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Aug 27, 2024 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

By any objective measure, by 1991 Van Halen’s best days were behind it. The band was six years and two albums into its tenure with a new singer, ex-Montrose and solo artists Sammy Hagar, who replaced the flamboyant David Lee Roth, with whom Van Halen had achieved fame and fortune. Of course, everyone knows the Van Hagar years reset the bar, but 1991 saw the ushering in of a new musical landscape, fueled in large part by Nirvana’s Nevermind. Van Halen were dinosaurs. But with For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, these dinosaurs showed they weren’t ready to go extinct quite yet.

Despite the changing times, if you were a 14-year-old boy in 1991 and had not yet completely turned over to the new musical era, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was likely right up your alley. First of all, the title, the oh so unsubtle title that was just the right amount of rebellious for middle school male sensibilities (F.U.C.K.; get it?!). Then there was the cover, the band’s iconic VH logo as if branded into fine mottled read leather. It epitomized cool. And finally the riffs. And who better to bring the riff-based rock and roll than the legendary Van Halen!

Of course, the irony of it all is that Van Halen had a big hit MTV hit on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge with the piano-led “Right Now,” which won the channel’s Video of the Year in 1992. But For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was first, foremost, and forever a guitar record. The skittering riff of “Man on a Mission.” The chugging heaviness of “Judgement Day.” The slinky bass of the phone sex-themed adolescent dream “Spanked.” Add to it the huge melodic choruses of songs like “The Dream Is Over” and “Top of the World,” and what you have is an album that is actually better than you’d expect it to be on reconsideration 30-some years on.

The album is reissued here in remastered 2LP/2CD/DVD format, with the second CD and DVD featuring a few rarities and a live show from 12/4/91. The rarities here are inconsequential—two different mixes of “Right Now” and an instrumental version of “The Dream Is Over.” The draw is the live concert, a lively romp through Hagar-era Van Halen, with a couple Sammy solo tunes and Roth numbers added in for good measure. It’s a fine document of the time, but the real meat is the album proper. With this reissue, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is reborn. (www.rhino.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10