Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 2, 2025

There are probably two salient questions diehard Blu-ray collectors will need to address when assessing any given new deluxe release from either Warner Music Group in general or Rhino in particular. The first will probably revolve around what kind of "data" the Blu-ray disc in any given set contains, i.e., does it have hi res audio of an original album, video content, or both? The second might jokingly be referred to as a shelf space issue, since so many of WMG's and Rhino's releases are so extravagantly packaged. The good news for collectors, at least for those who may also indulge in vinyl (remember that?) in addition to newer disc formats, is that Balance is packaged more or less in dimensions of old LP covers, albeit rather thickly and probably more in line with old multi LP boxed sets, given that the release includes two records in addition to two CDs and a Blu- ray disc. That last named feature then brings us full circle to the first question outlined above, and in that regard, this may be a bit of a disappointment for Van Halen fans, in that the Blu-ray disc here does not offer hi res audio of the original album, but is instead a compilation of vintage music videos made to support singles on this album and others.

Balance marked the end of what might called "the Sammy Hagar era" of the band, and the music videos offered on the Blu-ray disc are just one example of how focused on Hagar at least the marketing side of things were back in the day. The album got to Number 1 quite easily when it was first released, but it hasn't been especially well thought of over the course of the intervening years. This set may invite a bit of reassessment, however, especially given the bittersweet knowledge of Eddie's sad demise, and probably saliently in light of just how much he contributes to the album (some might argue convincingly ultimately much more than presumed "frontman" Hagar).

Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray disc included in this package offers six music videos with 1080i MPEG-2 presentations (mostly) in 1.33:1. The videos included are listed on the screenshot of the disc menu I've uploaded to accompany this review in position 10. There are a variety of stylistic variances throughout the videos, including some quasi-documentary moments, and as such, typical items we assess like clarity and detail levels can be pretty highly variant. The scenes of the band in action tend to feature the guys jumping around pretty consistently along with cameras that are hardly ever stationary themselves, and so fine detail levels can be fleeting. That said, these are all advertised as "remastered" and despite the ancient video codec, I didn't really notice any untoward compression anomalies. For those who care about the minutiae of disc authoring, while the menu suggests the songs are individually accessible, and in a way they are, this is authored as a "whole" and choosing any song after the first simply starts the entire video at that point and continues playing until the end.

Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All of the music videos offer rather nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. The videos perhaps understandably tend to feature Hagar pretty primarily, and as such the vocals are mixed forward until Eddie's commanding guitar solos enter the fray. All of the tracks sound vivid and healthy and there are no signs of any issues whatsoever.

Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This is another extravagantly packaged effort from Rhino. The disc contents are as follows:

LP1

• Side A

1. The Seventh Seal

2. Can't Stop Lovin' You

3. Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

4. Amsterdam

• Side B

5. Big Fat Money

6. Strung Out

7. Not Enough

8. Aftershock

9. Doin' Time

LP2

• Side C

1. Baluchitherium

2. Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)

3. Feelin'

• Side D

Etching

CD 1

• 1. 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 2

• 1. Crossing Over
• 2. Humans Being
• 3. Respect The Wind
• 4. The Seventh Seal (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 5. Feelin' (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 6. Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 7. Guitar Solo (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 8. You Really Got Me (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 9. When It's Love (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 10. Jump (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)
• 11. Right Now (Live At Wembley Stadium, London, England, June 24, 1995)

As mentioned above, this comes housed in a slightly larger than average gatefold (actually trifold) LP case measuring approximately 12 3/4" wide by 12 1/2" high by 1" deep. When things are completely unfolded, the two left sleeves hold the LPs, with the right sleeve also housing a really nicely appointed booklet which is only slightly smaller than the sleeve itself. It should be mentioned that the etching on the obverse of the second LP is pretty stunning, offering Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. The right section of the gatefold operates as a kind of quasi-DigiBook, with the two CDs and Blu- ray disc in pockets that are part of the inside back cover.

Van Halen: Balance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I actually enjoyed Balance more on this relisten than I did when the album was first released, and my hunch is other fans attracted to this particular package for any number of reasons may experience the same thing. As a Blu-ray release, I'm absolutely positive fans will no doubt be disappointed by no hi res audio version of the actual album, but the music videos are fun historical curios, and the LPs, CDs and booklet, along with the general packaging, are all great. Recommended.