Official Sammy Hagar/David Lee Roth/Van Halen Thread

[metallex78]

I also thought Balance was the best of the Sammy years.

Balance is an awesome album. Shame we never saw a proper follow up released.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

For me, though, 5150 is *the* Van Halen album, that showed off the best of Eddie's writing and playing with a newfound sense of maturity that wasn't really seen with Dave.?

Mature=keyboards, electric drum kit, songs about love, deep lyrics...."win or lose, take the high with the blues," "it's got what it takes, oh baby, why can't this be love."

Have any of you ever listened to Fair Warning before? I liked Van Hagar and all, but....

I also thought Balance was the best of the Sammy years.

Fair Warning lacked a lot of zip as far as the guitars are concerned.  When you have a song like Mean Street open an album, it all goes downhill from there 

Unchained pretty much rules, but there is A LOT of filler on FW.

Malcolm, if you don't have the first Van Halen album, you should definitely get it the next time you go to the record store.  You won't be disappointed, I promise. 

[GeraldFord]

I'm sorry dude, I really got to disagree with you. Fair Warning is THE Van Halen album, along with the self-tiled debut. How anyone could pick "Summer Nights" and "Love Walk In" over "So this is Love?" and "Dirty Movies" is beyond me. In terms of tone, guitar playing, songwriting, hooks and atmosphere, FW blows anything Van Hagar ever did out of the water.

Here's how I'd rank their catalogue:

Fair Warning
Van Halen
Women and Children First
1984
Balance
Van Halen II
F.U.C.K
Diver Down
Van Halen III
OU812
5150

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

I'm sorry dude, I really got to disagree with you. Fair Warning is THE Van Halen album, along with the self-tiled debut. How anyone could pick "Summer Nights" and "Love Walk In" over "So this is Love?" and "Dirty Movies" is beyond me.

I didn't.   

Fair Warning is like a Michael Anthony solo album with occasional guest appearances by Eddie.

It's almost grungy and funky at the same time. 

[GeraldFord]

I'm sorry dude, I really got to disagree with you. Fair Warning is THE Van Halen album, along with the self-tiled debut. How anyone could pick "Summer Nights" and "Love Walk In" over "So this is Love?" and "Dirty Movies" is beyond me.

I didn't.? ?

Fair Warning is like a Michael Anthony solo album with occasional guest appearances by Eddie.

It's almost grungy and funky at the same time.?

A Michael Anthony solo album? 

The bass work on that album is pretty cool though.

[faldor]

Don't know if this has ever been posted in this thread, but here's one punk bands view on Van Halen/Dave/Sammy.

Nerf Herder - Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0j0xBfRasw

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Don't know if this has ever been posted in this thread, but here's one punk bands view on Van Halen/Dave/Sammy.

Nerf Herder - Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0j0xBfRasw

I think that goes back a few years. Kinda the way I felt about it!

[faldor]

Don't know if this has ever been posted in this thread, but here's one punk bands view on Van Halen/Dave/Sammy.

Nerf Herder - Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0j0xBfRasw

I think that goes back a few years. Kinda the way I felt about it!

Yeah it's from like 1997 or so.  I like the song, and sort of agree as well.  Though I did like a lot of what Sammy did with the band.

[faldor]

I got 5 tickets this morning for $93 each for the Boston show. Hopefully they don't breakup before then.

I haven't been in B-town for a long time, I'll make it back some day, untill then my friend ...

Yeah, I live in CT right smack in the middle of Boston and NYC and since they didn't schedule any dates for CT we're gonna have to make a little trip out of it to see them.? Should be worth it though.? Same thing happened last year when GNR skipped out on CT, went and saw them at MSG and that was a fantastic show.?

There's supposedly a show at Mohegan Sun in early November which hasn't been announced yet.

Show for Mohegan announced today, Friday 10/5.  May have jumped the gun too early on the Boston tickets.  Still should be a good show.  A little road trip mid-week never hurt anyone.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Kinda off topic, but I had a dream with Valerie Bertinelli last night.  (EVH's ex-wife, now stars in Jenny Craig commercials)

I was at the supermarket and I kept following her and checking out her ass.  (Weird, I know!)  And right when she caught me, I woke up. 

