Van Halen!

rock production changed SO much between 1978 and 1984 that it's hard to imagine that's true of many other bands, especially mainstream ones, if any, and the fact that that sound has been pretty unchanged through the Hagar era up to the present is even more amazing.

Definitely. They didn't even do the gated snare thing in the late-80s, when it was pretty much the law.

If you look at Templeman's track record, dude knows what he's doing. Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison ... not the most fashionable producer, but a master of meat and potatoes. Ironically (or not) he produced the first Montrose record.

He also did a good job on Captain Beefheart's Clear Spot. Tix on sale today for much of the tour. I'd like to go, but only selling to people with American Express today. This kind of b.s. plus the $90 - $180 prices make me just say fuckit and stick with the less known bands in small rooms.

I've loved VH since I was 10 years old and I've never seen them with DLR and I've always wanted to, but not for $100. Maybe that makes me sound cheap...okay, yes it does make me sound cheap, but even that isn't worth $100.

Might have been worth the dough a couple of years back, when there was no threat of new material. I mean, they were awesome in '08. Played everything I'd hoped they play, more or less.

ok, this song isn't even as good as "Me Wise Magic"

^^^OTFM

This is....good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY7ZqN8Ksdg

This is... a 1984 instrumental with new lyrics!

but it is way better than "Tattoo"

If they wanna raid the vaults for stuff like this, it's fine with me.

i think at least half the record is going to be vault cleaning.

misread that as "vacuum cleaning", lol

half an album of vacuum cleaning would still make it better than the record they made with Gary Cherone.

agreed

Now that sounds like Van Halen.

I love how the band was still cribbing from the vaults as late as "1984." Cheap Trick should have known better than to blow its backlog wad so early ...

YES! The boogie is back.

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

I like "Tattoo," much better than expected too -- sorry.

Man, that part where it kicks in at 1:10 on Stay Frosty and the acoustic guitar is in this weird time signature relative to the full-band punches is KILL-ER!

Snippet of "The Trouble With Never" at Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0071GGIPC/ref=dm_dp_trk2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327529944&sr=8-1

YES!!!!!!!!!!! Van Halen is back, jack!!

I saw those club clips and was stoked, I liked the new song they played at that gig, but got leary when I heard Tattoo, although that fucking song gets stuck in my head rigght away when I hear it, but hearing these snippits I'm stoked again... Van Fuckin Halen, motherfuckers!!

This stuff is...okay. But "Stay Frosty" in particular is really missing Michael Anthony when the full band kicks in.

Get over it... Michael Anthony is not coming back.. this is the closest its gonna be to the real Van Halen.. And Wolfy, well if I can't have Michael Anthony, I'd rather have another Van Halen in the band. Missing his high pitched backups, although great, is a small price to pay to have Alex throughing down those HUGE back beats, Dave, one of the best frontmen of all time, and Eddie doing the most head chopping shit he can! I'll fucking take it!!

i would never have imagined that 2012 was the year i'd get back into halen

Man, Michael Anthony blows. I guess I miss his vox, but not his plodding bass playing, and Wolfy does fine with both of those things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ewsHwVOyyE

UM HOLY SHIT Y'ALL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZCwTsoQMs

honestly totally shocked at the quality of this new stuff

I'm happy to say these further leaks are less embarrassing then I expected or that "Tattoo" lead me to fear. However, I'm not digging the obvious vocal cut and pasting in both "Stay Frosty" and "China Town". Dave can't fit the lines in and still breathe, and the word crunch of that effect really bothers me.

Crazytr...I mean Chinatown sounds great!

I really do not like "The Trouble with Never". sounds like stripper rock with a forgettable chorus.

Chinatown, on the other hand....is sweet.

Tattoo is boring.

Stay Frosty is fan-fucking-tastic.

VH practically invented "stripper rock" so that doesn't work as an insult

Trouble with Never is bad stripper rock, let me put it that way. too generic 'lol-80s'.

stuff like Chinatown will have my ear tho

I am getting closer and closer to buying this album day of release. If Best Buy has it for $9.99 (or less), I'm sold.

wouldn't be surprised if they stock racks and racks and sell it for 7.99 the first week.

Yeah, now that I've heard 90 seconds of The Trouble With Never vs the 30 seconds I heard the other day, it's kinda dire. I may appreciate it more in the context of the album, though...who knows. I already like Tattoo more than I originally did.

Beats Workin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIq9CYP2JEQ

Big River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aFu5oZtGLI

Outta Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ZyoKbPOMw

As Is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JKk0EfR0RM

"Outta Space" makes a reference to a "facebook page" smh

"Big River" is the first song preview that makes me want to hear the whole thing.

Big River is one of pre-debut demos, isn't it?

Just heard a :30 snippet of You and Your Blues too...great opening riff.

Ah, here's a :90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7CXhBBywE

Apparently "Big River" is a rework of "Big Trouble". No wonder I like it! Thought it sounded familiar.

Hate to say it, but listening to it now and the demo is better. Michael Anthony and DLR's higher register both sorely missed.

Honeybabysweetiedoll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Gz88ziwTw

Bullethead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOZzoBS1eEw

I think that's it now...90-second previews of every track are out there now. Of course, that's no way to judge an album properly, but so far I'm definitely giving it a B+ (The Trouble With Never and Tattoo being the only songs I'm not enthusiastic about).

Have you seen a listing anywhere of which ones are old demos reconsidered? Because "Beats Working" is "Put Out The Lights" (I'm skimming through the demos to compare, but I'm sure someone's already done the mall).

I haven't, but I'm sure one will pop up somewhere soon.