Question About Fair Warning...

**broken9500** · 09.06.06, 08:43 PM

This question is pretty much directed towards those of us that were mature/involved/aware enough to really grasp Fair Warning when it was released...those that can really reflect on the context within which this album was released.

There's been plenty written about how it was "darker" and a bit of a "departure" from the "VH Sound" and how its belated praise is indicative of the general public's inability to ascertain true art etc...whatever...

Here's my question: What did you guys really feel when it came out? Are there any of you that thought this record sucked the first time you played it and then grew to respect it? What was the general "vibe" among your respective "scenes" or "peer groups?"

I'll hold off on expressing my judgements, assumptions and theories for a while but for the record, I'll give you my general opinion of the album: it's probably their finest moment and among the finest "rock" or "hard rock" records of all time.

FYI
I'm going to post a similar question about 5150.

**smithtone** · 09.06.06, 09:10 PM

I was 14 and living at the beach in San Diego when it came out and my first memories are hearing it at my friend's house and loving Hear About It Later... Unchained, So This Is Love?, and Mean Street followed and it definitely was a hard rock record for the day. The girls at my school didn't like it too much, so before the end of the yar, VH recorded (Oh) Pretty Woman and released that as a single...

And oh yeah - Fair Warning had some bad language on it (Sinner's Swing & One Foot Out The Door) so it was totally cool to own.

And man was Diver Down a major "let down" after this one...

Their best in my opinion...

**gradyvanhyman** · 09.07.06, 05:15 AM

im 25 and i heard it in 96' when i was 15 or so... i thought it kicked maximum ass. it is probably my favorite album to date by VH or any band for that matter

**RevolutionMan** · 09.07.06, 10:17 AM

my question abour fair warning is why the hell does it kick serious ass so bad? and also one foot out the door would have ruled if it was longer.

thats about it. serious ass kicking tunes. makes sammy hagar look like the new jon bon country.

**smithjc** · 09.07.06, 10:21 AM

I picked up this one whenst it first arrived at my local Tower Records. I put that sucker on the turntable and prepared for new VH.

Well I got that, plus a little bit more. It took some getting used to but man, hearing that openin riff to Mean Street was just mind-blowing.

God I miss those days.

Man Broken, the questions you come up with! You must think about VH a lot. They've got a cure for that now you know. Here's a hint: It ends with III.

**Van Squalen** · 09.07.06, 10:33 AM

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

**Spool** · 09.07.06, 06:43 PM

I dont know if I was mature enough at the time, but I had heard VHII and Women before hand so when this came out I kinda knew what I was getting into ... WRONG!

For me it seemed like a more polished and tighter record at the time, the cover when in my teen years I used to spend the whole time just looking at while flipping side A and side B on the turntable ( remember those cool days ) tripped me out and to be honest the cover made the music seem darker and more progressive than it really was. I mean sure Mean Streets is dark moody and SHIT HOT, but tracks like "So This Is Love" are not but because you spent hours looking at the cover it made the whole expeience darker ... Does that make sense ?

So in saying that, do album covers affect your first reactions to a record ?

Today though I hardly look at the CD covers, maybe its a time thing ( the older we get the busier life seems to be ) but now for instance when I say bought the Velvet Revolver CD there was no connection to the music and the artwork, this has happed several times.

A classic example at "Maiden" records, when I picked up "Number" I thought oh Fuck this is gonna be heavy and cool.

That shit does not happen these days ... Shame.

**Double Down** · 09.11.06, 05:39 PM

I was 13 in 1981 and bought it on cassette shortly after it came out. I bought it for one reason: Unchained. I listened to that fucking song over and over and over! Lol... The whole "...C'mon Dave, gimme a break" thing was the coolest thing I'd ever heard in a song! Lol... Once I started listening to the whole album I liked it right away. I've never thought of it as a 'dark' album even though that's the reputation it's gotten. IMO, the only dark album VH has is Balance. That mother is fucking dark.

But there's no doubt for me that Fair Warning is near-perfect. My only real complaint about the album is that One Foot Out The Door is too damn short. There should have been another verse, another solo, and a big ending.

My top 3 songs on FW have always been Unchained, HAIL, and So This Is Love.