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Fair Warning Re-visited
Well, with all the shit that's been going on both at this site and in VH-land, I thought it might be nice to look more closely at CVH and appreciate the album many consider the band's best.
Personally, I never actually thought of FAIR WARNING as the band's best album. I think it's a monumental work on so many levels. I think it was truly a turning-point in the band's career. I kind of liken it to EXILE ON MAIN STREET by the Stones. It has a raw, dangerous sound...and its whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I don't personally, however, think it is necessarily the greatest collection of Van Halen songs compared to albums like VHII or 1984 . But that's just me. I still think it's a five-star album in every way. And I would still say it's one of the best things the band ever did.
Funny enough, the band often seemed to record their most ground-breaking albums when they were peaking with tension. This and 1984 both were created during periods in which band members were practically hating each other. Eddie Van Halen was flirting with the idea of leaving the band (supposedly because he couldn't take Dave's antics anymore) and even possibly joining KISS. In Gene Simmon's poor autobiography, KISS AND MAKE-UP, he tells of an incident in which he told Eddie to stay with the band and "put up" with Dave. Eddie takes his advice (although he did record a few solos, apparently not used, for KISS's CREATURES OF THE NIGHT album).
The first two albums had been basically collected original songs (and a few covers) from the band's club days. Many great songs from the band's gigantic cache of early original material were included, often in versions identical to the recordings on the band's '77 demo tape. For WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, many riffs and ideas from that demo tape were still utilized...and that brilliant album still had a sort of "quick-recording", jamming feel to it.
By FAIR WARNING, Eddie seemed more determined than ever to make a real studio statement. FAIR WARNING was the first album the band recorded that definitely didn't have a garage-band feel to it. That's not to say that the album is overproduced like many of their pedestrian efforts with second vocalist Sammy Hagar. What comes through, however, on FAIR WARNING is a sense that the album was a giant statement instead of a band seeking to again create a record that sounds like a typical Van Halen live set. Sure, a few of those old ideas were still utilized (MEAN STREET had two old riffs from the demo tape). But for the most part, this material was new...and it sounded new, with more overdubs and advanced guitar sounds (and styles).
And Dave? He sounds more confident than ever.
This has never been the VH album that a fan will immediately declare the band's masterpiece upon first listen. This one has to sink in a bit. But once you get it, you really get it and realize its brilliance. It's even possible that the original line-up wouldn't have been quite so revered if it weren't for this ground-breaking album that (like most of the original band's recordings) hasn't become dated almost whatsoever.
Strangely, the album ended up being the smallest seller out of all the original line-up's albums (it reached #6 in the U.S. charts). But what do sales matter? 5150 apparently sold a lot more originally than an album like VAN HALEN II . But which album will people still be buying in ten years? Duh.:p
After releasing this album, the band went out on another huge world tour...a tour that is often considered the height of the original band's dangerousness. Indeed, an official document of the excellent FAIR WARNING tour would probably outdo any Van Halen album or video ever released (okay, a fucking Osmonds concert would probably outclass the band's terrible live video RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW). And the idea of such a document isn't merely wishful thinking either. A rumor has been making the rounds that with the latest tour's failure and the band's inability to keep it together with either singer, the band will have to semi-retire but keep an income going through archive releases. A box set is still a possibility. But with the giant success of last year's LED ZEPPELIN DVD release, a vintage Van Halen DVD set designed for home theatres is a further possibility. Yes, this is a rumor. But apparently, the band dusted off the original negatives for the Oakland '81 show (the source of the famous UNCHAINED, SO THIS IS LOVE and HEAR ABOUT IT LATER videos) and realized that the film would require some rather expensive restoration work. See, when the three videos were compiled, the entire concert was NOT edited. The band only had the three songs they planned to release edited together (camera angles/sound) because they only planned to release those three songs. The entire concert WAS filmed for a possible home video release, but the film negatives for most of the concert have sat in a vault for 23 years. In order for the concert to be put on DVD, a professional film company will have to restore the film negatives, transferring them to a digital medium, all the while hoping that everything is still useable and hasn't been too damaged with the space of time (this same problem explains why not every song from Zeppelin's ROYAL ALBERT HALL concert was used in the DVD release last year). It will then be a matter of mixing the original multi-track tapes into 5.1 It is also possible that the band could release an official live album from this show...though this has never been really rumored. The key, according to the rumors, is that the band has to make a decision on whether or not it is worth restoring the film financially. Restoring a giant pile of original film is not cheap. They have to feel confident enough that the sales will be there when the DVD is released. One good thing about this rumor is that film generally looks better than video...espcially video filmed in 1981. If the film is truly restored and the multi-track audio tapes are in good shape, this will shape up to be the ultimate DVD for any Van Halen fan. Anyway, just a rumor, but something I wanted to shove in here. Let's hope the band gets to work on this if they are indeed finished. (Frankly, I hope they're finished...I certainly don't want them to tour with Cheese Head ever again, and after the fiasco in Arizona the other night, that's not likely.)
