A Different Kind of Truth-Van Halen

[Big Bad Bill]

Has anyone heard the new Van Halen album with DLR on the vocal cords? What do you think?

[R1FSR]

ive had it a few weeks now ...its definitely a grower, i actually think its a throw back to the
women and children first era wich isnt a bad thing.
BUT i dont know what it is about it , there is something missing ,surely michael anthonys vocals cant be it although its obvious they are missing .
Dave Lee Roth was never a great vocalist anyway so didnt expect all to much from him lol .

the Song tattoo seemed to be a (poor) track to grab a new fanbase ..the rest of the album is more like old school Van Halen than new .
Me i like it ...........................................................i think .

[EyE]

Only heard the song Tattoo but it didn't made me run to the store and buy it. If I'm up for it, I'll listen to the whole album one of these days.

[boswell]

Pretty weak and one dimensional to my ears, Anthony's vocals are sorely missed. I read somewhere that some of the songs are rerecordings of oldies that didn't make previous albums.
Eddie's playing is lacklustre too.
Tattoo video is awful!

[Big Bad Bill]

Yes, 'Tattoo' is simply awful and stupidly its been placed in pole position on the album, but I can't get it out of my head! I agree with R1FSR it does sound like a throw-back to around W&CF and I for one quite like that. There's some great EVH guitar work on there in my opinion, but because it supports the song its less 'in your face' than other players might be and so less appealing to guitar-heads than it might be. EVH's guitar style has become so copied and stains most people's playing, that when you hear the original it become almost a parody of itself-just like Charlie Chaplin's slap-stick comedy for example. He was the first to look down an blocked hose pipe and step on a banana skin, both with now obvious consequences, so it doesn't make us laugh any more, but back in the day, these antic brought the house down.

In contrast to R1FSR, I think Roth is a great singer, he's just not an X-Factor/Pop Idol 'clinically perfect' singer. His voice creaks, it cracks and croaks and is full of whisky-filled, cigarette-abuse character. You can hear him desperately reaching for those higher notes with some effort but I think that just makes the music sound more 'authentic'. Its the antithesis of Gary Cherone's 'Broadway perfection' on their last album and I think we can all agree that was VH's very worst album in large part due to Cherone's input in my opinion. Anthony's vocals? Who the hell is he? He played a minor role in the VH phenomenon and I didn't even notice him being missing.

What the album does lack are the mid-tempo or even slower tunes that allow you to breathe during a listening. Its a great album to drive to work to (which is what I've been doing) but it could do with some space in it, something a bit more intimate perhaps.

Overall, like R1FSR said, its a grower but I think this is a positive move in a fruitful direction for future albums. Lets hope we don't have to wait another decade plus for the next one (hint, hint Steve)

[Bryceybhoy]

I've been listening to it the last few days and, have to say, it's really growing on me. It's heavier than I thought it would be. Tattoo was picked out of the hat as a single, so I've heard anyway, so I wouldn't worry that the band think it's the lead song on the album.

Apparently the brothers are so lacking in care about what people think or how they review the album that they put Tattoo, which they know to be the weakest of all the songs, as the opener. They simply don't care what people think. I like that. It shows major balls. Shuts tossers like Sammy Hagar up anyway.

I just hope that do another album in a couple of years.

[Big Bad Bill]

I've been listening to it the last few days and, have to say, it's really growing on me. It's heavier than I thought it would be.

It is heavy, and to think I was trying to persuade a few of my students to investigate Van Halen after their protests they were 'too heavy'

Tattoo was picked out of the hat as a single, so I've heard anyway, so I wouldn't worry that the band think it's the lead song on the album.

Still got the damn song in my head though.

Shuts tossers like Sammy Hagar up anyway.

Why? What's Hagar been saying?

I just hope that do another album in a couple of years.

Oh dammit, you had to say it and break the mojo. It'll be a decade now-if they can stand being in the room with each other after even a few years.

