VAN HALEN (Not Van Hagar!) Coda: Can’t Get This Stuff No More
Welcome to the final installment in my latest series of reviews at mikeladano.com: an in-depth look at all the classic VAN HALEN albums, with David Lee Roth. If you missed anything, don’t fret: the complete list is right below. Dig in!
VAN HALEN – “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” / “Me Wise Magic” (1996 Warner promo singles)
Van Halen had been doing just fine, thank-you-very-much, with Sammy Hagar for a decade. There had always been rumors that they were on the verge of a split with Hagar. I remember hearing those rumors on MuchMusic in 1987, around the time Sammy had released his self-titled solo album. The rumors returned when Sammy released his Unboxed compilation in 1994. When the split did finally occur in 1996, it was explosive. Especially when Van Halen announced that they had resumed work with David Lee Roth, and two brand new songs featuring his voice would be released on the forthcoming Best Of Volume I album.
A somewhat embarrassing MTV Awards appearance by the reunited Van Halen stoked the fire. They presented an award to a stunned looking Beck, who thanked them in his speech. Dave, always the ham, made the most of the opportunity to address the crowd. Edward looks uncomfortable, keeping his distance and trying keep the subject on the “Best Male Video” award.
As predicted, the reunion was strictly temporary. A tense studio situation (with new producer Glen Ballard) produced two cuts. The first, “Can’t This Stuff No More”, was considerably darker than most of the Van Hagar tunes the band has been putting out. You can hear some quiet organ overdubs, but it is otherwise void of keyboards. Roth uses his lower voice, as he had on his previous solo album Your Filthy Little Mouth. Eddie’s guitar sounds a bit like his work on 1984, but with a much fatter tone. As a single, “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” is a bit of a disappointment. If it had accompanied a whole album of new material, it would have made an excellent album cut.
“Me Wise Magic” is the one with the catchy chorus. It too has a dark tone to it, perhaps reflective of the mood in the Van Halen camp. Roth again uses his low voice, until the chorus when he lets those patented Dave shrieks loose. They’re older, more ragged and tamed, but it’s that same Diamond Dave “charasma!” that we had missed for so long. The chorus isn’t bad, but the song doesn’t boast one of those classic guitar riffs that albums such as Women and Children First were loaded with. There’s no mistaking the player as Edward, especially come solo time, but it is undeniable that these two “new” songs lack a certain magical aura. Both would have made excellent album songs, surrounded by others of different tempos and types. As “new” compositions on a greatest hits collection of questionable intent…
3.5/5 stars
Whether you are traveller or tourist, this is the end of the ride; the series stops here. We know what happened next: Van Halen 3, inactivity, followed by years of confounding turbulence. Finally, the album A Different Kind of Truth (2012), and redemption.
Edward Van Halen picked up the phone. On the other end was a man claiming to be “Quincy Jones”, asking Eddie if he was available to play on an album. Not knowing the name “Quincy Jones” and assuming it was a crank call, Eddie slammed down the phone yelling, “Fuck off, asshole!” Only a followup phone call from Michael Jackson clarified the situation. Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer, was working on the new Michael Jackson album. Could Eddie come by and play a guitar solo on an upbeat, driving song?
What Eddie laid down (in reportedly two takes) was selected by Guitar magazine as the greatest guitar solo of the 1980’s.
In one tension-filled solo, Eddie threw every trick from his bag: whammy dives, complex neo-classical trills, hammer-ons, pull-offs, tapping, harmonics, squeals, and finally a big fat pick slide.
If one wants to hear what Eddie Van Halen sounds like, all they need to do is play “Beat It”.
VAN HALEN – 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) (1984 Warner)
Having compromised his artistic instincts on 1982’s Diver Down, Edward Van Halen refused to do the same again. He and longtime engineer Donn Landee proceeded to build 5150, Eddie’s home recording studio. There he was free to experiment with the synthesizers that had begun to creep into Van Halen albums. When the studio was complete, Eddie felt that he had more control.
But there were other issues beginning to surface. The Michael Jackson cameo, for example. Roth had reportedly vetoed previous offers for Van Halen to do guest appearances on records. (Van Halen had also appeared on the semi-obscure Brian May and Friends EP Star Fleet Project.) When Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson extended the offer to appear on “Beat It”, Edward did it without telling the others in the band. Roth claims he never would have objected to Edward working with an artist of Quincy Jones’ stature, but the feelings of betrayal had set in.
Edward and Roth both recall that Van Halen had the main keyboard hook from “Jump” for years, and had submitted it for consideration twice. Roth and producer Ted Templeman rejected it both times, wishing Eddie to keep the focus on his guitar playing. The third time was the charm, and Roth finally agreed to write lyrics for the song, now titled “Jump”. Another synth piece of Eddie’s, now called “1984” was used on the album to precede “Jump”.
It’s impossible to underestimate the impact of “Jump”. Those big fat Oberheim keys were unlike any that Van Halen had used before. The song’s success made other bands pay attention, who were quick to begin adding keyboards themselves. The trends this song ushered included the successes of Bon Jovi, Europe and the like. Veteran bands like Kiss started adding keyboards to their live shows. “Jump” was a perfect storm. It captured Van Halen’s already likable and cool party-hearty spirit, with the cool new wave bands that had replaced punk. Eddie’s tasteful guitar solo ensured that his fans would still listen to every note in order to figure out just how the hell he did that. Meanwhile, who couldn’t love his sheepish grin in the music video?
If you listen carefully during the fade, you’ll hear a familiar guitar riff. Can you name it? That very riff was recycled in 1991 on Van Hagar’s song “Top of the World”!
“Panama” was also a single, no keyboards this time! David made the ladies faint every time during the middle break. The high-flying video showed their sense of humour and electric stage show. If any fan was left doubting after “Jump”, then “Panama” assured them that all was alright. Guitar pyrotechnics and cool lyrics are where’s it at.
