Van Halen
A Different Kind of Truth
Interscope Records 2012
Release Date – Feb 3rd, 2012
It would be virtually impossible for me to catch you up on everything that has gone down in the Van Halen camp in the 28 years since they last released an LP with David Lee Roth as the vocalist, in the space provided here, so I will touch upon a few key milestones for the desired effect of what this new record brings to the table.
After Roth leaving the band in 1984 and being replaced by one of the world’s biggest turn-offs Sammy Hagar, the acrimony only seemed to increase with each passing year of non-stop shit-talking from both camps. That’s why it was truly a hell-has-frozen-over moment when out of seemingly nowhere that in one fell swoop, Hagar was out, and Roth was back in, at least for two songs in 1996 on their first greatest hits package.
We all know how that ended, but something magical happened with those two songs: Other than a little rust in DLR’s voice, they sounded just like they had in 1984, and those songs could have easily have been on the follow-up to 1984 if Roth had stayed, not to mention but these two songs serve as the last recordings of the original lineup
Though Michael Anthony is sorely missed (he was famously replaced by Eddie Van Halen’s 16 year old son Wolfgang in 2007) Wolfgang has really risen to the challenge and is not out of place here. (His last name after all is Van Halen).
In spite of the short-comings David Lee Roth’s voice now has due to even more years of rust, there STILL isn’t anyone else I wanna see front this band, and that’s not just a nostalgic trip, there is just something really special about these guys and even in the face of all of the adversity they still managed to make a killer new LP.
Here is probably what you know so far:
If you had any interest at all you listened intensely with equal skepticism/hopefulness when the first single Tattoo was released, only to be even more disappointed than you had feared.
The accompanying video didn’t do much to help this cause.
Here is probably what you don’t know so far if you are reading this:
That’s really only one of the album’s very few flaws and what lies beneath is a killer tour de force by the Van Halen brothers, and you’re talking to someone that quotes Diamond Dave like scripture, so it’s not easy for me to be critical of him, and for the most part, I don’t have to. We are talking about a man that at 57 is still so loud that he makes Kanye West look like he’s ready for the priesthood.
I thought this record deserved a song-by-song breakdown so here we go:
Tattoo –
The first single and the album’s lead-off track – In what’s been an otherwise successfully creative and unique marketing plan of setting this LP up, especially with expectations in the stratosphere, I don’t know how they missed the mark so far with this one. This is easily the weakest song on the album, and I may never voluntarily listen to it again. Having said that, I still love this song more than anything from OU812.
The song’s structure is based largely on a song entitled Down in Flames which was written and played by Van Halen on their 1978 world tour.
When the band decided to cover Clint Ballard Jr.’s song You’re No Good for their second album, Van Halen II, they incorporated the intro from Down in Flames as the intro to their arrangement.
A version of the song was worked on during the aborted 2001 reunion with Roth
She’s the Woman –
Van Halen historians will remember this track as it pre-dates even the first LP and appeared on the original Gene Simmons produced demo tape. Critics of this record, (including Sammy Hagar) have claimed that nothing on this record is new, as a sign that the baffling dysfunction of old is still in place, and that these are just left-over scraps assembled from years of old tapes. I’m not sure this is a bad thing.
You and Your Blues –
A pretty average track compared to what’s to come, but it still has all the elements that you want and expect from them – Great backup harmonies, a solid riff that sounds like it could have come from the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge era. Dave sings as high as he can get on this LP on this track, as you will see that a lot of these tracks were written for the key he can now sing in, which makes Dave seem contained at times.
China Town
The first holy-shit moment of the record – Starts off with the EVH you have been missing all these years, in a dizzying flash or relevancy, you have already forgotten about Tattoo as it takes off in a Hot For Teacher meets Loss of Control charge. Though that momentum is largely squandered on a pretty embarrassing chorus, it will still surprise you with its heaviness.
Blood and Fire
Incredibly catchy tune, makes me feel good and swell with cheer despite an ill-arranged chorus by comparison. – and Ed’s solo on this will instantly silence anyone that might have thought his demons had done him in once and for all. This is the brownest he has sounded since Fair Warning. The song dates back to 1984. It was an instrumental known as Ripley, which was featured in the film The Wild Life.
Bullethead
Ok, the party is starting and this song is really fun and Ed is so in the pocket here. One observation that needs to be made is that besides the taming that comes with age, is that the biggest difference it seems as we know now, is that before, Van Halen were in David Lee Roth’s band, now it’s clear, and I’m sure conditions to this union that DLR is now in Van Halen’s band – but that doesn’t stop him from having his first of many ease the seat back moments we have been dying for.
As Is
Three words – Good fucking lord – This should have been the album’s opener no question – The strongest song on the LP, and coming out guns-a-blazing like this would have stomped out any doubt instantly. It is everything you want a DLR-led Van Halen to have and a riff so spectacular that it single-handedly re-crowns Eddie Van Halen as the greatest to ever to do it, just in case you needed a reminder. No one in the 14 years since we have heard anything from EVH has come close to matching this, nor if they practiced everyday in that time would they still have the ability.
Honeybabysweetiedoll
We are still rocking, and hey why bring back Dave if we are not gonna let him do his thing right? And with a title like that, you wouldn’t expect anything less and he totally delivers. You will smile the entire time.
