn't have a vote http://www.vhlinks.com/vhlforum/smilies/smile.gif Also, they should have included 'Crossing Over'. Rest of the tracks kick, and I think 'Take Me Back (Deja Vu)' is a very underrated track, probably b/c of its acoustical intro.

4. OU812 Could've done w/o 'Sucker in a Three Piece', but that was b/c of the so-so lyrics. The music was great. Rest of the songs were well written, maybe a little 'too' polished for Van Halen. But, they experimented w/ various tempos and tones. Definitely a keeper, though I don't play it often.

Side Note: IMO, Humans Being was the best 'rocker' that Van Halen wrote w/ Hagar in the band. The first time I heard it in May '96, I was catching the very beginning of the intro (w/o benefit of DJ introduction), and I said to a friend, "THIS sounds like Van Halen!" Sure 'nuff. Needless to say, it is one of my personal faves. Kind of makes you wonder how many other gems this 'formation' of VH had left in 'em. http://www.vhlinks.com/vhlforum/smilies/frown.gif

------------------
Its a prehistoric fish...Coelacanth.

This is tough, they all have their high and low points:

Ou812 - Was diversfied all songs were great!
Balance - Balanced well rounded album
Fuck - Had great Songs, but also song shitty ones like: Man on a Mission, Spanked (the music was great lyrics sucked)
5150 (but the song 5150 is in my top 5 of all time VH songs)

ok let's go
1) 5150
2) fuck
3) ou812
4) balance ( the worst VH lp )

Eddie_italian from italy

1. 5150
2. Balance
3. OU812
4. F.U.C.K.
The only reason I have Balance in front of OU812 is because it restored my belief that VH would continue to expand their sound after the extremely boring FUCK album.

Of course it's all a matter of opinion, but to me, "Balance" was far and away the best Sammy-era album. The name really says it all. "Aftershock" completely kicks ass. Awesome tune to just crank and jam to. "Feelin'" is another one. Like "Aftershock", very underrated. One of Ed's wickedest solo's. It's goes on, from "Not Enough" (the band's best ballad), to "Take Me Back", which is also more laid back, but still strong. The only song I actually skip over is "Big Fat Money". They should have replaced that one with "Crossing Over". Also, it was probably the best produced album. This is one of my favorite's EVER, not just w/Sammy.

Second for me would be "5150". "Best of Both Worlds", "Dreams", "Summer Nights", all classic stuff.

Third and Forth, would be "F.U.C.K.", then "OU812". Just wasn't really crazy about either one of those.


--------------
"Someone asked me the other day what I thought I had learned about making music after all these years, and I said, 'nothing'." -EVH

5150
balance
for unlawful carnal knowledge
ou812

------------------
vh3fan aka the lone warrior
" a good soldier is always prepared during the times of peace"

My Opinion:

5150-Best Song: Dreams
OU812-Best Song: When It's Love
Balance-Best Song: The Seventh Seal
FUCK-Best Song: Poundcake

My opinion:
1. OU812 (Feels so Good)
2. 5150 (Summer Nights)
3. Balance (Seventh Seal)
4. FUCK (Poundcake)
Loved the songwriting on OU812! Great disc to listen to all the way through start to finish. FUCK is kind of boring except for Poundcake. 5150 has its moments, and Balance really surprises me every time I listen to it!

------------------
noonie

5150
FUCK
OU812/RHRN are tied
Balance (about half the album rocks and the other half well im sure the band has a reason for it)

------------------
*For Those About To Rock...We Salute You*

1. 5150
2. OU812
3. FUCK

Easy:
1) 5150
2) F.U.C.K.
3) Balance
4) Right Here Right Now
5) OU812

Songs and Albums needs some cooler threads http://216.10.25.192/vhlforum/smilies/biggrin.gif
So I am going to dig 3 threads up , this is number 2 also by Glenn http://216.10.25.192/vhlforum/smilies/biggrin.gif

I thought this would be Sammy solo albums .

Ok .

My fave Van Hagar cd's from best to least IMO.

5150
F.U.C.K.
ou812
Live RHRN
Balance

1.Fuck- Isnt getting enough credit here. I like every song on here.
2. 5150
3. Balance
4. OU812

------------------
Nick "I've been to the edge, MMMMThere I stood and looked down."

1. 5150
2. (tie) For UCK, Balance
3. OU812

Coincidentally, #1 & 2 carry over in those same locations on my overall rankings.

------------------
RIGHT NOW I'm livin' on the corner of Mean St. and Old Amsterdam Blvd.
--------
"Take your vitamin "T" with salt 'n lemon slice ..."
UP FRONT FANATIC!

