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"Marked by the arrival of Sammy Hager instead of David Lee Roth, "5150" allows Van Halen to evolve without revolutionizing his style."
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4/5
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It had to happen... After the band's biggest hit in terms of sales ("1984"), alcohol, artistic divergences and above all oversized egos, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to launch a solo career, taking producer Ted Templeman with him. While Patty Smyth (Scandal) and Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel) are approached to replace him, it is finally Sammy Hagar, the frontman of Montrose, who joins the group through the intermediary of... Eddie's garage owner !
The result of this new cooperation is a "5150" (pronounced Fifty-One-Fifty) with a cover as hideous as revealing Eddie's ego. Because in addition to the oiled colossus which decorates this visual, the title of this new opus is also the name of the personal studio of the brilliant guitarist (and also the code of the Californian police force to indicate the mentally disturbed persons...). Fortunately for him, Sammy Hagar has an artistic experience that makes him an already famous frontman as well as a character flexible enough to cohabit with the guitar-hero. Thus, he imposes his personality from this first album within Van Halen, without entering in conflict, even offering the possibility to the latter to settle more often behind the keyboards that he likes more and more, Hagar being also a very good guitarist.
We are thus dealing with a Van Halen succeeding in the delicate exercise of evolving without revolutionizing its style, while imposing its new singer. After the unstoppable cry of Sammy opening the effective "Good Enough" of a thundering "Hello Babe" which will remain in the annals, the magic square alternates direct title and FM sweetness trying to prolong the success of "Jump" and "I'll Wait". If the success is there with "Why Can't This Be Love ?" with the riff of keyboards and the catchy chorus, and of "Dreams" perfectly calibrated for the US waves without losing efficiency, "Love Walks In" turns out to be very average. The rest is mostly successful with a hyper fast "Get Up" reminding "Hot For Teacher", a groovy "Summer Night" or a "Best Of Both Worlds" with a very AC/DC riff.
It's a pity that "5150" (the track) lacks of catchiness and that the obsessing "Inside" is too clumsy, because without the in intensity of this last third of the album, we would have had without any doubt an opus able to hold the upper hand to its predecessor. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Good Enough - 4:05
02. Why Can't This Be Love ? - 3:48
03. Get Up - 4:37
04. Dreams - 4:54
05. Summer Nights - 5:06
06. Best Of Both Worlds - 4:49
07. Love Walks In - 5:11
08. 5150 - 5:44
09. Inside - 5:02
LINEUP:
Alex Van Halen: Batterie
David Lee Roth: Chant
Edward Van Halen: Guitares / Claviers
Michael Anthony: Basse
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
3.5/5 (4 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.3/5 (3 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH VAN HALEN
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT VAN HALEN
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