thanks for www.classicvanhalen.com for this pic.
Anyway, on to the songs...
MEAN STREET
The fade-in is classic. It's a defining moment in VH history. And it sets the scene for an album that will be unpredictable, dark and guitar-based. Yes, Dave is amazing on this album. But just as Dave steals the show on WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, Eddie really steals it here. The main riff in this song (a song unlike any other in the VH or DLR canon) is actually borrowed from an old VH original called VOODOO QUEEN (this song appears on the 77 demo). Furthermore, the simple riff that counts as a middle-eight and appears before Ed's excellent guitar solo is actually borrowed from another unused original (also from the '77 demo) called SHE'S THE WOMAN (one of my favorite unreleased Van Halen songs). Based on these facts, you may think the band is going to spend another album going back to the seemingly bottomless well of old Van Halen songs and riffs. But even though this song borrows plenty from the past, it is still undeniably new (ie. 1981) Van Halen. I still get goosebumps when the music quiets down and Dave declares:
See a gun is real easy in this desperate part of town.
Turns you from hunted into hunter, gonna hunt somebody down.
What is this song truly about? God only knows. It's likely that Dave heard the finished music and decided that he wasn't going to sing about love or dreams or making it as his mentally retarded successor would have. Whatever, Ed shines on the closing solo. You could say this is the band's KASHMIR. It's majestic, dangerous and just as amazing so many years later. My vote for one of the album's two best tracks and one of the band's best songs ever. (QUICK NOTE: I saw Dave perform this with his band on Carson Daly a couple of years ago, and it was amazing...anyone who says he can't perform anymore should be placed in a mental hospital...and boy did his band smoke!)
DIRTY MOVIES
Some amazing guitar work here on the intro. I can't even describe how strange the slide-playing sounds. And the rhythm section is truly funky. Dave sings about a good girl gone bad...not exactly a new subject. But it clearly fits the sleazy tone of the music. (See, another of the big problems I had with Van Hagar was the fact that Sam would always sing something either unbelievably stupid or completely out-of-place on the music he was handed...Dave, however, always matched the mood perfectly). That being said (and I know this is a favorite of many fans), this just isn't one of my favorite VH songs. It has some great work musically, and Dave does the best he can. But I just don't think it's as well-structured a song as almost anything else on the album. I don't really like the "Take it off" part or the "Lights camera action" bit at the end. PM me gigantic insults to relieve your anger when you read this.
SINNER'S SWING
This actually sounds like it came off the debut album. It's got all the elements of early Van Halen fury. But it's almost definitely a brand-new composition (and worked extremely-well live...God, I hope that Oakland DVD comes out!!!). This is a perfect example of the amazing pairing Eddie and Dave were. The riff is pure adrenaline, and Dave is just smoking when he declares, "She looks so fucking good, so sexy and so frail!" Alex is also on fire. This is the kind of fast, crack-cocaine kind of drumming he excelled at during the Dave days before he got so happy playing song after song of mid-paced nap music during the Cheddar days. Mikey is also great during Ed's solo, laying a great bottom down on the only album on which he plays primarily with a pick. A classic Van Halen song. Too bad it doesn't get the recognition that a song like I'M THE ONE does (I personally think SINNER'S SWING is a superior song).