1) 5150 and FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (5150 and F.U.C.K. have a bunch of listenable(word?) songs)
2) BALANCE (not too far behind)
3) 0U812 (I like the first half of the album, but the end really sucks.)

Piece of cake.

1.) Balance
2.) F.U.C.K.
3.) 5150
4.) OU812 (Cabo is really the only song I LOVE on that album...err umm....CD)

Well let's see...

FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK

oh, i should say...

FUCK
5150
Balance
OU812

to me FUCK made VH reach their maturity concerning music... to me it's almost tied to VH1 in second place for all VH albums... the first one... FW.

------------------
maybe i'm crazy,
or just too high...

OK here goes:

1. 5150
2. FUCK
3. Balance
4. OU812

1. 5150 - Great energy, fresh stuff. Excellent job by Sam stepping in to keep things going. A real feel-good album.
2. F.U.C.K - Good, hard-rocking album. Nice to hear Mikey on this one. Only song I don't care for much is "Man On A Mission".
3. Balance - Only the first 3 songs keep this one from falling behind OU812 for me.
"Seventh Seal" kicks ass. I agree that "Doin' Time" and "Strung Out" are garbage filler. Am I the only one that thinks "Feelin'" and "Take Me Back" are the worst shlock ever written?
4. OU812 - Still love A.F.U.
5. R.H.R.N. - Like I said in another thread, what's the point? It's just the F.U.C.K. album live. Be nice to know they had put out two other studio albums.

------------------
RIGHT NOW....The original Van Halen is working together somewhere....

It's a lot easier for me to rank the albums with a grade than in list order, because it makes it seem that the last on the list was a bad album, and I just LOVE all VH albums, especially Sam-era. Here is mine (number rank out of 10):

5150 : 9.5/10 (a masterpiece, far and away their bast album w/Sammy. Proved that the Van Halen name was still legit, and that Sam could carry the torch after DLR.)

F.U.C.K. : 8.8/10 (an amazing album, with a hard rock classic in 'Right Now'. Showed the maturity of VH, and a return to hard guitar-driven rock n roll. Many underrated songs on this album ('The Dream Is Over', 'Judgement Day', 'Runaround'). I also like 'Spanked', which a lot of people dislike. Overall a great album holding a lot of promise for VH's future.)

Balance : 8.4/10 (Superbly mixed and produced album, expoiting VH's sound to the fullest. A great album, just a shy below FUCK. The reason is their were a few more songs that could have been replaced. 3 instrumentals on the album, and 2/3 don't warrant repeat listening ('strungout', 'doin time'). Some great hard rockers like "Don't Tell Me" and "Aftershock". Would have been better if "Big Fat Money" was replaced with "Crossing Over". A few VERY underappreciated songs on the album "Feelin" and "Take Me Back". I also really enjoy "Amsterdam", and don't think it gets enough credit.

OU812 : 7.5/10 (Musically a very good album, but marred with bad production. Contains arguably VH's best ballad "When It's Love". Overall, does not contain enough or as many quality songs, as compared to other albums, ('AFU', 'Apolitical Blues', 'Sucker in a 3piece', 'Source of Infection') Just not full of classic VH tunes, like the other albums. Also some underrated songs like "Mine All Mine" and "Black and Blue" (the first single). Could improve with a little remastering.

RHRN : 7/10 ( Could have been better considering it is VH's only live album to date. Not enough VH songs pre-F.U.C.K. era. Too many Sam solo tunes, and not enough classic VH tunes. Double disc and co-release of a video were a plus.

Thats it from me.

------------------
UP FRONT FANATICS!!!

"If I were you, and you were me...wonder who I'd rather be" -- Sammy Hagar

"My idols were always people like Genghis Khan, Muhammad Ali, Alexander the Great, or the guy who invented McDonald's hamburgers" --David Lee Roth

I guess if you go by which ones I listen in order from most to least it would be:
Balance
OU812
FUCK
5150
I love 'em all just depends what kind of mood I'm in.
But they all fall way behind any music they made with The Diamond One of course.
Had to throw that in.

Aloha

------------------
Happiness is a bathing suit.
42900

1. fuck
2. balance
3. 5150
4. ou812

1) Balance
2) 5150
3) F.U.C.K.
4) OU812

------------------
Ian Anderson
Guitar Room Moderator
VHLinks.com

7.OU812 - yup I like this one the best.
8.5150
9.Balance
10. RHRN:L
373. FUCK

http://216.10.25.192/vhlforum/smilies/tongue.gif

1. F.U.C.K.
2. 5150
3. Balance
4. OU812

1.5150
2.F.U.C.K
3.Balance
4.OU812

RHRN is a great live recording.

:funny: X2

LMFAO!!

5150 - Timeless, I never tire of it

FUCK

Balance

OU812 - Great songs but sound is very Un-Halen-like. Too thin.