What’s not to like about “Top Jimmy”? Perfectly fusing his experimental and hard rocking sides, Eddie created a hook using guitar harmonics for “Top Jimmy”. There’s the patented Van Halen backing vocals, a smokin’ song, and David Lee Roth running the show. This is one of those album cuts that’s every bit as good as the better known tracks. Same with “Drop Dead Legs”. Alex’s steady beat, Eddie’s smoldering riff, and Roth’s leathery moan are a trifecta of perfection. If you listen to the riff, you’ll notice Eddie’s innovative way of using a whammy bar in a musical fashion, as an actual part of the music. Towards the end, Eddie goes into a different riff, and solos his way to the side’s fade-out.
“Sit down, Waldo!”
Dave’s knack for video scored a home run with “Hot For Teacher”. You wouldn’t necessarily think a song like this, a hard shuffle with a lot of talking in it, would make for hit. Hell it opens with 30 seconds of nothing but drums! “Hot For Teacher” remains a pinnacle of hard rock music videos. There’s the humour, the girls, the cool car, and of course “Waldo” who got the last laugh, didn’t he?
“I’ll Wait” is the third and last synth track on the album (including “1984”). It too was chosen as a single, and like all the others, it has stood the test of time. “I’ll Wait” is a very transitional song. Roth keeps it cool, but musically, Van Hagar was already in sight. The echo of later songs like “Feels So Good” can be heard in that throbbing keyboard. “I’ll Wait” (credited to the band and Michael McDonald) went through a period in the 1990’s of sounding dated, but today it sounds timeless. Rather than commercial, today the keyboards sound classy. The guitar solo is simple and full of feel.
Ominous guitar tapping and shredding opens “Girl Gone Bad”, a devastating assault of Eddie’s most aggressive guitar. A song like this absolutely needed to be on 1984 in order to maintain the band’s metal credentials. Many teenagers injured their wrists trying to pick as fast as Edward. Meanwhile, Roth does his very best Robert Plant impression during the middle section. “Yeah, ahh, ahh, owww! Oooooooowhoah! Ma…ma…ma…oh!”
Finally, exhumed from the band’s distant past is “House of Pain”. This song was always one of Van Halen’s heaviest, featuring a chugging metallic riff. Eddie’s increasingly interesting solos have evolved, and they make the last couple minutes of “House of Pain” absolutely indispensable for anyone wanting to know anything about the electric guitar.
As “House of Pain” fades out and 1984 comes to close, a sadness overtakes me. The end sounds abrupt; unfinished. The album was so good, so great, that I want to hear more. But there is no more.
Another successful tour followed the 1984 album, and the band were burned out. David Lee Roth got the covers EP Crazy From the Heat out of his system. There was also some kind of companion movie to the EP in the works, something that bothered the Van Halen brothers greatly. After a while, the band settled in to begin writing the next album, their seventh. It was not to be. According to Alex Van Halen in a fall 1991 M.E.A.T Magazine interview, David Lee Roth fired the entire band.
Van Halen had to replace a frontman, a difficult thing to do in any circumstances, much less when that frontman was David Lee Roth. In the meantime, David Lee Roth had to replace an entire band. A difficult thing, especially when the lead guitar player of that band is oft-recognized as the best in the world.
Both bounced back. Van Halen pondered a number of singers including Patty Smyth of Scandal, before meeting Sammy Hagar. Hagar’s energy and musical chops helped fill Roth’s sizable shoes. Meanwhile, Roth chose to replace Van Halen with not one but two acclaimed virtuosos. On bass was ex-Talas maestro Billy Sheehan. On guitar, from Frank Zappa’s band, little Stevie Vai. Throw in the talented Gregg Bissonette on drums, and you had one hell of a band.
Both artists would find 1984 hard to top in the eyes of the most stubborn old fans. It’s hard to blame them. 1984 is a very special record, and quite arguably Van Halen’s very best.
5/5 stars
And that is all.
Or not…
They did try again, in 1996. We’ll be taking a look at that next time.
Of all the classic Van Halen discs in the canon, I find Diver Down hardest to review. After the pugnaciously perfect Fair Warning, the band really started battling over direction. Deciding to try for some hits rather than continue experimenting musically, Van Halen turned in the 31 minute Diver Down, a collection of covers, instrumentals and joke tunes with only a couple of serious rockers. Yet every time I listen to it, don’t I absolutely enjoy Diver Down?
To my ears, Diver Down sounds like an intentional return to the party rock sounds that launched Van Halen in the first place. It certainly does not sound like an album that should follow Fair Warning. Now, we’re back into covers: The Kinks’ “Where Have All the Good Times Gone!” opens the record. Eddie pointed out that the song and album are loaded with errors. He misses some harmonics in “Where Have All the Good Times Gone!”…and it’s fucking perfect. There’s nothing wrong with Van Halen showing up to play a drunken party again in the old neighborhood, is there? Even if they’re the big kids now?
“Hang ‘Em High” was an older song that the band exhumed for Diver Down. It immediately evokes the heavier material from some of the earlier records. Only now, Van Halen had learned to work in a recording studio and were taking advantage of some of the tricks they had picked up over the years. Eddie’s extended solo sounds spontaneous and live.
“Cathedral” is a trick of guitar volume swells. By physically manipulating the volume knob on his guitar, Eddie created a sound that reminded him of a church organ. Tonally it resembles where Van Halen would go on the next album. This is just an intro (a beautiful one at that) to “Secrets”, a laid-back original. “Secrets” has vibe, and this is as good a time as any to point out the ace rhythm section of Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony. These guys were a big part of the overall Van Halen sound.
By 1982, David Lee Roth was starting to become interested in the new medium that was music video. He directed the concept video for “(Oh) Pretty Woman”, a Roy Orbison cover. Dave’s classic ingredients were all there: a cavalcade of characters, little people, and a joke-a-minute style of cool. The video however ran too long once edited together. The song was not even three minutes long, and Dave didn’t want to make further cuts. Instead he played synthesizer, while Eddie made guitar noises with a beer can on the neck, and they called that “Intruder”.
