For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Encyclopedia
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (also known as F.U.C.K.) is the ninth studio album
by American hard rock
band Van Halen
, released in 1991 through Warner Bros. Records
. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
album chart and maintained the position for three weeks. The album's title came from lead singer Sammy Hagar
, who wanted to push the issue of censorship with naming Van Halen's album with a vulgarity, stating, "That's when censorship was a big issue. I wanted to name the album just Fuck." Hagar eventually backed away from the outright vulgarity after he was told by his friend, former world lightweight boxing champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
, that the word "fuck" was an acronym for the phrase "for unlawful carnal knowledge" (though this is a false etymology
). Their tour promoting the album was unofficially named F.U.C.K. 'n' Live
. Prior to recording, the term "for unlawful carnal knowledge" was first used by the band Coven
as a track on their album Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls
in 1969.
The album itself was marketed as the "return" to Van Halen's hard rock roots, with most songs being guitar driven, and the synth sounds being replaced by pianos. This can be prominently heard on "Right Now
", the most popular song from the album and likely from the "Hagar era". The band also reconciled with producer Ted Templeman
who produced earlier Van Halen albums to return to work on the album. This was the first album that Eddie Van Halen
recorded without his trademark Marshall Super Lead serving as the primary amplifier. The Marshall was fading, so Eddie went with his 1989 Soldano SLO-100 to record the album primarily, though the Marshall was used sparingly. A prototype for what would become the Peavey
5150 series of custom amplifiers was also used. Peavey's release of the 5150 series coincided with the release of the album.
"Poundcake
" featured the sound of a battery operated power drill, which Eddie held to the pickups of his guitar and revved, creating the intro. The song "Top of the World" features a riff that was first heard during the outro of the 1984-era hit "Jump
". For this reason, "Top of the World" is frequently played directly after "Jump" and appears immediately after it on the "Best of Both Worlds
" compilation. The instrumental "316" is named for the March 16 birthday of Eddie's son Wolfgang
, who is currently Van Halen's bass player, although the song predates his birth (as part of it was used by Eddie at the beginning of his guitar solo on tour, as seen on "Live Without A Net
", and was originally written for 5150
). http://www.vanhalenfaq.com/faq.php#Q21
A retrospective review by Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine was still mixed. He stated that the title "indicates the true nature of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge [...] Backing away from the diversity of OU812, the band turns in some of the most basic, straightforward rock & roll of its career." However, he also stated that it was "undeniable that [Sammy Hagar's] limited vocal power had a great deal to do with the obvious nature of most of this music." He concluded that, even though the band continued to be tight and professional, the songwriting "is, by and large, undistinguished, with the anthemic 'Right Now' standing out as the most memorable song of the batch, mainly because of its incessant chorus."
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, released in 1991 through Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart and maintained the position for three weeks. The album's title came from lead singer Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
, who wanted to push the issue of censorship with naming Van Halen's album with a vulgarity, stating, "That's when censorship was a big issue. I wanted to name the album just Fuck." Hagar eventually backed away from the outright vulgarity after he was told by his friend, former world lightweight boxing champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
Ray Mancini
Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini is a retired Italian-American boxer. He held the World Boxing Association lightweight championship from 1982 to 1984. Mancini inherited his distinctive nickname from his father, veteran boxer Lenny "Boom Boom" Mancini, who laid the foundation for his son's career...
, that the word "fuck" was an acronym for the phrase "for unlawful carnal knowledge" (though this is a false etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
). Their tour promoting the album was unofficially named F.U.C.K. 'n' Live
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour
The For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour was a North American concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen in support of their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It was one of the band's longer tours, divided into a vast number of dates...
. Prior to recording, the term "for unlawful carnal knowledge" was first used by the band Coven
Coven (band)
Coven is an American rock band formed in the late 1960s, composed of vocalist Jinx Dawson, bassist Oz Osborne , Chris Neilsen on guitar, Rick Durrett and later John Hobbs on keyboards, and drummer Steve Ross...
as a track on their album Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls
Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls
-Personnel:*Jinx Dawson: Vocals*Jim Donlinger: Guitars, Vocals*Jim Nyeholt, John Hobbs: Keyboards, Organ, Piano*Alan Estes, Oz Osbourne: Bass*Steve Ross: Drums, Percussion- External links :* * *...
in 1969.
Recording
Van Halen started work on the album in March 1990 and it was finished in April 1991, just two months before its release.The album itself was marketed as the "return" to Van Halen's hard rock roots, with most songs being guitar driven, and the synth sounds being replaced by pianos. This can be prominently heard on "Right Now
Right Now (Van Halen song)
"Right Now" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The song reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change. Vocalist Sammy Hagar has said that he was writing the lyrics to this song at the studio very late one night,...
", the most popular song from the album and likely from the "Hagar era". The band also reconciled with producer Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman is an American record producer.-Career:He began his career in the mid 1960s in the Santa Cruz area as a drummer in a band called The Tikis. At the suggestion of Lenny Waronker, the group decided to change their name. Harpers Bizarre was born in 1966, with Templeman switching to...
who produced earlier Van Halen albums to return to work on the album. This was the first album that Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
recorded without his trademark Marshall Super Lead serving as the primary amplifier. The Marshall was fading, so Eddie went with his 1989 Soldano SLO-100 to record the album primarily, though the Marshall was used sparingly. A prototype for what would become the Peavey
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
5150 series of custom amplifiers was also used. Peavey's release of the 5150 series coincided with the release of the album.
