For a band as prolific as Van Halen, compiling a truly representative greatest hits album is a nearly impossible task. Take 1996's "The Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1," for example. While the 17-track collection included most of the group's essential tracks, it left off a healthy number of their finest performances.
The newly released two-disc, 36-track "The Best of Both Worlds" looked to be the answer for those fans that yearned for a comprehensive document of Van Halen's best work spanning from their early days with David Lee Roth on vocals through their time with Sammy Hagar behind the microphone. While this release fills in many of the gaps in the previous best-of CD, it still fails to completely capture the essence of this legendary group.
It must be said that any Van Halen greatest hits collection, no matter how poorly compiled, is virtually guaranteed to be a quality listen. Riding the strength of Eddie Van Halen's virtuoso guitar work and Roth's unparalleled showmanship, the original incarnation of the group produced some of the finest hard rock ever recorded during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Even after Hagar replaced Roth following the "1984" LP, the band continued to churn out hits into the 1990s.
In general, "The Best of Both Worlds" not only improves on "Vol. 1," it serves as a decent illustration covering the full extent of Van Halen's time atop the rock world. All the biggest songs are here, including "Jump," "Panama," "Right Now," "Dance the Night Away" and "Dreams."
Also, many of the most egregious omissions from the prior best-of disc made their way onto "The Best of Both Worlds." For example, the record contains "Jamie's Cryin'," "Hot for Teacher" and "Beautiful Girls," all of which were left off "Vol. 1."
So, judging solely from these song selections, the album shows plenty of potential to serve as an outstanding Van Halen hits collection. Despite whether a given fan favors the Roth era over the Hagar years or vice versa, the disc includes enough quality numbers from both vocalists to placate both camps.
However, despite these positive aspects, the album falters in some crucial ways, and thereby it is unable to attain classic status. First off, the ordering of the tracks is poorly assembled. Instead of breaking the album logically into two separate sets featuring Roth and Hagar, most of the record consists alternates between Roth and Hagar selections.
This arrangement succeeds in throwing off the rhythm and tone of the disc, and makes for an unnecessarily inconsistent listen. For instance, the decision to bookend the terse, driving rocker "Runnin' with the Devil" with the pop-rock of "Why Can't This Be Love" and "When It's Love" provides for a jarring experience.
Another interesting but predictable element of the record is its effort to diminish the stature of original lead singer David Lee Roth. His picture is largely nowhere to be found in the liner notes, despite his important stature in the band's history -- a gesture so immature, it's almost comical.
Despite these weaknesses, the album collects more first-rate Van Halen tracks in one place than any prior U.S. release, and for that it should be lauded. As it stands, "The Best of Both Worlds" serves as a solid sketch of the group's career, and is ideal for the casual fan. However, more serious fans of the group would be better served collecting the individual releases from the group rather than this enjoyable but flawed greatest hits package.
een the Van Halen brothers and Roth has been well documented, yet considering the fact that a high percentage of Van Halen aficionados prefer the group's Roth-era music, this attempt to diminish the impact of Roth only serves to weaken the impact of the record.
Despite these weaknesses, the album collects more first-rate Van Halen tracks in one place than any prior U.S. release, and for that it should be lauded. As it stands, "The Best of Both Worlds" serves as a solid sketch of the group's career, and is ideal for the casual fan. However, more serious fans of the group would be better served collecting the individual releases from the group rather than this enjoyable but flawed greatest hits package.
