Essential Van Halen Songs (w/Sammy Hagar)

 This was "my" version of Van Halen as I grew up in the 1990's. I didn't begin to really differentiate the two until working for a classic rock station at the age of 19 in 2003, and I grew to appreciate both equally, though I preferred the Hagar era. However seeing Van Halen with David in 2012 pushed me over the top to the original band, as it could be summed up with just one word: "fun". Sorry Sammy.

10. "Finish What Ya Started" (OU812)
This song stands out from most of Van Halen's catalog because it's closer in style to the blues than what they're typically known for writing. I also like the acoustic guitar throughout the song, which I discovered is played by Sammy Hagar.

9. "Right Now" (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge)
I remember seeing this music video a lot in my early years of watching MTV and it stood out because of the facts that would appear on screen, some humorous, while others were informative or thought-provoking. The piano intro of this song reminded me a lot of the Chicago Bulls' entrance theme, which I think made me like it right off the bat. I'm older now, and finally revisiting this music video, it's more poignant now than ever, which is startling. One fact that was that "Right Now, oil companies and old men are in control." 20 some years later and the world is still the same. Another fact that was that "Right Now, You Could Be Outside", which was probably a joke to the MTV audience, but now we're plugged in to devices more than ever. Maybe Eddie could see the future? Another interesting aspect is that a lot of the facts seem to be about unprotected sex, but I suppose this was during the time when AIDS was gaining media attention.

8. "Feels So Good" (OU812)
While the synthesizer in this song isn't as prominent as in songs like "Jump" and "I'll Wait", I think it adds a lot to this song. I like it so much that I'm tempted to have it used in my wedding, were I to ever get hitched, possibly paying someone to play that synth riff on a keyboard was intro music. When watching this video, it seems as if the director must've just discovered a new editing feature and had to show off his skill to the point of going overboard.

7. "Can't Stop Loving You" (Balance)
The backing vocals put this song over the top and earn its place on my list. I also feel like these are Sammy's best lyrics for a Van Halen song, which also references a song by Ray Charles, "I Can't Stop Loving You."

6. "The Seventh Seal" (Balance)
"The Seventh Seal" kicked off the fourth album of the Hagar-era, Balance. It instantly hooked me upon first listen with his unique composition featuring chanting and chimes, before launching into a heavy guitar riff and Alex's pulsating drums. I first heard this song around the same time I heard Dream Theater song titled "Bridges in the Sky" and both seem a bit "out there" for their respective bands, but I like it.

5. "Best Of Both Worlds" (5150)
This song kicked off the Sammy Hagar-era as it was the lead single for their album, 5150. The band seemed to be lacking in the element of "fun" with Sammy but made up for it in terms of compositions. The David Lee Roth songs seemed to be based around a crazy riff by Eddie and then mixed with David's wacky lyrics. Now the songs seem to be more of a statement with Sammy in the band and I think this was a fine introduction of things to come.

4. "Top Of The World" (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge)
I honestly forgot about this song until I went through an extensive re-listening to a lot of Van Halen this month in preparation for concerts. I dig the opening riff to the song and the solo too. Eddie is king!

3. "Runaround" (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge) 
I first discovered this song on their 2004 two-disc hits collection when the band reunited with Sammy, and now this is the first time that I've watched it's music video. It's fairly typical of a 1990's music video, with the band performing in some darkened room while wearing oversized t-shirts. Baggy was the style of the day. As for the song, my favorite part is the reference to the Doobie Brothers' song, "What A Fool Believes."

2. "Dreams" (5150)
This song is pretty awesome and I feel my write-up won't do it justice. Just listen and play an air instrument of your choice.

1. "Humans Being" (Twister Soundtrack)
Just when the Sammy version of the bad finally wrote a bad ass song, they combusted! Although they did reunite a few years later for a few new songs on a Greatest Hits package, that's more of a foot note that's rarely mentioned, so in the eyes of this reviewer, the band managed to bow out with their best song. While the Van Halen fanbase seems divided with as many people liking Dave as they do Sammy, it's fair to say it's unanimous that everyone dislikes the Gary Cherone-era. Although to me it sounds like an extension of the "heavy metal" sound which the band adopted for this album, Balance. It's refreshing to hear a dark and heavy song like this after much of the Hagar era was dominated by ballads.