Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1991 on Warner Bros. Records.
It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and maintained the position for three weeks.
The album marked the reconciliation of the band with producer Ted Templeman, who they had not worked with since 1984, when David Lee Roth was still lead singer.

The album's title came from lead singer Sammy Hagar, who wanted to push the issue of censorship with naming Van Halen's album with a vulgarity, stating, "That's when censorship was a big issue. I wanted to name the album just Fuck." Hagar eventually backed away from the outright vulgarity after he was told by his friend, former world lightweight boxing champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, that the word "fuck" was an acronym for the phrase "for unlawful carnal knowledge" (though this is a false etymology).

The smirking title indicates the true nature of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Van Halen's third album with Sammy Hagar. Backing away from the diversity of OU812, the band turns in some of the most basic, straightforward rock & roll of its career.
At times, F.U.C.K. recalls the sleek hard rock of Hagar's early-'80s albums, and it's undeniable that his limited vocal power had a great deal to do with the obvious nature of most of this music.
While the band is still tight and professional -- and Eddie Van Halen's guitar work remains impressive -- the songwriting is, by and large, undistinguished, with the anthemic "Right Now" standing out as the most memorable song of the batch, mainly because of its incessant chorus.


Track listing

1. "Poundcake" - 5:21
2. "Judgement Day" - 4:38
3. "Spanked" - 4:53
4. "Runaround" - 4:20
5. "Pleasure Dome" - 6:58
6. "In 'n' Out" - 6:04
7. "Man on a Mission" - 5:03
8. "The Dream Is Over" - 3:59
9. "Right Now" - 5:21
10. "316" - 1:29
11. "Top of the World" - 3:54

All tracks are written by Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen.


Van Halen

• Sammy Hagar – lead vocals
• Eddie Van Halen – guitars, keyboards, electric drill on "Poundcake", backing vocals
• Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
• Alex Van Halen – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Steve Lukather – backing vocals on "Top of the World"

Production

• Andy Johns – producer, engineer, mixing
• Jeri Heiden – art direction
• Lee Herschberg – engineer
• Michael Scott – engineer, mixing
• David Seltzer – photography
• Ted Templeman – producer, mixing
• Van Halen – producers
• Glen Wexler – photography

Notes
Released: June 18, 1991
Recorded: March 1990 – April 1991 Studio 5150 Studios, Studio City, CA
Genre: Hard rock
Length: 52:00

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Van Halen - Covers Band From Pasadena Live 1976 (Bootleg)

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Van Halen is a Grammy Award-winning American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972.

The Van Halen brothers formed their very first band, called The Broken Combs, in 1964. As they progressed and gained popularity, they started to play many backyard parties and changed the name of their band to The Trojan Rubber Co.
In 1972, the Van Halen brothers formed a band called Genesis featuring Eddie as lead vocalist/guitarist, Alex on drums, and Mark Stone on bass.
They initially rented a sound system from David Lee Roth but decided to save money by letting him join as lead vocalist even though his previous audition(s) had been unsuccessful. By 1974, the band decided to replace Stone, so Michael Anthony, bassist and lead vocalist from local band Snake was auditioned. Following an all-night jam session, he was hired for bass and backing vocals.

The band later changed its name to Mammoth when they discovered the name Genesis was already being used. In 1974, Mammoth officially changed its name to Van Halen. According to Roth, this was his brainchild. He felt it was a name that had power, like Santana.

They played backyard parties and on a flatbed truck at Hamilton Park. Van Halen played clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood to growing audiences, increasing their popularity through self-promotion: before each gig they would pass out flyers at local high schools. This sort of self-promotion soon built them a major following.
Later that year, the band got its first break when it was hired to play at Gazzarri's, a formerly famous but down-at-the-heels night club on the Sunset Strip which closed in 1996.

Earlier, they had auditioned for the owner, Bill Gazzarri, but he claimed they were "too loud" and would not hire them. However, their new managers, Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, who had coincidentally taken over Gazzarri's hiring, did the deal. Shortly afterwards, they recorded their first demo tape at the now-defunct Cherokee Studios in Northridge where Steely Dan recently had completed an album.
Van Halen became a staple of the Los Angeles music scene during the mid-1970s, playing at well-known clubs like the Whisky a Go Go.

This is an early Van Halen recording, Before They Were Famous!

