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post #51 of 104
1/14/12 at 1:23pm

Women and children also has Could this be magic? a terrific country-blues song.

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post #52 of 104
1/14/12 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post


It IS pretty half-assed.  5 of the 12 songs are covers and some of the original songs are utter crap ('Big Bad Bill', for instance).  'Little Guitars' is a full on masterpiece, though.  Killer riffs with a great melodic throughline, and it also features one of DLR's better vocal performances (he actually hits a couple of notes).

 

If I were to rate the DLR era albums, it would go like this:

 

VAN HALEN A++

FAIR WARNING A+

VAN HALEN II A

1984 A-

 

 

WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST B

 

DIVER DOWN D

 


A D?! Come in closer, Hang 'Em High, Cathedral, Secrets, Intruder, (Oh) Pretty Woman, Little Guitars and The Full Bug would like a word with you.

 

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post #53 of 104
1/14/12 at 3:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by NathanW View Post

Women and children also has Could this be magic? a terrific country-blues song.



WACF doesn't have a weak link in the bunch. Awesome album.

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post #54 of 104
1/15/12 at 12:40am
DIVER DOWN is the only Roth-era album I don't own. I don't think it's bad ("Dancing in the Street" is the only song I dislike of that era) but it's pretty underwhelming compared to the other five, no surprise that it was rushed. Still, perhaps I'll get it someday, heck maybe with all the hype over A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH I'll buy it on impulse if I find it in a record store.

My rankings:

VAN HALEN - A+ / 1984 - A+
VAN HALEN II - A
WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST - A
FAIR WARNING - B+



Gotta say, it's hard to pick which should be at the very top. Both the debut album and 1984 are just flat out excellent on every level. They're the perfect bookends of the 1978-1984 era. I used to rank WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST as my third favorite album for many many years, but now I give the edge to VAN HALEN II. When you get down to it, yeah, it's basically a continuation of the first album in terms of sound and tone which some might consider a weakness because it doesn't feel like its own animal. But I think it works just fine, Eddie knew he had something with the first album and figured "why fix something that ain't broke" and pretty much went from there without doing anything new. But that's fine, because album kicks ass. In those terms it's a much more successful sophomore effort than many other bands try to pull off. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST was definitely the right time to do something fresh and different. "Could This Be Magic?" is one of my favorite Van Halen tracks. Of the first four albums I think FAIR WARNING comes off as the weakest. That's not taking anything away from it, it's a great record but in the context of what came beforeI don't quite enjoy it as much. Really though, that's just minor nitpick. Apparently the hidden track at the very end of WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST's "A Simple Rhyme" was supposed to lead in to FAIR WARNING, but it got nixed. And yet the aggressive sound of that hidden track is maintained in FAIR WARNING. It's trying to be different from what came before and I say it works well. Also, "Unchained" is another favoirte. 1984 is VAN HALEN becoming pop but the energy of the Roth era. I recall some critic wrote that in many ways 1984 was a precursor (blueprint) to 5150, most notably because of the change in sound mix. "I'll Wait" is probably my favorite use of synthesizers, like, ever. Build up with the lone synth, then the bass, then the drums start going, BOOM. Every piece is effective. I always use that track as an example of how musically talented the guys are.

Can't say much of DIVER DOWN besides that "Intruder" is a kick ass introduction to "(Oh) Pretty Woman", which is probably my second favorite cover track from the band just behind "You Really Got Me". It's been years since I listened to the whole album, but if i had to rate it, I might give it a C+. Half of it is great tunes, the rest varies, then there's "Dancing in the Street", which sounds so obvious that Eddie didn't know how to work with it and just said "ah, fuck it, I'll eventually rebound with 1984".