HEAR ABOUT IT LATER
Another track that moves the band forward in their musical journey. There are those that say there is nothing poppy about FAIR WARNING. I disagree. Both HEAR ABOUT IT LATER and the following track have the hit-single, hook structure. HEAR ABOUT IT LATER was apparently written using a piano before Ed found a way to make it work with the guitar...allowing him to find a way in which his music could be both intense and heavy while still incredible melodic. That said, the chords here aren't particularly jazzy or strange. Ed uses basic pop chords, and the song could have been a stinker had Sam sung on it. But with Dave belting out incredible melodies and lyrics like "Neighbors gettin' crazy 'bout the noise next door...It's a major violation, carried away for sure", this becomes an album highlight. In fact, the best moment for me is the simple middle-eight before the bass/drums jam. Dave just belts out a simple melody over descending chords: "But you can try me at home if it feels alright!" Again, it's brilliant. It just sounds so powerful, melodramatic and over-the-top. It's actually one of my favorite moments in the band's catalogue. The solo is typical Ed...bluesy, sleazy and brilliant. A real highlight!
UNCHAINED
Probably the best track the band ever recorded. From the amazing chorus to the once-in-a-lifetime riff, from the incredible flange to the wonderful lyrics...this song alone demonstrates why Sammy Hagar should have declined politely in 1985 when Ed asked him to join the band. How anyone could feel they could ever follow this song up with anything is beyond me. This is not only incredibly catchy (this should have been a #1 single) but is also a high-octane, concert-opening, barnstorming Van Halen rocker. It has the great Van Halen rhythm section (before they started going on autopilot a few years later) and some of Ed's best guitar work (including what he considers maybe his greatest solo). I could go on and on about the lyrics or Dave's legendary "one break comin' up" line (responding to Ted Templeman's "C'mon Dave, gimme a break question from the control room). But we're all read that before. BTW, have any of you ever heard the live versions that Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone have performed? If so, have a few drinks, listen to this version again (or watch the Oakland video version) and all will be good on Earth again.
PUSH COMES TO SHOVE
Dave was always into expanding the band's boundaries and trying new things. Eddie and Alex were rather boring and would have been happy playing generic hard rock for years. In fact, this sort of tension made the band brilliant in those days. Eddie ended up humoring Dave when Dave requested something "reggae-sounding" (Dave had probably just listened to a Police hit or something). Funny, but this doesn't sound even remotely like a reggae song. And the opening seconds are almost cheesy. But then, as Dave begins mumbling into the mic ("Does it seem cold in here to you"...POOP BOY loves that line) and then croons out some easy lines ("Some people live apart and they break your heart so damn easy...And then one night in stunning victory, she decides and you agree...she's leaving"), the groove becomes masterful. I love Eddie's guitar sound on this (he definitely was leaving behind that echoed, chorusy sound, panned dead-left, that he depended on for the first three albums). And his amazing solo, apparently recorded at four in the morning when Dave and Templeman weren't in the studio, is yet another shining example of his best work. The fact that the song doesn't really have a killer chorus or undeniable hook can't be denied. But as an exercise in groove and attitude, this song can't be beat.
SO THIS IS LOVE
This is another one that would have been right at home on the first album. In fact, for that very reason, it actually has always felt a little out of place to me. It's almost too FUN for the FAIR WARNING album. But I still love it. The opening lines have always totally representative of Dave's fool-may-care attitude: "Well my baby's on the corner and she's lookin' so fine". Fucking-A. Funny how few people have pointed out how much the chorus has similarities to the first loud section in IN A SIMPLE RHYME from the previous album. Anyway, the live version from Oakland is stunning. I wouldn't say this is among my favorites on the album. But it definitely was sequences at the point in the album because ending an album with PUSH COMES TO SHOVE and the last two tracks would have been a little too downbeat. As an exercise in early Van Halen party music, this song is perfect.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE PARK
You know you're in trouble when this is one of the only Classic Van Halen songs the band played during its Sammy days. Mikey played this as part of his solo on the band's very corporate FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE tour. Actually, Ed wrote this song and played it on synthesizer. I've never had a problem with it. But I don't think it's very good. I think losing this track and instead putting in another actual song here would have been wiser. It is kind of sad that this self-indulgent solo piece (complete with unnatural effects distortion in its opener) sits comfortably in the band's catalogue while a great song like BIG TROUBLES remains unreleased. Anyway, send me your insulting PMs.
ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR
Maybe it's because I've always felt the band chose to close such a stellar album with two throw-away tracks that I've always thought of FAIR WARNING only as "almost perfect" instead of "perfect". I know some fans really love this track. Hell, MAX was telling me the other day how great he thinks this is. And I agree that it's kind of cool to hear the band pull off something so spontaneous. But at the same time, I think it's recorded so badly and doesn't have ANY hook at all that it just never did much for me. I don't even know what it's about. And I don't like Ed's rather self-indulgent riffing. (That is a synthesizer, right?) Anyway, again, PM me with your insults. But I've always considered it a shame that the album didn't have two unbelievable kickass closers. If it had, it would have been the perfect Van Halen album in EVERY way.
This was the first real STUDIO Van Halen album. In this case, Dave managed to still get his personality into Eddie's ground-breaking music. But because it didn't sell as well as the other albums, Dave definitely got the upper-hand for DIVER DOWN (an album that more closely followed the blueprint of the first album). In fact, FAIR WARNING didn't receive a real follow-up until 1984 . And that was during a period in which Ed was more interested in writing pop songs. In fact, Ed didn't really try to be this dark or self-indulgent again until the band's VH3 album. And, unfortunately, he had the idiot from Extreme with him to take that journey. Thus, Van Halen fans ended up with another interesting guitar album...but one with awful singing and mostly horrible songs.
So will there ever be another FAIR WARNING? Probably not. If Dave ever rejoins the band again, Eddie will need to be on another plane of both dangerousness and creativity. And in his current drunken state, is that likely to happen? Uh...no.
Now go crank this fucker!!!
Personally, I never actually thought of FAIR WARNING as the band's best album. I think it's a monumental work on so many levels. I think it was truly a turning-point in the band's career. I kind of liken it to EXILE ON MAIN STREET by the Stones. It has a raw, dangerous sound...and its whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I don't personally, however, think it is necessarily the greatest collection of Van Halen songs compared to albums like VHII or 1984 . But that's just me. I still think it's a five-star album in every way. And I would still say it's one of the best things the band ever did.
Funny enough, the band often seemed to record their most ground-breaking albums when they were peaking with tension. This and 1984 both were created during periods in which band members were practically hating each other. Eddie Van Halen was flirting with the idea of leaving the band (supposedly because he couldn't take Dave's antics anymore) and even possibly joining KISS. In Gene Simmon's poor autobiography, KISS AND MAKE-UP, he tells of an incident in which he told Eddie to stay with the band and "put up" with Dave. Eddie takes his advice (although he did record a few solos, apparently not used, for KISS's CREATURES OF THE NIGHT album).
The first two albums had been basically collected original songs (and a few covers) from the band's club days. Many great songs from the band's gigantic cache of early original material were included, often in versions identical to the recordings on the band's '77 demo tape. For WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, many riffs and ideas from that demo tape were still utilized...and that brilliant album still had a sort of "quick-recording", jamming feel to it.
By FAIR WARNING, Eddie seemed more determined than ever to make a real studio statement. FAIR WARNING was the first album the band recorded that definitely didn't have a garage-band feel to it. That's not to say that the album is overproduced like many of their pedestrian efforts with second vocalist Sammy Hagar. What comes through, however, on FAIR WARNING is a sense that the album was a giant statement instead of a band seeking to again create a record that sounds like a typical Van Halen live set. Sure, a few of those old ideas were still utilized (MEAN STREET had two old riffs from the demo tape). But for the most part, this material was new...and it sounded new, with more overdubs and advanced guitar sounds (and styles).
And Dave? He sounds more confident than ever.