I wonder what the punishment would have been. 

ANYWAY, I am wondering why they just haven't been selling all the tickets at once?  I hate waiting around and checking everyday if tickets for my show are on-sale yet.  I've been on pins and needles since they announced the tour.

[SLCPUNK]

Is that legal??? I dont see how they could do that 

Yea, me neither.

It's strongly rumoured that Mike has been a salaried employee of VH for a long time, possibly as far back as Hagar joining the band. Their royalties at ASCAP were set up so that the singer (all three of them) got paid separately but the rest of the money went into a company called something like Van Halen Inc, out of which the other three were paid. It's pretty much fact (according to Hagar interviews) that EVH didn't want MA on the 2004 tour either, but Hagar insisted, but one condition was that MA gave up his publishing rights. There are also EVH interviews going back as far as the Roth years where he whines that MA got paid for songs even though he didn't write a single note.

Anyway, while it seems petty and vindictive, it's almost certainly not illegal.

Another example of how this works. The keyboard intro to the Rainbow song 'Gates of Babylon' was written solely by the keyboard player, but he sold his writing credit rights to Ritchie Blackmore for a fixed sum, and is not credited on the album (Long Live Rock'n'Roll). It probably happens a lot, just not so high profile as Van Halen/Michael Anthony.

Wow that is nuts.

[fuckin crazy]

Kinda off topic, but I had a dream with Valerie Bertinelli last night. (EVH's ex-wife, now stars in Jenny Craig commercials)

I was at the supermarket and I kept following her and checking out her ass. (Weird, I know!) And right when she caught me, I woke up.

She is hot in that dress now that she has lost some weight.

[SLCPUNK]

She was still attractive, even with a few pounds I thought. Nice now though too. 

[LawsonsLaw007]

not that any one cares but i got my tickets
 gona be a sick show~!~



Peace

[GeraldFord]

She was still attractive, even with a few pounds I thought. Nice now though too.?

Maybe she was hotter than, as she had a bigger butt, one that I would like to rub my face in for six hours...

Btw, did you see how tall Wolfie is? Tallest one in the band!

[mrlee]

For me, though, 5150 is *the* Van Halen album, that showed off the best of Eddie's writing and playing with a newfound sense of maturity that wasn't really seen with Dave. 

Mature=keyboards, electric drum kit, songs about love, deep lyrics...."win or lose, take the high with the blues," "it's got what it takes, oh baby, why can't this be love."

Have any of you ever listened to Fair Warning before? I liked Van Hagar and all, but....

I also thought Balance was the best of the Sammy years.

Fair Warning lacked a lot of zip as far as the guitars are concerned.  When you have a song like Mean Street open an album, it all goes downhill from there 

Unchained pretty much rules, but there is A LOT of filler on FW.

Malcolm, if you don't have the first Van Halen album, you should definitely get it the next time you go to the record store.  You won't be disappointed, I promise. 

i disagree, fair warnings one of my favs.

[GeraldFord]

Wonder if VH Mark IV will debut at the MTV VMAs.

On another note, does anyone own David Lee Roth's A Little Ain't Enough? (1991) I put it on the other day for the first time in a while and think it's a pretty good album. Some filler, but as good as most Van Hagar.

[GeraldFord]

THEY'RE BAAAACCK
The Return of Van Halen

By Jeb Wright

Calling all rock dogs and rocker chicks! The classic hard rock news of the year is upon us. Van Halen have reunited with David Lee Roth. The dates are set and the tickets are mostly sold out. Edward is sober and it appears likely this is actually going to happen this time. Seeing Ed and Dave hug and smile at the VH press release makes things seem right in the world once again.

To fully understand the significance of the hug one must look backward in time. The date April 1, 1985 was one of the darkest days in hard rock history. It was an end of an era. It was the day that David Lee Roth left Van Halen. To be honest the world of hard rock has never been the same. Sure Sammy Hagar had great success with the band and Dave had his musical moments but like the BB King song, something was different, something was missing; the thrill was gone. Instead of Van Halen being the renegade rebels who were out to conquer the world, we had a kinder and gentler band who put out keyboard laden pop songs and made glossy videos. Roth changed as well. His first attempt at a solo career was a cover of the Beach Boy's classic "California Girls" and while the video was entertaining this was not what we had come to expect from DLR. Roth quickly got his shit together and put together an all star band featuring Billy Sheehan on bass and Steve Vai on guitar and released the classic Eat 'em & Smile album. Dave flew the middle finger at The Brothers. Van Halen answered back by snagging Sammy as the new front man and went straight to # 1 with 5150 proving they could replace Roth and grow to new heights of commercial success without him.