5150
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Balance
OU812
Live: Right Here, Right Now

1)5150
2)F.U.C.K.
3)Balance
4)OU812

f.u.c.k
balance
ou812
.
.
.
.
.
. and way back bringing up the rear
5150

f.u.c.k
balance
ou812
.
.
.
.
.
. and way back bringing up the rear
5150

:eek:

Why?

Difficult question.....

As the mood takes me:

5150...The first with Sam. Hell, it has 5150 and Summer Nights. Reason enough!
OU812...Cabo, Mine All Mine, Black and Blue. VH at their happiest?
Balance...Sonically perfect and it has Amsterdam!
FUCK...Almost too bassy, imo. All killer tunes though!
RHRN...Sounds nothing like VH live to me. Way too overproduced!

If only there were plans to remaster 5150 & OU812...they just sound so tinny!

5150 - Best Van Halen album IMO

Balance - very close second as far as Van Hagar

OU812 - with better production it would have been near perfect

FUCK- The album does very little for me.

5150 - Best Van Halen album IMO

Balance - very close second as far as Van Hagar

OU812 - with better production it would have been near perfect

FUCK- The album does very little for me.

I'm always surprized when I read that people don't like FUCK...to me this is VH's masterpiece..I love 5150, OU812 and even balance but Carnal always hit me as the boys hitting on all cylinders, the songs, the individual playing, the production...it's awsome..what don't you like about it?

I'm always surprized when I read that people don't like FUCK...to me this is VH's masterpiece..I love 5150, OU812 and even balance but Carnal always hit me as the boys hitting on all cylinders, the songs, the individual playing, the production...it's awsome..what don't you like about it?

It's a good album, but compared to other VH albums, there's too much filler IMO.

Spanked, Man on a Mission, In N Out, Pleasure Dome, even Runaround gets on my nerves.

I will say that the good songs are REALLY good. Poundcake, Judgement Day, Dream is Over, Right Now, Top Of the World....great stuff.

It's a good album, but compared to other VH albums, there's too much filler IMO.

Spanked, Man on a Mission, In N Out, Pleasure Dome, even Runaround gets on my nerves.

I will say that the good songs are REALLY good. Poundcake, Judgement Day, Dream is Over, Right Now, Top Of the World....great stuff.

I can respect that answer but I'd NEVER say pleasure dome is filler...that song is incredible to me, everyone kicks ass on it..but hey, to each his own.

I can respect that answer but I'd NEVER say pleasure dome is filler...that song is incredible to me, everyone kicks ass on it..but hey, to each his own.

The band sounds tight on Pleasure Dome, maybe I'd dig it if it had been an instumental?

I can respect that answer but I'd NEVER say pleasure dome is filler...that song is incredible to me, everyone kicks ass on it..but hey, to each his own.

I've always felt that OU812 had the most filler....and Sam's lamest lyrics.

FUCK
Balance
5150**
OU812**

**I haven't listened to either one of these in years

The band sounds tight on Pleasure Dome, maybe I'd dig it if it had been an instumental?

awww, c'mon man...it's supposed to be "surreal" lyrics..kinda trippy...I also think the scream at the verry begining of the guitar solo is one of the coolest thins on the album...starts off waaay in the background and builds up...awsome....you know the awwwwwwwwwwwwwyeah!!!!! Love it.

I'm a long-time supporter of Pleasure Dome. That song rips! The band is on fire and Sammy's dark lyrics and singing compliment the music very well. I agree about that scream before the solo, just awesome. I think PD is easily one of the most underrated VH songs. If I could hear it remastered it'd make it even better.

Well, shit, I'm gonna have to give it another change then. I'm not familiar with that scream you guys are talkin about. I don't think I've heard the song since the album came out. It just never clicked with me.

Sometimes stuff I hated a long time ago, I end up liking later. :smokin:

Aerosmith's Pump album is one that comes to mind off the top of my head. I hated that album for years, now I like pretty much everything on it............but I'll NEVER like "Jani's Got a Gun" bleeeick :irked:

Well, shit, I'm gonna have to give it another change then. I'm not familiar with that scream you guys are talkin about. I don't think I've heard the song since the album came out. It just never clicked with me.

Sometimes stuff I hated a long time ago, I end up liking later. :smokin:

Aerosmith's Pump album is one that comes to mind off the top of my head. I hated that album for years, now I like pretty much everything on it............but I'll NEVER like "Jani's Got a Gun" bleeeick :irked:

if you listen just before the solo actually starts Al's hitting the cowbell and waaaaay in the background you can hear Sam start with the awwwwwwwwwwwwwwyeah and the solo blows from there...also pay attention to the cool bass and drum fills that are going on during the solo....great, great f'n song.