This has never been the VH album that a fan will immediately declare the band's masterpiece upon first listen. This one has to sink in a bit. But once you get it, you really get it and realize its brilliance. It's even possible that the original line-up wouldn't have been quite so revered if it weren't for this ground-breaking album that (like most of the original band's recordings) hasn't become dated almost whatsoever.
Strangely, the album ended up being the smallest seller out of all the original line-up's albums (it reached #6 in the U.S. charts). But what do sales matter? 5150 apparently sold a lot more originally than an album like VAN HALEN II . But which album will people still be buying in ten years? Duh.:p
After releasing this album, the band went out on another huge world tour...a tour that is often considered the height of the original band's dangerousness. Indeed, an official document of the excellent FAIR WARNING tour would probably outdo any Van Halen album or video ever released (okay, a fucking Osmonds concert would probably outclass the band's terrible live video RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW). And the idea of such a document isn't merely wishful thinking either. A rumor has been making the rounds that with the latest tour's failure and the band's inability to keep it together with either singer, the band will have to semi-retire but keep an income going through archive releases. A box set is still a possibility. But with the giant success of last year's LED ZEPPELIN DVD release, a vintage Van Halen DVD set designed for home theatres is a further possibility. Yes, this is a rumor. But apparently, the band dusted off the original negatives for the Oakland '81 show (the source of the famous UNCHAINED, SO THIS IS LOVE and HEAR ABOUT IT LATER videos) and realized that the film would require some rather expensive restoration work. See, when the three videos were compiled, the entire concert was NOT edited. The band only had the three songs they planned to release edited together (camera angles/sound) because they only planned to release those three songs. The entire concert WAS filmed for a possible home video release, but the film negatives for most of the concert have sat in a vault for 23 years. In order for the concert to be put on DVD, a professional film company will have to restore the film negatives, transferring them to a digital medium, all the while hoping that everything is still useable and hasn't been too damaged with the space of time (this same problem explains why not every song from Zeppelin's ROYAL ALBERT HALL concert was used in the DVD release last year). It will then be a matter of mixing the original multi-track tapes into 5.1 It is also possible that the band could release an official live album from this show...though this has never been really rumored. The key, according to the rumors, is that the band has to make a decision on whether or not it is worth restoring the film financially. Restoring a giant pile of original film is not cheap. They have to feel confident enough that the sales will be there when the DVD is released. One good thing about this rumor is that film generally looks better than video...espcially video filmed in 1981. If the film is truly restored and the multi-track audio tapes are in good shape, this will shape up to be the ultimate DVD for any Van Halen fan. Anyway, just a rumor, but something I wanted to shove in here. Let's hope the band gets to work on this if they are indeed finished. (Frankly, I hope they're finished...I certainly don't want them to tour with Cheese Head ever again, and after the fiasco in Arizona the other night, that's not likely.)
thanks for www.classicvanhalen.com for this pic.
Anyway, on to the songs...
MEAN STREET
The fade-in is classic. It's a defining moment in VH history. And it sets the scene for an album that will be unpredictable, dark and guitar-based. Yes, Dave is amazing on this album. But just as Dave steals the show on WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, Eddie really steals it here. The main riff in this song (a song unlike any other in the VH or DLR canon) is actually borrowed from an old VH original called VOODOO QUEEN (this song appears on the 77 demo). Furthermore, the simple riff that counts as a middle-eight and appears before Ed's excellent guitar solo is actually borrowed from another unused original (also from the '77 demo) called SHE'S THE WOMAN (one of my favorite unreleased Van Halen songs). Based on these facts, you may think the band is going to spend another album going back to the seemingly bottomless well of old Van Halen songs and riffs. But even though this song borrows plenty from the past, it is still undeniably new (ie. 1981) Van Halen. I still get goosebumps when the music quiets down and Dave declares:
See a gun is real easy in this desperate part of town.
Turns you from hunted into hunter, gonna hunt somebody down.
