Boxed Set Introduces Four Newly Remastered VH Studio Albums With Sammy Hagar, Plus Rarities Recorded Between 1989 And 2004
5-LP And 5-CD Versions Arriving On October 6
PRE-ORDER NOW direct from VanHalenStore.com
Los Angeles – Van Halen will release a new boxed set this fall spotlighting the band’s second incarnation, with singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony. The upcoming set includes newly remastered versions of four multi-platinum studio albums, along with a selection of rarities recorded between 1989 and 2004.
THE COLLECTION II will be available on October 6th on 5 Vinyl 180-Gram LPs for $124.98 and 5 CDs for $49.98. Pre-order both versions HERE. All the music in the set was mastered directly from the original master tapes, a process overseen by the band’s longtime engineer, Donn Landee.
The new set is the long-awaited sequel to The Collection, a compilation released in 2015 that focused on the six studio albums recorded by the band’s original line-up, which featured singer David Lee Roth. THE COLLECTION II picks up where its predecessor left off and covers the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995).
The journey begins with 5150, Van Halen’s seventh studio album and the band’s first to claim the top spot on the Billboard 200. Certified platinum six times in the U.S., the record treated fans to hits like “Dreams,” “Love Walks In,” and “Why Can’t This Be Love,” which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group returned two years later with OU812, a quadruple-platinum smash that delivered four Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “Finish What Ya Started” and “When It’s Love.”
The accolades continued with For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, which earned Van Halen its first Grammy® Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album. Debuting at #1 and staying there for three weeks, the album achieved triple-platinum certification. The record produced an incredible seven singles, including hits like “Poundcake,” “Top Of The World,” and “Right Now.”
In 1993, the band released its first live album, Live: Right Here, Right Now, before returning in 1995 with Balance, its final studio album with Hagar. The album was another commercial triumph, debuting at #1, selling more than three million copies, and earning a Grammy® nomination for “The Seventh Seal.”
THE COLLECTION II concludes with Studio Rarities 1989-2004, an exclusive compilation that assembles eight gems from the Hagar era for the first time. Among these rarities is “Crossing Over,” the B-Side to Balance’s “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”, and the band’s only non-album B-side.
The compilation boasts other exceptional highlights, including the band’s cover of Little Feat’s “A Apolitical Blues” and the instrumental “Baluchitherium,” which were left off the vinyl versions of OU812 and Balance, respectively. Additionally, the set features two songs the band contributed to the Twister Soundtrack – “Humans Being” and the Grammy®-nominated “Respect The Wind.”
Rounding out the set are “It’s About Time,” “Up For Breakfast,” and “Learning To See,” which were recorded during the band’s temporary reunion with Hagar in 2004. All three debuted that year on Van Halen’s second greatest hits collection, The Best of Both Worlds.
Sammy & Mike share their excitement:
Sammy Hagar: “Mikey and I have been waiting a long time to get these remastered Van Halen records from my era. They did the whole nine yards. This stuff sounds SO GOOD!
“These records were recorded before (without) ProTools or digital recording: it was analog on real to reel tape recorders. There’s a very special sound to that type of recording. We were careful not to destroy any of that, but to re-master with more modern technical equipment to bring out that wonderful magical sound. It’s never sounded better.”
“I know you’re gonna enjoy it. There are some special bonus tracks in there. A Box Set. It’s the whole Van Hagar era. All remastered. Finally! It’s About Time! BOOM!”
Michael Anthony: “So excited about our Sammy era box set coming to ya!! Our longtime studio engineer Donn Landee remastered these albums and they are kicking ASS!!”
Track Listing:
5150
1. “Good Enough”
2. “Why Can’t This Be Love”
3. “Get Up”
4. “Dreams”
5. “Summer Nights”
6. “Best Of Both Worlds”
7. “Love Walks In”
8. “5150”
9. “Inside”
OU812
1. “Mine All Mine”
2. “When It’s Love”
3. “A.F.U. (Naturally 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”
FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE
1. “Poundcake”
2. “Judgement Day”
3. “Spanked”
4. “Runaround”
5. “Pleasure Dome”
6. “In ‘N’ Out”
7. “Man On A Mission”
8. “The Dream Is Over”
9. “Right Now”
10. “316”
11. “Top Of The World”
BALANCE
1. “The Seventh Seal”
2. “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”
3. “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)”
4. “Amsterdam”
5. “Big Fat Money”
6. “Doin’ Time”
7. “Aftershock”
8. “Strung Out”
9. “Not Enough”
10. “Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)”
11. “Feelin’”
STUDIO RARITIES 1989-2004
1. “A Apolitical Blues”
2. “Crossing Over”
3. “Baluchitherium”
4. “Humans Being”
5. “Respect The Wind”
6. “It’s About Time”
7. “Up For Breakfast”
8. “Learning To See”
Van Halen ‘The Collection II’ 5-CD Boxed Set $49.98
Van Halen ‘The Collection II’ 5-LP 180-Gram Vinyl Boxed Set $124.98
Promo Video:
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