Has anyone seen the interview? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4bFOuECaH4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I forgot just how much of a motor-mouth DLR is! Its a bit irritating at times and the way he keeps interrupting Alex (6:16) after he asks him a question and putting his own thoughts in....it'd irritate the hell out of me and you can see Alex prickle.

[Bryceybhoy]

Sammy slagged the band off for using old tracks/demos for the new album instead of coming up with completely new material. He also slagged off Eddie and Alex, and said he was a much better singer than Dave. He continues to lack any dignity, put it that way.

I probably have jinxed it, sorry about that. They'll probably cancel the tour now.

Students? Are you a teacher? A teacher with a sword??? Ha ha!

Updated:

This is what Sammy told Guitar World last week:

"If you take Joe versus Eddie, you take Dave versus me, Wolfie versus Mikey, Chad or Kenny versus Al… I mean, come on! You know what I mean? Man for man, who can sing the best? Dave or I, today? Who can play the best? Joe or Eddie, today? Who could play or sing the best? Wolfie or Mikey? I think it’s a joke."

Nothing like being bitter in public.

[boswell]

In contrast to R1FSR, I think Roth is a great singer, he's just not an X-Factor/Pop Idol 'clinically perfect' singer. His voice creaks, it cracks and croaks and is full of whisky-filled, cigarette-abuse character. You can hear him desperately reaching for those higher notes with some effort but I think that just makes the music sound more 'authentic'. Anthony's vocals? Who the hell is he? He played a minor role in the VH phenomenon and I didn't even notice him being missing.

Every Van Halen chorus almost was Anthony's voice reaching the heights Roth could never reach, I do agree about Roth's voice it ain't great and never was but it is the personality of Van Halen.

[Big Bad Bill]

This is what Sammy told Guitar World last week:
"If you take Joe versus Eddie, you take Dave versus me, Wolfie versus Mikey, Chad or Kenny versus Al… I mean, come on! You know what I mean? Man for man, who can sing the best? Dave or I, today? Who can play the best? Joe or Eddie, today? Who could play or sing the best? Wolfie or Mikey? I think it’s a joke.

He has a point with regards the individual parts that make up Chickshit and Van Halen. Chickenpoop would seem to have more accomplished players on boards, but Hagar forgets the idea of combinatorial factors, i.e. 'the complete is more than the sum of its parts'. For Van Halen the functional parts were DLR and EVH and they're back together. Anthony was incidental in my opinion, although I suppose he did contribute to the overall VH sound. Alex...I don't really know what I think of his musical contribution. He rides that cymbal a little too much for my ear to fill out the sound....

[Bryceybhoy]

I do think people get a bit carried away when they talk about Michael's influence on VH. Exactly how many songs did he write? I doubt very much at all.

Still loving the album, though, especially She's the Woman. It's a groovy wee number.....makes me shake my tail.

[boswell]

I do think people get a bit carried away when they talk about Michael's influence on VH. Exactly how many songs did he write? I doubt very much at all.

ASCAP has him a songwriting credit for most Van Halen songs though legal wranglings in recent years saw Van Halen remove him from the tracks on album sleeves.

[Prezidentman]

Whether MA wrote songs or not he was a big part of the overall VH sound IMO. I frankly don't care how much he contributed to the writing process, he was there throughtout all the highs and lows of VH's first 20 years, he's still alive and still a capable musician and IMO it's a damn shame that this so-called reunion doesn't include him....whatever the reason maybe...I mean, if Eddie and Dave can work together, why can't MA and the rest of VH???
That being said, I bought the new album and I think it's very good, I was even impressed by Wolfgang.

[Big Bad Bill]

Whether MA wrote songs or not he was a big part of the overall VH IMO. I frankly don't care how much he contributed to the writing process, he was there throughtout all the highs and lows of VH's first 20 years

I wonder if non-UK board members are familiar with the member of the band 'Happy Mondays' known as Bez? I have a feeling MA contribution to VH's music was only slightly greater that Bez's contribution to the music of Happy Mondays. Perhaps I'm being less than generous there....

[Big Bad Bill]

I love 'Tattoo' now! I should read the lyrics and see what its actually about. I wonder if there's a clue in the title....?