“Pretty Woman” features the biggest mistake on the entire album (which is just loaded with ’em, just listen). Where Roy Orbison sang this:
“‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right,” Come with me baby, be mine tonight.”
Roth unwittingly sang just this:
“‘Cause I need you, need you tonight…”
Side Two commenced with yet another cover. David Lee Roth really wanted to do “Dancing in the Street”, but Eddie wasn’t into it. Eddie already had a unique synthesizer part he was working on for his own song, and Roth suggested they use it for “Dancing in the Street”, which they did. If there was one song I’d skip on Diver Down, it would be this one. It does get a fair bit of radio play, though.
“Little Guitars” (and the intro that precedes it) is a bonafide Van Halen classic. Eddie was intrigued by flamenco guitar but couldn’t get the fingerpicking. Instead he used his own tricks (and a pick) to make it sound similar to what the flamenco players were doing. The song itself is a sassy mid-tempo rocker with a shiny melody. Once again the classic ‘Halen harmonies are to thank.
There are two schools of thought on “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)”. One is that it’s a joke cover tune that shouldn’t have been on an album. Another is that while the song is humorous, it is also very special. This is a song from 1924 that Roth had discovered on the radio. Then, Dave suggested that they invite Jan Van Halen, the father of Eddie and Alex, into the studio to play clarinet. I get chills up my spine listening to Jan’s lyrical playing. Alex is playing with brushes, the others are on acoustics, and Dave is absolutely at home. This song is quintessential Dave Lee Roth, and conjures up that ol’ timey Al Jolson sound.
Dave plays the acoustic intro to “The Full Bug”, and then Eddie kicks in with that riff. Alex and Michael create that classic Van Halen shuffle as the band careens to the end of the record. Roth throws down a ballsy harmonica. This track could also be considered a bonafide Van Halen keeper.
Concluding with “Happy Trails” is only logical. The boys sound absolutely blitzed as they drunkenly sing acappella, before they all crack up at the end. Diver Down, undoubtedly a party rock album, is over.
While Diver Down is still fun to listen to, it seems like a blip in the overall Van Halen trajectory. It’s clear that it is not as innovative as some albums previous, nor does it rock as heavy. Yet, it’s likable. It still sounds great in the summertime. As Craig Fee pointed out, “I still think DLR’s version of ‘Where Have All The Good Times Gone?’ is way better than the original. For every shitty cover (‘(Oh) Pretty Woman’ comes to mind), you have original gems like ‘Little Guitars’ to make up for it.”
If Women and Children First was the point where the party got dark and a little ugly, then Fair Warning is the hangover. It was also the point where, according to Edward Van Halen, the band started butting heads. Eddie was interested in pushing his guitar, and himself, to new limits. Other influences were more interested in the band continuing to create hits. The conflict seeps through the grooves of what might be called an angry hard rock album.
A year prior, the band had planned on opening album #4 with “Growth”, a riff that was to continue on from the outro to Women and Children First. That concept was abandoned in favor of a bold move: inaugurating the album with a funky guitar solo piece. Edward tried slapping the strings like a bass player would for the unique intro to “Mean Street”; then this changes to his patented tapping technique. There is only one guitar player who naturally sounds like this, and that’s Eddie. Then it’s off to “Mean Street”, a chugging rocker with Roth offering us an ominous warning:
See, a gun is real easy on this desperate side of town, Turns you from hunted into hunter, Go and hunt somebody down. Wait a minute, somebody said “Fair Warning, Lord!” Lord, strike that poor boy down!
What a killer opener to a killer album. Now you know what you’re up against. Van Halen, as heavy as ever, give no quarter on Fair Warning. Maybe that’s why it is such a fan favourite today.
“‘Dirty Movies'” turns in some more stunningly original fretwork. This dark rocker has a catchy chorus and more wickedly cool Roth lyrics. Mike and Alex lay back and let the song breathe. Another classic, “Sinner’s Swing!” doesn’t let up. The Van Halen harmonies are intact, and this is the first upbeat track of the album. Saving the best for last, “Hear About It Later” closes Side One. This is one of my all-time favourite Van Halen tracks. It captures all the classic ingredients: innovative guitar, a smokin’ riff, a great chorus with the VH harmonies, and a whole lot of that Roth attitude.
It’s hard to follow a track like that, unless it’s “Unchained” doing the following. Side Two’s classic opener kicks your ass, my ass, and any asses left in the room. Edward puts the flanger on overdrive for that killer riff. Roth throws down one of his classic spoken word breaks in the middle: “Hey hey hey hey! One break, comin’ up…”
“Unchained” is one of the most important Van Halen tracks in the canon. Some would consider it a peak for this band, and I think that theory holds water. It’s definitely a high water mark, a flawless combination of all the crucial components. “Unchained” is a memorable classic on an album that, at times, can be more difficult to penetrate on first listen.
One of Fair Warning‘s hidden gems is “Push Comes To Shove”. It features a slow disco beat and a funky, slippery bass intro. Eddie’s innovative guitar work is a highlight, but the song is soaked with a cool whiskey-stained vibe. Roth would later explore similar territory on his solo track “Ladies Night in Buffalo?”
“So This Is Love?” was, like “Unchained”, chosen as a single. It has a cool walking bass line by Michael Anthony, something I associate with early Van Halen quite a lot. The track is upbeat and irresistible. It’s a mere reprieve though before “Sunday Afternoon in the Park”. This forboding experimental synthesizer piece acts as an intro to the final song, “One Foot Out the Door”, but the two parts are actually equal in length (just under two minutes each). You can hear the foreshadowing of what would come later on the 1984 album. The synthesizer merges with the whole band on “One Foot Out the Door” which is as heavy as synth-based rock can get. It’s a smoking track regardless of what instruments are playing it. Fear not, Eddie throws in an amazing extended guitar solo with which he closes the song, and album.