Tracklist

1.  Believe Me (unreleased VH) - 4:44
2.  Show Your Love (VH) - 5:25
3.  Intro - 1:42
4.  Last Child (Aerosmith) - 2:52
5.  Live For The Music (Bad Co.) - 3:18
6.  Running With The Devil (VH) - 3:27
7.  The Rover (Led Zeppelin) - 4:32
8.  Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith) - 7:04
9.  Waiting For The Bus (ZZ Top) - 3:56
10.  Walk This Way (Aerosmith) - 3:45
11.  Superstitious (Stevie Wonder) - 9:23
12.  Still Alive & Well (Johny Winter) - 2:54
13.  Firehouse (Kiss) - 3:07
14.  Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers (ZZ Top) - 3:14
15.  Keep Playing That Rock 'n Roll (Johny Winter) - 3:47
16.  Twist & Shout (Isley Bros.) - 2:19
17a.  30 Days In The Hole (Humble Pie) - 8:13
17b.  Francine (ZZ Top)
17c.  Goodbye to Jane (Slade)


Notes
Source: Live at Aeros Bogarts, San Bernarndino, CA 1976
Genre: Hard Rock
Total Time - 73:36

Label - Ready Go! (RG CD 001)

Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

“A Different Kind of Truth” is the twelfth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen. Released on February 7, 2012, by Interscope Records, the record is Van Halen's first full-length album of studio material with original lead vocalist David Lee Roth since 1984. Likewise, it is Van Halen's first studio album since 1998's Van Halen III. Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, plays bass on the album, replacing Michael Anthony, who had played bass on all of Van Halen's previous albums.
Reinventing Van Halen proved to be a tricky task, so Eddie Van Halen proceeded to reunite the band…a move so obvious it should have come as no surprise that it was easier said than done. Sammy Hagar was brought in for a 2004 hits album and an accompanying tour, a project that collapsed in acrimony so noxious that founding bassist Michael Anthony left with the Red Rocker. Eddie brought in his son Wolfgang as Anthony's replacement and began a prolonged courtship of David Lee Roth that first led to a tour, and then to this, A Different Kind of Truth, the band's first album in 14 years and their first with Roth in twice that long. That's a long time, but the roots of “A Different Kind of Truth” stretch back even further, with several songs originating from demo tapes Van Halen made before their debut, and the rest consciously written in that style. No synths are to be found anywhere on the record, they've been swept aside along with Michael Anthony's bedrock eighth-note thump and Sammy Hagar's radio-ready pop polish, stripping Van Halen down to their core: a duel for attention between David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen. Where Sammy enabled Eddie's ambitions, Diamond Dave unleashes the guitarist's id, taunting him to play faster, harder, tougher, then fighting for space between unwieldy riffs. Certainly, there are hooks here, even some with pop propulsion, but the unexpected signature of “A Different Kind of Truth” is its heaviness, its 13 songs of loud, unrelenting rock. The only time it comes up for air is on "Stay Frosty," with its acoustic intro deliberately evoking memories of “Ice Cream Man.” Of course, the entirety of this comeback is designed to revive the spirit of the first five or six Van Halen records, and building the album upon those old demos turns out to be a savvy move, as they not only saved promising songs, but re-oriented the band, pushing them toward their essence.
“A Different Kind of Truth” was recorded at Henson Recording Studios, Eddie Van Halen's own 5150 Studios, and produced by John Shanks.

Track listing

01.  "Tattoo"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 4:44
02.  "She's the Woman"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 2:56
03.  "You and Your Blues"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 3:43
04.  "China Town"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 3:14
05.  "Blood and Fire"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 4:26
06.  "Bullethead"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 2:30
07.  "As Is"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 4:47
08.  "Honeybabysweetiedoll"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 3:46
09.  "The Trouble with Never"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 3:59
10.  "Outta Space"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 2:53
11.  "Stay Frosty"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 4:07
12.  "Big River"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 3:50
13.  "Beats Workin'"   (Van Halen/Roth)  - 5:02

Credits
David Lee Roth - lead vocals, synthesizer on "Tattoo", intro acoustic guitar on "Stay Frosty"
Eddie Van Halen - guitar, backing vocals
Alex Van Halen - drums
Wolfgang Van Halen - bass, backing vocals

Production
Produced by Van Halen and John Shanks
Mixed by Van Halen and Ross Hogarth
First engineer: Martin Cooke
Digital editing: Dan Chase
Second engineer: Paul David Hager
Second engineer: Peter Stanislaus
Special thanks: Nigel Lunbeno, Seth Waldman, Matt Linesch, John Douglas
Recorded at Henson Studio
Mixed at 5150
Mastered by Bernie Grundman

Notes
Recorded at: 5150 and Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Genre:  Hard Rock
Length:  49:58
Label:  Interscope Records

© 2012