"Poundcake
Poundcake
"Poundcake" is a Van Halen song and the opening track on their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. "Poundcake" was the first song to be released as a single from the album making #1 on U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and #74 in the UK Singles Chart.-Song characteristics:It is a double...
" featured the sound of a battery operated power drill, which Eddie held to the pickups of his guitar and revved, creating the intro. The song "Top of the World" features a riff that was first heard during the outro of the 1984-era hit "Jump
Jump (Van Halen song)
"Jump" is a song by the American rock group Van Halen. It is the only single the group released in their career to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was released in 1984 as the second track on the album 1984...
". For this reason, "Top of the World" is frequently played directly after "Jump" and appears immediately after it on the "Best of Both Worlds
The Best of Both Worlds (Van Halen album)
The Best of Both Worlds is a greatest hits album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 2004. The title references both their song of the same name, and the fact that the album has songs from their two main vocalists David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar...
" compilation. The instrumental "316" is named for the March 16 birthday of Eddie's son Wolfgang
Wolfgang Van Halen
Wolfgang William Van Halen , is an American musician. He is the current bassist for Van Halen, replacing Michael Anthony in 2006.-Personal life:...
, who is currently Van Halen's bass player, although the song predates his birth (as part of it was used by Eddie at the beginning of his guitar solo on tour, as seen on "Live Without A Net
Van Halen - Live Without a Net
Live Without a Net is a live concert video of Van Halen recorded in New Haven, Connecticut in 1986, and released the following year. It was of their performance on August 27, 1986 at New Haven's Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The 90-minute release removed a few songs from the full performance...
", and was originally written for 5150
5150 (album)
5150 is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1986 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was the first to be recorded with new lead singer Sammy Hagar who replaced David Lee Roth....
). http://www.vanhalenfaq.com/faq.php#Q21
Reception
Reviews for the album are mixed. Rolling Stones John Milward rated it two out of five stars, explaining that it "is so stuffed with zigzagging guitars and blustery vocals that it almost forgets to rock. Eddie Van Halen, who probably has more guitars than teeth, upends such a tackle box of hooks that they only start to surface after repeated listenings. Tasteful simplicity, which is never really simple at all, would have proved a better course to follow." He concluded that the guitars "are busier, the beats are heavier, and the fun is fleeting. Van Halen has chops to burn, but For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, like its lumbering opening track and first single, 'Poundcake,' is stale."A retrospective review by Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine was still mixed. He stated that the title "indicates the true nature of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge [...] Backing away from the diversity of OU812, the band turns in some of the most basic, straightforward rock & roll of its career." However, he also stated that it was "undeniable that [Sammy Hagar's] limited vocal power had a great deal to do with the obvious nature of most of this music." He concluded that, even though the band continued to be tight and professional, the songwriting "is, by and large, undistinguished, with the anthemic 'Right Now' standing out as the most memorable song of the batch, mainly because of its incessant chorus."
Track listing
Band
- Sammy HagarSammy HagarSam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
- lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Eddie Van HalenEddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, electric drill on "Poundcake", backing vocals - Michael Anthony - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Alex Van HalenAlex Van HalenAlexander Arthur "Alex" Van Halen is a Dutch-born American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. Originally, his brother Eddie had taken lessons for drums, while Alex practiced guitar...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Production
- Producers: Andy Johns, Ted Templeman, Van Halen
- Engineers: Lee Herschberg, Andy Johns, Michael Scott, Mike Scott
- Mixing: Andy Johns, Michael Scott, Ted Templeman
- Art direction: Jeri Heiden
- Photography: David Seltzer, Glen Wexler
Certifications
Album
Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
Singles
Billboard (North America)| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Poundcake Poundcake "Poundcake" is a Van Halen song and the opening track on their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. "Poundcake" was the first song to be released as a single from the album making #1 on U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and #74 in the UK Singles Chart.-Song characteristics:It is a double... " |
Album Rock Tracks | 1 |
| "Right Now Right Now (Van Halen song) "Right Now" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The song reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change. Vocalist Sammy Hagar has said that he was writing the lyrics to this song at the studio very late one night,... " |
Album Rock Tracks | 2 | |
| "Runaround Runaround (Van Halen song) "Runaround" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It is one of six singles issued from the album and the second to reach number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.... " |
Album Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| "Top of the World Top of the World (Van Halen song) "Top of the World" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It is one of six singles issued for the album, and spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., becoming their eighth number one... " |
Album Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 27 | ||
| 1992 | "Man on a Mission" | Album Rock Tracks | 21 |
| "Right Now Right Now (Van Halen song) "Right Now" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The song reflects on living for the moment and not being afraid of making a change. Vocalist Sammy Hagar has said that he was writing the lyrics to this song at the studio very late one night,... " |
The Billboard Hot 100 | 55 | |
| "The Dream Is Over" | Album Rock Tracks | 7 |
Awards
Grammy Awards| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge | Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |