Customer Reviews

5150

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This album and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge are the best Van Hagar CD's. The tracks were good except for the last one.

Good Enough-Good start for Van Hagar. The band sounds like it has been reinvented here.

Why Can't this be Love?-Good song, even though it is a saccarine love song. THe Keyboard work was quite interesting.

Get Up-Easily the hardest song on the album. Sammy really hit the high notes here. Good song to listen to when you want to get pumped up.

Dreams-The best song on the album. The song is very keyboard driven but has a very lush feel. It also moves fast and deals with people aspiring to be more than they are.

Summer Nights-A fun party song. It was a carefree song about meeting women and having a good time with the guys.

Best of Both Worlds-A good track about enjoying your life while you can.

Love Walks In-I thought this song sounded very progressive and I quite enjoyed it despite it being a saccharine love ballad.

5150-Really good track, mainly dealing with the woes of winning a woman. It has a really great guitar riff opening as well as a good solo.

Inside-I hate this track. While the rest of the albu is pretty good, I can't stand this song. I always stop my CD after the 8th track so I don't have to listen to this horrible song.

Overall, a good album. THough, I thought that the sound was wierd. It had a very compressed feel.

Back in 1986 a neighborhood friend of mine gave me the "5150" cassette -- he hated it. I immediately loved it, and so began the segregation of Van Halen fans in either the David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar camp.

To be sure, I like Roth-era Van Halen as well, but what's not to love about an album like "5150?" Most of the songs on it rock, and every single one is catchy and very good. The guys all sound rejuventated and raring to go, perhaps more musically well-rounded than before. The production is pumped up and pristine, with searing, creative guitar work by Eddie, spot-on drumming by his brother and heartfelt vocals by Hagar. I always felt this album was an instant VH classic, and that feeling hasn't changed all these years later. Sure, there may be a touch of '80s cheese sprinkled here and there, and some of the songs are more pop-oriented than before, but again, so what? Overall, "5150" is a nine-song gem that should be included in everyone's rock 'n' roll collection.

Play this one loud!

Back in 1986 I did not know what to think when I heard David Lee Roth was out and Sammy Hagar was in. This album showed a new grown style of hard rock music. The song writing was miles ahead of anything at the time. Eddie came of sounding refreshed and ready to jamm. A must have for any Van Halen fan!!

The reviewers that slag this album seem more like David lee Roth fans than true-blue Van Halen fans. To dislike the music is one thing, but hating it just cause David Lee Roth's not singing is absurd. And Comparing the Hagar era to the Roth years is apples to oranges!

The only dud here is "Inside" though you get the impression that the boys were really enjoying themselves. Eddie's top-notch guitar skills are evident on "Get up", plus there's clever boxing references thrown in. The two ballads "Dreams" and "Love walks in" are amazing. I always crank up "Summer Nights" around my birthday in June. Ideally sets the mood. The songwriting is incredible on both the title track and "Best of both worlds".

A few have complained that today 5150 Sounds dated. So what if they opted for synthesizers? That's harsh criticism, Those were the times. Who WASN'T using 'em at one point back then? And besides it was done so effectively it's hard to argue with that choice.

This is my all time favorite VH album, in no small part because it's the first one I heard from start to finish, just discovering rock and roll in '86. Yes, I must agree the synth drums perhaps give it a slight "dated" feel, but it still sounds cool as hell when played at proper hellacious volume. I dare any of you to NOT get pumped when you hear "Get Up" or Best of Both Worlds". "Dreams" contains one of Eddie's best solos ever, and Sammy sings it like his life depends on it.
So, we got the Roth-era remasters, now how about 5150 and ou812??? These two albums are SCREAMING for a remastering.

So, with David Lee Roth out of Van Halen and Sammy Hagar in, which Van Halen proves there still on top of the world. But lets face it Roth was Van Halen period, there's no one that will ever replace him but Hagar was the best choice to fill the vacancy for Van Halen. The whole 5150 album is great and is one of my favorites including 1984 and their debut album. From my interpretation this is what I got out of all the nine songs on 5150.