5150 and OU812 are the only Sammy Hagar era albums I listened to entirely and own. I'm not crazy about them, but I can't deny they're pretty good and Eddie really stretches himself. Sammy is a good vocalist, I never denied it, and in many ways is better than Roth but he doesn't really have much personality. Him trying to make a joke on an album is boring, as if he's trying to hard. Just stick with the vocals pal (though he seems funnier in live shows, guess it depends on the environment).
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post #55 of 104
1/15/12 at 11:41am
Thread Starter 


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Stockslivevan View Post

DIVER DOWN is the only Roth-era album I don't own. I don't think it's bad ("Dancing in the Street" is the only song I dislike of that era) but it's pretty underwhelming compared to the other five, no surprise that it was rushed. Still, perhaps I'll get it someday, heck maybe with all the hype over A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH I'll buy it on impulse if I find it in a record store.
My rankings:
VAN HALEN - A+ / 1984 - A+
VAN HALEN II - A
WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST - A
FAIR WARNING - B+
Gotta say, it's hard to pick which should be at the very top. Both the debut album and 1984 are just flat out excellent on every level. They're the perfect bookends of the 1978-1984 era. I used to rank WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST as my third favorite album for many many years, but now I give the edge to VAN HALEN II. When you get down to it, yeah, it's basically a continuation of the first album in terms of sound and tone which some might consider a weakness because it doesn't feel like its own animal. But I think it works just fine, Eddie knew he had something with the first album and figured "why fix something that ain't broke" and pretty much went from there without doing anything new. But that's fine, because album kicks ass. In those terms it's a much more successful sophomore effort than many other bands try to pull off. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST was definitely the right time to do something fresh and different. "Could This Be Magic?" is one of my favorite Van Halen tracks. Of the first four albums I think FAIR WARNING comes off as the weakest. That's not taking anything away from it, it's a great record but in the context of what came beforeI don't quite enjoy it as much. Really though, that's just minor nitpick. Apparently the hidden track at the very end of WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST's "A Simple Rhyme" was supposed to lead in to FAIR WARNING, but it got nixed. And yet the aggressive sound of that hidden track is maintained in FAIR WARNING. It's trying to be different from what came before and I say it works well. Also, "Unchained" is another favoirte. 1984 is VAN HALEN becoming pop but the energy of the Roth era. I recall some critic wrote that in many ways 1984 was a precursor (blueprint) to 5150, most notably because of the change in sound mix. "I'll Wait" is probably my favorite use of synthesizers, like, ever. Build up with the lone synth, then the bass, then the drums start going, BOOM. Every piece is effective. I always use that track as an example of how musically talented the guys are.
Can't say much of DIVER DOWN besides that "Intruder" is a kick ass introduction to "(Oh) Pretty Woman", which is probably my second favorite cover track from the band just behind "You Really Got Me". It's been years since I listened to the whole album, but if i had to rate it, I might give it a C+. Half of it is great tunes, the rest varies, then there's "Dancing in the Street", which sounds so obvious that Eddie didn't know how to work with it and just said "ah, fuck it, I'll eventually rebound with 1984".
5150 and OU812 are the only Sammy Hagar era albums I listened to entirely and own. I'm not crazy about them, but I can't deny they're pretty good and Eddie really stretches himself. Sammy is a good vocalist, I never denied it, and in many ways is better than Roth but he doesn't really have much personality. Him trying to make a joke on an album is boring, as if he's trying to hard. Just stick with the vocals pal (though he seems funnier in live shows, guess it depends on the environment).


"Weak" and "Fair Warning" don't belong in the same sentence together, sir.

 

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post #56 of 104
1/15/12 at 1:32pm

  Yesterday I got my tickets for the Pittsburgh show. It was $60.00, and that was the second cheapest. I'm pumped for the show, but the ticket prices make me wish I could be CGIed into Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Then I could read the riot act to those two brats that bitch about paying 20 bucks for floor seats for the Fair Warning Tour!

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post #57 of 104
1/15/12 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike J View Post


 


"Weak" and "Fair Warning" don't belong in the same sentence together, sir.

 

Bad choice of word on my part. Rephrasing it, I'd say it's my least favorite of the first four albums.

To make up for that, I post this performance.


Also, I just watched this.

Honestly, Eddie is a fucking idiot for firing Michael Anthony. Was it just to get his son the gig? Looks like it goes way further than that from what I've heard about VAN HALEN III. What was it that got him the boot? I get the gut feeling it had to do with his close friendship with Sammy, since it started right after he left.
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post #58 of 104
1/16/12 at 1:54am

I sometimes think Alex Van Halen doesn't get enough credit, he's an incredible drummer. His drumming on Girl Gone Wild is amazing, just completely in sync with Eddie, it's a masterclass in power drumming.

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post #59 of 104
1/16/12 at 8:38pm

stumbled across this over on Fark ....  |\m/|

 

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post #60 of 104
1/24/12 at 9:24pm

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post #61 of 104
1/25/12 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaz View Post


I've seen this popping up on sites but I refuse to watch it until I get the deluxe edition on the 7th. A year ago, I would have been equal parts "Who the hell buys CDs anymore?" and "This band dicked around way too long, this is maybe a download for me" but what can I say, the hype did indeed get me.

 

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post #62 of 104
1/25/12 at 11:34am
Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post

 

Hell, the best Van Hagar song by a mile was 'Source of Infection' off of OU812, and the never got any airplay at all that I'm aware of.

 



Gotta agree here, and the song was yet another showcase for Anthony's amazing backing vocals. That kind of total in-harmony wail just can't be duplicated (easily anyway).

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post #63 of 104
1/25/12 at 9:04pm

 

Stay Frosty reminds me of Ice Cream Man.

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post #64 of 104
1/26/12 at 12:17pm

am I the only one who thinks it is weird Van Halen is touring with Kool & the Gang?

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post #65 of 104
1/26/12 at 12:54pm

It makes sense to me. It had to be Dave's idea.

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post #66 of 104
1/26/12 at 2:00pm

Anyone buy some of the tix that went on sale today?  ATL started a presale for the non-VIP, non-AMEX buyers (password: Atlanta) today, but everything besides the $150 floor seats is pretty crappy, so I haven't bought any yet. May have to try StubHub or somethin'.

 

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post #67 of 104
1/26/12 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 

Of course it was. Bob Marley's son was one of the openers on the tour in '07. Who else is going to choose the opening act? Eddie? The guy's admitted he doesn't really follow what's going on in music.

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post #68 of 104
1/29/12 at 2:32pm

This video has a 30 second clip of all the songs on A Different Kind of Truth. There are a couple of tunes where that isn't enough to form an opinion. I'm still psyched for the CD.

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post #69 of 104
1/29/12 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 

Tried to get tickets for the Staples Center in the cheap seats for me and my friend. What a fucking scam that site STILL is. Went on (while on set) right at 10 a.m. and lo and behold, tickets were already "unavailable" except for absurdly priced "Platinum Packages." No artist is worth that. George Harrison and John Lennon could be back from the dead and re-form the fucking Beatles and that would still be a total rip-off.

 

I got an email a couple of months ago about the Ticketmaster lawsuit that settled. Despite that, they're still crooks. Unbelievable. Talk about ruining the concert experience.

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post #70 of 104
1/30/12 at 12:28pm

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post #71 of 104
1/30/12 at 12:32pm
Opted not to buy tickets. The prices that they're asking are, quite simply, absurd. Even obstructed view seats in the nosebleed section were $60+.
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post #72 of 104
2/2/12 at 7:03pm

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post #73 of 104
2/2/12 at 7:28pm

Well, the new album came out today in Australia. Have been hugely impressed by the snippets I've been hearing so far, so think I'll be grabbing it after work. This is shaping up to be the strongest 'comeback' album since AIC's Black gives Way to Blue, IMO.

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post #74 of 104
2/2/12 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaz View Post

 

Found out about this last night from Joe Carnahan's Twitter, of all places. Looks like an awesome show. It's just a shame the concert industry is such a giant pile of shit now, I really wanted to see them live. On a brighter note, I have the deluxe edition of the album pre-ordered. It will be here Tuesday. It feels weird buying a CD but I need to be able to hold a Van Halen album in my hands, digital downloads be damned.
 

 

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post #75 of 104
2/2/12 at 7:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Workyticket View Post

Well, the new album came out today in Australia. Have been hugely impressed by the snippets I've been hearing so far, so think I'll be grabbing it after work. This is shaping up to be the strongest 'comeback' album since AIC's Black gives Way to Blue, IMO.



Please share your thoughts after you give it a listen.

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post #76 of 104
2/3/12 at 4:23pm

So, I've given the album a few spins and it's bloody great. Don't know the songs well enough yet to get too specific, but here's some random impressions:

 

  • Tattoo is the only song I'm not sold on. It's fine but nothing spectacular, and sticks out from the rest of the songs in a strange way. You can tell they intended it as kind of a 'getting into gear' style opener, but it just feels out of place IMO;
  • The performances are superb across the board. True, DLR's voice isn't what it once was but that Diamond Dave swagger is there in spades. Wolfie plays the shit out of the bass, and provides a lot of the songs' melodic drive. Pity his backing vocals can't match Michael Anthony's, which are missed here. Alex is a monster on the drums as you'd expect, and EVH really pulls out some stellar solos. Once upon a time this would've gone without saying, but the guy has been such a mess in recent years it's a huge relief to see his talent undiminished;
  • The album sounds heavy.  Loads of bottom end, and EVH's guitar is just monstrous, and clearly tuned down - not exactly drop-D, but by a half step at least. At some points, like the intro to As If, it sounds just as heavy as any contemporary metal band. Honeybabysweetiedoll in particular trades well off it, sounding like Van Halen by way of Soundgarden and Black Sabbath, and doing it awesomely. The bit in Stay Frosty where the bottom end kicks in and it gets loud is just a marvellous thing to behold with a good pair of headphones turned up high;
  • Great songwriting. while a lot of people have accused VH of 'copping out' by reworking the Zero demos, IMO it was a very clever move. This is a pure slice of Van Halen as we love them most, and you can tell that the band's having a ball with these songs. They're not stretching themselves at all, but we didn't want that and they knew it. Experimentation is a wonderful thing, but sometimes an old band just has to play to their strengths and have fun with it, and VH does so marvellously here.
  • Favourite tracks so far: You and Your Blues, Blood and Fire, The Trouble With Never, Stay Frosty and Big River - though at least one of these seems to change every few hours.

 

So yeah, you guys are gonna love this. The album is excellent. As I said to a friend last night, between this and the new Darkness song, it's been a good week for drinking rock. 

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post #77 of 104
2/3/12 at 4:55pm
This album is way better than it has any to be. I really, really like it.
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post #78 of 104
2/3/12 at 4:57pm
It's so good, my phone wanted you to know I said that twice. Goddamnit.
Edited by Ninhead - 2/7/12 at 3:14pm
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post #79 of 104
2/3/12 at 8:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Workyticket View Post

So, I've given the album a few spins and it's bloody great. Don't know the songs well enough yet to get too specific, but here's some random impressions:

 

  • Tattoo is the only song I'm not sold on. It's fine but nothing spectacular, and sticks out from the rest of the songs in a strange way. You can tell they intended it as kind of a 'getting into gear' style opener, but it just feels out of place IMO;
  • The performances are superb across the board. True, DLR's voice isn't what it once was but that Diamond Dave swagger is there in spades. Wolfie plays the shit out of the bass, and provides a lot of the songs' melodic drive. Pity his backing vocals can't match Michael Anthony's, which are missed here. Alex is a monster on the drums as you'd expect, and EVH really pulls out some stellar solos. Once upon a time this would've gone without saying, but the guy has been such a mess in recent years it's a huge relief to see his talent undiminished;
  • The album sounds heavy.  Loads of bottom end, and EVH's guitar is just monstrous, and clearly tuned down - not exactly drop-D, but by a half step at least. At some points, like the intro to As If, it sounds just as heavy as any contemporary metal band. Honeybabysweetiedoll in particular trades well off it, sounding like Van Halen by way of Soundgarden and Black Sabbath, and doing it awesomely. The bit in Stay Frosty where the bottom end kicks in and it gets loud is just a marvellous thing to behold with a good pair of headphones turned up high;
  • Great songwriting. while a lot of people have accused VH of 'copping out' by reworking the Zero demos, IMO it was a very clever move. This is a pure slice of Van Halen as we love them most, and you can tell that the band's having a ball with these songs. They're not stretching themselves at all, but we didn't want that and they knew it. Experimentation is a wonderful thing, but sometimes an old band just has to play to their strengths and have fun with it, and VH does so marvellously here.
  • Favourite tracks so far: You and Your Blues, Blood and Fire, The Trouble With Never, Stay Frosty and Big River - though at least one of these seems to change every few hours.

 

So yeah, you guys are gonna love this. The album is excellent. As I said to a friend last night, between this and the new Darkness song, it's been a good week for drinking rock. 


Awesome, thanks for the update. I'll check in Tuesday or Wednesday with my thoughts.

 

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post #80 of 104
2/3/12 at 10:26pm

Caved and bought tickets to the Vancouver show. After seeing that you tube clip, I'm ridiculously excited.

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post #81 of 104
2/3/12 at 11:22pm

I really like "China Town" and "Outta Space" - two fun rockers.

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post #82 of 104
2/4/12 at 3:15pm

My Walmart had it on the shelf today. Picked up the deluxe version for $15.88.

 

Only listened to the first three songs during the ride home, but I like it lots. You can tell the riffs themselves are vintage, but Eddie throws in all the tricks he perfected during the Hagar years.

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post #83 of 104
2/6/12 at 10:38pm
Thread Starter 

Got my copy of the deluxe version a day early (thank you, Amazon) and I have to say, it's exceeded my expectations. I'm not sure I get the flat-out hate a lot of people have for Tattoo but I will say compared to the rest of the tracks on the album, it's probably the weakest one. For me, two of the strongest tracks are She's The Woman and Big River, which are both recycled unreleased tracks from the 70s. Big River is a re-working of a track called Big Trouble (one of my favorite unreleased VH tunes). Granted I've only heard a tinny recording of it but the beefed-up production and re-worked lyrics have really improved this track. It's going to kill live.

 

Remember Unforgiven II? Are you also trying to repress that piece of shit? Well, if Metallica wants to do anymore "sequel" songs, they need to give Stay Frosty a listen. If you had told me two years ago that Van Halen was going to do a sequel song to Ice Cream Man, I would have totally face palmed (mainly because of what Metallica had done) but they've won me over with this track. Great fun and a killer guitar track.

 

And does anyone else think that Blood and Fire is totally a 5150 or OU812-era Van Hagar song? Sorry about that, Dave but it's still a damn good song.

 

Overall, I'm really pleased with this release. I'm coughing up the $75 for nosebleeds at the Staples Center in June. This is probably what we should have gotten way back in '96 but if it took a failed collaboration with another singer, a failed reunion tour and numerous bull shit stops and starts to give us this, I'll take it. Still, I miss Michael Anthony. That's some considerable collateral damage but at least Wolfie can play. This background vocals, though. Man, do I miss those background vocals.

 

I haven't checked out the bonus DVD yet. I'll check back in with that later. Anyone else pick this up yet?

 

 

 

 

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post #84 of 104
2/7/12 at 2:42pm

This is actually a pretty good album! It's not going to change the world or anything but it's fun, high energy rock and roll. What were they thinking pushing the dullest song as the single?

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post #85 of 104
2/7/12 at 10:37pm

While I like Tattoo, there are far better choices for a single: Trouble with Never, Stay Frosty or She's the Woman. I think Chinatown should be the concert opener. The CD reminds me of Fair Warning. Its as heavy as that album, but not as pissed as that record is in parts. I did buy the deluxe CD. I haven't gotten a chance to watch the videos yet.