Of note is the cover art, a painting called The Maze by William Kurelek. It depicts childhood bullying, and reflects the some of the darker tones inside. Van Halen were changing, and their album artwork alluded to this.
Fair Warning did not sell as well as Women and Chidren First, though it is equal to and arguably superior in quality. The downturn in sales influenced the direction of the next album, which would appear one year later.
Three albums in, Van Halen started to stretch their wings.
The band were selling millions of records and touring was strong. Eddie’s desire to grow as an artist began to stir, slightly. The signs were beginning to show on Women And Children First, Van Halen’s first album of the 1980’s. With producer Ted Templeman still in tow, Van Halen went heavier, and darker.
Eddie’s flanged guitar opens the record with “And the Cradle Will Rock…”, a song which should make virtually any Van Halen road tape. For the first time, you can discern keyboards, accompanying Eddie’s guitar. For the first time, there are multi-tracked guitars used to great effect. Eddie coaxes different tones for different sections from his instrument, and experiments with the stereo field. Not to be outshone is frontman David Lee Roth, with his menacing howls and hip lyrics.
“Everybody Wants Some!!” is just as adventurous. It opens with over a minute of drums and guitars, with Roth making jungle sounds and welcoming us inside. Again, Van Halen uses multiple tracks and his guitar in innovative ways to paint an aural picture. Once the song kicks in, it’s off to the races. Roth’s as sassy as ever, the best party frontman in any rock band in the country. His squeals and shrieks are as important (if not more) than the lyrics he’s singing. It’s more about the sounds and the images they evoke, but everyone’s invited:
Everybody wants some! I want some too, whoa Everybody wants some! Baby how ’bout you? Yeah
Some bluesy bends intro the 6-minute “Fools”, a rare long bomber for this band. Much of it is intro, a treat of Van Halen’s fingers on the fretboard, before the main riff kicks in at 1:20. The band lock into a heavy groove, and Roth turns in another cool lyric: “Why behave in public if you’re livin’ on a playground?” The harmony vocals of Michael Anthony and Edward himself seal the deal, as they take center stage on the chorus. Roth’s scat outro reveals influences far deeper than rock and roll.
“Romeo Delight” concludes Side One with a racing guitar riff and a cool vibe. It takes a frontman like Roth to hold his own in a song like this against a player like Edward, and he does. He’s the ringleader of this party and he makes sure you don’t forget it. Each “yeeah!” and “hey!” is placed with precision.
You just gotta take a breath after a song like that. It’s a good time to flip the record, and Side Two opens with a guitar intro called “Tora! Tora!”. God knows how he’s tormenting that instrument to make the sounds he does. Roth’s shrieks introduce “Loss of Control”, Van Halen’s fastest boogie. I wouldn’t advise trying to dance to this one, and headbanging could induce damage to the neck. Eddie’s solo is another stunner, but equally impressive are all the fills, licks and sounds through the whole song.
Acoustic picking introduces “Take Your Whiskey Home”, as Van Halen get swampy. Roth nails that bluesy vibe, but it’s just a fake-out. Van Halen really seem to like to switch gears, and when this sucker goes electric, hang on. The riff is menacing and Dave’s lyrics are some of his best. He’s always had a way with words and this is a great early example of Dave’s type of poetry:
Some goes to women, some goes to Jesus, though I’m absolutely certain both’s all right. But it takes me at least halfway to the label ‘fore I can even make it through the night.
The acoustic guitars are back out for “Could This Be Magic?” Yes, it certainly is magic. Van Halen capture an earlier era, one of simpler scratchy recordings. You can even hear the rain, which was recorded and added to the track. Nicolette Larson sings backing vocals on the chorus, but this sounds like a drunken party. It’s the best singalong you’ve never been invited to, and the vibe is killer.
“In A Simple Rhyme” is an upbeat closer. Women and Children First is a varied ride; it is the point in the party when people start getting a bit drunk and crazy and things look like they could get out of control. “In A Simple Rhyme” is melodic like Van Halen hits past, with a singable chorus and classic ‘Halen harmonies. But wait…this is not the end! Utilizing the concept of the hidden track, an unlisted instrumental is the coda. The doomy riff, called “Growth” was one that Van Halen had played around with, and planned to use again to open their fourth album. Perhaps the name “Growth” indicated where Eddie planned to take the band in the future.
Women And Children First represents growth and…”maturity” is not the word. Perhaps the start of a new world-weary wisdom is evident here. Whatever the case, the success of this album assured Van Halen that they would be able to carry out the sonic experiments they desired.
The 1970’s were much kinder to rock bands than the present. A debut album charting at #18 was considered a great start back then. Today, that is no guarantee. Van Halen II went to #6, and was recorded in only three weeks. Imagine that today, when four to five year gaps between albums is the norm!
Edward Van Halen is said to be not-so-fond of Van Halen II, where Michael Anthony felt II had stronger songs than I. The two albums are very similar sonically, although this time Edward was allowed to do more guitar overdubs. On “Dance the Night Away” you can hear some melody guitar playing over the rhythm, but most of the guitars are still panned hard to the left.
“Dance the Night Away” is one of the brightest stars on Van Halen II. Its catchy melodies recall some of the more pop material on the first album, such as “Jamie’s Cryin'” It is sandwiched between “You’re No Good” (the album opener) and “Somebody Get Me A Doctor”, this writer’s favourite track. “Doctor” is smokin’ and heavy, Roth shrieking about needing ambulances. Edward’s riff is one of his more legendary. Riffs like these helped establish Edward as more than just a soloist and player, but also a rock-solid writer. “You’re No Good” is dark and ominous, reminiscent of “Little Dreamer” from album #1, even though it is actually a cover of a 1960’s easy listening hit.
