1991 – the year we started to get MTV in India with the introduction of cable tv which until then was something we only heard off & seen in foreign movies & tv shows. MTV used to play Poundcake & Runaround continously and I was hooked. I had listened to some songs of VH till then and knew about them – Jump & Panama were my favs but this album made me into a bonfide fan and it was also the first VH album I bought. Ofcourse I would get their entire catalog till that time soon but I am a Van Hagar guy.
With songs like the aforementioned Runaround & Poundcake leading the pack, we also get Spanked, Top Of The World, the lovely 316, The Dream Is Over and the brilliant Right Now they had the hits comings one after the other. Poundcake was the first song to be released as a single from the album, reaching number one on the US BillboardĀ Album Rock TracksĀ chart and number 74 on theĀ UK Singles Chart. It is a one of their best rockers. Judgement Day is all harried rhythms and excellent drumming from Alex Van Halen. They slow things down with the suggestive Spanked and the slower pace makes it a memorable song.
One of my favourite VH songs is up next in Runaround with one of Eddie’s awesome riffs leading the way through. The music video has the band play in a warehouse kind of place and features glimpses of the elusive red & white stripes version of Eddie’s Music Man EVH guitar. Pleasure Dome starts off with some deliciously intricate riffage before becoming more hard & heavy. In N Out talks about how we as a society are making money and then spending it or paying bills. Up next is Man On A Mission which is about a man who will not rest until he makes love to the woman he desires. When things go wrong despite the best intentions and the best laid plans, what do you do? You Dream Another Dream which has a nice riff and a popular music video.
Right Now with it’s awesome opening piano piece, that award winning music video and a great song, a song that reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change. The instrumental “316” is named for the March 16, 1991 birthday of Eddie’s son Wolfgang, who later went on to be Van Halen’s last bass player, although the song predates his birth. Top Of The World released as the second single from the album, and spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of theĀ BillboardĀ Album Rock TracksĀ chart in the U.S., becoming their eighth number one on this chart. It was the only single off the album to crack the top 40 on theĀ BillboardĀ Hot 100, peaking at #27. The main guitar riff from “Top of the World” is actually carried over from the closing guitar background riff from 1984’s “Jump”.
During the long world tour they recorded a live album and concert film at two 1992 F.U.C.K. tour shows in Fresno, California called Live: Right Here, Right Now. Great album for a 15 year old to get into.