With all the talk around Van Halen's new studio album; it's time to take a trip back to 1986 and revisit what many would decry as the beginning of the end for Van Halen. However, 5150 is a surprisingly good album and certainly lives up to the legacy of the early David Lee Roth years; albeit headed in much different direction.
Recorded at Eddie's "5150" home studio; the albums feel incredibly slick and oozes with panache like a 1985 Ferrari Testarossa. Opener "Good Enough" does not really stray from the typical Van Halen formula; drill-like over driven guitars pepper a rocking riff accompanied by typical lunkhead Haggar lyrics about a woman that is "Good Enough" to... well you get the picture. Like all Van Halen songs; the guitar is really the highlight of the song; as the lyrics will certainly make you cringe with embarrassment. Recently shafted bassist and hot sauce enthusiast Michael Anthony shows off his typical juicy backing vocals. Stupid yes, but a fun song nonetheless. Big single "Why Can't This Be Love" is up next; and most will have heard this song before; likely at a hockey game or during film credits for several cheesy 1990s movies. The pop song sways with Haggar's confident rooster-like vocal pea cocking, and really shows why initially "Van Haggar" was able to outsell many of the Roth-era albums. The song is certainly lame; but a great example of a nostalgic power ballad from a bygone era. "Get Up" showcases Haggar's love of boxing; and the song concerns getting up after being knocked down, metaphorically of course. The drums are insanely fast; and the whole thing sounds as if it was recorded on speed. Energetic, but slightly grating and annoying. The song is really just an excuse for Eddie to play as fast as he can; and Eddie's signature tapping is in full effect here. The lyrics are just plain retarded; even for Haggar. Skip this one.
The band next takes a sappy turn that would surely make even Bon Jovi cringe. But as a child of the 1980s, "Dreams" is cheesy in a way that I actually enjoy. Haggar has never been afraid to be an optimist and motivator; and the song is really about achieving all you can in life. Much to Roth's chagrin; synthesizers had become an essential component of the Van Halen sound by the mid-1980s. The keyboards actually add a certainly element of ascendance to the song, and it is hard to picture this song without them. The song is quite enjoyable in a guilty pleasure kind of way. The guitar solos are excellent; as per the norm for Eddie and his six-string insanity. "Summer Nights" really acts a modus operandi for the band; and this song shows that simple is not always a bad thing. Like the musical equivalent of "Spike" TV, the song is about hanging out with the boys, watching girls, and pounding a few back. Unlike the bloated rock star that Roth had become; with "Summer Nights" Haggar acts as a sort of everyman, appealing to the most basic of human activities and instincts. Those looking for lyrical sophistication need not apply; this is not Bob Dylan. Instead, you get fun music that really eschews complexity, at least in a lyrical sense. The music is heavily processed, but relaxing like a warm summer breeze.
Side 2 starts with "Best of Both Worlds". The song instantly reminds one of early Michael Bolton tracks, and is really Metal wrapped up nicely in a pop package. The song is catchy enough; with a repetitive but infectious chorus about having your cake and eating it to.The song does not really add much to the album, and the lack of a quantifiable guitar solo fails to amaze here. Decent song, but could have been a tad longer and fleshed out with more Anthony backups and guitar insanity. "Love Walks In" was another massive power ballad from the album, and the song has sat atop countless wedding song lists for decades. It is here we see the total death of Roth-era goofiness, replaced by Haggar's constant alternation between hyper-macho persona and his utterly sappy and almost crooner-like role as a ballad master extraordinaire. The wispy synthesizers sound somewhat brittle and outdated, but are played quite nicely by Eddie. The lyrics read like some kind of romance novel; and really show why Halen was developing a increasingly female audience at this juncture of their career. The soaring guitar work really shows Eddie's stadium appeal; his guitars cut through the mix and impossible to ignore. Studio effects on Haggar's vocals are dated but interesting, feed backing like the natural crowd acoustics of a huge amphitheater.Michael Anthony is in top form again; giving his best vocal performance since "Dance the Night Away" from "Van Halen II". Titular "5150" takes the band into pseudo-metal territory, and is based on a slightly heavy riff. Alex Van Halen shows that when he is on the ball, he is really on the ball. Nice drum fills thunder through the song, and he is finally given a chance to show his stuff on the album. The lyrics are quite vague; and I can only guess that song is about a strained relationship. The song is enjoyable enough, but slightly repetitive and boring at times. The album closes with very 1980s " "Inside". The song sounds somewhat New Wave, and the introduction is reminiscent of "Talking Heads" during some parts. The meaning of the song is beyond me, but the whole thing sounds like some kind of inside joke created by practical joker Haggar. The use of samples, bass synthesizers, and a goofy New Wave like chorus really sound out of place for the band. The song is nothing more than an experiment, and thankfully the band did not choose to pursue this musical avenue.
"5150" is a good album, but lacks the sheer over-the-top goofball antics of the Roth era. "Van Haggar" headed much more towards the pop/jock combination of songwriting; and the songs on this album tend to fall into one of those two categories. Despite lacking elasticity and diversity; "5150" is a fun album to throw on and is quite energetic and poppy in a way that only slightly offends. Worth a listen.
Rating-7/10
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