The Trouble With Never
And the hits just keep on coming, another rawking tune, showing Ed and Alex in top form. The whole band sounds great here, but its one of the songs I mentioned that the chorus suffers from having to write in a lower key for Dave’s voice. That and with some pretty embarrassing lyrics still don’t take away from the groove and the drive.
Outta Space
An almost tie with As Is for my favorite track on the record. It’s got this great vibe to it that gives it an I’m the One or Atomic Punk feel to it – How many songs on Balance can you make that comparison to? – The riff is just bananas, and Ed’s solo is so stupefying and awesome that I actually laughed out loud when I first heard it.
Stay Frosty
Hey, Dave’s back so it gives the vehicle to do something in the vein of Ice Cream Man or Could This Be Magic? In that way that showcases that thing that only Diamond Dave can and still do. A perfect coda as it’s a term used among musicians that means to keep the rust off, stay cool and ready. Now, as much as it would have been a sin not to do something like this after all these years, I can’t completely forgive the lack of self-awareness that DLR shows when he shouts Uh-huh-awn-Uh-huh-awn – and embarrassing amount of times in succession in a really irritating off-key syncopation. Awesome warts and all.
Big River
We have definitely peaked at this point, and you will find yourself listening to As Is and Outta Space repeatedly before you even get to this track. Just a good, straight-forward rock song, that also sounds like it pre-dates the first LP.
Beats Workin’
This song just works and the perfect way to end the LP – This song almost made me emotional when I first heard it, as its a perfect marriage of finally hearing Dave’s voice and swagger with Ed’s guitar. It has elements of the Gene Simmons’ produced demo track Put Out the Lights.
If you have made it this far, you are probably a huge nerd and that’s good, because chances are you will get my final analogy. If you were a fan of the first three Stars Wars films and cannot separate the inspiration and era behind their productions with the prequels that were released 16 years later, than your just setting yourself up for disappointment, and thus missing out on enjoying three new films that are different but maintain a standard of magic that could only come from the originators.
Same thing applies here – yes Michael Anthony is gone, and so is David Lee’s ability to scream and do the splits from the drum riser – but the magic remains and has even evolved as Eddie literally breaths fire throughout this entire LP. Hell has frozen over, the one thing I’ve always wanted was to see Dave and Ed finally reconcile and give us one more summer. This delivers that and it just feels like a REAL Van Halen album, but as important it just feels like a new chapter; like the sky is the limit and I couldn’t be happier.
Van Halen – June 20th – American Airlines Arena – Dallas, TX
Now its time for the real thing etc. Though I waited my whole life for them to re-form with David Lee Roth that now has been over five years and I couldn’t wait to hear the new songs live. That’s what is such a triumph about the new record is most of the time when a band has been around for this long and haven’t put out any new material for that period of time, people are hoping to have to stomach as little of the new stuff as possible. That’s how I usually feel too, but they could have started with the new record in its entirelity and I would have been fine.
One thing that hasn’t changed was sudden controversy a few days before the show – back in 2008 literally the day before the show (and my birthday) the band postponed the show for several months due to Eddie going back into rehab. This time much has been made about the sudden decision to postpone more than 30 dates on the tour, including (of course) rumblings of animosity. But the quartet that features three late-fiftysomethings merely said its schedule was underthought and therefore overbooked.
I get to the venue and I didn’t have a ticket and no one I knew was going. Weird. But I was determined – I spot a guy that was just looking to dump his ticket – I just wanted in the buidling for the least amount possible and he let his ticket go for only $20 before I had a chance to jump in. I eventually purchase one for $40 that is right by the stage, but at the highest level of the building. Who cares? I’m in and I’m ready.
I go to my seat, with the full intention of only staying there long enough to scope out a better seat during Van Halen’s set.
The opening act was Kool & The Gang, which may sound like an odd choice and everyone seemed to make a big puzzled deal about it, but if you know anything about VH you know that David Lee Roth picks the openers and this is the kind of stuff he’s into. Why does no one seem to remember that Ky-Mani Marley opened the tour in 2007?
If you were one of the ones that thought Kool & the Gang were an odd choice, things made more sense while watching the veteran soul band crank out a tightly choreographed string of hits. Why not kick off an evening dedicated to throwing down with party music of a different stripe?
I find an amazing seat, the whole row is empty – the lights go down – the show starts – the crowd roars to the opening riff of Unchained – I’m already hyper-ventilating when of course the entire row fills with its rightful seat owners.I scramble and actually improve my seating to a half extended row that was empty and remained so besides for my hysterical air guitaring self for the rest of the night.
The most glaring difference between this gig and the first reunion shows in 2007 was the return of Roth as showman centerpiece. A half-decade ago, he was tentative about deploying the old shtick, opting to focus on his vocals rather than his stage persona and ceding the spotlight to reinvigorated guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. But that was then, this is now — and Vintage Concert Roth is back.No, there wasn’t any Jack Daniel’s swilling, midair leg splits or (sadly) those trademark wailing vocal fills. And Roth’s onstage gymnastics mostly have been replaced by soft shoe (he used a roughly 6-by-8-foot hunk of buffed wood for spins, twirls and slides, though there were several impressive high leg kicks). But what the crowd got instead was good ol’ Chatty Dave. He told stories, made jokes, tossed in comments — and generally seemed to enjoy himself.
