Van Halen - Fair Warning
1981 Warner Bros.

Track Listing:
1.  Mean Street
2.  "Dirty Movies"
3.  Sinners Swing!
4.  Hear About It Later
5.  Unchained
6.  Push Comes To Shove
7.  So This Is Love?
8.  Sunday Afternoon In The Park
9.  One Foot Out The Door

Line-Up:
Vocals:  David Lee Roth
Guitars:  Edward Van Halen
Bass:  Michael Anthony
Drums:  Alex Van Halen

Website:  www.van-halen.com

Horatio's Rating:  A
Overall Rating:  A

Also be sure to read:
Van Halen - OU812 by Horatio

Horatio's Review:
Classic Roth-era Van Halen are remembered mainly through their 1978 self titled debut and '1984', with the rest of their catalogue distances behind.  'Van Halen II' deservedly so, easily Van Roth's poorest outing, 'Women And Children First' not so, perhaps on par with the debut if not better.  'Diver Down' was a slight letdown due to the covers which comprised half the album, but the original tracks were brilliant to say the least.  Where does this leave 'Fair Warning' then?  Who cares really. I consider this the pinnacle of Van Halen's Roth years, and their career for that matter.  Often forgotten in the annals of the band's history, it came at a time when the band was in an experimental stage with keyboards and a moodier sound.  Maybe I'm partial to this because it's the first Van Halen album I got into, but it's surely one of North America's definitive hard rock albums, not just of the 80's, but of all time.

I never tire of this album.  The shifting moods from track to track are genius, one moment you're caught up in the desperation of 'Mean Street', the next you're fully engaged by 'Dirty Movies' party rock rowdiness, and the classic line, 'you remember when that girl was prom queen?'  This might be my favourite Van Halen song when it boils down to it.  US metal that has rarely been bettered.  More anthems are provided in the shape of tear up's 'Sinners Swing' and the classic 'Unchained', the main riff to which Eddie would reuse for 'Panama' a few years later.  'Hear About It Later' and 'Push Comes To Shove' are slower and more reflective but melodically faultless, the latter with a slight disco riff.  'So This Is Love' is a bouncy rocker heading straight into the bizarre apocalyptic keyboard piece 'Sunday Afternoon In The Park'.  That in turn leads into the brief but savage 'One Foot Out The Door'.  Eddie rips it up on a grand scale with his solo, the climax to one of rocks perfect albums.

The impact this had on me when I first heard it a decade ago I still feel with every listen.  There's an atmosphere about this album that is truly indescribable, a mood of ambivalence that suggested the band was on the verge of meltdown, which they were, Eddie ready to quit the band some say.  But it's the music which wins out inevitably.  This is now 24 years old and still as relevant as ever, sounding as fresh as it did then.  This is the type of album which gives my life meaning and keeps me from self destruction.  It's testament to the power of rock, hard rock, metal, etc.  Few bands could aspire to this level of brilliance except The Who and Y&T.  Like 'Divine Intervention' this album changed my life.  It won't change yours.  Right place at the right time.
Horatio's Rating:  A

Discography (last updated 9.23.06):
Van Halen - 1978
Van Halen II - 1978
Women And Children First - 1980
Fair Warning - 1981
Diver Down - 1982
1984 - 1984
5150 - 1986
OU812 - 1988
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - 1991
Live:  Right Here, Right Now - 1993
Balance - 1995
Best Of Volume I - 1996
Van Halen III - 1998
Best Of Both Worlds - 2004