Van Halen!

Anthony sided with Hagar in the (second) breakup.

Okay, yeah, I guess I knew that.

I love the classic lineup and hold out no hope this will be anything but a steaming pile.

I'm hopefully if only because of "Me Wise Magic" and "Can't Get This Stuff No More," even if those tracks are from 1996. I think VH and DLR bring the best out of each other.

*hopeful

that was 15 years ago, and neither would have made any of the first six records (well, maybe Diver Down which is 1/3 filler already). No hope here.

I kinda hope the new album is only a half hour long, like the first six were.

I can't see how this can possibly be good. EVH hasn't written a good song in forever. Hate to say it, but it's true, Chickenfoot is a better band.

i think the production will make or break an album like this, as it usually does when a band comes back with what's essentially their first album together in decades (or at least the first Van Halen bros/DLR album together in decades), since rock production trends have changed so much that could really 'spoil the chemistry' as much as any change in playing or songwriting. the guy they worked with, John Shanks, has a LOT Of teenpop and country and adult contempo stuff on his resume (the only comparable project is the last Bon Jovi album), which is a little sketchy but honestly i could see that working w/ VH better than if they were trying to play catchup with modern rock radio and getting with Brendan O'Brien or something, which I really came to hate about those later Springsteen/E Street albums.

yeah I feel like the loudness war is going to get taken to new heights with this album

Chickenfoot is a better band

I feel like this is maybe the most ridiculous sentence in the English language.

Right now they are. I'd rather listen to Hagar/Anthony/Satriani than Eddie/DLR/that kid.

Last Chickenfoot record was solid.

Listening to it now (first time I've knowingly heard Chickenfoot iirc). First song's alright, but we'll see.

Yeah, this is really too Sammy Hagar-y for my tastes. Soz.

Both Chickenfoot albums are much better than I expected them to be, and the second one is an improvement over the first. By contrast, just knowing that the forthcoming Van Halen single is called "Tattoo" makes me cringe. Unless it turns out to be a tribute to Herve Villechaize. That will be awesome.

The odds of the new VH album being any good are very low. The odds of it even sounding remotely like the classic line-up are virtually nil. The odds of it being better than Chickenfoot are even.

I dunno, the new Devo album was pretty good and their last 2-3 records were terrible

My take on Chickenfoot was like the infamous 7/11 cocktail: you might be tempted to mix together all the flavors at the soft drink fountain together, once, but damned if you'd take a second dip into that well.

Like Devo, Van Halen is almost its own genre, but unlike Devo, it's beholden to a very particular template, a more unique alchemy linked directly to its set of players, its producer, and its era. How were those Roth-vox tracks on the greatest hits? Never heard 'em.

really don't understand why Michael Anthony won't just do this

As noted, Eddie doesn't want Anthony in the band, only let him play on three tracks since Hagar left, and only accepted him in the last reunion (after Hagar's insistence) on the condition that he 1) agreed to a reduced future royalty split, 2) sign away his share of the name and logo and 3) end all association with the band after the tour. And has since had his son included in the visual lineup for Anthony-recorded tracks on Guitar Hero: Van Halen, even in unlockable "classic line-up" costumes. Aaaand photoshopped his son into Anthony's place on original album covers on Van-Halen.com.

How would you expect Anthony to "just do this"? Turn up at every show and busk in the parking lot outside?

I wish I could find the interview where Eddie brags how awesome Wolfgang is because he locks the bathroom door and jacks off several times a day, but here's:

Wolfie plans to attend college at some point in the future, according to his dad: "He's obviously going to Julliard or something like that — and they'll take him at the drop of a hat, because he is ready. And the kid can act, too." But for now? "He is a part of Van Halen. Permanently."

Wolfgang-era Van Halen was awesome live a few years back. I can't hate. It's not like Anthony brought much more than his ability ti chug Jack Daniels. Wolfy handled the harmonies more than capably.

How would you expect Anthony to "just do this"? Turn up at every show and busk in the parking lot outside?

haha well I guess I just had this backwards - had assumed that since Anthony sided with Hagar that was how he wanted it. But makes more sense that EVH is just being a dick.

