For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is a work on which VAN HALEN reduced the weight of keyboards and pushed Eddie Van Halen’s thick guitar riffs and the band’s raw drive to the front. Sammy Hagar’s soaring singing keeps a big melody even over the hard playing. It is a record that returned to a harder, more rock-like sound. From the rawness of “Poundcake” to the breadth of “Right Now,” each song’s character differs, but the density of the playing is consistently high. Songs like “Judgement Day,” “Top of the World” and “The Dream Is Over” breathe the band’s full playing too. The guitar hero’s personality and the whole band’s groove mesh naturally. Reaching No. 1 on the US chart and winning a Grammy, it is a powerful record showing the peak of the Van Hagar period.