VH 4-Eva
I love Van Halen.
Really, I do. I think they are one of the best rock bands ever created.
Let me elaborate on this.
I love VAN HALEN.
1984 and earlier.
I do NOT like anything past that.
I do NOT like Van HAGAR whaaaaatsoever.
And do not get me started on the addition of Gary Cherone.
Van Halen or Bust, baby.
Diver Down. Fair Warning. Women and Children First. VH II.
You see where I'm going. This is the Van Halen that I will acknowledge.
My VH appreciation started in 1979-1980, when I was in the 5th grade. I was 10 turning 11 and I had a brother in high school. He turned me onto them. I thought they were wild and crazy and that David Lee Roth had such a sexy mane of hair. It wasn't until Jr. High that my infatuation turned onto Eddie Van Halen, and I started covering the inside of my locker with pictures of him and writing letters to Valerie Bertinelli about "how cool" her husband was. Van Halen reminds me of my youth. Summertime. Feathered hair. Trans Ams. Cut off shorts. Carnivals. Metalheads. Sun-In. First tastes of booze at a slumber party. They were the ultimate fun time kick ass rock band. Not only was the frotntman one of the most sexually expressive/outrageous performers (with a killer voice) to hit the stage, the band was by far one of the most innovative ( guitar player and drummer at least ) to come along. That Eddie sure can shred.
After 1984 ( the year and album ) it all hit the fan. Band turmoil, booze, fights, and Adios Dave.
Sure, Roth went onto a pretty successful solo career ( "Eat Em' & Smile is a kick ass album". Saw the tour and it was great. He got another amazing guitarist to rely on , Steve Vai. He could have done a lot worse. "Crazy from the Heat" is okay too. After that? Eeeeeeh....)
I will give credit where credit is due. Van HAGAR was very well-received. But, it was NOT for me. It was DAVE or NOTHING. And I stand by that. When I was working at Tower Records, and they came out with that Van Halen Greatest Hits ( that was a mix of both Roth AND Hagar ) if we were playing it in the store, I would sneak into our dj booth and try to program it in advance so no Sammy songs were played. My boss would get pissed, but I had to "represent".
Van Halen may not be the band for you. You may think Roth is too overboard and Eddie is just finger-masturbating on his Flying V, but they made some incredible music. I won't argue with you though if you say Michael Anthony is a boring bass player. "Running With The Devil" can tell you that. But, he's vital to the group. Just as Alex is with his tight drum fills and notorious "SSSSSS" cymbal sound. They rocked the 80's. Just listen and see:
posted by Jilabel @ 1:26 PM
2 Comments:
hmmm...maybe it's the age difference, but i listen to more hagar than roth ... but it's not because i think he's better ... just what i'm used to, i suppose
You are absolutely correct that there is no substitute for David Lee Roth in Van Halen.
Sammy's cool. I drink his tequila occasionally.
It's the Van Halen brothers that are intolerable.
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