Van Halen created a new audience, separate from the long haired, leather wearing head-bangers who bought only the band's first five albums. Van Hagar and Sam Halen became the terms used to differentiate the two classic line ups of the band. Trouble once again reared it's ugly head. After years of owning the charts, Hagar and The Brothers had a rift and went separate ways. Rumors were flung around that the door was open and that Dave was coming back. Two new Roth sung tunes were added to the Best of Van Halen Vol. 1 release but in the end it was not meant to be. With Sammy and Dave both gone, Brothers VH had to find a third person lead the band. They brought in Gary Cherone from Extreme and released Van Halen III. The album flopped and became the first musical wart on Van Halen's resume. It was also the last album released under the moniker Van Halen.

David Lee Roth's career was struggling as well. Vai and Sheehan quickly tired of Dave's shtick and left to pursue more serious music. Once it was clear his solo career was in shambles Roth courageously stepped outside the box and went to Vegas. This was a pretty cool move actually and for a while it was successful. Many were not surprised to see Roth end up a Vegas showman as this fit his personality perfectly. As Van Halen were putting out classics like "Right Now" and "When It's Love" Roth found getting on the charts tougher than it had been in the old days.

Despite not being in the same band for decades rumors constantly persisted that Dave was indeed coming back. Every time they were announced the fans stood salivating and ready to pounce. Without fail, hopes were dashed and we were left with nothing but tabloid sensationalism. Over the last few decades Van Halen fans have had to put up not only with these pesky reunion rumors. They have had to put up with all three sides of the Van Halen Story -- The Brothers, DLR and Sammy -- fighting with each other. We have witnessed a crazy MTV declaration of the band being back together by Dave only to have Eddie declare that he was going to "kick Dave in the balls." There have been rehabs, marijuana busts, failed talk radio shows, cancer, divorce, porn soundtracks and the Sam & Dave tour. But now --- dare I say it --- the unthinkable has happened. Van Halen, with David Lee Roth in the band, will once again tour --- and if you believe the outspoken Roth --- they will record and stay together as a band.

As a diehard Van Halen fan since the first album was released in 1978, I still have to pinch myself everytime I get a press release or see a story on television about the band being back with Roth . Finally, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen are back in the same band -- not to mention Alex and Michael Anthony --- oh, wait a minute. There is a catch. The Brothers didn't invite Mike to the party. Mike was always the good guy. He was the one who got along with all three camps. He had his ass handed to him and was told to not let the door hit him there on the way out. Apparently the Van Halen camp didn't like him being on the road with Sammy calling themselves The Other Half, even though that is precisely what they were. Not only were they the Other Half but they were the Only Half that was even playing live gigs anymore. For now Mikey has been replaced by another Van Halen: Wolfgang. The kid is not old enough to vote yet and he is going to have to grow some big brass ones to be on the biggest classic rock stage ever.

Now is the time to take stock of the situation and ask the question: "What could possibly go wrong?"

[GeraldFord]

What Could Possibly Go Wrong List

A. Wolfe Could Choke
Mike is a huge part of the fan base. His Jack Daniels bass will be as missed as much as his wide smile and his awesome high end backing vocals. The young Van Halen has one tough job and his age and inexperience will be tested.

B. Dave & Ed Could Start Fighting
Dave has never been able to get along with ANYONE named Van Halen and now he will be surrounded by three of them. Until the two became huggy with each other Ed was telling Dave he was going to kick him in the nads and Dave referred to Ed as Eddie Van Heineken. Hugs aside, this is not the basis for a great friendship. Ed and Dave are famous for hating each other. Is the allure of big money, increased fame and carrying on the legacy of Van Halen enough to keep their egos in check?

