VAN HALEN OR THE SOUND OF MUSIC? EDDIE AND DAVE BACK TOGETHER!
Peter Andrew Sacco, Ph.D.
February 05, 2007
Its official, Van Halen fans are dancing in the streets! The brothers Van Halen, Eddie and Alex kissed and made up with their prodigal lead singer from 22 years ago David Lee Roth. Well, let’s just hope this is a French kiss and not the little peck which happened back in 1996 when Roth thought he was coming back after recording two new songs with the band only to get kyboshed and sent packing.
First of all I believe I need to state a disclaimer, “Yours truly is a Van Halen fan and this started back in the 70’s!” Yes, I am that old folks! I was a huge Van Halen fan. When Roth left Van Halen in the mid-80’s I was not a happy camper. When already successful solo artist Sammy Hagar became the new front man for Van Halen I was ecstatic. Hagar was and always will be one of the best singers around. With chops like his, he mastered the art of screaming vocals along with the likes of The Who’s Roger Daultry and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. And Hagar has great hair!
Hagar provided an already great band with more greatness with the amazing talent he brought to the table. His jam sessions during concerts with the greatest guitarist of his time Eddie Van Halen were ear piercing yet spine tingling. To watch the chemistry between the two of them had me believing I was watching the next incarnation of the Rolling Stones playing well into their 60’s as a complete band. It’s funny how things change in a “New York Minute” to quote Eagles front man Don Henley. Wasn’t it he who too said “hell would have to freeze over before they (the Eagles) would ever re-unite”? I do know global warming is happening! Perhaps Henley knew something we didn’t! Is Alex Van Halen some kind of seer too? I believe he once said the original line-up of Van Halen featuring Roth, Michael Anthony, Eddie and himself were as likely to reunite as the chances of the Beatles getting back together, this after the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison, God rest their souls. Well, the original cast of VH is back! Did I also mention I was a huge Beatles fan? I am watching the BBC to find out when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are planning to announce concert dates. I’m wondering if they will pull a Van Halen and get Julian Lennon to fill dad’s spot? Hey just a thought, Eddie and Alex thought the pubescent son of Edward, Wolfgang could play bass and fill the might strings of Michael Anthony!
Back to the VH reunion and scheduled tour: What are we to make of it? For one, this writer is extremely sceptical but I want to believe. Gee, I am starting to sound like Fox Mulder from the X-Files. Before writing this piece, I consulted with some of the most loyal VH fans I know. They moaned the same sentiments which roamed through my cranium. We were left pondering a host of questions. Some were more disturbing than others.
Can Roth pull off his much anticipated and long hoped return as VH’s front man? Let’s see, he hasn’t put out any meaningful music to hum about since the 1980’s. He’s performed in the casino and lounge circuit to mixed reviews, many not so good. His voice is not what it used to be. He wasn’t the greatest vocalist to begin with. He’s had gigs as a radio talk show host and a paramedic and those didn’t last long. If one is really committed to music and being a singer, why not perform and produce? Sounds to me like he needs VH more than the other way around. Oh and by the way…I am guessing VH will only be performing tunes prior to the Sammy Hagar era. I am just hoping Roth can still hit the notes for his own music. I sure as hell know he wouldn’t even come close to sounding good for many of the tunes Hagar sang on.
Ironically, Hagar and Anthony are still performing as the “Other Half” of Van Halen. Here is something delicious to digest. Most of Van Halen’s sound relied heavily on the high, pop sound vocals of Anthony. Today’s version of VH doesn’t have them and I am guessing Wolgang or dad will never be able to pull them off. Sorry, but Hot For Teacher, Unchained or Dance The Night Away will not sound the same without Anthony plain and simple. The rub here is when Hagar and Anthony perform, you get a sound that actually sounds like Van Halen. And you get a bigger song selection! In fact, Hagar has some damn good guitarist friends who can mimic Eddie. I caught many of VH tour from 2004. Before the meltdown, Hagar sounded great doing his own tunes as well as Roth’s. I’m guessing as a die hard fan, this will be the greatest disappointment of this 2007 tour, the limited tunes. From what I gather, VH might be releasing another “Best of” collection. Are you kidding me? I’m guessing there are no new tunes with Roth. How many best of the best collections can a band put out when they are in limbo every 5-7 years? What’s next, a Gary Cherone reunion tour?
