Van Halen: 5150

Van Halen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002L99
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (172 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #21 in Music > Rock > Rock Guitarists > Guitar Gods
  • #45 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Hard Rock
  • #69 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Pop Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

As original Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth quit the band to pursue a solo career, or was fired (depending on who you believe), Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony carried on by hiring Sammy Hagar. Hagar was a middling artist on his own, but he proved to be a powerhouse when placed in front of hard rock's most muscular and innovative instrumental unit. On 5150--the title is police code for "escaped lunatic"--you can hear the band's excitement at having struck a winning combination. Songs such as "Why Can't This Be Love," "Dreams," "Best of Both Worlds," and "Love Walks In" combine to make this the early high-watermark of the Van Hagar era. --Daniel Durchholz

Product Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: VAN HALEN
Title: 5150
Street Release Date: 07/07/1987
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good cd., March 25, 2004

By 

Kyle Anderson (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Van Halen: 5150 (Audio CD)

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.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner from VH, March 15, 2003

By 

Stretch (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Van Halen: 5150 (Audio CD)

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sammy walks in with force, March 5, 2000

By 

Sal Nudo (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Van Halen: 5150 (Audio CD)

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!