I also like Pump..probably the last really good aerosmith CD though I do like the song "beyond Beutiful" off of just push play....I bought thier last live CD...

:eek:

Why?


For me its got some ripper tunes, Dreams is right up there with some of the bst VH tunes but some tunes like Summer Nights, Love Walks In, Get Up and Best Of Both Worlds really dont do it for my ears and drag this album down.

Just personnel taste in the end, I know its a favourite Sammy VH amoungst alot of VH fans, I just think they have done alot better with him. Its not like I cant stand the record it just does not get played very often when there other albums in the VHagar collection that get spun alot more.

Balance
5150
OU812
FUCK

Well, shit, I'm gonna have to give it another change then. I'm not familiar with that scream you guys are talkin about. I don't think I've heard the song since the album came out. It just never clicked with me.

Sometimes stuff I hated a long time ago, I end up liking later. :smokin:

Aerosmith's Pump album is one that comes to mind off the top of my head. I hated that album for years, now I like pretty much everything on it............but I'll NEVER like "Jani's Got a Gun" bleeeick :irked:


so did you ever check it out or what??

Apologies.... Didn't mean to resurrect this thread...

I posted in another thread and then all of a sudden I found my post in this thread from '00.

WTF??? :scared:

Uh!

1. OU812 : I can't believe a lot of people here didn't rank this as the best Van Halen album with Sammy! To top it off, loads of people thought "Sucker In A Three Piece" was a crumby song. That song was a B-Side to "When It's Love", I think, and basically got me started on the guitar. The solo and the outro still blow my mind. This album has some of the greatest VH tunes ever, "Mine All Mine", "AFU", "Black and Blue" (ok, those lyrics are a little much), and the tropical, have-a-great-time "Feels So Good".

2. 5150 : I think most of you already said why. Even though I think "Get Up" is kinda crappy.

3. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge : Low points are people the drill on "Poundcake" and the song "Man On A Mission".

4. Balance : Too many songs that not so good. "Strung Out", "Amsterdam", "Baluchitherium", "Doin' Time". Thank God for "Aftershock"!

That's a hard one...

1- For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
2-Right Here, Right Now
3-5150
4-OU812
5-Balance

Based on personal preference:

Balance
5150
FUCK
OU812

1. 5150
Great album with only one filler song (Inside). The only negative with it is the Simmons drums. Would love to hear Alex redo the drums with an actual kit. I know its messing with the music but if George Lucas and Spielberg can change movies, why not add some real drums.

2. Balance
The best produced album. Great songs and could rival 5150 however Sammy's lack of effort on a couple songs (Big Fat Money and the instrumental that never had words) bring it down a notch.

3. FUCK
Great sound to the album but there are too many songs that get skipped over. Everybody knows which ones those are. There really is no middle ground on it. Songs are either great or suck...in the Van Halen sense. The worst VH song is better then the best Aerosmith song IMO.

4. OU812
No bass, crappy guitar tone and bad production. Source of Infection makes Up for Breakfast sound like a Dylan song. Seemed like an album with no direction. Best song on there is AFU.

1. 5150
Great album with only one filler song (Inside). The only negative with it is the Simmons drums. Would love to hear Alex redo the drums with an actual kit. I know its messing with the music but if George Lucas and Spielberg can change movies, why not add some real drums.

2. Balance
The best produced album. Great songs and could rival 5150 however Sammy's lack of effort on a couple songs (Big Fat Money and the instrumental that never had words) bring it down a notch.

3. FUCK
Great sound to the album but there are too many songs that get skipped over. Everybody knows which ones those are. There really is no middle ground on it. Songs are either great or suck...in the Van Halen sense. The worst VH song is better then the best Aerosmith song IMO.

4. OU812
No bass, crappy guitar tone and bad production. Source of Infection makes Up for Breakfast sound like a Dylan song. Seemed like an album with no direction. Best song on there is AFU.

I feel ya on the bad production thing with OU812 but there's some quality songs there. Mine all Mine is one of the best VH songs ever in my opinion.....afu, Cabo, FSG, FWYS and black n blue...that's some quality stuff. I appreciate when it's love more now than I did back then, that's a pretty cool song overall. Maybe I just don't get it but I never understood why this thing gets ragged on so much. Besides the shitty production it's a quality disk. when it first came out I thought they were moving in the right direction, seemed more rockin to me than 5150...

5150: My favorite Van Halen album of all time
Balance: My second favorite Van Halen album of all time
OU812: Home to some of my favorite VH songs
FUCK: Used to be a favorite, but RHRH and all the others albums ended that

Well.....

1 fuck and balance
2 live right here right now
3 OU812
4 5150