What is this song truly about? God only knows. It's likely that Dave heard the finished music and decided that he wasn't going to sing about love or dreams or making it as his mentally retarded successor would have. Whatever, Ed shines on the closing solo. You could say this is the band's KASHMIR. It's majestic, dangerous and just as amazing so many years later. My vote for one of the album's two best tracks and one of the band's best songs ever. (QUICK NOTE: I saw Dave perform this with his band on Carson Daly a couple of years ago, and it was amazing...anyone who says he can't perform anymore should be placed in a mental hospital...and boy did his band smoke!)
DIRTY MOVIES
Some amazing guitar work here on the intro. I can't even describe how strange the slide-playing sounds. And the rhythm section is truly funky. Dave sings about a good girl gone bad...not exactly a new subject. But it clearly fits the sleazy tone of the music. (See, another of the big problems I had with Van Hagar was the fact that Sam would always sing something either unbelievably stupid or completely out-of-place on the music he was handed...Dave, however, always matched the mood perfectly). That being said (and I know this is a favorite of many fans), this just isn't one of my favorite VH songs. It has some great work musically, and Dave does the best he can. But I just don't think it's as well-structured a song as almost anything else on the album. I don't really like the "Take it off" part or the "Lights camera action" bit at the end. PM me gigantic insults to relieve your anger when you read this.
SINNER'S SWING
This actually sounds like it came off the debut album. It's got all the elements of early Van Halen fury. But it's almost definitely a brand-new composition (and worked extremely-well live...God, I hope that Oakland DVD comes out!!!). This is a perfect example of the amazing pairing Eddie and Dave were. The riff is pure adrenaline, and Dave is just smoking when he declares, "She looks so fucking good, so sexy and so frail!" Alex is also on fire. This is the kind of fast, crack-cocaine kind of drumming he excelled at during the Dave days before he got so happy playing song after song of mid-paced nap music during the Cheddar days. Mikey is also great during Ed's solo, laying a great bottom down on the only album on which he plays primarily with a pick. A classic Van Halen song. Too bad it doesn't get the recognition that a song like I'M THE ONE does (I personally think SINNER'S SWING is a superior song).
HEAR ABOUT IT LATER
Another track that moves the band forward in their musical journey. There are those that say there is nothing poppy about FAIR WARNING. I disagree. Both HEAR ABOUT IT LATER and the following track have the hit-single, hook structure. HEAR ABOUT IT LATER was apparently written using a piano before Ed found a way to make it work with the guitar...allowing him to find a way in which his music could be both intense and heavy while still incredible melodic. That said, the chords here aren't particularly jazzy or strange. Ed uses basic pop chords, and the song could have been a stinker had Sam sung on it. But with Dave belting out incredible melodies and lyrics like "Neighbors gettin' crazy 'bout the noise next door...It's a major violation, carried away for sure", this becomes an album highlight. In fact, the best moment for me is the simple middle-eight before the bass/drums jam. Dave just belts out a simple melody over descending chords: "But you can try me at home if it feels alright!" Again, it's brilliant. It just sounds so powerful, melodramatic and over-the-top. It's actually one of my favorite moments in the band's catalogue. The solo is typical Ed...bluesy, sleazy and brilliant. A real highlight!
UNCHAINED
Probably the best track the band ever recorded. From the amazing chorus to the once-in-a-lifetime riff, from the incredible flange to the wonderful lyrics...this song alone demonstrates why Sammy Hagar should have declined politely in 1985 when Ed asked him to join the band. How anyone could feel they could ever follow this song up with anything is beyond me. This is not only incredibly catchy (this should have been a #1 single) but is also a high-octane, concert-opening, barnstorming Van Halen rocker. It has the great Van Halen rhythm section (before they started going on autopilot a few years later) and some of Ed's best guitar work (including what he considers maybe his greatest solo). I could go on and on about the lyrics or Dave's legendary "one break comin' up" line (responding to Ted Templeman's "C'mon Dave, gimme a break question from the control room). But we're all read that before. BTW, have any of you ever heard the live versions that Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone have performed? If so, have a few drinks, listen to this version again (or watch the Oakland video version) and all will be good on Earth again.
