Van Halen 1991 (left to right: Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar)
Introduction
By 1991, I had lost interest in Van Halen. The Sammy Hagar years were not good for the band’s music; it became too polished, too cautious, and too predictable. But then Van Halen appeared as the opening act during the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. Wow!!
Van Halen
After the release of the fantastic 1984, it became clear that the relationship between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth had run its course. In August 1985, Eddie Van Halen said “I’m looking for a new lead singer”, and the search for a new vocalist began. Van Halen approached Scandal’s Patty Smyth and Hall & Oates’ Daryl Hall for the position, but both declined.
During a visit to a garage, Van Halen obtained Sammy Hagar’s phone number, who had recently started a solo career after leaving Montrose. Van Halen and Hagar clicked immediately. It certainly helped that Hagar could play guitar, giving Eddie Van Halen more room to focus on keyboards.
Van Halen – 5150 & OU812
The new lineup not only resulted in an updated logo, which became a ring with the “VH” letters in the center, but mainly impacted the music hugely. While Eddie Van Halen had cautiously experimented with keyboards and synthesizers on 1984, Eddie now seized the opportunity to further develop his skills in that direction. The songs changed and moved more in the direction of 1984‘s I’ll Wait.
And that is exactly my ‘problem’ with Van Halen and Sammy Hagar. I think I’ll Wait is a dreadful song, and that is the route the band increasingly followed. Even though Sammy Hagar arguably a better singer than Roth, his vocals are more predictable and conventional, as the music is. Where Roth was tongue-in-cheek, Hagar could sometimes be downright vulgar. Besides showmanship, Roth also brought a swagger that made the early Van Halen albums so irresistible.
But the (American) public loved it. In 1986, the first Van Halen album with Sammy Hagar was released: 5150. It became the first Van Halen album to reach number one on the American charts (as was the case with the other three Van Halen albums featuring Sammy Hagar as well). In 1988, OU812 was released. Critics became increasingly less enthusiastic about Van Halen.
Eddie Van Halen – MTV Music Awards – 09/05/1991
MTV 1991
For years, I had paid little to no attention to Van Halen, until I watched the MTV Video Music Awards on September 5, 1991. Van Halen opened the show with an absolutely explosive performance of Poundcake. The song and the band practically burst through the screen. I had read poor reviews about a new album, although it was also described as the heaviest Van Halen album since Fair Warning, with keyboards and synthesizers pushed to the background. Maybe it was time for another Van Halen album after all?
Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
On June 17, 1991, Van Halen’s ninth album was released. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was the third album featuring Sammy Hagar, who considers it his favorite album.
From March 1990 through April 1991, the band worked on recording, mixing, and refining the album. There was so much material that the band had to reduce the number of songs. After producer Ted Templeman, who had produced all the David Lee Roth-era Van Halen albums, was brought in, the album was completed song by song. No new track was started before the previous one was fully finished.
Perhaps Templeman was chosen because the band wanted to return to its roots. The two Sammy Hagar albums filled with synthesizers and keyboards had to be followed by a rock album, classic hard rock. A return to the sound of the early 1980s?
The album’s sound is above all massive, with pounding drums. The story goes that Alex Van Halen wanted his drums to sound like John Bonham’s drums. He certainly succeeded. The album sounds monumental.
Eddie Van Halen plays guitar on Valerie Bertinelli’s belly
Two fun facts:
- The instrumental 316 is named after the date March 16, 1991, the birth date of Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang. Eddie often played the piece for his son while he was still in the womb. The musical piece had already been written during the 5150 period
- The riff of Top Of The World originated from the outro of the Van Halen classic Jump (off the 1984 album)
Van Halen – F.U.C.K. (rock shirt 1991)
Title
The title came from Sammy Hagar, who wanted to make a statement against the growing censorship movement of the early 1990s. Hagar: “That’s when censorship was a big issue. I wanted to name the album just Fuck.” But the band was hesitant to make it that explicit. When Hagar heard that “fuck” was supposedly an acronym for “for unlawful carnal knowledge”, the album title was decided. Incidentally, the acronym story is not true.
Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – CD
Review
According to many, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is a rather poor Van Halen album, albeit one with a number of highlights. Even though I understand the criticism well (too much formulaic material, painfully bad lyrics), it marked my renewed acquaintance with Van Halen.
I love the album’s grand sound and the drive in the songs. To me, the album was a huge step forward from 5150 and OU812, where the band dangerously drifted toward AOR, and even MOR, which was a terrible development. Of all the Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen albums, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the one I enjoy most.
And let’s be honest, the opening of Poundcake with the power drill is excitement squared! That sound, the incoming drums, and the full wall of guitars after the first drum roll: goosebumps!
But, equally honestly, there is not a single Van Halen album with Sammy Hagar that comes close to albums like Van Halen, Women And Children First, Fair Warning, and 1984.
Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – Singles
Singles
Five singles were culled from the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album.
- Poundcake
(released on June 10, 1991) - Top of the World
(released in September 1991) - Runaround
(released in 1991, promo) - Right Now
(released in February 1992) - Man On A Mission
(released in 1992, promo)
I read somewhere that The Dream Is Over was also released as a single, but I haven’t been able to verify its existence.
Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – Advertisements
Songs
All songs written by Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, and Alex Van Halen.