“Bottom’s Up!” demonstrates Van Halen’s ability to write killer party rock. It’s hard to resist singing along to the drunken, live sounding group vocal section in the middle. Edward plays a sexy solo in the right channel while the rhythm remains on the left. “Outta Love Again” features a stuttery rhythm and some of those patented Roth shrieks, and it closes Side One.
“Light Up the Sky” is as electric as the title implies. It opens Side Two with an ascending lick and chugging riff, fully in metal territory. Edward’s solo is one of the album’s highlights. “Spanish Fly”, the album instrumental, features Eddie fingerpicking on a nylon string guitar. Regardless, there is no mistaking the artist behind the instrument, as all the technique is there. The segue leads into the riffy “D.O.A.”. “D.O.A.” remains a classic Van Halen song, very much an example of their early sounds.
“Women in Love…” is a mid-tempo song, with a stunningly shimmery tapped intro by Eddie. It one one of Van Halen’s catchiest choruses. As important as the guitar is to Van Halen’s sound, so too are the backing harmonies. Finally the album concludes with “Beautiful Girls” which is considered to be another Van Halen party classic.
The songs on Van Halen II are not as well known as those on Van Halen, but there is very little difference in quality. Van Halen II is probably less stunning simply because it came second. It’s hard to jump so quickly into a second album and make jaws drop exactly the same way.
There would be no reprieve. After a tour, and almost exactly one year later, Van Halen would release their third album in as many years.
Then, the inevitable happened: Van Halen signed with Warner Brothers in 1977, and went into the recording studio with Ted Templeman. The producer, probably best known for his work with the Doobie Brothers (though he did have a Captain Beefheart record under his belt), helped hone Van Halen’s sound to a razor-sharp edge. The relationship was to be a long and fruitful one. Templeman was responsible for every classic Van Halen album, before helming David Lee Roth’s Eat ‘Em and Smile in 1986. Templeman even returned to co-produce the Van Hagar album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. One might venture that the producer had a huge impact on the overall sound of early Van Halen.
Their first collaboration was released in February 1978. Van Halen. When my dad first heard the name, he responded, “Van Halen? Sounds like some kind of tropical disease.” But they had built an audience playing legendary gigs at Gazzarri’s in West Hollywood, and with the help of a 1978 tour they propelled the album to #18 in the US. Not bad for a rock band in the middle of punk.
It’s impossible to talk about the songs without talking about the players. Edward Van Halen’s guitar work here set a very high bar, even for himself. His biggest complaint about the guitar on Van Halen is that it is mixed hard to the left channel. This old fashioned recording technique failed to create the beefy sound Van Halen had heard in his head. As he put it himself, if you were in a car with the left speaker blown, you wouldn’t hear any guitar, only its faint shadow on the right.
Van Halen may not have introduced techniques such as tapping, pick slides, pinch harmonics, and whammy bar dives but he did use them in new, in-your-face ways. He turned these simple tricks into music, and on Van Halen, he did it mostly without overdubs. Much of the album consists of a single track of guitar. Templeman was trying to capture their live sound, but Edward would later get his way when it came to the guitar.
David Lee Roth was the most exciting rock frontman of the era, in this writer’s opinion, and he managed to bring that to vinyl. He’s raw, menacing, and cool. Every shriek, every sigh, every squeal is scientifically designed for maximum impact at the exact right moment. Meanwhile, Michael Anthony’s backing vocals helped create that “Van Halen sound” — hard rock with harmonies. Like only a few others (Hendrix for example), Van Halen managed to extend their own sound into the covers they did, to the point that their cover versions are as well known as the originals. “You Really Got Me” (The Kinks) is an apt example.
It is not difficult to argue that every song on Van Halen, from the originals to the covers to the 1:45 guitar solo, is classic. There is not much more to be said about these tracks. They had been stewing in Edward’s head and fingers for years, and had acquired a deadly tightness. Side One is one of the heaviest sides of rock and roll in the 1970’s. From the slow burnin’ “Runnin’ With the Devil” to the explosive “I’m the One”, the first side is non-stop smoke. Putting a guitar solo as track #2 might be suicide for some records, but on Van Halen, “Eruption” only serves to whet the appetite for more.
“Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” is menacing, ominous, forboding, and heavy. Roth’s banshee wails are unholy enough to frighten wild beasts. For songwriting, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” is a highpoint of Van Halen’s entire canon. They continued to play it live with Sammy Hagar on the 5150 tour.
Side Two lets up a bit and introduces Roth’s early pop tendencies with “Jamie’s Cryin'”. Edward’s inimitable riff was later sampled by Tone Lōc for his hit “Wild Thing”, introducing Van Halen to yet another new audience. The reprieve is brief; next is a stampede from the “Atomic Punk”. Although the guitar work is miles above and beyond any punk band, the loud spirit is there and menacing as any other. Switching gears yet again, “Feel Your Love Tonight” is catchy and danceable. The harmonies of Michael Anthony and the Van Halen brothers make the chorus something special, and Eddie’s guitar solo throws in lots of those signature licks that you know and love. “Little Dreamer” is darker, another side that Van Halen does very well. Roth and Edward gel together to paint an aural picture, while Michael and Alex stay out of the way.
David Lee Roth plays the acoustic guitar on “Ice Cream Man”, a blues song by John Brim dating back to 1953. Brim never could have envisioned where Van Halen take the song after the first minute. The space-age guitar solos would have been unimaginable to a bluesman of the 1950’s. What Edward did with the blues on “Ice Cream Man” can only be described as completely original. And let’s not forget about David Lee Roth! “Guarantee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eed…to satis-a-fy!”
Finally, “On Fire” (which opened the Gene Simmons-produced Zero demo) closes this rollercoaster album. Pure heavy metal with burning fretwork is an apt description. Roth has mentioned in the past Van Halen’s early Black Sabbath influences. Here, Van Halen anticipate where Black Sabbath would go with Ian Gillan on Born Again.
Even their logo was bad ass. Van Halen has it all.
5/5 stars
As great as Van Halen still is today, and as highly as I rated it…the best was still yet to come.
VAN HALEN (Not Van Hagar!) Part 1: The Early Years
Time for the newest series of reviews at mikeladano.com! I hinted at this one a while ago. It’s time to take an in-depth look at all the classic VAN HALEN albums, with David Lee Roth. We’ll go from the very beginning to 1984. But don’t fear – I’ve already reviewed most of the Van Hagar discography. See below for a list of other Van Halen reviews.
Van Halen: unquestionably one of the most influential hard rock bands of all time. By the mid-1980’s, every band had to have a “hot shot gun slinger” guitar player; such was the impact of Eddie’s innovative fretwork. David Lee Roth set the frontman bar extraordinarily high. Where Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury had mastered the art of driving a crowd wild, David Lee Roth took it airborne.
Van Halen formed in 1972, and released their debut album in 1978. Originally known as Genesis and then Mammoth, the original lineup featured Eddie and Alex Van Halen, plus bassist Mark Stone. By 1974 they had replaced Stone with Michael Anthony, and added the flamboyant frontman Roth. This legendary lineup would go on to record several landmark demos, many of which would be re-recorded later. Some songs appeared on the first few Van Halen records. Some wouldn’t appear on album until 1984 and A Different Kind of Truth (2012).
Famously, Van Halen hooked up with Gene Simmons to record a 10-song demo. Simmons wished the band to change their name to “Daddy Longlegs”, and we should be grateful that this never occurred. The Simmons partnership was shortlived. According to Simmons in a 1988 MuchMusic interview, record label heads thought David Lee Roth looked too much like Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas. Simmons also claimed that labels “didn’t get” why there was no backing guitar when Eddie took a solo. Unable to land Van Halen a deal, Simmons tore up the contract he had with the band.
Other fruit from this period included three Kiss demos, still unreleased to this day. Eddie and Alex Van Halen played on Gene’s demos for “Have Love Will Travel” (aka “Got Love For Sale”), “Christine Sixteen”, and “Tunnel of Love”. These songs were demoed for Love Gun, but “Tunnel of Love” would not be released until Gene’s 1978 solo album, in re-recorded form. These songs are considered a holy grail for Van Halen and Kiss fans alike, and to my knowledge they have never been bootlegged.
One demo that has been heavily bootlegged are the 10 songs Van Halen recorded with Simmons in LA and New York, referred to as the “Zero” demo. It has never been officially released anywhere. Fans hope that one day it will be released in a Van Halen box set of some kind. In the meantime, we have low-quality bootlegs to study and enjoy.
Even then, Van Halen were writing monstrous riffs and hooky songs. The talent of Eddie Van Halen was already apparent, but the full thunderous pyrotechnic sounds of the debut album were not yet there. “On Fire”, for example, is 90% intact but the guitar solos are tentative and yet to achieve the heights on record.
“Let’s Get Rockin’” was re-written on A Different Kind of Truth as “Outta Space”. “She’s the Woman” was also partially re-written for that album. The riff from “Put Out the Lights” was re-used on “Beats Workin’”. “Big Trouble” became “Big River”, an amazing song. Interestingly, the intro to “Running With the Devil” was originally the outro to “House of Pain”, which preceded it!
Clearly, Van Halen were writing great material from the early days, since nearly every idea from this demo was used on an album, sooner or later. “Babe, Don’t Leave Me Alone” is the only song that I don’t recognize from an album, but that doesn’t make it a bad song. Perhaps Van Halen will finally finish it for the next album. “Woman in Love” barely resembles “Women in Love” from Van Halen II, only in superficial ways.
The Zero demo is one of those unreleased hard rock cornerstones. Like a fountain it never seems to stop giving. These songs were played live many times by the band before Simmons recorded them, and they are tight. Roth’s voice is high, youthful and powerful. If anything, the band sounded a little generic. It would take Ted Templeman and the debut record for Van Halen to find their own unique sonic niche.
Back in 1986, a lot of the rockers in my neighborhood had given up on Diamond Dave; we just couldn’t swallow “California Girls” and still wear our Judas Priest shirts proudly. On the flipside, we really dug Sammy’s “I Can’t Drive 55”. When the split and new singer were announced, we waited hopefully that Van Halen with Hagar in tow would produce something that really rocked. Then in early ’86 we saw that embarrassing live video for “Why Can’t This Be Love”, and all hopes were dashed. Eddie playing keyboards instead of guitar? What was with Sammy’s poofy short ‘do? And that out-of-tune scat? THIS was the new Van Halen?!
Way on the other side of the country in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Craig Fee remembers 1986 much like I do:
“I had been riding the Van Halen roller coaster through the DLR solo EP and all the pre-world wide web breakup speculation in magazines, and on all the rock radio stations in the area. When I’d heard that Sammy Hagar was the new lead singer, I was thrilled! I loved Sammy’s solo work. A friend quickly introduced me to Montrose (I was too young for that era of his career). I was fully on the Van Hagar bandwagon! This is gonna be AWESOME!!! Can’t wait to hear the new material!
“I first heard “Why Can’t This Be Love?” over a scratchy FM signal from Seattle. It sounded…different from 1984. Very different from anything on Diver Down.
“The video was to debut the next day on MuchMusic. My buddy Dan and I rushed home from school to watch (and record on his BetaMax) the debut of…a concert video? Gnarly!
“We must’ve played it a dozen times after the world premiere. Both of us were huge fans. It was after the 8th rewind and playback that both of us realized the same thing. It’s the same feeling when your team is expected to ‘win it all this year’ and gets thoroughly outplayed in the finals. That numbness mixed with pride, anxiety and half-hearted disappointment.”
The gnarly “new Van Halen video”
5150 isn’t as bad as we feared it would be, in fact it’s quite good in spots. Its major flaw is that this was a band in upheaval, and David Lee Roth was such a huge part of their sound. 5150 is a transitional album. It picks up with the keyboard flavours of 1984, and moves forward into parts unknown. Musically, most of this album was written with Dave still in the band. In his autobiography, Crazy From The Heat, Dave describes the music that Van Halen were writing as “morose”, reflective of the overall mood of the band.
While 5150 is not a completely joyless affair, it is considerably less upbeat than the party rock that they specialized in with Dave. Ballads have replaced Dave’s snarky winks and smiles. Sammy Hagar was obviously an apt replacement; he’s an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitar player, and he has a great voice. The fit however was awkward at first as Van Halen shoehorned Hagar into the songs written with Dave.
Things start out well enough. “Good Enough” is an upbeat boogie-oriented party rocker. Great song, but the production is painfully thin. The drums clank along, awkward electronic toms creating a cacophony of noise. The guitar lacks Eddie’s trademark “brown” warmth. Where Dave called the album “morose” I would use the word “cold”.
Then, “Why Can’t This Be Love”; better than the live video version but still containing a weird bridge section featuring Sammy scatting. It’s a good song, a great song even, but it feels tired lyrically and musically. Perhaps Dave could have turned it classic, much like he did with “I’ll Wait”. Sometimes when listening to 5150, it hurts to imagine what might have been.
“Get Up” is an OTT (over-the-top) rocker, almost too fast as it sounds at times like the band is falling apart. This sloppiness of old is refreshing. Alex throws in some tasty fills. Mike, Ed and Al’s backing vocals help make this sound like a real Van Halen rocker. Nothing mindblowing or earth shattering, but enough to keep the album moving. If it had been produced with more oomph, it really could have been something.
Up next is “Dreams”, a simple little keyboard ballad. Eddie’s first guitar solo consists of just two notes! This isn’t a bad song, but far too reliant on that pop keyboard lick. It doesn’t feel very Halen, but Sammy definitely proves his vocal chops.
Side one ended with the classic “Summer Nights”. Although it was a B-side (to “Love Walks In”) I think it should have been a single in its own right. I find the funky verses to be a bit awkward, but the chorus to be irresistible. This is a party rocker, obviously and perfectly suited to those hot summer nights with your radio.
The second half of this wax commences with “Best of Both Worlds”, a pseudo-rocker, but it lacks balls and spark that we have come to expect from a Van Halen rock song. The chorus is decent and obviously the song has become something of a live classic. It wouldn’t make my personal best-of tape. Craig had a much more turbulent relationship with the song:
“‘Best Of Both Worlds’ is the song that might’ve been the catalyst for my divorce of Van Hagar as the logical continuation of my favourite band. The lyrics are absolute fucking cornball nonsense. Look them up. You’ll see what I mean. The Live Without A Net version on the B-side of the single brought me vivid flashbacks of those awful pink sweat pants Eddie wore onstage for the concert video. Those terrible Sammy and Mike harmonies. That cheesy walk Mike, Sammy and Ed did onstage. Sammy’s spray painting of the shoes and the accompanying ad-lib were possibly the lamest shit I’ve ever heard. Do you think David Lee Roth would’ve had a pair of fucking SHOES thrown onstage? Hell no!”
“Love Walks In” also would not make my personal best-of tape. Maybe this is how Dave defined “morose”? Another keyboard song, and softest on the album, this is Van Halen entering uncharted territory: a commercial power ballad. If they felt like they couldn’t do this kind of song with Dave, they must have felt great when this song went to #22. Lyrically, Sammy’s talking about aliens. Yes, aliens! (Sammy Hagar believes he has been an abductee.) And love. I don’t really get the lyrics, but witness lines such as:
“Contact, asleep or awake,”
“Some kind of alien, waits for the opening,”
“Silver lights, shinin’ down,”
“I travel far across the milky way,”
So there’s that. But in the same song, lines like “There she stands in a silken gown,” and love walking in. I’m not sure where Sammy was going with it. I’m sure most listeners didn’t really pick up on the UFO concept at the time. But who cares when everybody in the sold-out arena has their cigarette lighters out?
Up next is “5150”, another rocker along the lines of “Best of Both Worlds”, but faster and with a lot more life. This is not a bad song. Shame the album doesn’t have more like this.
Lastly is “Inside”, a song that I just can’t decide if I like or not. It’s barely a song, more like a story with a bassline, and an entire band sounded completely wasted. It grooves along with a robotic synth bass riff. Sammy’s on top of it, telling a story about…new shoes? Not sure exactly. The band, audible in the background, sound loaded but having fun. It’s like something off Diver Down, if Diver Down was performed by robots. As strange as it is, this song sounds like Van Halen, in the sense of a wasted band who isn’t afraid to play whatever the fuck they want. Unfortunately it also sounds like half an idea.
That’s 5150, the massive #1 smash hit (a first for this band), but also transitional album. I think the following disc, OU812, is stronger and more comfortable (albeit sounding unfinished). But to get from A to B, you have to make a journey and that’s what 5150 is. It may lack power, it may be half-loaded with sap, it may sound weak. The tour supporting it was a tremendous success and many of these songs became concert staples.
Craig Fee tells me that this is his favourite Van Hagar-era album. “Probably because I listened to the living shit out of it trying to love it.”
VAN HALEN – Balance (1995 Warner – Japanese version included)
I had no idea what to expect when Van Halen released Balance in 1995. Grunge had come and gone, the landscape vastly altered since Van Halen’s last wax in 1991. Eddie was the king of pyrotechnics, and that kind of playing was not in vogue. How would the band adapt? Well, they didn’t. Balance takes Van Halen into a highly polished, commercial direction. This is “balanced” with heavier grooves and a couple more “serious” lyrics. The result turned out to be one of Van Halen’s most pop outings.
Produced by the late Bruce Fairbairn, Balance borders on over-polished. The sounds are rich, thick and glossy, but miles away from the raw guitar pummeling of the early days, or even the previous For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Eddie Van Halen, in a Guitar World interview, said the album was characterized by “better song writing”, but I think what he really meant was “more commercial songwriting”.