PUSH COMES TO SHOVE
Dave was always into expanding the band's boundaries and trying new things. Eddie and Alex were rather boring and would have been happy playing generic hard rock for years. In fact, this sort of tension made the band brilliant in those days. Eddie ended up humoring Dave when Dave requested something "reggae-sounding" (Dave had probably just listened to a Police hit or something). Funny, but this doesn't sound even remotely like a reggae song. And the opening seconds are almost cheesy. But then, as Dave begins mumbling into the mic ("Does it seem cold in here to you"...POOP BOY loves that line) and then croons out some easy lines ("Some people live apart and they break your heart so damn easy...And then one night in stunning victory, she decides and you agree...she's leaving"), the groove becomes masterful. I love Eddie's guitar sound on this (he definitely was leaving behind that echoed, chorusy sound, panned dead-left, that he depended on for the first three albums). And his amazing solo, apparently recorded at four in the morning when Dave and Templeman weren't in the studio, is yet another shining example of his best work. The fact that the song doesn't really have a killer chorus or undeniable hook can't be denied. But as an exercise in groove and attitude, this song can't be beat.
SO THIS IS LOVE
This is another one that would have been right at home on the first album. In fact, for that very reason, it actually has always felt a little out of place to me. It's almost too FUN for the FAIR WARNING album. But I still love it. The opening lines have always totally representative of Dave's fool-may-care attitude: "Well my baby's on the corner and she's lookin' so fine". Fucking-A. Funny how few people have pointed out how much the chorus has similarities to the first loud section in IN A SIMPLE RHYME from the previous album. Anyway, the live version from Oakland is stunning. I wouldn't say this is among my favorites on the album. But it definitely was sequences at the point in the album because ending an album with PUSH COMES TO SHOVE and the last two tracks would have been a little too downbeat. As an exercise in early Van Halen party music, this song is perfect.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE PARK
You know you're in trouble when this is one of the only Classic Van Halen songs the band played during its Sammy days. Mikey played this as part of his solo on the band's very corporate FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE tour. Actually, Ed wrote this song and played it on synthesizer. I've never had a problem with it. But I don't think it's very good. I think losing this track and instead putting in another actual song here would have been wiser. It is kind of sad that this self-indulgent solo piece (complete with unnatural effects distortion in its opener) sits comfortably in the band's catalogue while a great song like BIG TROUBLES remains unreleased. Anyway, send me your insulting PMs.
ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR
Maybe it's because I've always felt the band chose to close such a stellar album with two throw-away tracks that I've always thought of FAIR WARNING only as "almost perfect" instead of "perfect". I know some fans really love this track. Hell, MAX was telling me the other day how great he thinks this is. And I agree that it's kind of cool to hear the band pull off something so spontaneous. But at the same time, I think it's recorded so badly and doesn't have ANY hook at all that it just never did much for me. I don't even know what it's about. And I don't like Ed's rather self-indulgent riffing. (That is a synthesizer, right?) Anyway, again, PM me with your insults. But I've always considered it a shame that the album didn't have two unbelievable kickass closers. If it had, it would have been the perfect Van Halen album in EVERY way.
This was the first real STUDIO Van Halen album. In this case, Dave managed to still get his personality into Eddie's ground-breaking music. But because it didn't sell as well as the other albums, Dave definitely got the upper-hand for DIVER DOWN (an album that more closely followed the blueprint of the first album). In fact, FAIR WARNING didn't receive a real follow-up until 1984 . And that was during a period in which Ed was more interested in writing pop songs. In fact, Ed didn't really try to be this dark or self-indulgent again until the band's VH3 album. And, unfortunately, he had the idiot from Extreme with him to take that journey. Thus, Van Halen fans ended up with another interesting guitar album...but one with awful singing and mostly horrible songs.
So will there ever be another FAIR WARNING? Probably not. If Dave ever rejoins the band again, Eddie will need to be on another plane of both dangerousness and creativity. And in his current drunken state, is that likely to happen? Uh...no.
Now go crank this fucker!!!
:p I ain't reading all of that shit! Fair Warning is my second fave CVH album (second to the first one, with "1984" close on its heels.)
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