The Best Of Both Worlds

Since their debut album in 1978 Van Halen has changed how rock music was played blah blah blahdededa! Since this is a greatest hits album the formula is different, instead of writing an intro just to take up space and a track listing; instead i'll write an intro that takes up space and then do a pro and con chart, if you want to know what the song is about either read one of my normal reviews or do one better and buy the album!

Here is the pointless intro:
In 1995 Van Halen started planning the creation of a greatist hits album; it revolved around the idea of releasing a double disc album, one with Classic Van Halen material, one with Van Hagar material. After much dispute they put that idea back on the shelf and instead went with a single disc compilation called "The Best of, vol.1", supposedly with a "volume 2" to be released sometime in the future. Details on that album can be found in my review on "Best of Vol.1". The band then waits 8 years before the decide to go ahead with the compilation project they originally intended, how does it hold up?

Judge for yourself:

PROS:
36 of Van Halen's amazing catalogue can be found here on this two-disc compilation, a lot more than on the first compilation album.
3 of those songs are newly recorded tracks with Sammy Hagar and they're pretty good.
Also includes live versions of "Aint Talkin Bout Love", "Jump" and "Panama".
16 classic Van Halen era songs
14 classic Van Hagar songs (excluding the live songs and the new tracks, a total of 20 Hagar tracks)
Professional music review in the liner notes.

CONS:
The end of "Eruption" sounds weird if it is followed by any song not from their eponymous debut album!
"Finish What Ya Started" has an abropt ending, as opposed to it's normal OU912 version that faded out!
Unlike their first compilation, the history detailed is not "Balanced", David Lee Roth is almost treated like a secondary character in the account: "Exit Roth. Enter Sammy Hagar. What Happened? In any case,".
Like the aforementioned note, this account is extremely Hagar biased.
Unlike the first compilation the album information is not detailed, they don't list the tracks on each album just the prodcution details and band members.
The Van Halen III lineup is completely dismissed here, this is a compilation album, no? You should at least mention Gary Cherone somewhere in there to have a historically accurate liner book, not "Exit Hagar. Enter, well, confusion."
Instead of having the three live songs from "Live: Right Here, Right Now" they should've added the well-known favorite "Mean Street" from "Fair Warning", Van Halen's most underated album. Come on! One song, that is pathetic!
They should have at least put one song from Van Halen III on there, since this is a compilation album. It shouldn't matter how much different the material is; it didn't stop Motley Crue from putting their John Corabi materiaL on their compilation album, despite how weird it was.
They should've added one more song from Van Halen II
The tracklisting looks like it was put together at the last minute since there is no chronological order whatso evet.
Unlike what was originally posted, the album isn't splitted, meaning there is not one disc for Dave and one disc for Sammy, they;re all mixed in together.

My advice, get the first compilation instead

I can't say enough about this compiltation, but I'll start off with three simple points.

1. "The Best of Both Worlds" is the most fitting title that could possibly be conceived for this compilation.

2. It also curiously makes it the first Greatest Hits album ever with a title track.

3. Van Halen, with Dave or Sammy at the front, are one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.

Enjoy.

EDIT: It turns out that my first "fact" was in fact incorrect, as Pink Floyd's Best Of compilation has a title track of its own, Echoes. So sue me

well, some may perceive this newer best of compilation as a vehicle to serve up those highly anticipated new van halen tracks. that's exactly whats been done here. as a longtime, die-hard fan of this group its tough to watch the decline of the band and their music. so there's two best of compilations released within a nine year period to push a few new tunes on the fans. it's about time , up for breakfast,and learning to see are pretty good tracks and up for breakfast is my favorite of the three new ones. the other tracks of course i've heard over,and over,and over... whether your a fan of Roth or Hagar or both,there's enough here to satisfy your ears. the reason i gave this release 4 stars is because of the inclusion of live tracks from right here right now live cd, "panama,aint talkin' bout love,and "jump" and the exclusion of songs like "5150, "summer nights", and mean street which are all radio staples and would have been choice replacements for those live tracks. what were they thinking? the live tracks were unnecessary fillers. the original studio versions are already on the discs, so why the hell bother with the live versions? it just doesn't make sense.

Well here it is, Van Halens best stuff in one package. The 2 Disk greatest hits album comes w/ 38 tracks including 3 live tracks from "Right Here, Right Now." which undoutably should have been taken out of this set. Its Sammy Hagar doing David Lee Roth tracks. Infact more then half the time listening to this album, youl be hearing Sammy Hagar annoying voice. All the focus seems to be put on the Van Hagar era, and we all know thats not a good thing. With 3 new original tracks, and the amazingly crappy song "Not Enough" you know this set is pointing in the wrong direction.

With those 3 new track and 3 live tracks, it could have left room for the many David Lee Roth tracks unforgiveably missing from this set. Wheres Ice Cream Man, Mean Streets, So This Is Love?, and Little Guitars? Those tracks more then deserve to be here. And instead we have to suffer through Up For Breakfest, Learning to See, and Not Enough. Balance was Van Halens worst album and it has 2 tracks from it. Fair Warning is one of Van Halens best and all it has is Unchained. That has to be the stupidest thing ive ever heard. The only reason im giving this 3 stars is for what is here. The greatness that was Van Halen I, greatly represented in this package and the 1984 tracks. And a couple of decent Hagar tracks too. I say if you have the money, then buy it. Otherwise, hope to god and wait for a better greatest hits album in the future. One that has David Lee Roth on Disk 1 and Sammy on Disk 2. Oh and a better package art, beacause not giving David Lee Roth a picture is just plain wrong.

I bought this for my Dad on his Birthday. Hes a huge Van Halen fan who saw them in concert 4x including the reunion tour in 2004. He seemed to really like the album. He was a little mad about not having Little Guitars or Mean Streets but he still enjoyed it the whole way through. So who knows, give it a try.

i may not know much about the difference between the eras of Sammy Hager and David Lee Roth, but i know "The Best of Both Worlds" is the definate Best of Van Halen. And it's definately alot better than "Best Of, Vol. 1". Buy this album, it's the best Van Halen compilation.