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Episode 4 covers the 1981 album Fair Warning by Van Halen, taking a dark turn this time around. 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 monumental album as well as share personal stories of discovering Fair Warning.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark When a party band goes dark? I like it – glad I dug into this one.
Chris Great deep cut record, much darker and cynical (not your traditional Van Halen fun). Switched it up without alienating rock fans.
Alex My favorite VH album bar none. Perfect blend of dark and light. “Hear About It Later” could take the cake for #1 VH song and the ’81 Oakland pro-shot gig is God tier VH live footage.
Kevin It’s been a personal favorite for years. The heaviness is in, and songs like “Push Comes to Shove” showcase another side of the band.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mean Street" | 4:58 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "Dirty Movies" | 4:08 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Sinner's Swing!" | 3:09 | L | L | L | L | |
| 4 | "Hear About It Later" | 4:35 | L | B | B | B | |
| 5 | "Unchained" | 3:29 | B | B | B | L | |
| 6 | "Push Comes to Shove" | 3:49 | L | L | L | L | |
| 7 | "So This Is Love?" | 3:06 | T | L | L | B | |
| 8 | "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" | 1:59 | F | T | T | T | |
| 9 | "One Foot Out the Door" | 1:58 | F | F | F | F |
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
Fair Warning is the fourth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. Released on April 29, 1981, it sold more than two million copies,[3] but was still the band’s slowest-selling album of the David Lee Roth era. Despite the album’s commercially disappointing sales, Fair Warning was met with mostly positive reviews from critics.[4]
The album was listed by Esquire as one of the 75 Albums Every Man Should Own.[5]