According to Eddie on Van Halen’s official website, www.van-halen.com, “I am very excited to get back to the core of what made VH.” Really? This 2007 tour is the core? I remember writing a piece for a music magazine back in the 90’s when Cherone became the bands front man. I recall Eddie saying if this front man didn’t work out, he would score music. Eddie kept his promise by scoring some music for a porn flick. The cornerstone of their band is out, Michael Anthony and VH claims they are back to their core! A 16 year old is going to play bass for a 50 something band with no touring experience and playing in venues where they serve alcohol. Now that’s refreshing. I am referring to the cold drinks! Roth who hasn’t performed as a front man since Collie was a pup is taking over to turn the tricks of his trade for a band he hasn’t worked for in 22 years. That’s reassuring. Can he still sing? At 50 plus I am guessing he isn’t going to be jumping too high or doing the splits! For God sake, I hope the core doesn’t mean going back to spandex and jump suits either!
The way I see it is this could be a cool event for nostalgia sake. It could also turn out to be one heck of a freak show. I am guessing tickets will be ridiculously priced as they were in 2004 and there will be no new music. This is starting to look a lot like the sound of music. Instead of the Von Trapp family, you get the Van Halens. Instead of Julie Andrews as Sister Maria, you get David Lee Roth as Diamond Dave. Some say Roth and the Van Halens are like fire and ice. I’m hoping there is a happy medium for this entire tour with the hopes of some good music being performed. Hey, I’m hoping, what’s a VH fan to do? If this doesn’t pan out, this could spell the total end of Van Halen as a band. You can only recycle or replace front men so many times before you start looking like a circus side show. Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and even Def Leppard got it right. They play for their fans and try to get along. They avoid the terrible LSD (lead singers disease). Let’s hope VH gets it right this time. They have lost fans and at this stage of the game, 2 generations later, 50 plus guys aren’t going to muster up another new fan base when they are hardly ever around or communicate with their fans! In an ideal world, Van Halen could really give its fans the “best of both worlds” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. Sammy and Dave could both perform along with the Anthony and the VH brothers and bring us all back to a time when “youth was king”. It’s time to give the fans what they want. The loyal fans from the 70’s and 80’s are “the core of what made VH” what they became!
First of all I believe I need to state a disclaimer, “Yours truly is a Van Halen fan and this started back in the 70’s!” Yes, I am that old folks! I was a huge Van Halen fan. When Roth left Van Halen in the mid-80’s I was not a happy camper. When already successful solo artist Sammy Hagar became the new front man for Van Halen I was ecstatic. Hagar was and always will be one of the best singers around. With chops like his, he mastered the art of screaming vocals along with the likes of The Who’s Roger Daultry and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. And Hagar has great hair!
Hagar provided an already great band with more greatness with the amazing talent he brought to the table. His jam sessions during concerts with the greatest guitarist of his time Eddie Van Halen were ear piercing yet spine tingling. To watch the chemistry between the two of them had me believing I was watching the next incarnation of the Rolling Stones playing well into their 60’s as a complete band. It’s funny how things change in a “New York Minute” to quote Eagles front man Don Henley. Wasn’t it he who too said “hell would have to freeze over before they (the Eagles) would ever re-unite”? I do know global warming is happening! Perhaps Henley knew something we didn’t! Is Alex Van Halen some kind of seer too? I believe he once said the original line-up of Van Halen featuring Roth, Michael Anthony, Eddie and himself were as likely to reunite as the chances of the Beatles getting back together, this after the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison, God rest their souls. Well, the original cast of VH is back! Did I also mention I was a huge Beatles fan? I am watching the BBC to find out when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are planning to announce concert dates. I’m wondering if they will pull a Van Halen and get Julian Lennon to fill dad’s spot? Hey just a thought, Eddie and Alex thought the pubescent son of Edward, Wolfgang could play bass and fill the might strings of Michael Anthony!
