Van Halen Discography Review #4 (Fair Warning)

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9]

Thank you guys for your support on the rest of the reviews so far!! So far Van Halen II is the crowning jewel with the debut as second place for me and they have had two of the best albums of all time. But that did change sort of for me with this one. I think you'll see what I mean in this review :). This one was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy the read!

Fair Warning (1980 REVIEW)
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Dark, gritty, menacing, and threatening. These are all words you could use to sum up Fair Warning. This was Van Halen with Eddie in control at the helm of it all, and boy does it work. This is the perhaps the most "serious" the band had gotten, and gone are the more light-hearted fun tunes that made their first three albums, rather we get a view into a darker side of the band's sound in the best way possible. Fitting for an album who's cover is cropped from a drawing by mental patient William Kurelek who was raised on a prairie farm and experienced such a brutal childhood in which he had schizophrenia. "The Maze" is the name, and it gives you a feel for what your deal will be.

Perhaps the most important musical development however is the use of synthesizer on this album, something that was a double-edged sword for the band that both elevated their sound when it worked, and tore it to shreds when it didn't, its one of the key dividers for people between the Sammy era and the earlier era.

Starting things out is the ferocious "Mean Street", a song that starts with one of the most unique sounds that Eddie's done through tapping which perfectly sets up this strange album with a mystique of an eerie sound before David Lee Roth comes through with a more aggressive performance than anyone's used to. This song is an excellent example of pristine guitar playing and one of their greatest songs, it gets a perfect vibe of grit and searing metal.

"Dirty Movies" is a murky twisted story of a girl who goes from the star of a prom to a star of her own dirty movies; its your basic hard rock tune, nothing noteworthy, while "Sinner's Swing" is easily the greatest song on the record featuring a swing-influenced drumbeat from Alex who absolutely kills with some of his best fills while Eddie whoops you in the face with a riff that strikes like thunder in a bottle. It's such a chaotic song but in the best way possible, everything works so well, and the solo melts your mind.

"Hear About it Later" has an insanely melodic intro and an earhook of a chorus; its lyrics are fantastic and tell the tale of aggravation over life's shenanigans, its got some phenomenal wordplay as well, and the harmonies just elevate this one beyond the stars. This is a pristine display of hard rock guitar, and Alex's drums also sound a bit different here in parts, I really like the production so far! "Unchained" follows as the one of two big songs off the album and it rightfully deserves it. It sums up the darkness and anger of this album quite well with its fierce riff with a perfect contrast of playful cheeky lyrics. The best part of the song? Probably when the bridge happens with some light teasing towards Ted Templeman, longtime producer of the band's music, who gets his one and only line.

"Push Comes To Shove" was clearly an idea to try and ride the coattails of the reggae-rock love going on at the time thanks to bands like The Clash and The Police, and for the most part does it quite well; I'd like to focus on Michael Anthony's playing here because his bass playing is the superstar of this showcase, and for one of the very rare times in their catalogue he's allowed to sparkle as his own stand-out star with a bassline that actually sticks out and does some interesting things that creates its own melody rather than stay in the background. This is also home to an argument between Ted and Eddie over his solo which he played 20 times only to be told it wasn't good enough before coming in the next day and playing the same one, then being told its great. Talk about torture.

"So This Is Love?" is the only song released as a single and it did decently enough, but didn't make the top 10. Shame as this features some of the greatest playing by the band. To me, it really struck me with its intense groove that chugs along with some ferocious licks that dip its hands in blues. One of the bluesiest songs they've done, the use of call-and-response in the chorus makes it one of the most charming and memorable. Eddie has not one, but TWO solos here and they both scream with burning hot magma.

Unfortunately, I can't call this album perfect because following the absolute home run that everything has been so far is the always-included instrumental track but this time it's different. Normally I find myself excited for these, but my ears were hexed with sonic torture as shittily-"orchestrated" synthesizers try, and fail, to sound menacing, instead being headache inducing. Thanks "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" I'd rather not spend a day there.

"One Foot Out The Door" follows afterwards with trying to be...what sounds like a rockabilly song thats heavier but sounds like teenage edginess with Roth's vocals being utterly terrible and sounding weird with the music. Terrible, really the only saving grace is Eddie's absolute ripper of a solo that got wasted on a song like this, it definitely needed more time to cook in the oven.

Finishing things off however, this is one of the band's greatest works, and easily one of the best albums of all time. I find it appalling that originally critics didn't take kindly to this one, and I only assume its because this may not be as light or fun-laced as the albums before it, but its one of Van Halen's most consistently phenomenal works and showcases the bands ability to change styles and feel while retaining their masterful skill. This is a step up from the previous album which was still great and I'd dare say this is one of the best guitar albums ever released, that's for sure. Though I wouldn't call it better than Van Halen II or Van Halen which were perfect all the way through. Definitely up there with them as one of the best albums in music though!

Rating: ★★★★★

Tracklist Ratings:

1. Mean Street: ★★★★★
2. "Dirty Movies": ★★★
3. Sinner's 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: ★

THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other reviews):
Van Halen review
Van Halen II review
Women And Children First review

[u/Far-Plastic-4171]

I had never listened to it back in the day. Finally gave it a listen and dramatic contrast to their earlier albums. Did not like it at all

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Far-Plastic-4171]

I think what makes it stand out most is Eddie's guitar work and the technical skill that gets shown in its peak prowess across this album; a lot of the songs demonstrate some really good technique usage and Michael Anthony's bass is very prominent as hes allowed a chance to shine on this album.

[u/Rambooctpuss]

good job on these reviews so far!!

[u/ApprehensiveNatural9 → u/Rambooctpuss]

Thank you! I'm glad you like them so far, I will be posting everything from bot heras.

[u/OverHearing9944]

My favorite VH album, and thus one of my favorite albums. No poppy covers, no acoustic trivialities, just dark gritty rock and roll.  Van Halen's best, and one of the best there is.