Van Halen's ‘The Collection II’ Box Set Announced. Watch the Newly Remastered “Humans Being” Video Here

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The long-awaited sequel to Van Halen’s David Lee Roth era ‘The Collection’ contains four number-one Sammy Hagar era albums and a disc of rarities

Van Halen 'The Collection II' and still from Van Halen's "Humans Being" video showing Eddie Van Halen playing a signature EVH elecric guitar
(Image credit: Rhino/Warner Records)

Following the departure of original vocalist David Lee Roth in 1985, Sammy Hagar joined forces with Van Halen to begin a new era of the band's history. By this stage, Van Halen were well-established international rock stars with a succession of now classic albums to their name. 

The group’s initial wave of LPs (beginning with 1978's self-titled debut through to 1984) are contained on 2015's The Collection box set. Now, Van Halen are set to release its long-awaited follow-up. 

Appearing October 6 on 5 LPs ($124.98) and 5 CDs ($49.98) The Collection II comprises four Billboard 200 number-one studio albums from the Hagar era, namely 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995).

Featuring Hagar, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony, The Collection II includes newly remastered versions of these multi-platinum LPs, plus a selection of rarities recorded between 1989 and 2004.

Today’s press release states that all the music contained in The Collection II was mastered directly from the original master tapes with longtime Van Halen engineer Donn Landee overseeing the process.

Van Halen 'The Collection II' vinyl and CD

(Image credit: Rhino/Warner Records)

In addition to remastered versions of 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance, The Collection II features a fifth disc titled Studio Rarities 1989-2004 – a compilation of eight tracks exclusive to the box set.

These Hagar era gems include the B-side “Crossing Over,” a cover of Little Feat’s “A Apolitical Blues,” the instrumental “Baluchitherium,” along with “Humans Being” and the Grammy-nominated “Respect The Wind” from the Twister soundtrack.

The remaining three songs – “It’s About Time,” “Up For Breakfast,” and “Learning To See” – were tracked during Van Halen’s temporary reunion with Hagar in 2004 and debuted on The Best of Both Worlds greatest hits collection.

Watch the video for the newly remastered version of “Humans Being” here:

Visit the Van Halen website for more info.

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Rod Brakes
Rod Brakes

Rod Brakes is a music journalist with an expertise in guitars. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a writer covering artists, industry pros and gear includes contributions for leading publications and websites such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World, Guitar Player and MusicRadar in addition to specialist music books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.