
Click Here. Double your traffic. Get Vendio Gallery - Now FREE!
Van Halen -
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (CD)
AAD recording format
Used CD in GREAT PLAYING CONDITION!!!
Includes CD and all Inserts!!!
CD may have Superficial Scratches that doesn't effect play.
Jewel Case and Inserts have normal wear.
Van Halen and Hagar's third collaboration saw all involved return to
their roots, more or less. The band opted to make a great hard-rock
album, as opposed to a more commercial adult-contemporary one.
While "5150" and "OU812" were strong, the band hadn't sounded so
good in years. Unlike "OU812," you can actually hear Michael Anthony's
bass. Drummer Alex Van Halen didn't play on some lame drum machine (as
he did on "5150") and the tone and mix sounds much better here than it
did on "5150" and "OU812." Sammy Hagar's lyrics showed more depth and
he, as always, gives a fine vocal performance. And, it goes without
saying that Eddie Van Halen sounds as great as ever, contributing at
least a few screeching solos to each song. And while the band certainly
rocks harder here than they did on the two proceeding albums, the
song-writing was still strong. The album is filled with good hooks and
sing-along melodies. Although some songs are better than others, there
really isn't any filler on "For Unlawful Canal Knowledge."
The album's huge hit and centerpiece "Right Now" introduced "Generation
Y" to Van Halen. "Right Now" should silence Van Halen's detractors who
claim that the band never had any songs with substance. Sammy Hagar's
lyrics may not be witty and clever like Roth's, or profound like Lennon
and Dylan's. Hagar's lyrics do encompass
an "everyman wisdom"-a blue-collar insight that you learn though the
school-of-hard-knocks, as opposed to reading Plato. "Right Now" shows
this kind of insight. And while the song's theme - live in the present,
forget about the past, don't worry about the future-may seem obvious,
Hagar's lyrics are clever and memorable. He tells the theme in a way
that puts life in perspective.
Track listing
1. Poundcake
2. Judgement Day
3. Spanked
4. Runaround
5. Pleasure Dome
6. In 'N' Out
7. Man on a Mission
8. Dream Is Over, The
9. Right Now
10. 316
11. Top of the World
Van Halen Biography
With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote
the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van
Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly
fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping,
hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines
and animals. It was wildly inventive and over the top, equaled only by
vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to
near-performance art standards. Roth wasn't blessed with great
technique, unlike Eddie, but he had a flair for showmanship that was
derived as much from lounge performers as Robert Plant. Together, they
made Van Halen into the most popular American rock & roll band of
the late '70s and early '80s, and in the process set the template for
hard rock and heavy metal for the '80s.
Throughout the '80s, it
was impossible not to hear Van Halen's instrumental technique on
records that ranged from the heaviest metal to soft pop. Furthermore,
Roth's irony-drenched antics were copied by singers who took everything
literally. One of these was Sammy Hagar, an arena rock veteran from the
'70s who replaced Roth after the vocalist had a falling out with Van
Halen in 1985. Hagar stayed with the band longer than Roth, helping the
group top the charts through the late '80s and early '90s. However, the
group's sales began to slide in the mid-'90s, just as tensions between
Hagar and Eddie began to arise. In one of the most disastrous publicity
stunts in rock history, Hagar was fired (or quit) and Roth was brought
back on, seemingly as a permanent member, but only for two songs on a
greatest-hits album. He was subsequently replaced by Gary Cherone, a
former member of Extreme.
Through all the upheaval over lead
vocalists, Eddie Van Halen and his prodigious talent remained the core
of Van Halen. The son of a Dutch bandleader, Eddie and his family moved
from the Netherlands to Pasadena, CA, in 1967, when he was 12 years old
and his older brother, Alex, was 14. As their father supported the
family by playing in wedding bands, Eddie and Alex continued their
classical piano training. Soon, both boys were enraptured by rock &
roll. Eddie learned how to play drums and Alex took up the guitar,
eventually switching instruments. The brothers began a hard rock band
called Mammoth and began playing around Pasadena, eventually meeting
David Lee Roth. At the time, Roth, who had been raised in a wealthy
Californian family, was singing in Redball Jet. Impressed by the Van
Halen brothers, he joined forces with the group. Shortly afterward,
bassist Michael Anthony, who was singing with Snake, became a member of
Mammoth. After discovering that another band had the rights to the name
Mammoth, the group decided to call themselves Van Halen in 1974,
rejecting the proposed Rat Salade.
For the next three years, Van
Halen played throughout Pasadena, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles,
playing both clubs and hotel bars. The band's repertoire covered
everything from pop and rock to disco, but they eventually worked in
their own original material. Within a few years, they had become the
most popular local band in Los Angeles, and Eddie became well known for
his groundbreaking technique. In 1977, Kiss' Gene Simmons financed a
demo recording session for Van Halen after seeing them at the Starwood
Club. On the strength of Simmons' recommendation, Mo Ostin and Ted
Templeman signed Van Halen to Warner Bros., releasing the band's debut
the following year.
Van Halen became a hit due to strong word of
mouth, constant touring, and support from AOR radio. Within three
months the album had gone gold, and five months later it went platinum.
It would eventually sell over six million copies, thanks to the album
rock staples "You Really Got Me," "Jamie's Cryin'," and "Runnin' With
the Devil." Van Halen II, released in 1979, continued the band's
success, as "Dance the Night Away" became their first Top 20 single.
Women and Children First (1980) didn't have any charting singles, but
was a success on the album charts, reaching number six. The band
supported the album with their first headlining, international arena
tour, and the group was quickly on their way to being superstars.
Released in 1981, Fair Warning wasn't quite as popular as their
previous records, yet it still peaked at number six. Diver Down,
released in 1982, was a huge hit, spawning a number 12 cover of Roy
Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman" and reaching number three.
While
all of their previous albums were successful, Van Halen didn't become
superstars until 1984, when their album 1984 became an across-the-board
smash. Released on New Year's Day, 1984 rocketed to number two on the
strength of the number one single "Jump." Like many songs on the album,
"Jump" was driven by Eddie's new synthesizer, and while Roth was
initially reluctant to use electronics, the expansion of the group's
sound was widely praised. Throughout 1984, Van Halen gained steam, as
"I'll Wait" and "Panama" became Top 15 singles and "Hot for Teacher"
became a radio and MTV staple.
Despite the band's breakthrough
success, things were not well within the band. During their 1984 tour,
each member played separate solo sets and were physically separated on
the stage. Roth was unhappy with Eddie's appearance on Michael
Jackson's 1983 hit "Beat It," and Eddie grew tired of the comic antics
of Roth. In 1985, Roth released a solo EP, Crazy from the Heat, which
spawned hit covers of "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got
Nobody." When Roth delayed the recording of Van Halen's follow-up to
1984, he was fired from the band. Most observers were taken by surprise
when Sammy Hagar was named as Roth's replacement. The former lead
singer of Montrose, Hagar's solo career had been sporadically
successful, highlighted by such arena metal hits as "Three-Lock Box"
and "I Can't Drive 55."
Though many critics suspected Hagar
wouldn't be able to sustain Van Halen's remarkable success, his first
album with the band, 1986's 5150, was a huge hit, reaching number one
and spawning the hit singles "Why Can't This Be Love," "Dreams," and
"Love Walks In." Released in 1988, OU812 was just as successful,
earning stronger reviews than its predecessor and generating the hits
"When It's Love" and "Finish What You Started." For Unlawful Carnal
Knowledge, released in 1991, was another number one hit, partially due
to the hit MTV video for "Right Now." Van Halen followed the album with
their first live record, the double album Van Halen Live: Right Here,
Right Now in 1993.
By the spring 1995 release of Balance,
tensions between Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar had grown
considerably. Eddie had recently undergone well-publicized treatment
for alcoholism, and Hagar was notorious for his party-hearty ways, even
writing a paean to Amsterdam's hash bars with "Amsterdam" on Balance.
Furthermore, the band had become subject to criticism that it simply
repeated a formula. While Balance was successful, entering the charts
at number one and selling two million copies shortly after its release,
it stalled quickly afterward. The band wanted to release a
greatest-hits collection, but Hagar balked at the idea, escalating
tensions even further. Following a skirmish in 1996 over the recording
of a song for the Twister soundtrack, Eddie decided to make a change by
switching singers. Van Halen began recording new material with Roth
without informing Hagar, who went ballistic upon learning of the
group's reunion.
According to Hagar, Eddie fired him shortly
afterward; Eddie claimed Hagar quit. Roth proceeded to record two new
songs for Van Halen's Best Of, Vol. 1, and once the reunion became
public, the rock media reacted positively to the news; MTV began airing
a welcome back commercial days after the announcement. However, the
reunion was not to be. Following an appearance at the MTV Music Awards,
Eddie Van Halen fired Roth from the band, claiming that he was only on
board to record two new songs. Roth said that he was duped into
recording the songs, believing that the reunion was permanent. Former
Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone was announced as the band's new lead
singer. Though the resulting Best Of, Vol. 1 was a success, Eddie's
reputation as a nice guy was tarnished once the entire affair was over.
Cherone's long-awaited debut with Van Halen, entitled Van Halen III,
was finally released in March of 1998. Although the album debuted high
on the charts, crashing in at number three, it quickly slipped down the
charts, since the reception to the album from fans, critics, and radio
was mixed.
After Van Halen III proved to be the worst-selling
album of Van Halen's long and illustrious career (the ensuing world
tour was poorly attended as well), Cherone was dismissed from Van Halen
in 1999. Immediately, rumors began to swirl once more of an impending
David Lee Roth/Van Halen reunion. Things were kept completely hush-hush
in the Van Halen camp until early 2001, when David Lee Roth went public
on his website with an update, confirming that he had recorded several
new songs with the band (tracks that Roth described as amazing,
phenomenal, and astonishing), but hadn't heard back from them since the
previous summer.
Only a few days after Roth's news, Eddie Van
Halen admitted to the public that he was battling cancer, but was told
by his doctors that chances were good for a complete recovery. In the
summer of 2001, Eddie told MTV News that the band's remaining members
had penned a total of three albums' worth of new material and that they
were still unsure of who their next singer would be. Months later, fans
were shocked to hear that the band parted ways with Warner Bros., its
label since 1979. The bandmembers blamed the label for promoting
younger bands, while also admitting that they had not yet found
Cherone's replacement and were no longer considering Roth.
The
next three years found various members tending to situations both
personal and professional. Eddie and longtime wife Valerie Bertinelli
separated, Michael Anthony began making regular appearances with Sammy
Hagar's Warboritas, and in a surprise move, David Lee Roth and Hagar
hit the road together for the popular Heavyweight Champs of Rock &
Roll Tour. In 2004, the band announced that Hagar would return to the
fold for an American tour in support of a new greatest-hits collection,
The Best of Both Worlds. The shows were undeniably successful, but
tensions were high and Hagar and Anthony returned to the Warboritas the
following year. In 2007, Van Halen were inducted into the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame and rumors of a reunion tour with Roth began to
circulate again. Those rumors were confirmed on August 17th when the
group announced legitimate dates, along with a controversial lineup
change that replaced Michael Anthony with Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.
The tour kicked off in September and went on to gross over 93 million
dollars.
Product Details
- Audio CD (June 17, 1991)
- Original Release Date: June 17, 1991
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Warner Bros / Wea