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post #86 of 104
2/8/12 at 11:55am
Thread Starter 

The DVD is good. Eddie and Dave are obviously the highlighted ones but like the record itself, the new found enthusiasm these guys have is infectious. Panama goes on a little too long but Dave's spiel before You and Your Blues is a highlight for me. I also think Beautiful Girls sound great acoustic. Overall, well worth the purchase. The last one of these "deluxe" albums I bought was U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (something like that) and on top of the album being mediocre, the bonus disc was not worth it, so I'm glad this one was worth it.

 

Has anyone been to Best Buy to pick this up? Somebody on another forum claims the vinyl is for sale there. I may check it out today but can anyone confirm or deny this?

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post #87 of 104
2/8/12 at 12:53pm
Picked it up yesterday and gave it a spin before heading for work. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well this turned out. Van Halen back to basics.
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post #88 of 104
2/9/12 at 6:18am

Tattoo is lame. Not up to the legacy snuff. Glad to hear the rest of the tracks are better. NEED this asap.

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post #89 of 104
2/9/12 at 7:42pm

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post #90 of 104
2/10/12 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 

A second Staples Center date was added! Let's try this ticket thing again. If not, maybe the third time will be the charm. And everyone be damned if Van Halen hasn't made an honest-to-God comeback. The album was sold out in my local Best Buy on Wednesday. I was scouring the reviews the other day and the response is overwhelmingly positive. The lowest I saw was either a C or two and a half stars and reading between the lines, those were people ready to eviscerate it but their response was more of a grumbling "Well, it doesn't suck."

 

They're killing it right now. Who would have thought?

 

And the reviewers who are saying that it's good but it doesn't have any hooks really need to give You and Your Blues another listen. That should have been the single. Hopefully they'll wise up and make it the second one.

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post #91 of 104
2/10/12 at 10:33pm

I feel that A Different Kind of Truth is my reward for never settling for Van Hagar.

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post #92 of 104
2/11/12 at 5:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaz View Post

I feel that A Different Kind of Truth is my reward for never settling for Van Hagar.



This.

 

Also, if "Stay Frosty" doesn't end up as a single, it's a crime against humanity.

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post #93 of 104
2/11/12 at 5:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaz View Post

I feel that A Different Kind of Truth is my reward for never settling for Van Hagar.



There is great stuff in the Hagar era. In fact, that enabled this. Roth suddenly got good again after two decades. It all works out.

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post #94 of 104
2/11/12 at 8:19am

I hope they do Stay Forsty live. I think Chinatown will be in the set. They did it at their warm up show at the LA Forum a couple of days ago.

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post #95 of 104
2/11/12 at 12:24pm

Some great Roth-isms at the beginning.

Dave still makes forgetting the words damn entertaining. Still, he better know all the words in Pittsburgh!


Edited by Chaz - 2/11/12 at 2:07pm
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post #96 of 104
2/11/12 at 5:06pm

That solo on "She's the Woman" is as close to an early VH run as any of his stuff since the 1984 album, minus a little speed. Streets ahead of the aimless noodling solos of the Hagar era.

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post #97 of 104
2/12/12 at 10:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Nunziata View Post



There is great stuff in the Hagar era. In fact, that enabled this. Roth suddenly got good again after two decades. It all works out.



Agreed. And listen to Blood and Fire again on the new album. Tell me that's not the greatest song that was never on 5150 or OU812.

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post #98 of 104
2/12/12 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 

And I just got $50 nosebleeds for the second Staples Center date. Yes!

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post #99 of 104
2/12/12 at 11:47am

I got this from Van Halen News Desk. They're on facebook. There are more videos like this. The rest are Dave explaining the songs.

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post #100 of 104
2/14/12 at 10:27pm

I can't stop listening to A Different Kind of Truth. It has imprinted me as if it was a werewolf and I'm a baby.

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