EVH's dickness is well documented, but I think it stems from Anthony buddying up to Hagar a long time back.

Found it - RS took down the transcript but there were highlights on Roadrunner Records' gossip/news page:

EVH: "My son Wolfgang plays drums, guitars and bass. This kid is fucking dangerous. If I excel at the speed of sound, he excels at the speed of light. My brother goes, 'This is the first time I've had bass in my headphones.' He's only fifteen years old and he's getting laid. He's spanking it too."
HS: "How do you know that?"
EVH: "When you spend 45 minutes in the bathroom you're not taking a shower."

lol

xxp: I was just listening to a Michael Anthony interview on the music radar podcast. If I remember right, he said the trouble between him and Eddie started when they were recording one of the 1990s albums. III? I forget. EVH I guess purposefully shifted the band's songwriting dynamic from (paraphrased) "a bunch of guys writing songs together" to "Eddie holed up in his studio writing everyone's parts for them".

Of course, Hagar was complaining about lack of creative control around the same time. One of my favorite interview segments ever:

GW: Eddie maintains that Alex asked you specifically not to write any lyrics that involved Twisters, yet you went ahead and did it anyway. Is this true?

Hagar: I have no idea what they're talking about. In our first meeting about the soundtrack, Ed and Al told me they didn't want the song to be about Twisters, and I said fine no problem. Ray Danniels came up to me and said he didn't want a song about Twisters. Again I said fine, no problem. All I wanted to do was see some footage of the film so I could at least make some of the lyrics fit the action on the screen. Since Eddie and Alex saw the movie to make their music fit, I thought I'd better do the same thing to get a vibe or the lyrics. I asked the film's director, Jan De Bont, to send me some footage and he did. From what I saw on the screen, I thought the movie was about the infatuation people have with fear and how it can suck you in. Sometimes you're afraid to fall in love with a chick, but she sucks you in anyway. You know that if you start messing with this girl, you'll become infatuated with the danger that she represents. So "The Silent Extreme" was a song that talked about being right in the middle of all this, and I wrote this really cool lyric I thought said it all.

GW: "Sky turning black/knuckles turning white/headed for the hot zone"?

Hagar: Headed for the "suck zone." That lyric had nothing to do with tornadoes. Again, I have no idea where Eddie came up with the idea that that was tornado stuff. The only word in that phrase that even comes close to sounding like a Twister is "sky turning black." But that line can mean anything, you know. The rest of the song had absolutely nothing to do with tornadoes. It was all about entering the silent extreme.

TBF, I imagine the Red Rider is a pretty easy dude to get along with. When you band's namesake and de facto dictator has been through the rotating door of rehab too many times to count, it's a wonder that even his brother is still in the fold.

er, Red Rocker

I got a Red Rocker for christmas once, despite multiple warnings I would rock my socks off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9tOR4On8Uk

thanking you red rocker

Man, I wish I could find this old alt-weekly piece on hanging with Hagar, a dude most comfortable with his status. I did find something else that pointed out how he made much more money with his tequila than he did with Van Halen. Like, over $100 million.

BTW, xpost, I just learned, like, a week ago that the singer of Red Rider was the same guy that did that horrid "Life is a Highway" song a decade or two later.

I just learned that 4 hours ago!

Really? Now we're getting off topic I think, but I loved the song "Boy Inside the Man" from the last album he did with Red Rider in 1987. I worked my way backwards to "Lunatic Fringe" and then a few years later "Life Is a Highway" came out and I was done.

Man, I wish I could find this old alt-weekly piece on hanging with Hagar, a dude most comfortable with his status. I did find something else that pointed out how he made much more money with his tequila than he did with Van Halen. Like, over $100 million.

Hagar's autobiography is a fun read. Not only did the tequila make him bazillions, but he also did very well investing in mountain bikes and indoor fire sprinklers (!) before they became popular. There's a guy with a head on his shoulders, unlike the VH brothers, who he said were pretty much living in squalor in 1985.