1. Good Enough- the title says it all with opening guitar riffs by Eddie Van Halen truly proves that Van Halen is back plus the awesome guitar cut at the end. The songs about food I believe how it has to be the best. Rate: 8.5/10

2. Why Can't This Be Love?- total 80's retro songs with a nice beat done by the keyboards ranking this song #3 on the Billboards Hot 100. It's about finding love and why can't it be true something that everyone could relate to. Rate: 9.5/10

3. Get Up- Awesome hard song about fighting for yourself and never quiting, truly a fast- paced song that keeps you moving.
Rate: 9/10

4. Dreams- One of the best songs on this album, I believe it was an even bigger song for graduation. It's about taking your dreams, turning them into reality, and being more than you really are. Fantastic. Rate: 10/10

5. Summer Nights- Nice summer songs thats about summer vacation, having fun, and getting away from the cold, also of coarse we cannot forget our radio too. Rate: 9/10

6. Best of Both Worlds- A very nice upbeat song about having the best and enjoying like no matter what, a really great song that'll keep your foot tapping. Rate: 9.5/10

7. Love Walks In- This one is about aliens which is really wierd in my opinion because the song is all romantic- like and is talking about alien abductions. How is that romantic? Anyway its a nice song with pretty cool guitar solos attached. Rate: 8/10

8. 5150- Great song about running from the law and one person feeling that they can't keep running while the other person feels that its fun and lets keep doing it. Quite possibly might be about girls too. Anyway, a real kick @$$ awesome song and one of Van Halen's best with a really cool guitar solo and drumming done by Alex. Rate: 10/10

9. Inside- Wierd, but funny with a nice guitar solo inbetween. This song was an absolute joke from start to finish but who cares its not bad and if anyone is going to fool around and put it on a CD, it might as well be Van Halen. Rate: 8/10

So, to sum up 5150 is that its fantastic and proves that Van Halen can and will go on. Plus this is the first Van Halen album to hit number one without any music videos which is amazing. All and all its a 6x platnium album that is worthy of its triumph.

I don't sense this album as having a new singer, (Sammy Hagar), as much as I sense it as being a further development upon the melodic heights which the band reached on 1984. "Dreams", and "Love Walks In", are among the best 5 songs of the Van Hagar era. Along with "Summer Nights" they make this album well worthwhile. It has a very fresh sound.

Hagar is about 10 years older than Eddie, so here VH began to write from a deeper and more adult perspective than was typical even during 1984. Ed looks noticeably older as evidenced by the band photo, as though his alcoholism had finnaly caught up with him at the age of 31. But regardless, the band sounds anything but stagnant as was clearer on OU812 and Balance. This is certainly an inspired effort.

"Good Enough" says welcome to the new VH. Listened to from a lighthearted, fun 80's perspective, the song is enjoyable. "Why Can't This Be Love", is an upbeat, if somewhat cheesy synth based tune. "Get Up" finds Sammy strutting in the vein of his father who was a pro boxer. It's very motivational in both a cerebral and physical way, if tiresome due to the near constant double bass pedal drum beat. On "Dreams", Sammy finds himself within his new band, hiting the high notes with greater ease than Roth could. A great use of keyboards by Ed. The first guitar solo is interesting, and the second solo punctuates the lyric: "And in the end on dreams we will depend/Cause that's what love is made of". "Summer Nights" is the best rocker of the album. Ed's Steinberger has a searing growl. The riff right before the chorus is very cool. This is a typical VH girl chasing song, but with less sleaze than Roth would give. Check out the breakdown: Anthony's slow rock groove makes the perfect foundation for Ed to wail over. Then just before another verse comes in, Ed shreds the song to pieces with his inhuman pic slides up and down the fretboard. It's a classic feel good party song. "Best Of Both Worlds" is a respectable rocker. Credit Sammy with good lyrics here: "You don't have to die to go to heaven/Or hang around to be born again/Just tune into what this place has got to offer/Cause we may never be here again."