The album starts with a different sound for Van Halen: Gregorian chants. Hey, it was the 1990’s and later the same year, Iron Maiden would introduce their X Factor album with similar chants, no shit. The chanting merges into a heavy guitar riff accented by a wall of droning fills. This is “The Seventh Seal”, and Sammy’s voice is in top form. Michael Anthony’s bass rolls and hits the notes at just the right moments. This is truly a great song, completely different from Van Halen of old, but surely a triumph.
The next tune (and second single) however, “Can’t Stop Loving You”, is an embarrassing foray into pop. While Van Halen wrote pop stuff before (“Love Walks In”), this song lacks cojones of any kind. The guitar is really thin, Alex Van Halen cha-cha’s his way through the drum fills, while Sammy sings a lyric that David Lee Roth would have used to wipe his ass.
“Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” is anything but a love song. Sammy tackles drugs, faith, youth in crisis, and the 1990’s. Hagar has never sounded more foreboding, or mature for that matter. Eddie’s riff is simple, but dark and rhythmic. Michael locks onto the riff, creating this unstoppable wall of groove.
Sammy has an unfortunate habit of being too jokey when it’s inappropriate. Eddie didn’t like the lyrics to “Amsterdam” and you can see why. There is nothing wrong with this mid-tempo rocker with spare Eddie riff, except the lyrics. After the previous song’s warnings about drugs, suddenly Sammy is singing, “Whao, wham bam! Roll an Amsterdam! Stone you like nothing else can.” Granted, two very different drugs (heroin vs. weed) but lyrically “Amsterdam” isn’t winning any awards.
“Big Fat Money” is very old-school boogie ‘Halen in intent; the music could have fit on virtually any of the first six albums. Producer Fairbairn had Eddie playing a fatbody jazz guitar during the solo section (mirroring a trick he pulled with the Scorpions two years previous) but it doesn’t save the song. I’ll give VH a C for trying, but “Big Fat Money” is a C+ at best.
C+
“Strung Out” is a jokey opener to the ballad “Not Enough”. Basically, this is Eddie messing with (and wrecking) a piano from the inside! This was recorded years prior, at Marvin Hamlish’s house in Malibu during the writing sessions for 1984. Van Halen destroyed Hamlish’s white Yamaha piano and had to have it repaired. It was covered with cigarette burns, and Van Halen had attempted to play the piano from the inside, by throwing balls at the strings.
That fades into “Not Enough”, another ballad. Not quite as embarrassing to listen to as “Can’t Stop Loving You”, but not by much. Really, in the year 1995, Van Halen should have stuck to the serious themes, and guitar-based songs. Tunes like this made Van Halen seem completely out of touch with what was happening in the 1990’s. Within months of its release, Shannon Hoon would overdose, Layne Staley locked into a dance of death with smack, and Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers went missing (presumed dead) after suffering long bouts of depression. These were dark times in rock and roll. I just wasn’t feeling “Not Enough” and “Can’t Stop Loving You”, then or now.
Baluchitherium
“Aftershock” is another hard rocker, nothing embarrassing here, good riff, good melody, good song. Won’t make anybody’s desert island Van Halen list, however. A pair of instrumentals follow, an interesting touch seeing as Van Halen didn’t do too many instrumentals post-Dave. “Doin’ Time” is Alex messing around on the drums, which segues straight into “Baluchitherium”. “Baluchitherium” was so named because a baluchitherium was one of the biggest prehistoric land mammals known — and Eddie felt a stomper like this tune needed to be named after one of the biggest baddest animals to ever walk the Earth. Unlike most VH instrumentals, this one just sounds like an unfinished song — an idea without a vocal.
“Take Me Back (Deja Vu)” is a pop song that I don’t mind at all, accented with acoustic guitar. Apparently Eddie had the guitar part in his head for decades, going back to the pre-Van Halen 1970’s, when he was a kid. It’s very laid back, but also very summery and the lyrics are decent.
“Feelin'” is a morose song but with an epic, powerful chorus. It is very different from anything the band had done prior, and hints at the directions to come in the Cherone years — for better or for worse. It’s a good album closer, as I like a dramatic ending from time to time.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Japan, there was one bonus track: this is the groove laden, oddball “Crossing Over”. It’s a song about the afterlife and lyrically it’s probably the best tune of the bunch. The bass part alone on this song was so infectious that in my opinion, it is actually the main hook of the song. I’d consider this the best track on the album myself. The arrangement is fairly unconventional, and the drums tumble and roll against the groove in a cool way. Again, apparently this song dates back to 1983! I think you will not regret tracking this one down. Thankfully it was easier to find on the “Can’t Stop Loving You” single. Notably, the Japanese version of the cover was also toned down.
On the whole, I think the majority of Sammy’s final Van Halen album is not to be ashamed of. I think the songwriting and lyrics were stronger than Unlawful, if only the production had been less geared towards pop and a couple ballads deleted, this might have been the very best thing Van Hagar ever did. However I’m not always the most objective guy. There are Van Halen fans out there who don’t think much of Balance. Some of those fans really, really don’t like Balance. In order to end this review with some “balance”*, I found one and asked for his opinion.
Craig Fee: “I kept re-listening to Balance, doing my best to like it because it was 75% of my favourite band. It turned out to be more disappointing than my illustrious NHL career and my attempts to have a three-way with Rose McGowan and Liz Phair. “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” is a steaming pile. It still is.”
I don’t have any sort of rebuttal for that.
3.75/5 stars
* Two clear signs of a writer doing a half-assed review: Using the same pun twice, and padding it out with quotes from other people.
VAN HALEN CONSPIRACY THEORY (™)
The band were foreshadowing the firing of Hagar with subtle hints left on the back cover of Balance.
My latest series of reviews at mikeladano.com is an in-depth look at all the classic VAN HALEN albums, with David Lee Roth. Jump in!
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