Back to the VH reunion and scheduled tour: What are we to make of it? For one, this writer is extremely sceptical but I want to believe. Gee, I am starting to sound like Fox Mulder from the X-Files. Before writing this piece, I consulted with some of the most loyal VH fans I know. They moaned the same sentiments which roamed through my cranium. We were left pondering a host of questions. Some were more disturbing than others.
Can Roth pull off his much anticipated and long hoped return as VH’s front man? Let’s see, he hasn’t put out any meaningful music to hum about since the 1980’s. He’s performed in the casino and lounge circuit to mixed reviews, many not so good. His voice is not what it used to be. He wasn’t the greatest vocalist to begin with. He’s had gigs as a radio talk show host and a paramedic and those didn’t last long. If one is really committed to music and being a singer, why not perform and produce? Sounds to me like he needs VH more than the other way around. Oh and by the way…I am guessing VH will only be performing tunes prior to the Sammy Hagar era. I am just hoping Roth can still hit the notes for his own music. I sure as hell know he wouldn’t even come close to sounding good for many of the tunes Hagar sang on.
Ironically, Hagar and Anthony are still performing as the “Other Half” of Van Halen. Here is something delicious to digest. Most of Van Halen’s sound relied heavily on the high, pop sound vocals of Anthony. Today’s version of VH doesn’t have them and I am guessing Wolgang or dad will never be able to pull them off. Sorry, but Hot For Teacher, Unchained or Dance The Night Away will not sound the same without Anthony plain and simple. The rub here is when Hagar and Anthony perform, you get a sound that actually sounds like Van Halen. And you get a bigger song selection! In fact, Hagar has some damn good guitarist friends who can mimic Eddie. I caught many of VH tour from 2004. Before the meltdown, Hagar sounded great doing his own tunes as well as Roth’s. I’m guessing as a die hard fan, this will be the greatest disappointment of this 2007 tour, the limited tunes. From what I gather, VH might be releasing another “Best of” collection. Are you kidding me? I’m guessing there are no new tunes with Roth. How many best of the best collections can a band put out when they are in limbo every 5-7 years? What’s next, a Gary Cherone reunion tour?
According to Eddie on Van Halen’s official website, www.van-halen.com, “I am very excited to get back to the core of what made VH.” Really? This 2007 tour is the core? I remember writing a piece for a music magazine back in the 90’s when Cherone became the bands front man. I recall Eddie saying if this front man didn’t work out, he would score music. Eddie kept his promise by scoring some music for a porn flick. The cornerstone of their band is out, Michael Anthony and VH claims they are back to their core! A 16 year old is going to play bass for a 50 something band with no touring experience and playing in venues where they serve alcohol. Now that’s refreshing. I am referring to the cold drinks! Roth who hasn’t performed as a front man since Collie was a pup is taking over to turn the tricks of his trade for a band he hasn’t worked for in 22 years. That’s reassuring. Can he still sing? At 50 plus I am guessing he isn’t going to be jumping too high or doing the splits! For God sake, I hope the core doesn’t mean going back to spandex and jump suits either!
The way I see it is this could be a cool event for nostalgia sake. It could also turn out to be one heck of a freak show. I am guessing tickets will be ridiculously priced as they were in 2004 and there will be no new music. This is starting to look a lot like the sound of music. Instead of the Von Trapp family, you get the Van Halens. Instead of Julie Andrews as Sister Maria, you get David Lee Roth as Diamond Dave. Some say Roth and the Van Halens are like fire and ice. I’m hoping there is a happy medium for this entire tour with the hopes of some good music being performed. Hey, I’m hoping, what’s a VH fan to do? If this doesn’t pan out, this could spell the total end of Van Halen as a band. You can only recycle or replace front men so many times before you start looking like a circus side show. Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and even Def Leppard got it right. They play for their fans and try to get along. They avoid the terrible LSD (lead singers disease). Let’s hope VH gets it right this time. They have lost fans and at this stage of the game, 2 generations later, 50 plus guys aren’t going to muster up another new fan base when they are hardly ever around or communicate with their fans! In an ideal world, Van Halen could really give its fans the “best of both worlds” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March. Sammy and Dave could both perform along with the Anthony and the VH brothers and bring us all back to a time when “youth was king”. It’s time to give the fans what they want. The loyal fans from the 70’s and 80’s are “the core of what made VH” what they became!
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