"Love Walks In", is undeniably the jewel of the album; Very atmospheric. The opening is so beautiful. Sammy's melodies and singing are elegant throughout. The guitar solo is like a fairy tale. Ed has never played with more passion. With keyboards in the backround, the song absolutely melts you. The unusual "5150", is a progressive song which works quite well, although is not neccessarily radio friendly. "Inside" is Sammy's turn to ham it up as the band makes fun of itself.

As a power ballad, "Love Walks In", is even better than OU812's "When It Love". Here Van Halen finds itself securely nestled in the forefront of 80's pop. It was a very special time, and this album had a certain purity that will never be duplicated again.

Well, I decided that I couldn't fairly review Van Halen's first Sammy Hagar album without discussing, concurrently, the highly competitive DLR solo release of the same year, Eat Em & Smile. Roth left Van Halen on really bad terms...and the feud between he and Edward continues to this day, despite the impending reunion. So back in late 1985, early 1986, there were no words minced between the divided camps.

I mention Dave's album here for a couple reasons. For one, he took nearly all of Van Halen's crew with him...not to mention Van Halen's only producer to that point, Ted Templeman. Beyond that, the VH brothers were already varying their sound, having added more and more keyboards to their songs...a point not lost on Roth, who always fought that notion. Adding Sammy changed the vocals, the lyrical approach, and ultimately the overall feel of the songs. Generally gone now were the little dialogues in the songs, though that did pop up a couple times on 5150 and in its stead was a smoother voiced, higher ranged Hagar...depending more on vocal prowess than charisma and vocal atmosphere.

Dave took the opposite approach and went at his album in old VH fashion...with Diamond Dave's soulfulness, humor, and propensity to tackle the oddest cover tunes with flare. Not to mention Roth recruited hot guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, who, while not Edward, wasn't shabby either. While their styles weren't exactly the same, by any stretch, they were cut from the same experimental and exciting cloth. Add to that Eddie's bass playing equivalent in the lightning-fingered Billy Sheehan, and there is no doubt that DLR had assembled a very serious solo act.

So how do they compare?

Dave put out a great album, no doubt. Yankee Rose would've made an incredible Van Halen tune to follow up the 10 million selling (yikes!!) 1984. To the novice ear, one might even think that it was a new Van Halen tune it's that close (and that good). Dave simply changed players and still pulled out songs with the same color and flavor. The rest of the album never quite gets back up to the quality level of this smashing opening number, but the record is filled with great moments, including the soulful Ladies' Nite In Buffalo and the also very VH-esque, Goin' Crazy...which sounds like it could've snuggled up next to Hot For Teacher on 1984. Goin' Crazy was a fun little rocker that just oozed humor and catchiness. Throughout this record, like many VH releases, DLR reminds you of why he's the biggest goof in the rock business and wins you over because most of his songs are so damn catchy and infused with good times you feel guilty for both taping your foot and thinking, "Why do I like this?"

Not unlike the much-criticized Diver Down LP, Eat Em And Smile is full of cover tunes and like all things Dave, he finds his niche and makes them all work. Shyboy comes from Sheehan's former band and fits nicely with the sound, featuring some blistering work on bass and guitar. It's probably the musical moment on the album. Other covers like the Sinatra classic, That's Life and the wonderfully charming I'm Easy just reek with Roth's style and propensity to tackle his influences, no matter how much contrast he manages to muster. Tobacco Road is another fine little tune, as is the quasi-rap (!!) laden Big Trouble, which I admit is a personal guilty pleasure of mine.

The only place where this album lets down are on slightly disappointing Elephant Gun and the ridiculously unoriginal and trite Bump And Grind, which even Dave's charm can't elevate out of mediocrity.

