Van Halen will release an expanded edition of their 1995 album Balance on Aug. 15.
In addition to the B-side “Crossing Over” and the two songs the group and its members included on the Twister soundtrack, the set includes nine previously unreleased live tracks from the Balance tour.
You can see the complete track list and hear a new live version of “The Seventh Seal” below.
Eight of the live tracks are audio-only, taken from a June 24, 1995 show in London which featured the band in the unusual position of opening for Bon Jovi. The ninth appears on the Blu-ray included with the expanded edition, and features a one-time only live performance of “The Seventh Seal” with the Monks of Gyuto Tantric University, who provide the song’s opening chants.
Two shows from Van Halen’s 1995 were professionally filmed, broadcast and heavily bootlegged. The March 11th tour opening stop in Pensacola, Florida aired on MTV, and two August shows from Toronto were combined for a Pay-Per View broadcast. Neither is included or represented in this collection.
Read More: The Night Van Halen Sent Monks Scrambling for Cover
Balance was the final album to feature Sammy Hagar as the group’s lead singer, and earned them a fourth straight trip to the top of Billboard’s album charts. It featured the hit singles “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” and “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.”
In addition to coping with the sudden ascendancy of grunge music, the Balance recording sessions found Van Halen struggling with personal and interpersonal issues which would lead to Hagar’s 1996 departure from the band.
“That was the record where if I said black, Eddie said white, and I’d say, ‘Okay, white,’ he’d say, ‘No, I want black,'” Hagar later told Rolling Stone. “I’d say, ‘Okay, well, I wanted black to begin with.’ Then Eddie would go, ‘Well, I don’t know what I want, I’ll let you know when I do.’ He just wanted the opposite of what I wanted.”
Hear Van Halen Perform ‘The Seventh Seal’ Live in 1995
Van Halen ‘Balance’ Expanded Edition 2LP/2CD/Blu-ray Track List:
LP One: Original Album: 2023 RemasterSide One1. “The Seventh Seal”2. “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”3. “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)”4. “Amsterdam”
Side Two5. “Big Fat Money”6. “Strung Out”7. “Not Enough”8. “Aftershock”9. “Doin’ Time”
LP Two Side One10. “Baluchitherium”11. “Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)”12. “Feelin’”
Side TwoEtching
CD One: 2023 Remaster1. “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. “Strung Out”7. “Not Enough”8. “Aftershock”9. “Doin’ Time”10. “Baluchitherium”11. “Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)”12/ “Feelin’”
CD Two1. “Crossing Over”2. “Humans Being”3. “Respect The Wind”
Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England (June 24, 1995)4. “The Seventh Seal” *5. “Feelin’” *6. “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” *7. Guitar Solo *8. “You Really Got Me” *9. “When It’s Love” *10. “Jump” *11. “Right Now” *
Blu-ray1. “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” – Promo Video2. “Can’t Stop Loving You” – Promo Video3. “Amsterdam” – Promo Video4. “Not Enough” – Promo Video5. “The Seventh Seal” – Live at Target Center, Minneapolis, MN (July 30, 1995) *6. “Humans Being” – Promo Video
* Previously Unreleased
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Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
