Listen Now
THE GREATEST GUITAR TONE OF ALL TIME. Episode 10 covers the 1995 album Balance by Van Halen. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorite and not-so favorite moments from the album. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this album as well as share personal stories of discovering Balance, the ’95 Molson Amphitheater and Pensacola pro-shot shows, etc. #WetDryWet
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark You can feel the 90s breaking the band.
Chris Not balanced. Top heavy record, with mostly uninspired riffs in the second half of the record. Lots of plain white bread moments. Eddie’s chorus effect starting to get on my nerves.
Alex THE GREATEST GUITAR TONE OF ALL TIME and my favorite Van Hagar record. Like “Fair Warning” I love dark Van Halen. Again, the 95 Toronto pro-shot gig was crucial in my youth. A time machine tour for sure. Fav tracks: “Seventh Seal”, “Big Fat Money”, “AFTERSHOCK!”
Kevin I still like this underdog album, but perhaps this listen made my rating take a hit.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Seventh Seal" | 5:18 | F | B | L | B | |
| 2 | "Can't Stop Lovin' You" | 4:08 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" | 5:56 | F | L | L | L | |
| 4 | "Amsterdam" | 4:45 | L | L | L | F | |
| 5 | "Big Fat Money" | 3:57 | L | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Strung Out" | 1:29 | F | T | F | T | |
| 7 | "Not Enough" | 5:13 | F | F | L | L | |
| 8 | "Aftershock" | 5:29 | B | L | B | L | |
| 9 | "Doin' Time" | 1:41 | F | F | T | F | |
| 10 | "Baluchitherium" | 4:05 | T | L | L | L | |
| 11 | "Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)" | 4:43 | L | L | L | B | |
| 12 | "Feelin'" | 6:36 | F | L | L | L |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
Balance is the tenth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released on January 24, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The album is the last of the band’s four studio releases to feature Sammy Hagar as the lead singer. Balance reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in February 1995[4] and reached Triple Platinum status on May 12, 2004, by selling more than three million copies in the U.S.[5] “The Seventh Seal” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.[6]