That's insane (the 1985 squalor part). I could understand it if they were trying to live off record sales/royalties alone, but they'd just come off a 6-month arena tour.

Various Hagar interviews have outright stated that VH didn't start raking in the dough until Hagar took over. Found this gem:

Green: My brother interviewed you right after your Van Halen run came to an end. You had a great quote about comparing yourself to David Lee Roth.

SH: It's a fact, number one. The Van Halen part of it is the thing I'll never escape from. Other than both being singers in the same band, we have nothing in common. Other than both having a successful reign. We sold 42 million records, they sold 28 [with Roth]. I was in the band 11 years, he was 7. So stack it up. "Right Now" and all the No. 1 records were with me. They became a teenage phenomenon with him. But people grew up. It was more like 18-30 for me. Their wife and couples came to see us. The fact that I had a career before Van Halen was more important to me. David Lee Roth didn't have a career before and so he didn't have one after.

Elsewhere he notes the VH bros horrible business sense and bad contracts. Here's a piece on his accidental business savvy:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/20/MNO81IBVHU.DTL

a friend of mine is Hagar's IT guy in Hawai'i. Apparently he identifies himself as "the red rocker" on the phone.

that's all well and good Sammy, but you still only made a half decent record (5150) during your 11 year tenure with the band. the rest of it was just one steaming pile after another.

also you wrote the lyric 'only time will tell if we stand the test of time' and if you say it's ironic i won't believe you

I still think a lot of Eddie's most firecracker guitar work is on OU812, but Hagar is a big buzzkill on those tracks.

Everyone bought those steaming piles, so the joke's on us.

I will defend For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and there are some good singles from that era, but yeah, DLR Van Halen is an entirely different level of quality. Still, I love Montrose and think that Sammy's solo career is stronger than Dave's.

I was in the band 11 years, he was 7.

Hagar: 1985-1996. Roth: 1974-1985.

We sold 42 million records, they sold 28

In what territories, Sammy? Are you counting singles, not just albums?

all the No. 1 records were with me.

I guess this is US albums, then? The first #1 single was with Dave. All your albums went #1, but they didn't sell as much as his, per RIAA (and steadily declined during your tenure):

VH: 10 million
VH II: 5 million
WACF: 3 million
FW: 2 million
DD: 4 million
1984: 10 million

5150: 6 million
OU812: 4 million
FUCK: 3 million
Balance: 3 million

Epic 2012 tour, surprising no one. Slightly more surprising, the email gaffe from EVH's wife/publicist in the press release, conflating the Van Halen bio with the Kool & the Gang bio.

...Presented with two Diamond Award RIAA Certified Status' for their albums Van Halenand 1984, the band has produced a repertoire of hits that remain some of the strongest and most influential rock songs ever written that fans will admire for decades to come.

Kool & The Gang found a special sound at the unique intersection of jazz, R&B, funk and pop. Their music has been created by the same core of players for over thirty years: Robert "Kool" Bell, his brother Khalis Bayyan, their longtime friends Dennis "DT" Thomas and George "Funky" Brown.

i like to imagine DLR inserting that in there because he was just really loving Kool & The Gang that day

From the Times review of last night's club gig:

Mr. Roth, 57, showed some wear in his high notes, and he wasn’t taking his shirt off for this gig; in fact, he was wearing overalls.

he's rocking the overalls in the 'trailer' johnny fever posted upthread

http://www.nylonmag.com/modules/magsection/article/uploaded_images/3964_ct_farmer.jpg

Boy, there must be some good account of how Van Halen pulled off "1984." I mean, I like "Woman and Children First" and "Fair Warning," but those albums are kind of rambling messes, as is "Van Halen II," kind of. And then here comes "1984," all killer and no filler. Or at least close to that. It's a small miracle they pulled it off.

it was their dragon to slay or something, it’s 100% detectable on their first few albums but like in the rearview mirror already
they evolve to where you almost can’t see it tho so by 1984 they can be like ‘this is our Rush song, this is our AC/DC song, this is our Toto song’

1. It is often unremarked upon that when Sammy came into the band, the other three probly looked up to him: in most tellings of his entrance into the band in '85, it's more like "oh look, some average hard rock journeyman is joining this band, ho hum," not "the frontman of a band that was hugely formative on VH is now joining VH." And yes, those guys did love love boogie shit, and the brothers were chops snobs.