C. Egos Could Fly Out of Control
One may think I covered this in the last question but we are talking about Edward Van Halen and David Lee Roth here. I am sure when they are at home enjoying a quite family evening they are both nice guys. However, when put together in the spotlight they tend to battle over who is Van Halen. Is it the guitar player whose last name is the name of the band or is it the singer who wears funny cloths, makes that odd, high pitched squeal and is the focal point of the audience? The obvious answer is that BOTH made up what was Van Halen and both are going to be what takes the band into the future. History has proved that they are often blind to this reality. From accusing Roth of having LSD (Lead Singers Disease) to the aforementioned ball kicking threat Edward has been fed up with Roth many times in the past. Roth has deserved some of the flack as he has shot his mouth off on more than a thousand occasions. Perhaps he is the prefect front man but that job has caused him to cross lines with the media with the full intent of pissing off the person he was talking about. Too often that person was Edward Van Halen.

D. Dave Could Say More Than He Should
Did Dave already cross the line when he said that this was not a reunion concert? Did he promise too much when he told us all that the band was going to make new music and stay together? If this falls apart are we going to have to suffer through another open letter from Dave to a guitar magazine telling us that Edward yelled at him and said he was going to whack his pee-pee again? I certainly hope not but Dave needs to watch what he says and what he does for several reasons A) The Brothers have shown sensitivity to Dave's words in the past and B) This is most likely way that Roth could inadvertently fuck things up.

E. Michael Anthony Could Be More important Than They Think
What if they get out there and find out Anthony was a bigger cog in the Van Halen machine than these four think? The result could be disastrous.

F. Dave's Vocal Limitations Rear Their Ugly Head
Does Dave still have it? If so will he be able to keep it? Van Halen live has always been the best thing about the band and Dave will need to remain at the top of his game to make this a valid undertaking.

G. Ed Could Fall of the Wagon
God forbid this happen. It is nothing to joke about and is nothing we would wish on Ed or anyone in his situation. But the fact is early sobriety is fragile. If Ed can't keep it together then this would spell bad news.

If the band can prove themselves and the list above is overcome then we must ask ourselves, "What could possibly go right?"

What Could Possibly Go Right List
The possibilities for this list could go on forever. Just imagine that we are on the brink of what could prove to be the reawakening of hard rock. A successful Van Halen tour will prove that people still love music that is fun. It will also prove that people want to hear music made by true virtuosos.

More than anything the best part of the reunion is that the music will be back. Van Hagar concerts featured mostly music that featured Sammy. The DLR era has been, for the most part, left untouched. Now the music gets to come back to life. Not just the hits that the Hagar era still played like "Jump," "Panama" and "You Really Got Me" but the songs that have not been played by Ed and Dave since the good old days. "Running with the Devil," "Unchained," "Dance the Night Away," "Jamie's Cryin'" and many more could be given a new lease on life.

I am sure there are plenty who wish for the band to fail. Cynics everywhere think the band will no longer have it. Others think that they are doing it just for the money. Only the four musicians can say for sure why they are doing what they are doing. But as a classic rock fan, a lifelong Van Halen fan, and as a music journalist, I hope Roth is right. I hope the band is back and that the tour goes off without a hitch. Sit back and imagine 2008 with a new release by Van Halen. Imagine further that they pick up musically where 1984 left off. Imagine that Van Halen still have enough simple magic to breath life back into what once was the greatest rock act of their time. They are older and hopefully wiser. Beware not to think they will be the same as time has changed them. But just as time changes us all, it teaches us valuable lessons as well. Time can fade old wounds and time can create enough space to deal with past resentments maturely. We don't need the spandex and we don't need the big show. But we do need the music. And, as it stands today, the music is about to come back louder than ever before. The Mighty Van Halen have returned. If this is the real thing and it looks like it is, then we are in for something special. So sinners get ready to swing as Van Halen prepare to stroll down Mean Street once again. In 1978 they helped kill disco and pave the way for hard rock. Will history repeat itself? We can only hope.

[mrlee]

well lets just hope they get a good turn out and put on good shows, as i personally want a return of big fun anthemic rock n roll in full force and in the mainstream, no more of this "good bands resigned to pubs with no attention at all, emos at top" bullshit.