The Van Halen Thread

[Sour Mash]

Yep, you have a point but, personally, I rarely find that those 'rare' demos are actually any good and you usually see why they didn't make an album.

The exception to this would have to be Gene's 'Street Legal' demos. Some great stuff on there.

But Paul's 'Sword & Stone' & 'Time Traveller' are great examples of songs that should have stayed hidden.

I'm just surprised VH had to go way back to the start to find some inspiration. Surely they have better songs lying around than those too choose from?

I like those two.

As you like the 80's era KISS I am in no way surprised by that!!!

I'm with Pete. They're great songs!!

[Pete]

Getting back to the thread, Tattoo may not be the best ever Van Halen song, but it's nice to have another classic rock band back on the scene producing new music that we can enjoy (be it 30 years or 30 minutes old).

Surely it's better than the shite mass produced and flogged upon us by Simon Cowell et al?

[Dan bach]

Getting back to the thread, Tattoo may not be the best ever Van Halen song, but it's nice to have another classic rock band back on the scene producing new music that we can enjoy (be it 30 years or 30 minutes old).

Surely it's better than the shite mass produced and flogged upon us by Simon Cowell et al?

Seconded Pete,

With VH i've learnt to wait ... i didn't see them support Sabbath in 1978, i'm not sure if they toured the UK between 1979 - 1981, but I did see them at Donington 1984 and I saw them on their next UK tour of 1993. If they tour the UK I will see them. VH around 1977 - 1979 influenced so many guitarists and front men alike ...

In the meantime, I'll get on with my life and i'll buy a ticket if they announce a Brit tour

[Pete]

http://vimeo.com/35173319" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(Potentially NSFW)

Fan made video for 'Tattoo'...

[crad]

Still shite

[Downy]

I wondered when Sammy was going to have his say.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... bled=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Downy]

Top man Mike.

http://www.planetrock.com/news/rock-new ... lbum-3218/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pete]

http://vanhalenradio.com/vanhalenradio/audio/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[crad]

Agree with sammy it's shite

[RippingFleshFromBone]

With VH i've learnt to wait ... i didn't see them support Sabbath in 1978, i'm not sure if they toured the UK between 1979 - 1981, but I did see them at Donington 1984 and I saw them on their next UK tour of 1993. If they tour the UK I will see them. VH around 1977 - 1979 influenced so many guitarists and front men alike ...

In the meantime, I'll get on with my life and i'll buy a ticket if they announce a Brit tour

They certainly did!

1979 in supoort of VHII & 1980 for WACF...and I was at both! (along with 1978 when they supported Sabbath).

Both were small tours, maybe 6 shows or so, not the 'every city in the UK' type many bands did at that time. I recently found a bootleg download of the actual 1979 Newcastle show. Great to hear it again after so long...

They also did a couple of one offs in London, sure one was at the Rainbow, tho I didn't go to those cos I was too young to be let loose in London on me own!

They also announced a 1982 (for Diver Down) tour for which I had tix, but the record company refused to give them any tour support so they cancelled. Bummer.

[markunderwood]

I was at that show at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park. Sadly, the venue closed way back in 1981 and it's is now a pentecostal church. A friend and I had just finished our final 'O' levels so the VH gig was a great release. It still lives long in the memory as one of the greatest gigs I've ever been to. Diamond Dave was on brilliant form.

[frontier(s)]

Well, 'Tattoo' is the worst track on the album IMO.

Terrible title, but 'Blood & Fire' is awesome.

[RippingFleshFromBone]

I was at that show at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park. Sadly, the venue closed way back in 1981 and it's is now a pentecostal church. A friend and I had just finished our final 'O' levels so the VH gig was a great release. It still lives long in the memory as one of the greatest gigs I've ever been to. Diamond Dave was on brilliant form.

It got great reviews in Sounds. Would have loved to have been there but at least I saw the other tours.

I'd be interested in hearing your memories of the show...

[crad]

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-hale ... um-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It ain't that bad actually some song's do not appeal to me but there are some good ones * = My ratings out of 5 *'s

Track List:

01. Tattoo *
02. She’s The Woman ****
03. You and Your Blues *
04. China Town ***
05. Blood and Fire ****
06. Bullethead **
07. As Is ***
08. Honeybabysweetiedoll *
09. The Trouble With Never ***
10. Outta Space ***
11. Stay Frosty ****
12. Big River **
13. Beats Workin’ ***

After more than two decades apart, the Van Halen brothers and original lead singer David Lee Roth have turned in a thrilling and terrific new album, ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ which proves that their chemistry together remains a special and magical thing.

The six classic late ’70s and early ’80s records from the first Roth-fronted lineup of the group set an imposing bar for any Van Halen reunion album. After all the years of traveling separate paths through creative growth and lineup changes, and without original bassist Michael Anthony, it’s very impressive how well Eddie, Alex and David have re-connected with each other.

Unlike the two new Roth-fronted songs on the 1996 ‘Best of’ compilation, which seemed like ill-fitting Sammy Hagar-era compositions (and still had their moments — “Do you believe? / Awww, don’t you trust me?”), you can drop the needle almost anywhere on ‘Truth’ and know instantly who you’re dealing with here.

Of course, that’s partially because the band very wisely stacked the deck a bit by re-working (or sometimes seemingly just re-recording) unreleased songs from as far back as their mid-70s label deal-securing demos into new compositions. If you think this is cheating, and you can keep that silly “purist” scowl on your face while the rest of us are marking out to songs like the electrifying, chill-inducing ‘She’s the Woman,’ well…we feel bad for you.

‘Woman’ is one of three unassailable throwback riff-rockers on ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ along with the similarly re-purposed ‘Big River’ (which somehow has a touching, melancholy depth) and ‘Outta Space.’ Nearly the whole record is surprisingly aggressive and up-tempo, even newer compositions such as the dizzying ‘As Is’ and the vaguely Iron Maiden-ish ‘China Town.’

In fact, it turns out the somewhat picked-on first single ‘Tattoo’ is about the safest track on the album, and also the only one featuring any kind of discernible keyboards. The only other obvious single candidate would be the sunny, unabashedly sentimental “we made it” anthem ‘Blood and Fire,’ which finds Roth treading the dreaded line of mawkishness but ultimately landing on the correct side.

Van Halen tackles more mature, sophisticated material with ease on one of the album’s early highlights, ‘You and Your Blues.’ The track starts with a staccato, processed riff similar to (gasp!) ‘III’s ‘One I Want‘ before heading off into more expansive territory, with some absolutely fantastic group vocal interplay.

Don’t get us wrong, in some cases Anthony’s trademark soaring background singing is missed, but the current lineup (we don’t have album credits, we’re guessing partially Eddie’s son and new bassist Wolfgang) does a great job filling in those gaps sometimes, too. The relaxed tempo of ‘Blues’ is also the perfect showcase for Roth’s weathered voice, which, admittedly, sounds a bit rough and reaching on some of the faster tracks, although not to any enjoyment-dampening level.

OK, we need to wrap this up. Which is too bad, because there’s plenty more to discuss with this record, and it seems safe to say more layers and vocals are going to reveal themselves after a few dozen more listens – are they quoting the Beatles‘ ‘Day Tripper’ with that bass line at the end of the album, for example?

But the basic takeaway here is, Van Halen has reunited and made a really damn good comeback album, and there’s going to be very little in the way of
automatic “new song bathroom breaks” on their upcoming tour.

[Dan bach]

Review the album yourselves - snippets ...
http://www.vhnd.com/new-songs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;