2. I do think that the brand name "Eddie Van Halen" in the 80s and very early 90s would have been had such huge awareness that Warner Bros could have successfully marketed a solo record. Chops intensive guitar music did sell in appreciable amounts—Steve Vai, Passion and Warfare, for instance. The trouble is that EVH considered his band that he did with his brother and later his son indivisible from anything he would want to do; he wouldn't want to do a Passion and Warfare-ish fusion-chops-Shrapnel record with other musicians, and the band that bore his name was his outlet for his creative drive.

He did tire of the party-hearty lyrical focus of Dave and Sammy, and so VHIII is where you hear the kind of lyrics Eddie Van Halen favored at that time in his life (he wrote some of them), as well as a lot of music that he felt he could finally do now that those two guys were gone. VHIII is more or less a solo album, and while quite bad, it shows that he believed that hard rock with his brother was the only thing he could do, or at least it was the only thing he felt comfortable releasing into the marketplace. Apparently there will be a data dump for commercial release of the cream of the shit he recorded for many decades in the studio that his brother and Steve Lukather are supervising.

Guitar mag journalists who encountered him will tell you that he was mistrustful…the band signed a very very bad deal with Warners in 1978, they were poorly advised, and after a while, his bond with his brother (forged by coming to this country as kids not speaking english) intensified, where they truly only trusted each other and a select few. and at the same time he was spoiled by being worshipped as an unassailably perfect god of the guitar from an early age… he was incurious w/r/t to music, he took almost nothing in after 1978. But Dave was a musical and cultural omnivore; he had the band do JB, disco and the Isleys in the backyard party days, which the Bros didn't like at all.

3. I don't particularly understand why Roth couldn't write new words for the "Dancing in the street" track: the finished track apart from the vocal owes very little to the Martha and the Vandellas recording: he could have written completely different lyrics, Ed wouldn't have been mad about that, they could keep the publishing $$$, etc etc etc

he took almost nothing in after 1978

Allan Holdsworth was one of the few 80s contemporaries that he praised

It's wild how close Hot for Teachers' superfast boogie beat is derived from Cactus's "Parchman Farm"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_y_m0mImGw

idk where people here fall on it but I very much love the Dancing in the Street cover, it's so hard to make that song sound anything but lame, with that wonky metallic guitar groove Van Halen make it sound like a different song entirely, or at least it's more remix than cover I think

― frogbs, Tuesday, 7 October 2025 20:56 (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Top 10 Van Halen for me, if not top 5 - the Run Like Hell pulse makes it, and doesn't it just. I'm not bothered that it's a cover, or indeed that a great portion of my favourite VH album is covers, the whole of DD sounds like a band in rude health to me, despite (or partly because of) its rushed grab-bag genesis.

xp You probably know this, but VH used to play Cactus's "Let Me Swim" from that same album in their live sets

It's wild how close Hot for Teachers' superfast boogie beat is derived from Cactus's "Parchman Farm"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jouuKdGRmg

^^^^ Live at Pasadena High School, May 5th, 1974

New soundboard from 1982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jInlK21uO_w

the left channel on my receiver broke, so I figured I'd just plug both speakers into the right one until I could get it fixed. first album I listened to was the VH self titled. I did not realize nearly all of Eddie's guitar is in the left channel. the album is fuckin hilarious this way. "Michael Anthony's Version" I suppose.

There's an AM station in town that does this. "Runnin' With the Devil" is hilarious.

("Major Tom" also quite... different.)

n/

what the hell??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TXSi8_2SHQ

man that must be a collector's item. can't believe they let it go out like that???!

lol, that can't possibly be real

It's very well done.

Well, that makes sense why Roth would jump ship for a more competent synthesist like Brett Tuggle.

StSanders lives

Pasadena Civic Oct 15, 1977. look out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XTomoqWnvM

all the boots from that era are solid