Van Halen - The Best of Both Worlds
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Free Music Notes for The Best of Both Worlds
Free Music Review: VH Back Again
Hit: 5 Stars
It has been a long road for VH but they are back and sound better than ever with the Red Rocker! This is the best of the best for VH and should be in every VH Collection!
With three new songs that are sure to make your head bang once again. Digitally remastered original songs make this CD the Best of the Best for VH!
Free Music Review: Just barely 4 stars--great music but annoying presentation
Hit: 4 Stars
Just to be clear, I love both the Roth and Hagar eras of Van Halen. They both have definite merits. If I had to break the "tie" in my mind concerning my feelings about the two eras, I might actually pick Sammy only because his solo stuff is so far superior not to mention, well, that Dave is a complete moron. Still, like many others, I am annoyed with how this collection was presented.
First off, going back and forth from Dave to Sammy tracks is a bit tedious. I'm not saying the tracks had to be chronological, but this continual back and forth was too much. A few of one followed by a few of the other might have been better.
Second, I have to sound off like many others have about the two flawed tracks--the cutout of "Finish What Ya Started" plus including the instrumental "Strung Out" at the beginning of "It's Not Enough". Those are unacceptable errors that never should have been missed.
Third, I HATE having those live tracks--exactly the same as from their live album "Right Here, Right Now"--stuck at the end of disk 2, and having them all be Hagar singing Roth tunes makes it even worse. Again, I'd choose Hagar if I had to make a choice, but the obvious petty thinking behind this ploy is stupid--especially knowing how many "Roth era only" fans are out there. They should have replaced those tracks with other deep album classic cuts and, yes, at least one track from VHIII (ignoring that in the discography was another stupid, petty ploy). Or another option would to be to go ahead and include a few live tracks--but different recordings that we have not already heard before.
Okay, I've complained an awful lot for a 4-star review, so what do I like here? Well, duh--of course the songs themselves rock, and it is great to have such an overall complete collection in one place. (Best of Volume I was way too incomplete.) I don't need to rave in detail about the classic tracks; any Van Halen fan knows them inside and out and knows why they like the tracks. I still love most of those tracks to this day. Unlike plenty of others, I also like all three of the new tracks. I have no problem with bands including new stuff on a greatest hits compilation as long as the material doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. In this case, while a couple of the new tracks have that slightly modern sound, they are solid and to me not at all out of place.
So there you have it. It's hard to give a "best of" collection from one of my favorite bands of all time that actually includes most of the key tracks under 5 stars, but the points above clearly explain why. I still love this band, and if this indeed was their final chapter, I can more than live with that. Their legacy in rock and roll is permanently established whether or not they ever are heard from again. The petty items from their history, both old and recent, won't change my feeling about the music itself.
Free Music Review: Great idea but....
Hit: 3 Stars
those b#$tards have screwed over Dave-era fans again! How much more will we have to endure before these old lung cancer patient idiots get a clue and do what we all have been waiting for almost 2 decades for: a Van Halen reunion tour with Roth, not Hagar: it would sell out because everyone wants to see the original not the copycat. But that is beside the point, here is the album:
Best of Both Worlds; released about a year ago it was the best of album Van Halen always wanted to release but instead released THe Best of Vol 1. which although only 1 disc had 3 very awesome new tracks 1 by VH with Hagar the other 2 by VH and DLR. THis new one however is 2-disc and features 36 of your classic Van Halen tracks.
Pros and Cons
PROS:
36 trackS: alot more Vh material could be covered here than Vol.1.
ALmost half of Van Halen and 1984 on this album!
14 or so classic DLR Van Halen tracks!
I think about 22 Van Hagar tracks.
Digitally remastered!
Hey, It's Van Halen!
Awesome digipack cover!
Cons:
Too much emphasis on Van Hagar, too little on Van Halen.
Liner NOtes: "DLR left the band. What happened? Anyway..." it is obvious that they still hold a grudge, can't they leave the past behind? They also pretend like Van Halen 3 never happened, but they need to because this is a chronicle of Van Halen's history.
