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That may sound like a lot, but as I previously stated, I usually can only bare to listen to 3or4 songs from any given VH record.Taking that into consideration, here is my list containing all of the songs I loved from "Fair Warning":Track1- Mean StreetTrack2- Dirty MoviesTrack4- Hear About it LaterTrack5- UnchainedTrack6- Push Comes to ShoveThe remaining tracks, 3,7,8,9 are very much like the typical VH song- Only moderately interesting in its lyrical content and quite repetitive in its musical structure. In any case, if, like me, you are only an occasional fan of Van Halen, you'll really like exploring the impressive depths of this album. I say prepare to be surprised, for I am not a devout fan of Van Halen. Their material, for the most part, is pretty repetitive. I'm not sure why that should have been. It's true, however. Only 4 out of 9 songs failed to hold my interest.
The only other Van Halen album that is as well-crafted as this would be their self-titled debut, yet Fair Warning did not garner the same amount of acclaim or success. This seems very odd to me.
Who would have though. All sources confirm that "Fair Warning" was a commercial disappointment at the time of its release.
I was never captivated by their sleazy, party-boy attitudes and the lack of progression within their music always made me want to listen to more important artists. I've read many other reviews for this album, as well as looking it up on wikipedia.
Or, if you're already one of Van Halen's adoring fans, your sure to have a deeper appreciation for one of your favorite band of artists. So, for me, it was an unusual occurrence that I listened to more than 3or4 songs from a Van Halen album.
I genuinely liked most of "Fair Warning".
but by the time this cd was released when i heard it. but on the plus side its got some original tunes. the band is flailing you can hear it.
and then its like all the joy and party antics that was vanhalen was gone. which is more than i can say for the diver down cd. i got irratated hearing daves antics.
what can i say about this cd. i listened to it for days. which was only second in the worst cd ever created.besides vanhalen 3.
besides that there are some great guitar work and drumming. it was the cassete version.
The brilliant creativity that Van Halen so kindly provided to their true blue legion of fans put the band at a whole new level of legendary status in the valley of greats. Neither album was a commercial success in it's day, but both bands spent considerable amounts of time writing and recording each album.
I would bet my house that this album is hands down the main reason that secured Van Halen's vote into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This album has more than stood the test of time, and the recording has respectively taken it's place in Rock God History.
I will never forget the first time I heard the first track from this album, I about died (Mean Street). It's the Album that launched Van Halen on it's way to legendary status in the same way that Presence defined Led Zeppelin in 1977.
Simply put, my favorite Van Halen album, and their best ever. It hit me like a brick to the face.
The album is creative, sinister, romantic, and raw.
Glad it's gone. The sound quality is noticeably improved which you can tell from the deep, clarity of Mikey's bass lines in "So this is Love."And when listening through headphones, the intro to "Mean Street" doesn't have the hiss that I had gotten used to. For me this was the Roth-era Van Halen's best album. The digital remaster is worth re-buying it.
Would Fair Warning be a classic or would it be a bust, read ahead and find out (as I did when I first heard this album on cassette when I was 8 in 1984 and subsequently got on CD then remastered CD). This rocker just tears up the place. At the time, tensions between Eddie Van Halen and Diamond David Lee Roth had been mounting over various reasons (one of which was Eddie married the Hollywood star (actress Valerie Bertinelli) and Roth was jealous that Eddie got to marry the movie star/Hollywood "it" girl and he didn't) and Roth believed he was what made VH and Eddie thought he, his brother Alex and Anthony were what made VH so the tensions spawned an album that became Van Halen's darkest to date (and the second album to where the band wrote all of the tracks). The first side ends with the superb "Hear About it Later" which was another great rocker, the ending solo was killer. Van Halen's fourth album, in as many years, entitled Fair Warning was released in May of 1981.
Fair Warning still sounds great today, especially with the remastered version which came out in 2000. Fair Warning was another US Top 10 Platinum seller album for the band despite the fact "so-called" corporate rock bands ruled the music scene by then. The album's second half kicks off with the rock radio smash "Unchained" which is just a killer song. We end with the punkish "One Foot Out the Door" which was the second VH track to utter an obscenity but is a great album closer and Eddie's solo just smoked at the end. Next is the rocking "Dirty movies" which featured Eddie playing some tasty slide in addition to some great riffing and Roth's vocal about watching dirty movies was classic, especially the middle section of the track with the band acting out like they saw a stripper. Next was the instrumental "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" which was basically Michael Anthony's bass guitar synthesizer solo mixed with Alex's pounding on the skins like a possessed John Bonham. This song is a classic rocker and Eddie's soloing here is un-Earthly and would become a rock radio staple. Next is the rocker "So This is Love" which is one of the band's best rockers about, what else, sex and a great rocker.
After unleashing THREE Platinum albums in a row, the members of Van Halen (lead singer David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his drummer brother Alex and bass player Michael Anthony) were starting to splinter apart in more ways than one. Next is the funk-laced "Push Comes to Shove" which was as funky as VH got save Eddie's pyrotechnic solo in the middle of the song. Recommended. We begin with a faded-in guitar doodle which gives way to the great rocker "Mean Street". Next is the punk-metal rocker "Sinners Swing" which was one of the first VH tracks to utter an obscenity and is a superb rocker.
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