Balance by Van Halen (CD, Jan-1995, Warner Bros. Records Record Label)

Track listing
1. Seventh Seal, The
2. Can't Stop Lovin' You
3. Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)
4. Amsterdam
5. Big Fat Money
6. Strung Out - (TRUE instrumental)
7. Not Enough
8. Aftershock
9. Doin' Time - (TRUE instrumental)
10. Baluchitherium - (TRUE instrumental)
11. Take Me Back (Deja Vu)
12. Feelin'


Details
Playing time: 53 min.
Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
Distributor: WEA
Recording type: Studio
Recording mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a


Album notes
Van Halen: Sammy Hagar (vocals); Edward Van Halen (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Michael Anthony (bass, background vocals); Alex Van Halen (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: The Monks Of Gyuro Tantric University (vocals).
"The Seventh Seal" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
What happens when rowdy rockers get older? Hopefully, if they're like Eddie, Sammy and the boys, they can achieve a BALANCE between the fire from their youth and the more serious demands of maturing rock stars.
The struggle for BALANCE is apparent in songs about strained relationships, drugs and greed. The topics of Sammy's lyrics range from personal turmoil ("I need a change, I need it quick before it makes me sick...I don't like what I've been told I'm feelin'") to apocalyptic doom ("Broken now I can't help but feel someone cracked the seventh seal"). However, the band still kicks when Sammy shouts about the virtues of drugs and avarice in "Amsterdam" and "Big Fat Money."
Supporting this are Eddie's familiar warm tones and Alex's big-footed stomp. Tune into "Amsterdam" to hear Eddie's goofy, bearded grin, and that good-feelin' Van Halen rock. Yet although they offer three instrumental tracks, they no longer flaunt unbridled talent just because it's there. Instead of using songs as mere vehicles for instrumental pyrotechnics, the Van Halen virtuosity has been balanced out to serve the song, and it's a fine BALANCE.

Awesome seller! Everything was as stated in the text. The delivery of the cd came in a really reasonable time thanks for sending them right away. I love the way the shipping reduces when you buy the cds in bulk which is a win win for both the customer and seller. Repeat Customer!

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needed to replace my old cd that was stolen...it is one of my favorites..Cover was in very good condition

THIS CD WAS PURCHASED FOR MY HUSBAND. HE LOVES VAN HALEN. HE IS THROUGHLY ENJOYING THE MUSIC. THE ONLY THING I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS PURCHASE WAS THE PRONGS THAT HOLD THE CD IN PLACE INSIDE THE CASE WERE BROKEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. RONDA

One of the Best Hard Rock Albums of All Times and one of the more underrated albums' in VH's catalogue. Although there were a lot of great bands popular in 1995--Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine--it was still refreshing to have a kick-ass new Van Halen album out. Although "Balance" was released in the days of grunge and alternative rock, it still managed to sell over two million copies.

"Balance" takes up where "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" left off, but the music is overall heavier, and has more of an edge. Gone were the synthesizers and more pop oriented songs that that were prevalent in the first two Van Hagar albums. "Balance" rocks hard like its predecessor, but it is also somewhat darker. I take the general theme of the album to be the loss of a relationship, or going through a major life-change, and then getting back in "Balance."

The band sounds very focused and tight. Bruce Fairbain did a great job of getting the best out of the band and gave the CD a tight, crisp production. It goes without saying that Eddie's playing is terrific and each song has one or two killer solos.

The album begins with the hard hitting "The Seventh Seal." It starts with an atmospheric Buddhist chant leading into the song. This is a really cool, heavy dark song with an almost hypnotic riff. "Can't Stop Lovin' You" is a balled in the vein of "Why Can't this be Love," but doesn't have the dated, cheesy keyboards. "Can't Stop Lovin' You" is about the breakup of a relationship, not the hope of one as it is in "Why Can't this be Love." I take the mid-tempo "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" to basically mean that love is not enough to stop a suicide. The album lightens up a bit with the fast-paced "Amsterdam" and "Big Fat Money," two good, hard rockers. "Strung Out" is a sound-byte of Ed apparently ripping a piano apart, which leads into the majestic balled "Not Enough." "Aftershock" is an excellent rocker and has one of EVH's best solos on the disc. "Doin' Time" is a very cool drum solo that leads into the instrumental "Baluchitherium." It's catchy, infectious groove and killer solos make it a favorite of mine. "Take Me Back (Déjà vu)" remains my personal all-time favorite Van Halen song from the Sammy Hagar era. It's a beautiful, bittersweet, semi-acoustic song with the theme of wanting to return back to an earlier time in your life. The album ends with the depressing "Feelin'" a song that deals with getting though life alive, without getting burned. It's by far the most morose song VH ever wrote.

"Balance" was Van Hagar at it's best. It was also their last album. About a year and a half after it's release, Sammy Hagar and Van Halen parted ways. In hindsight, by listening to this dark CD, you can almost get the sense that although the band still sounds cohesive, this was destined to be the last Van Hagar CD.

Last great album for van halen´s band with sammy hagar as lead singer. This time they changed the producer Ted Templeman for Bruce fairbain, this one had prodruced great albums of aerosmith(pump) or Poison(flesh and blood.
The style of the band didn´t change, they kept their sound and Eddie shown once again the great guitarrist is. You´ve got songs of everykind like the seveth seal, don´t tell me what love can do, or big fat money. And great ballads like can´t stop loving you or it´s not enough. So if you´re a van halen fan don´t hesitate in buying this one too, because it´s as good as the rest of his discography.

Why do bands in turmoil write their greatest material while breaking up? Balance is Van Halen in its prime with Sammy Hagar- Blasting out hard rocking, yet thought provoking, hard rock and roll. Eds guitar screams on track after track while Hagars voice blasts out hit after hit in this hidden gem of an album. From the guitar waling of THE SEVENTH SEAL to a chillig DEJA VU, Van Halen scores big with this runaway hit. Too bad it had to end- this <album> was brilliant.

I BOUGHT THIS CD BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BANDS AND MUSIC EVER MADE. THERE ISN'T ANYTHING I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT. THE SONGS ARE GREAT, EDDIE IS GREAT ON THE GUITAR AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE EXCELLENT BAND MEMBERS. I LOVE THIS CD AND I RECCOMEND IT TO EVERYONE!

Don't get me wrong. This is still a pretty solid Van Halen album, but that's all it is. In my opinion, there are only a few standout tracks on this one. The first one is "Can't Stop Lovin' You," the classic song that sounds great with Sammy singing it. Very nice job! "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" is a very powerful song about young criminals and the guilt-complex they get (that's my interpretation, anyway). This is a very good, mature song that also has an interesting and appropriate video. "Big Fat Money" comes close to recreating some of the fun tunes from early on in Van Halen's career. It has crazy playing, crazy singing and crazy vocals. Pretty cool tune! The rest of the songs don't really stand out to me, but are solid material. I definitely recommend this for fans, but for newcomers, I'd say get the self-titled debut, which I (and many, many others) consider to be the band's best.