Fair Warning is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1981. Fair Warning went 2x platinum, which was disappointing compared to the sales of the band's previous albums, making it the least commercially successful album of the David Lee Roth years. The album featured a much more adventurous and progressive sound than most of their other albums, which may have been the cause of its disappointing sales. Also, unlike the previous 'party albums' the band released, this one had a darker and more brooding approach. Read more on Last.fm.
In the midst of super stardom, with three instant classic hit records under their belt, Van Halen ditched their pop jukebox grab bag sound for something a little darker, a little more, dare I say, esoteric.
Fair Warning is a gritty, hard nosed dive into seedy ambivilance. The tone and quality of Eddie’s solos and riffs remain intact, though intentionally seem almost hookless. DLR turns his dayglo ninja mojo down a notch as well, finding an oddly comfortable place inside these less flashy tunes.
It all works somehow…even without the bands humor intact. For a change of pace…check it out.