Van Halen - OU812

The somber black and white cover could have been a knowing allusion to Meet The Beatles!, but it's really a signal that Van Halen is playing it for keeps on Ou812, their second record with Sammy Hagar. Indeed, the striking thing about Ou812 is that all its humor is distilled into a silly punny title, because even the party tunes here -- and there are many -- are performed with a dogged, determined vibe. When David Lee Roth fronted the band, almost everything that Van Halen did seemed easy -- as big, boisterous, and raucous as an actual party -- but Van Hagar makes good times seem like tough work here. Read More