Van Halen – Van Halen (2023 MFSL UltraDisc UHR SACD) (1978/2023)
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 35:31 minutes | Full Scans included | 1,44 GB
Genre: Classic Rock, Country Rock | Publisher (label): Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – UDSACD 2243
DEFINITIVELY MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOG MASTER TAPES: SACD PLAYS WITH REFERENCE CLARITY, SUPERB DYNAMICS, AND LIVELY IMMEDIACY
Van Halen did more than announce to the world the earthshaking arrival of a revolutionary guitarist. Performed by an enterprising California quartet that took its name from two of its principal members, the 1978 debut ripped headlines away from punk, injected fresh energy into a then-moribund rock ‘n’ roll scene, reimagined how heavy music and throwback pop could coexist, and invited everyone to experience the top-down pleasures of a beachfront Saturday night every day of the week no matter where they lived. Painstakingly restored by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and the first of a multi-album series in an exciting partnership between the famous reissue label and Van Halen, Van Halen delivers feel-good thrills and hormonally charged desires like never before.
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Van Halen – The Collection II (2023 Remaster) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 03:49:08 minutes | 5,00 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
They really should have changed the name to Van Hagar.
Regardless of your opinion on whether Sammy Hagar improved or diminished the quality of Van Halen’s music after replacing David Lee Roth as frontman—and, truly, there is no middle ground on this issue—there is no question that the band’s music was substantially different in those two eras. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar sound is different (less “brown sound”). Alex Van Halen’s drum sound is different (simultaneously fussier and less interesting). Michael Anthony is lost in the mix. The production approach is radically different (more congested and cold, far less live-sounding). It’s all just … different and this decidedly unique listening experience also resulted in a decidedly unique cultural experience. The Roth albums are, despite (or because of) their thorough immaturity and occasional stupidity, held closely to the hearts of millions of people, and that lineup of Van Halen means something to a great many rock fans. The Hagar era was, like its mid-’80s-to-early-’90s milieu, far more lucrative but also more professionalized and less personal. Hagar’s albums hit multi-platinum status within months of their releases and the band was hurling singles to the top of the charts throughout the four-album run (yes, even Balance had a Top 40 hit). Still, it’s safe to say that far fewer people love any of those albums as much as even the most casual fan of Diver Down does. That delta of “meaningfulness” could be what accounts for this remastered set of Hagar-era albums coming nearly a decade after the Roth albums were remastered and packaged up in a hi-res Collection, but whatever the reason for the delay has been, it’s fair to say (even for those with no love for the Hagar years) that this set is long overdue. Hearing these albums presented together does provide some new perspective on what Hagar gave the band, collects a handful of rare tracks from the era, and, more importantly, gives a much-needed sonic overhaul to albums like 5150 and OU812 that suffered from thin digital masters that did little to burnish their reputations. – Jason Ferguson
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Van Halen – Studio Albums 1978-1984 (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 03:16:14 minutes | 7,32 GB | Genre: Rock, Hard Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
Album List:
1. Van Halen – 1977
2. Van Halen II – 1979
3. Women And Children First – 1980
4. Fair Warning – 1981
5. Diver Down – 1982
6. 1984 – 1984
“Soon after the first click of the mouse I was hooked on high resolution Van Halen. The first six albums sound as good or better than any Van Halen release in recent memory. In fact I’ve had the entire Studio Album collection on repeat for several hours.” – Chris Connaker
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Van Halen – The Collection (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 05:27:01 minutes | 10,04 GB | Genre: Hard Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
Van Halen (1978)
Certified Diamond in the US
Van Halen II (1979)
Certified 5x Platinum in the US
Women and Children First (1980)
Certified 3x Platinum in the US
Fair Warning (1981)
Certified 2x Platinum in the US
Diver Down (1982)
Certified 4x Platinum in the US
1984 (1984)
Certified Diamond in the US
Best Of – Volume I (1996, two tracks)
Certified 3x Platinum in the US
Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (2015)
For these 2015 Remastered Releases, Van Halen enlisted the help of mastering enginer Chris Bellman, who remastered the original albums for Bernie Grundman Studios, Hollywood, CA. The remasters have been cut straight from the original quarter-inch tapes.
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Van Halen – 5150 (1986/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:12 minutes | 1,58 GB | Genre: Hard Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
The power struggle within Van Halen was often painted as David Lee Roth’s ego running out of control – a theory that was easy enough to believe given his outsized charisma – but in retrospect, it seems evident that Eddie Van Halen wanted respect to go along with his gargantuan fame, and Roth wasn’t willing to play. Bizarrely enough, Sammy Hagar – the former Montrose lead singer who had carved out a successful solo career – was ready to play, possibly because the Red Rocker was never afraid of being earnest, nor was he afraid of synthesizers, for that matter. There was always the lingering suspicion that, yes, Sammy truly couldn’t drive 55, and that’s why he wrote the song, and that kind of forthright rocking is evident on the strident anthems of 5150. From the moment the album opens with the crashing “Good Enough,” it’s clearly the work of the same band – it’s hard to mistake Eddie’s guitars, just as it’s hard to mistake Alex and Michael Anthony’s pulse, or Michael’s harmonies – but the music feels decidedly different. Where Diamond Dave would have strutted through the song with his tongue firmly in cheek, Hagar plays it right down the middle, never winking, never joking. Even when he takes a stab at humor on the closing “Inside” – joshing around about why the guys chose him as a replacement – it never feels funny, probably because, unlike Dave, he’s not a born comedian. Then again, 5150 wasn’t really intended to be funny; it was intended to be a serious album, spiked by a few relentless metallic rockers like “Get Up,” but functioning more as a vehicle to showcase Van Halen’s – particularly the guitarist’s – increasing growth and maturity. There are plenty of power ballads, in “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Love Walks In,” there’s a soaring anthem of inspiration in “Dreams,” and even the straight-up rocker “Best of Both Worlds” is tighter and leaner than the gonzo excursions of “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher.” And that’s where Hagar comes in: Diamond Dave didn’t have much patience for plainspoken lyrics or crafting songs, but Sammy does and he brings a previously unheard sense of discipline to the writing on 5150. Not that Hagar is a craftsman like Randy Newman, but he’s helped push Van Halen into a dedication on writing full-fledged songs, something that often seemed an afterthought in the original lineup. And so Van Hagar was a bit of an odd mix – a party band and a party guy, slowly veering into a bourgeois concept of respectability, something that eventually sunk the band – but on 5150 it worked because they had the songs and the desire to party, so those good intentions and slow tunes don’t slow the album down; they give it variety and help make the album a pretty impressive opening act for Van Halen Mach II. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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Van Halen – 5150 (1986/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 43:12 minutes | 557 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
5150 is Van Halen’s chart-topping classic. This monumental release marked the first Van Halen album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 and features the arrival of Sammy Hagar. Certified six-time Platinum, the recording includes the Top Ten rock anthems “Dreams,” “Love Walks In” and “Why Can’t This Be Love”.
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