Track Listing: the three new songs are filler at best, and the three live tracks are unnecessary (they are Dave's songs anyway, use your own Sammy!) Instead of those tracks they should have included more material from VHII, Women and CHildren, Unchained and Van Halen III. I know what you are thinking: "WHy Van Halen III?" Well, it is history and the band has to have at least one from every album, no matter how bad.
Just buy all the albums and create your own best of or buy the first one, this one had too much bad blood involved to actually be a great package.
Free Music Review: VH regurgitates the old stuff AGAIN
Hit: 2 Stars
Its not enough that the band came back together, but they obviously wanted to cash in once again on music created in the past. Let's review: Live Right here Right Now, Greatest Hits volume 1 and now theres a Best of volume 2 with the some of the same songs as on volume 1. There are 3 new songs, but 2 of the 3 new songs don't hold interest very well as they sound very patched together and contrived, and painfully absent of undeniable and memorable guitar and vocal hooks. This should be especially alarming as Eddie Van Halen claimed in a interview, he had 10 years worth of music while disbanded ready for release and yet these 2 new songs hardly reflect the catchy and inventive music this band has shown they are very capable of creating. One wonders if they had a better chance of staying together had they produced a whole new set of songs with Sammy. The fact that their fans renewed their interest in Van Halen's old catalog again when the band reunited and bought from it was not enough to stall the idea of volume 2 from being released, thus taking advantage of fans hope in the bands sincere return, by manipulating them to again rebuy old material. When does this become insulting to an individual where they are not feeling ripped off from a high priced concert ticket and the rehash of old music? Its still amazing to me and should be to more of their fans, that Eddie was so upset again that Sammy left and yet he unwittingly set him up to leave from the beginning of their reunion. Afterall there was hardly any newly created material to stand by and commit to from the beginning. Not nearly enough time to sacrifice and create all new material for the sake of something new and lasting. Its transparently apparent they saw dollar signs in one anothers eyes and took the easy road of quick album and tour=get rich=forget about the long term of the band performing and creating together. In a past interview, Edward went against the idea of touring without a new material back when Dave suggested they cash in on a tour. If there is a next time maybe Edward will have a little more backbone.
If you want to hear them live at their best not their greediest, I recommend, "Live Without a Net" as it is representive of the ethusiasm these guys had for making exciting music captured live. Especially if you want to hear one of the best awe inspiring guitar solos/arrangements by Eddie. This Best of release is meant to line the pockets of the band with money, they are/will not use to create/release new and inspiring music together anytime soon.
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Free Music Review: Hmm, well, poorly organized but it is Van Halen.
Hit: 3 Stars
I love Van Halen. They rocked in concert. I could be happier with this cd though. The three new tracks do not belong here. New releases are not greatest hits. The three live tracks don't belong here either. Aren't they on Right Here, Right Now? Those should have been put on a "bonus" disc or as free downloads on their website. Songs that could have gone in their place are "Don't Tell Me" from Balance, "little Guitars" & "Where Have All The Goods Times Gone" from Diver Down, "Little Dreamer" & "Ice Cream Man" from Van Halen, "Women In Love" from Van Halen II, "Drop Dead Legs" from 1984 or even "Humans Being" from their first "Best Of" cd. And what about Van Halen III? Perhaps they could have thrown Gary a bone with "Fire In The Hole" or a live version of some hit.
Also, as a general gripe, it aggrivates me when bands put out multiple "best of/greatest hits" albums that duplicate in whole or in part a previous "best of/greatest hits" album. This and the Best Of Van Halen Vol. I should have been organized into two separate releases. As is, it just seems like they are trying to suck up more of our money. I've given them enough of mine. Since I have all the other albums I'll just rip & burn my own greatest hits cd. I feel an urge to give this one or two stars but this cd gets three stars just for the simple fact that it is Van Halen and it is a good compilation.