Van Halen's first epic with Sammy Hagar is equally successful at bringing the fun to the party. (And you have to ask yourself in hindsight, were there two more enjoyable rock records in 1986 than 5150 and Eat Em & Smile, with perhaps the notable exception of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet?). In fact, I think 5150 is a hair more so. Van Halen, while it had the band name and Eddie's guitar legacy going for it, faced a larger challenge. Roth was such a dynamic and unforgettable influence (even if you hated him) that replacing him with ANYONE was a daunting task. It was sure to change the dynamic of the band and sure enough, Hagar did. That being said, the atmosphere was not diminished even where it was modified.

I mean, let's be honest, Van Halen was "changing" whether Dave was leaving or not. Most of the songs for 5150 had already been (musically) penned and while the lyrics and vocal melodies surely would've been markedly different than they turned out to be, the keyboard-laden Why Can't This Be Love would've still been Why Can't This Be Love. I think that fans sometimes overlook this and lay too much blame at the feet of Hagar for the "differences" that came between the 1984 and 5150 releases. Hagar was blamed for a natural musical evolution that was already taking place.

All that being said, 5150, which I've listened to twice in the past 24 hours, is a great album. I'll start with the negative and say that the only filler piece, and it is just that, is the album closer Inside. Even still, it's a fun song...albeit pointless and most critically, overlong. But the rest of the CD is just filled with awesome tunes.

Amongst my favorites is Summer Nights, which is probably my all-time favorite Sammy tune (ok, top 3-5 anyhow) and would contend with many great Roth tunes in my mind. The riff (a paired picking of a series of notes on a headless Steinberger guitar) defines capturing a mood with a riff, which, when coupled with Hagar's lyrics, evoke an inescapable and palpable vibe of summertime. (See Feels So Good and Take Me Back for other occasions of lyrics and riff matching up perfectly in the Hagar era). The chorus is infectious.

Another is Dreams, which may be Sammy's pinnacle in the band, a soaring number, both musically and vocally. Van Halen fans had never heard a song like this with the band's name on it because Roth never could've churned out such power and melody. That's not a knock on DLR, but Hagar is indisputably the better singer, even if he's a step down in the charisma department.

A few of the more rousing numbers include the album opener, Good Enough...(well hellllloooo Sammy), the groove of Best Of Both Worlds (perhaps the best song on the album), and the downright irrefutable Get Up, which is a ball of energy from the start, an On Fire for the Sammy generation of VH fans, if you will. The dueling dynamic between Hagar and background vocalist Anthony is in Technicolor display in this rockin' little number.

5150 has its softer moments, like the previously mentioned Dreams...to which you can add to that arguably the best power ballad Van Halen has ever penned in Love Walks In (in my top 5 VH choruses of all time and a great ending solo) and the first Hagar single, Why Can't This Be Love...which is good but the weakest of the three in my opinion, but still quite good.

The album's unsung hero and forgotten gem is the title track 5150. If you've let this one slide from memory, please revisit it soon. It is perhaps the finest example of Edward on this record as well as most effective song structuring.

5150 marked a major change for the band and one I don't think they quite lived up to at the same level again. But to ignore the spirit, vibe and musical abilities on display here simply because you like Roth better is a pretty dismissive and just plain ignorant. I give 5150 4.5 stars of 5 (A -) and consider it a contender with the best of any VH albums.

Dave, on the other hand, excelled at what he did best...just being Dave. This was his post 1984 pinnacle as well, with each subsequent release losing a little bit more each go `round. But for a moment in 1986, DLR proved he could leave Van Halen and still not only put out a great record, but build a band that for a year or two, was able to stand in the center of the rock ring and trade blows with the mightly Van Halen. I give Eat Em and Smile a very strong 4-stars of 5 (B +).

In many ways, it was a win-win for fans of VH and DLR alike. At least it was for this particular fan.

