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Darker and more foreboding than what fans were expecting, Van Halen's fourth album contains the grittiest guitar tones of the their entire catalog.
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Van Halen
Fair Warning
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AMG Review of Fair Warning
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music GuideOf all the early Van Halen records, Fair Warning often gets overlooked -- partially because it's a dark, strange beast, partially because it lacks any song as purely fun as the hits from the first three records. Because of that, there were no hits from Fair Warning that turned into radio anthems; only "Unchained" and, to a lesser extent, the grinding opener, "Mean Street," rank among the group's best-known songs, and they're not as monumental as "And the Cradle Will Rock," from the preceding album, Women and Children First. There's a reason for that: this album ain't a whole lotta fun. Fair Warning is the first Van Halen album that doesn't feel like a party. This may be a reflection of the band's relentless work schedule, it may be a reflection of the increasing tension between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth -- the cause isn't important, because whatever the reason, Fair Warning winds up as a dark, dirty, nasty piece of work. Gloomy it may be, but dull it is not and Fair Warning contains some of the fiercest, hardest music that Van Halen ever made. There's little question that Eddie Van Halen won whatever internal skirmishes they had, since his guitar dominates this record, even with the lack of a single dedicated instrumental showcase (the first time he lacked one on a VH album). Eddie sounds restless here, pushing and pulling the group toward different rhythms and textures, from the disco beat that pulsates on "Push Comes to Shove" to the swinging rhythms on "So This Is Love?" and, especially, the murky synths that comprise the instrumental "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" and the grimy, gunky closing rocker, "One Foot Out the Door." Either inspired or spurred on by the gloomy ock Eddie cranked out, David Lee Roth casts his net far wider than his usual litany of girls and good times. He spits and swears, swaggering without his usual joie de vivre, with even his sex songs feeling weary and nasty. Whatever spawned it, that nastiness is the defining characteristic of Fair Warning, which certainly doesn't make it bunches of fun, but it showcases the coiled power of Van Halen better than any other album, which makes it worth visiting on occasion.
Review: Lost Classics: Van Halen - Fair Warning
Van Halen in Greensboro, NC, 29.9.07
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Yes, MOGsters, your world music, electronic, hip-hop Thursday and funky friday maven, jazz fan, and all around unhipster went to see what was once the world's biggest corporate rock band: Van Halen, in its modified original format - Alex and Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang replacing the disgruntled still-drinking Michael Anthony on bass. My husband Richard,...
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Van Halen in Greensboro, NC, 29.9.07
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Yes, MOGsters, your world music, electronic, hip-hop Thursday and funky friday maven, jazz fan, and all around unhipster went to see what was once the world's biggest corporate rock band: Van Halen, in its modified original format - Alex and Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang replacing the disgruntled still-drinking Michael Anthony on bass. My husband Richard,...
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not my favorite VH song, but from my favorite VH album..
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biting my own posts now.Saw these guys in concert 3 times. Ripped each time. Funnest times I've ever had.
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Body language And Threat Recognition...On Mog...
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Body languageand threat recognitionBy Masad Ayoob Reader mail indicates that while some Backwoods Home readers turn to this column for advice on putting wild game on the table or keeping four-footed poachers out of the garden, others are more interested in firearms for self-defense in lonely places. And, of course, there are readers who are concerned with family protection but don’t like guns. .
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Van Halen in Greensboro, NC, 29.9.07
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Yes, MOGsters, your world music, electronic, hip-hop Thursday and funky friday maven, jazz fan, and all around unhipster went to see what was once the world's biggest corporate rock band: Van Halen, in its modified original format - Alex and Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang replacing the disgruntled still-drinking Michael Anthony on bass. My husband Richard,...
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After all these years...
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...Van Halen still RAWKS!!!I was paying some bills when "Mean Street" came on the tunes.I just felt like sharing...What the Holy Yayyo happened to Eddie by-the-way???
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David Lee Roth's Life Flashes Right Before Him
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OK...so maybe that's just me being a bit dramatic...but Van Halen on-again off-again on-again frontman David Lee Roth was involved in a near-fatal allergic reaction ...all awhile driving his car! More than a month ago Roth was driving his car in Oakland, Ontario (somewhere between Detroit and Toronto) when two cops pulled him over. When they got to his car they realized Roth was suffering a sev...
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Van Halen in Greensboro, NC, 29.9.07
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Yes, MOGsters, your world music, electronic, hip-hop Thursday and funky friday maven, jazz fan, and all around unhipster went to see what was once the world's biggest corporate rock band: Van Halen, in its modified original format - Alex and Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Eddie's 16-year-old son Wolfgang replacing the disgruntled still-drinking Michael Anthony on bass. My husband Richard,...
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And Somebody Said FAIR WARNING...
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One of my fave Albums And my Fave Van Halen Album. I heard like Zeppelins "Presence" there was a lot of anger, and anomosity when recording this album. Also Micheal Anthony's best sounding Album.
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Body language And Threat Recognition...On Mog...
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Body languageand threat recognitionBy Masad Ayoob Reader mail indicates that while some Backwoods Home readers turn to this column for advice on putting wild game on the table or keeping four-footed poachers out of the garden, others are more interested in firearms for self-defense in lonely places. And, of course, there are readers who are concerned with family protection but don’t like guns. .
More >
not my favorite VH song, but from my favorite VH album..
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biting my own posts now.Saw these guys in concert 3 times. Ripped each time. Funnest times I've ever had.
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Review: Lost Classics: Van Halen - Fair Warning
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Darker and more foreboding than what fans were expecting, Van Halen's fourth album contains the grittiest guitar tones of the their entire catalog.
More >
 "Fair Warning")
