Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
Track listing: The Seventh Seal / Can’t Stop Lovin’ You / Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do) / Amsterdam / Big Fat Money / Strung Out / Not Enough / Aftershock / Doin’ Time / Baluchitherium / Take Me Back (Deja Vu) / Feelin’
February 11, 1995
1 week
Van Halen had been on a major roll since Sammy Hagar joined them in 1985. Their first three post-David Lee Roth albums — 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, and 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge — all topped the album chart.
Live: Right Here, Right Now, the band’s 1993 two-disc live set, peaked at number five and went on to sell more than a million copies. However, Van Halen’s good luck came to an end on October 16, 1993, when their longtime manager Ed Leffler died of thyroid cancer. Says vocalist Sammy Hagar, “With Ed dying, it was the first time that we had a reality check in the time I’ve been with the band.”
Following, Leffler’s death, Van Halen had a quick meeting. “At least 50,000 managers had called offering their condolences and putting in their bid,” says Hagar, “but we just told our offices, Warner Bros., and our agent, ‘We’re not speaking to anyone about management. We are going to let the dust settle. We need some time.'”
Hagar headed to Maui for a three-month vacation. Upon his return in early 1994, the band started to work on new material. Without Leffler around as its “fearless leader and protector,” guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 studio became “a sanctuary” for the band, says Hagar. “Just the four of us would get together, turn the phones off and jam.”
As a result, Balance is the most serious record the band has ever recorded. Says Hagar, “Not only did we take it seriously, but it’s a serious record with no filler.”
While the band was in the middle of recording Balance, they opted to sign longtime Rush manager Ray Daniels — drummer Alex Van Halen’s brother-in-law — as their new manager.
“What Ed Leffler was to me, Ray has been to Alex,” says Hagar. “If Alex wasn’t sure about some deal that came down, he would always call Ray for his sounding board … Ray was already there for Al, but after Ed died, Alex started turning to Ray more and more. He was the obvious guy,” adds Hagar. “Also, he had the track record of staying with a band for so long with Rush, for the 23 years they have been together. It was important that we found someone who showed commitment, rather than someone after the flavor of the month.”
The band turned to producer Bruce Fairbairn because they were impressed with his work with Aerosmith. “We wrote 17 songs for this album,” says Hagar. “It was the first time in our history that we actually overwrote.” For Hagar, the extra effort paid off, as Balance represented his personal best.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he says. “I’m at a whole other place vocally and lyrically. And this album has songs that I can sing with dignity for the rest of my life.”
The public responded to Van Halen’s serious approach, making Balance the first Number One debut of 1995 and Van Halen’s fourth chart-topper.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of February 11, 1995
1. Balance, Van Halen
2. The Hits, Garth Brooks
3. Dookie, Green Day
4. Hell Freezes Over, Eagles
5. II, Boyz II Men