OU812 (1988)
1. Mine All Mine
2. When It's Love
3. A.F.U. (Naturall Wired)
4. Cabo Wabo
5. Source of Infection
6. Feels So Good
7. Finish What Ya Started
8. Black and Blue
9. Sucker in a 3 Piece
10.A Apolitical Blues
Nobody quite knew what Van Halen would sound like with Sammy Hagar up front, but the answer came quickly. After the success of 5150, it was obvious this new line-up had the chops to be more than a passing experiment. Where 5150 had nudged the group away from the hard-partying chaos of the Roth years into something tighter and more melodic, this follow-up shows the transformation complete. There’s barely a trace left of the decadent cult band from the Sunset Strip glory days.
That’s not to say they’d suddenly gone sombre. A Van Halen record was never going to sound like a university lecture. The party was still in there somewhere, but Hagar’s presence meant the music now carried the weight, not the showmanship. Radio staples like Finish What You Started, When It’s Love, and Feels So Good have nothing in common with the old Roth-era blueprint, yet they connected just as strongly with the faithful. They’re strong enough to stand without leaning on the usual arsenal of sex jokes and beer-soaked bravado. Only Source of Infection really nods to the anything-goes energy of the past.
Structurally, the record holds together remarkably well. The title cut, Mine All Mine, is an oddity—lyrically edging into almost “serious” territory, as though the band were reaching for some philosophical or even spiritual common ground. But most of the set keeps things light, as any self-respecting Van Halen album should. The one misstep is the closer, a cover of A Apolitical Blues. It works mechanically, but proves the point that Van Halen and the blues simply don’t belong in the same sentence. It ends the album on a sag rather than a spark.
Of course, the purists would forever claim that “Van Hagar” could never match the Roth years. But this incarnation was its own beast, and the fact that it not only worked but thrived is a testament to the band’s ability to adapt without losing the core of what made them matter in the first place.
Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review