Anew Van Halen record with original lead singer David Lee Roth on board arrives today after a 27-year wait.

That's not the only news. A Different Kind of Truth (which Roth and Van Halen have been trying to assemble since 2000) happens to be flat-out good, with a pair of songs that could be considered instant classics.

For diehard fans, there is much to celebrate. But those who like their Van Halen cute and cuddly will lament the record's distinct lack of pop hits. Despite their massive popularity in the '80s, Van Halen always had a dark side, one the veteran group explores fully on its new recording.

Forget that the group chose not to reunite with its original bassist, Michael Anthony, who was passed over in favour of Wolfgang Van Halen, guitarist Eddie Van Halen's 20-year-old son. And try to ignore that the first Roth-sung set since the blockbuster recording 1984 features more than a few old songs made anew. Having the band back in action, with a new album and tour, is reason enough to rejoice.

Everybody knows the hits Jump, Panama, and Hot For Teacher. In honour of the new marriage between Roth and his former group, here's a look at Van Halen's deep catalogue - the songs that show the band playing to its strengths. Each one is a red-hot standout.

1 Top Jimmy, from 1984. The biggest album of Van Halen's career was one of the biggest rock records of the decade, a rocket that went to the top of the charts behind hit singles like Jump and Panama. Four of the album's nine songs were hits, but a quiet cult surrounds the album's other, equally impressive half, which includes this tribute to James Paul Koncek, an associate of Roth's who fronted L.A. band Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs.

2 Drop Dead Legs, from 1984. The first side of 1984 was front-loaded with big hits, but as that came to a close, fans had discovered not only Top Jimmy but also Drop Dead Legs, one of the album's hardest-rocking songs. The album was criticized by longtime fans for its use of synthesizers, but the nonstop rock of Drop Dead Legs helped cool their complaints.

3 Somebody Get Me a Doctor, from Van Halen II. For all of the song's glass shattering shrieking and peacock posturing, Somebody Get Me a Doctor is a showcase for Eddie Van Halen. He saved some of his nastiest riffs for this economic rocker, a fretboard firestorm that goes from start to stop without cracking the three-minute mark.

4 Outta Love Again, from Van Halen II. Another gem from the group's second record, this time with bassist Michael Anthony stepping into the spotlight, both with his bad-ass bass skills and peerless back-up vocals. Take a listen on headphones and witness the wonders of stereo recording; while Eddie Van Halen rips eardrums to shreds on the left channel, Anthony conducting a bass clinic on the right, demonstrating yet again his complete mastery of the instrument.

5 Beautiful Girls, from Van Halen II. The oohlalas of Roth mix nicely with the wah-wahs of Eddie Van Halen on Beautiful Girls, two of many key parts that make this one swarthy singalong. The tune becomes a flat-out jam during its final minute, with Roth scatting over repetitions of the chorus while Eddie Van Halen drops some awe-inspiring improvisations.

6 Everybody Wants Some!!, from Women and Children First. Eddie Van Halen's non-traditional riffing during the verses on Everybody Wants Some!! would have derailed the song without such an anthemic chorus, one of the best-sounding shout-alongs in the group's entire catalogue. The guitarist's manic playing is a highlight nonetheless, further proof as to why he is considered among the best in the game.

7 Romeo Delight, from Women and Children First. Van Halen's third album was reportedly captured in quick fashion, with a minimum of overdubs. It shows. You can hear the urgency in songs like Romeo Delight, a staple of the band's 2008 reunion tour with Roth, who uses the song's extended instrumental passages to deliver his rambling, stream-of-consciousness raps.

8 Sinner's Swing, from Fair Warning. When talking to a diehard Van Halen fan, it's only a matter of time until the conversation shifts to 1981's Fair Warning, the group's longadored, though entirely overlooked, masterpiece. Too dark for the mainstream, songs like Sinner's Swing - in which Roth drops an F-bomb unfit for radio - captured the record's menacing tone with a ferocity and virtuosity not heard previously on Van Halen outings.

9 So This is Love?, from Fair Warning. One of the few shiny spots on Fair Warning is So This is Love?, a classic serve-and-volley between the singer and guitarist (who were feuding at the time). If anything, it offers a reprieve from the downpour of doom. Darkness dominates the band's fourth album, but for So This is Love? the old Van Halen magic appears, if only for a moment.

10 Little Guitars, from Diver Down. Five cover songs, two instrumentals and a Broadway-style a capella goof - Diver Down is without question the weakest Van Halen offering of the Roth era. That notwithstanding, Little Guitars, with its numerous tempo changes and sweet background harmonies, succeeds in sharpening an otherwise pedestrian album.

mdevlin@timescolonist.com