THE BAND: Eddie Van Halen (lead & rhythm guitars, keyboards), Sammy Hagar (vocals, rhythm guitars), Michael Anthony (bass), Alex Van Halen (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1986) 11 tracks clocking in at approximately 43 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page booklet containing song titles/credits, song lyrics, 1 black & white band photo, and thank you's. Recorded at 5150 Studios (Eddie Van Halen's home studio in Los Angeles). Label - Warner Bros.

COMMENTS: If you asked me, I'd tell you the David Lee Roth era of VH had pretty much peaked with "1984". Along with "1984", Van Halen's amazing 1978 debut are, to date, still the only VH releases to achieve "Diamond" status (10+ million units sold). Decades later, I still wish Eddie and David Lee Roth could have worked things out (Eddie wanting to do guitar work outside VH, and DLR's infantile antics were the main reasons for each pointing the finger). In my opinion, all of the VH releases from the DLR era are classics (with the exception of perhaps "Diver Down"). The DLR era Van Halen albums were straight ahead hard rock (guitars, bass, drums, and a helleva singer) - the way it was meant to be. The exception being "1984" when Eddie introduced the keyboards. Exit David Lee Roth (April 1985), and enter Sammy Hagar. Sammy's proven himself over the years with Montrose, HSAS, several songs on movie soundtracks, and his many solo albums. A good rock singer with an underrated guitar. In hindsight, Hagar brought a 2nd quality guitar to VH (he's nowhere close to the ballpark Eddie plays in, but who is?). With all this being said, I like this "5150". At first, I wanted to ban anything Hagar did with VH because only the DLR era stuff was real VH. This album has absolutely grown on me over the years though. Three big hits came from "5150" - "Dreams" (reaching #6 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart), "Love Walks In" (#4), and "Why Can't This Be Love" (#1). Minor hits followed with "Best Of Both Worlds" and "Summer Nights". The feel was more slick, polished, commercial rock... heavily ladened with keyboards. Along with a new lead singer, the other big difference was Alex's electronic drum kit (these were big in the 80's... and a lot of bands used them including Def Leppard, Ratt, Genesis, etc). Having played drums in the past, I feel these electronic drums really give off a different sound. For me, 10 times out of 10, I'd choose a real drum kit. Perhaps I've given the impression that I'm not a fan of the Hagar era VH... not true - this is a good rock album. It simply lacks that "in your face" attitude, and most importantly character. Highlights include all the songs mentioned above as well as the rocking opener "Good Enough" and the underrated title track ("5150" meaning mentally/emotionally disturbed). The album closer should have been a hidden bonus track - perhaps untitled - "Inside" is filler at best. Looking at the 4 studio albums Hagar did with VH, I'd pick this one first. The albums that came after "5150" seemed even more safe by rock music standards. Worthy in your rock and roll library - absolutely. However, if I want to hear some Van Halen, I'll grab VH's debut, "VH II", "Fair Warning", "Women & Children First" or "1984" first. If I'm in the mood for Sammy Hagar, I'll most likely grab his "Standing Hampton" or "VOA" before this one. I think "5150" would benefit from digital remastering (as of 2007 it hasn't happened). The start of a new era for the Van Halen brothers and Sammy - "5150" wasn't Van Halen's first album to reach Billboard's #1 position for no reason. Good album (4+ stars).

Been a huge fan of Van Halen all my life and i gotta tell ya this cd rocks Eddie has some very powerful riffs not suprising he usually always does the quality of this cd is excellent by far i truly love this cd basically because it was the debut cd involving Sammy Hagar which yeah he isn't quite as crazy as David Lee Roth but that is not always a bad thing i feel Sammy has brought alot to the band and makes a perfect frontman for Van Halen to me his vocals are alot more solid than David Lee Roths more powerful with meaning he shows emotion when he sings not just screaming or rambling on i feel that 1984 was a let down honestly i mean it was good but too much keyboard work and not enough rockin 5150 and VH 1 are the best 2 cd's they have released in my opinion .