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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Salesrank: 3529
Released: October 22, 1996 |
| Our Price: $8.60 |
| Used Price: $3.56 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1 Track Listing:
1. Eruption
2. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
3. Runnin' With the Devil
4. Dance the Night Away
5. And the Cradle Will Rock...
6. Unchained
7. Jump
8. Panama
9. Why Can't This Be Love
10. Dreams
11. When It's Love
12. Poundcake
13. Right Now
14. Can't Stop Lovin' You
15. Humans Being
16. Can't Get This Stuff No More
17. Me Wise Magic
Editorial Review:
Japanese pressing of Van Halen's single disc Best Of Vol. 1 (originally released in 1996) featuring one bonus track: 'Hot For Teacher'. This was the compilation that essentially brought Van Halen to a close when the band drafted in original vocalist David Lee Roth to record two new tracks. This reunion was short-lived but it was enough to anger then-current vocalist Sammy Hagar into leaving the band. Hagar did tour with the band in 2004, but they've never recovered from the firestorm that this release sparked! 18 tracks. Warner. 2007.
Description of Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1:
It took over 20 years for Van Halen to release a Best of album, and even then, the band downplayed the effort. Instead sticking to the original plan of releasing a two-disc set--one of material with original frontman David Lee Roth, and the other with his 11-year replacement Sammy Hagar--the band opted for a single CD chronicling their entire career. For the previously uninitiated, it's a golden introduction to a band that changed the face of '80s hard rock. Guitar-blazing old tracks like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," and "Dance the Night Away" segue into more commercial numbers like "Jump" and "Panama" from 1984. These in turn, set the stage for Hagar's slicker, more polished vocals on "Right Now" and "How Do I Know When It's Love." But while newcomers will be thrilled with the delights within, old fans will probably find little of use, since the two highly touted new tracks with Roth are pretty disposable. --Jon Wiederhorn
Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1 Reviews:
Good compilation album, but am I the only listener who noticed THIS?? 
2009-11-17 - When I got to the track 'Runnin' With The Devil', I was like - what?? This IS NOT THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE SONG as found on Van Halen's first album!
It's the same song all right, but somebody (whether it was the band, or some other idiots) decided to rearrange sections of the song and then put it together differently. I was listening to this and had to double check the fact I wasn't drunk or on drugs or dreaming.... Again, I have read most of the reviews and I cannot believe nobody had mentioned this, especially all the Roth-era fanatics...what a slap in the face!
I hate to go on about this, but whoever thought changing the dynamics of that song was a 'good idea' is a complete idiot. And to think there are probably thousands of just casual Van Halen fans that only have this greatest hits album and have come to know 'Runnin With the Devil' as the way it sounds on here... It sounds terrible, and that is not how the song is originally!!
Other than that total flop, the rest of the compilation is good, especially the wonderful 'Humans Being' track made for the Twister movie, and the two new (at the time) Roth-era recordings.
I am appalled at how 'Runnin With the Devil' was just butchered and put back together like an incorrect jig-saw puzzle. WHAT MORONS WERE BEHIND THIS?? VAN HALEN - do you even know about this? And if so, WHY? WHY??
All your favorites 
2009-11-16 - Classic CD. This cd has all of your favorite Van Halen songs, you will not be disappointed. Good classic rock and roll. Solid.
"Right Now", check out this cd 
2009-09-16 - In my opinion, this cd is a good place to begin if this is your first Van Halen cd. Both of the David Lee Roth songs and Sammy Hagar songs on this cd are great. My overall favorite cd on the song is "Dreams". The thing I like about this cd is that it features songs by both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. This is a good cd to put in your stereo player when you need an emotional energy boost. Admittedly, I wish that the song "Finish what you started" was on this cd but this greatest hits compilation is a good taster of Van Halen songs for a person starting to listen to Van Halen cds. The top five songs on the cd are:
#1 Dreams (10 out of 10)-a wonderful song about going after your dreams regardless of the outer circumstances that come up. I first heard this wonderful song as a teenager when I was at a soccer game of one of my cousins who was playing at a university in Indiana.
#2 Right Now (10 out of 10)- a good song on seizing the moments in your life, hence right now. Its also encouraging one to go after what they plan immediately.
#3 Can't Stop Lovin You (9 out of 10) A heartwarming song about how the love for the other person endures regardless of the challenges that appear.
#4 Why Can't this be Love (9 out of 10)- an interesting song about how the person is ready to go the next step in their relationship with the one they care about and they're wondering why take time in going to the next level when the chemistry already exists in that relationship.
#5 Jump-(9 out of 10)- an energetic song on how a person needs to go ahead and make the leap towards what they think or desire regardless of how challenging it may seem. An encouraging and motivating song in the same positive spirit as "Dreams"(with the soul of Sammy Hagar) but with the soul of David Lee Roth.
All in all the compilation is a good to listen to when you want to give yourself a good emotional boost towards feeling joyful.
pointless! 
2009-06-04 - What's the point of this album? VH fans have all the albums anyway, thus we have to waste $ on 3 new songs?! Me thinks not. They are throwaways, leftovers, boring, old, decrepit junk.
VH aint winning new fans with this one.
You can't please everyone all the time
2009-04-27 - This is a "Best of" album, which means that someone has to pick some songs they consider best of, then put it to market. So unless this "Best of" contains every single song ever recorded, then this also means that inevitably there will be people who don't agree with the picks. Regardless, this album contains all great VH songs.
There's no guitarist like Eddie van Halen. Not saying there aren't other greats, because there are many very very good guitarists. But Ed has his own style, and adds his own flavor to how he plays. That itself is controversial, but then if it didn't really matter then it really wouldn't matter. Meaning that if there wasn't really something to it then he wouldn't be controversial. There's no in between, it seems; either you love his style or you hate it. I love it, and the songs on this album are a good representation, and therefore it's a good "Best of" album. Not to overlook other important parts of VH's style are Big Al's drumming, and Mike's backing vocals, and all come across very well in each of these songs.
I'm glad they included the non-album "Human's Being" because it was one of their very last recorded songs, and it's about as hard-driving a rock tune as you can find, and it's a perfect example of Ed's musical and playing style, and Al's distinctive snare sound.
I'm sad they didn't include songs like "Mean Street" and "Pleasure Dome", because those are great musical numbers. But like I said, you can't make everyone happy with any "Best of" compiliation. This one works just fine in that sense, so if you're looking to get only one Van Halen album then you'll do OK with this. (Though you're much better off just buying all of them...)