- Poundcake
- Judgement Day
- Spanked
- Runaround
- Pleasure Dome
- In ‘N’ Out
- Man On A Mission
- The Dream Is Over
- Right Now
- 316
- Top Of The World
Van Halen in Studio 5150
Musicians
- Sammy Hagar – vocals, guitar
- Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals; power drill on Poundcake; piano on Right Now
- Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
- Alex Van Halen – drums, percussion, backing vocals
With assistance from
- Steve Lukather – backing vocals on Top Of The World
Van Halen – Live: Right Here, Right Now
After For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge earned Van Halen a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy. As mentioned earlier, the band performed as the opening act at the MTV Music Awards on September 5, 1991, with a blazing performance of Poundcake. A year later, their video for Right Now would receive the award for Video of the Year.
From August 16, 1991, through May 31, 1992, Van Halen embarked on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour, often shortened to The Fuck Tour or F.U.C.K. ‘n’ Live. It was one of the longest tours the band ever undertook: no fewer than 99 concerts in the United States and Canada (plus one concert in Mexico). The shows on May 14 and 15, 1992, were recorded and used for Van Halen’s very first live album, Live: Right Here, Right Now, a double album released on February 23, 1993.
Van Halen concert ticket 04/13/1993
The band immediately went back on tour, this time to promote their live album. At long last, the band returned to Europe. I had to be there. On April 13, 1993, I saw the band play a home-game-like show at Rotterdam Ahoy. It was an energetic concert, with the audience wildly enthusiastic from beginning to end, and one where the band gave everything to make it unforgettable. A wonderful experience I will never forget.
Van Halen – Balance & Best Of Volume I
Exit Sammy, enter Dave
In 1995, Van Halen released their tenth studio album, Balance. It soon became evident that the Sammy Hagar years were coming to an end, and in June 1996, Hagar’s departure was officially announced. Meanwhile, work had begun on a compilation album, on which David Lee Roth was also consulted. Eddie and Roth got along very well, and two new (very strong) songs were recorded for the upcoming compilation, which was released in 1996 under the title Best Of Volume I. On September 4, 1996, the band, including David Lee Roth, appeared publicly at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Van Halen – Van Halen III
Exit Dave, enter Gary
However, four weeks after the reunion, it was confirmed that Roth had been dismissed from the band. Roth was furious and claimed he had been misled. Alex and Eddie Van Halen denied this, with Eddie claiming that Roth had annoyed him immensely and that the two had nearly come to blows.
So Roth was out, and former Extreme singer Gary Cherone came in. With him, the band recorded Van Halen III (1998), a more experimental album that sold poorly, disastrous even by Van Halen standards. In November 1999, Cherone left Van Halen. Years of silence followed for the band, but in 2002, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar joined forces for a tour under the name Song for Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll, also known as the Sam & Dave Tour. It later emerged that Eddie Van Halen had been diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2000 and was officially declared cancer-free in 2002.
Van Halen – The Best Of Both Worlds
Exit Gary, enter Sammy
In July 2004, the compilation album The Best Of Both Worlds was released, and the band went on tour. It turned into a complete disaster. Eddie Van Halen looked unkempt and extremely thin, missed several teeth, was drunk, and was effectively unable to play properly. In addition, the tour was an insult to bassist Michael Anthony, who was allowed to participate only as a guest musician and was no longer permitted to call himself a member of Van Halen. The tour failed to sell out and was savaged by critics.
Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth & Tokyo Dome In Concert
Exit Sammy, enter Dave
On September 8, 2006, Eddie Van Halen appeared on The Howard Stern Show. He stated that he was open to a reunion with David Lee Roth and revealed that Michael Anthony had been replaced by his son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Then, on February 2, 2007, the long-awaited and much hoped-for announcement finally arrived.
VAN HALEN IS BACK!
VAN HALEN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOURFebruary 2, 2007
Los Angeles, CA – In what is no doubt one of the most anticipated moments in rock and roll, VAN HALEN officially announces their 2007 North American tour.
The tour will mark the first time since 1984 that original VAN HALEN front man David Lee Roth will perform with Eddie and Alex Van Halen along with new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen for 40 shows this summer.
VAN HALEN fans can look forward to legendary high intensity performances, featuring a set list of the most iconic hits ever produced by America’s premiere rock band.
Eddie Van Halen states, “I am very excited to get back to the core of what made VAN HALEN.”
The tour was briefly postponed because Eddie Van Halen wanted to overcome his alcohol addiction, but on September 27, 2007, the moment had finally arrived: Van Halen was back on stage with David Lee Roth. The reception was huge and heartfelt. Fans and the press had waited a long time for this moment, which had finally become reality. And there was even a brand-new album. On January 10, 2012, the single Tattoo was released, followed four weeks later by the album A Different Kind Of Truth. The album was enthusiastically received by both the public and the press. The band went back on tour. At the end of March 2015, the live album Tokyo Dome In Concert was released. Touring continued, and there were even hints of a European tour, but things gradually became quieter.
Wolfgang Van Halen – Instagram – 10/06/2020
Eddie’s cancer had returned. He was suffering from throat cancer, from which he would not recover. On October 6, 2020, he passed away. His son Wolfgang announced the news through social media. In August 2023, Wolfgang Van Halen stated that Van Halen “doesn’t exist anymore”.
In closing
What do you think of the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album? Do you rate it as highly as I do, or is another Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen album your favorite? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Van Halen pounds on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
