5150 vs. Balance

**Sammy Who?** · 05.24.02, 08:54 AM

these are the best two van hagar albums, the middle is mostly shit.

i'll take balance between these two but i wish Sammy would have been more of a team player for this albums production.

**79th and Sunset** · 05.24.02, 01:44 PM

I pick 5150 because Eddie seemed happy again. And it showed in his playing on guitar !! [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

**Dan Halen** · 05.24.02, 02:41 PM

My two favorite Sammy era albums. Balance gets the nod. I really like 5150 but Balance just sounds better and it's darker. Eddie's playing is outstanding.

**Mario VH** · 05.24.02, 02:44 PM

5150 is a CD I've played over and over again. It never gets old for me.

**strungout** · 05.24.02, 04:24 PM

Balance by a mile. Song structure is more mature, keyboard use is way down, and Ed's playing is top notch. While there are a couple throwaways: (Doin' Time, Strung Out, Big Fat Money), the better songs more than make up for it (Feelin', Aftershock, Not Enough, Don't Tell Me, Amsterdam). I love Aftershock and Feelin', I think they are 2 of VH's best songs, and VERY underrated IMO.

**Dan Halen** · 05.24.02, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by strungout:
I love Aftershock and Feelin', I think they are 2 of VH's best songs, and VERY underrated IMO.

Word, strungout. [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] You have good taste.

**Rocket** · 05.24.02, 09:38 PM

5150 has "Dreams", and "Love Walks In".

Balance must be the winner.

**BrokenCombs** · 05.25.02, 05:43 AM

5150 gets the nod for me. Love that album, though I wish the production was better.

This album needs to be re-mastered.

**Bob_R** · 05.25.02, 05:44 PM

Balance

**Ian Sane** · 05.26.02, 10:34 PM

I'd go with Balance .

**VHguy823** · 05.27.02, 08:50 PM

Gotta go with 5150 [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img] I too never get tired of this album! It is a true classic in its own right! However, Balance definitely has it's kick ass moments (Aftershock, Don't Tell Me)...It would have been awesome to hear more actual songs and less half-assed waste-of-space instrumentals on Balance. I still cannot believe they included such a throw away track as "Strung Out" onto an album.

**jsky** · 06.04.02, 04:31 PM

5150

**Top Jimmy 1** · 06.04.02, 05:46 PM

Man, talk about a hard choice, for me anyways. I'd sort of like to combine certain tracks from both albums and make one killer cd. I would certainly omit "Inside" from 5150, which happens to be my all time favorite track to hate from the Sammy era. It almost sounds like they just didn't have anything left to put on the album and said, well take this I guess. They should have used "I Want Action", oh well. As for as "Balance" is concerned, I could have done without, "Strung Out", and "Doin Time". But aside from these tunes, everything else was killer. Here would be my track choice combination.

1- Good Enough
2- Get Up
3- Aftershock
4- Dreams
5- Best Of Both Worlds
6- Feelin
7- Summer Nights
8- Big Fat Money
9- Can't Stop Loving You
10- Seventh Seal
11- 5150

I'm sure I'll change my mind in a few hours, but for now, that seems like a pretty good one. Peace.......

**Contrails** · 06.07.02, 07:22 PM

Aftershock and Feelin' are definitely the two most underrated VH songs of all 3 eras. I can't believe they do not get more air time. Balance I believe by far was the best Hagar-era production.

**The SLAWTERHOUSE Bug** · 06.07.02, 08:59 PM

Yeah, Who, whachoo mean 'bout the production?

Sonically, Balance was probably Van Halen's best album. Don't have to do no 6+ dB rollup at @ 100hz to hear Mikey like you did in the first six Classic albums. Not as muddy and distorted as F U C K, either...

unless sound quality ain't necessarily what you're talkin' 'bout.

[ June 07, 2002, 09:02 PM: Message edited by: The SLAWTERHOUSE Bug ]