Van Halen's 'OU812': 11 Things You Might Not Know

[James in New York]

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Van Halen's 'OU812': 11 Things You Might Not Know
By Dave Basner
May 24, 2023


On May 24th, 1988, Van Halen released OU812, their eighth studio album and their second with Sammy Hagar. The album came together soon after the tour for 5150 ended. Eddie Van Halen had some riffs and Sammy had notebooks filled with lyrics so it didn't take long for them to get back in the studio.

Since its release, the record has gone four times platinum for sales in excess of four million copies. Soon after it first came out, the record spent four weeks on top of the Billboard 200 chart, reigning number one from June 25 to July 22. To celebrate the iconic record, here are 11 things you might not know about it:

1.OU812 was going to be titled Bone but Sammy wound up seeing a delivery truck with the serial number “OU812” ("oh you ate one too") on it and thought it was funny. The rest of the band agreed and at the last minute, decided to call the album OU812.

2. The album cover pays tribute to The Beatles and is an homage to the classic cover art of the Fab Four’s 1964 LPWith the Beatles.

3. The photo on the back cover of the album is of the Hugo Rheinhold statuette Affe mit Schadel.

4. On many versions of the album, the track list on the back is in alphabetical order, not sequential order.

5. The band dedicated OU812 to Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s dad, Jan, who died in December 1986. On the inner linings of the album, they wrote “This one’s for you, Pa.”

6. The group started work on the album in September of 1987 and finished in April 1988, just a month before it came out.

7. Eddie Van Halen once said that the guitar solo in “When It’s Love” is a nod to Eric Clapton.

8. Eddie and Sammy began working on “Finish What Ya Started” at 2 AM one morning when Eddie made a middle-of-the-night trip to Sammy’s house in Malibu, which was next door to his home. The pair played guitars on Sammy’s balcony until they were happy with the music, then Sammy wrote the lyrics.

9. “Finish What Ya Started” is one of just two Van Halen songs that sees Sammy playing rhythm guitar.

10. “Black and Blue” was the first song from OU812 to hit number one on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart.

11. The band included their cover of the obscure Little Feat song “A Apolitical Blues” on the record. OU812 engineer Donn Landee had been the engineer on that song as well.

[Number 47]

10. “Black and Blue” was the first song from OU812 to hit number one on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart.

[James in New York]

10. “Black and Blue” was the first song from OU812 to hit number one on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart.

Fun song, love Eddie's groove on it, 47!

[Dont disturb my Paradise]

“Feels so good” was originally “Message in a bottle “, but Sammy changed it cause of the popular Police hit.

“Cabo Wabo” was originally “Cabo Wobble” after Sammy saw a drunk in Cabo. He changed it to Wabo, cause it sounded more unique.

[Michaels]

What is the second track Sammy plays guitar on?

[Bad to the Bone]

What is the second track Sammy plays guitar on?

Ed and Sam are both playing guitar during A Apolitical Blues, the piano was overdubbed later.

[Simon Ribeiro]

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Music News

Van Halen's 'OU812': 11 Things You Might Not Know
By Dave Basner
May 24, 2023

...
...
7. Eddie Van Halen once said that the guitar solo in “When It’s Love” is a nod to Eric Clapton.
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Well, being a die hard, I think I already all these stuff. Yet it is nice to read once a-a-a-a-again.
Thanks for the post, James!!

To me, the guitar solo for When It's Glove is the best thing in that tune.
It's even cooler just because EVH scratchs his hair. That's pure Edward, the greatest of all time!!

[Dave's Dreidel]

When It's Love is so good.

[DFVH5150]

“Feels so good” was originally “Message in a bottle “, but Sammy changed it cause of the popular Police hit.

“Cabo Wabo” was originally “Cabo Wobble” after Sammy saw a drunk in Cabo. He changed it to Wabo, cause it sounded more unique.

FWYS was "Baby Come On" and the album titles they were playing around with were "Rock and Roll," "Source of Infection," and "Bone."

[marcin]

When It's Love is so good.

Not really.

However...

When it's love feels so good

[CaboChris]

I've never wanted to listen to enough Clapton to hear the influence, so I'll take Ed's word that the solo is a nod.

[Brett]

I've never wanted to listen to enough Clapton to hear the influence, so I'll take Ed's word that the solo is a nod.

I’m the same way. I don’t like Clapton at all other than Cream. But from all the comments I’ve seen Ed make, the only stuff that he really likes from Clapton is Cream as well. So if you’ve listened to a lot of those songs, you’ve pretty much heard everything Ed took from him. He wasn’t taking anything from Lay Down Sally.

[DFVH5150]

"Rock and Roll" would have been a better album name I think. OU812 in response to EEAS smile doesn't really make sense as a comeback anyway. What's the "them/one?" The competition is the only think I can think of that makes sense. Or a Florida orange lol. Maybe show it on the album somewhere but not title it that?

Anyways end the album with IT instead of AAB because that's like THEIR cover, like YRGM is for the Dave era. Then AAB as a b-side. The only thing that's cool about that song is VH doing the blues.

[Dick Punch]

According to Mike, there is a much heavier version of Feels So Good that was recorded. Would love to hear it if the inner VH circle ever remembers that some of us are still out here.

[Number 47]

When It's Love is so good.

Black and White 1950's good.