Anyone have any idea on why VH did not evolve a more "metal" sound?

[Mulattothrasher]

I know VH is more so a hard rock band (DLR era) then receded into a pop rock band (Sammy era).
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I always wondered what they would have sounded like if Eddie got a good rythm guitarist to add and fill in "emptiness" of some of the VH songs when played live. I've always hated the way many single guitar bands will overlap guitar work, then when you see them play live, its kinda, well, empty sounding becasue you expect to hear a harmony or a rythm or something else going...
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Well, other than "maybe he did not want to" does anyone guess why VH did not get a more aggressive sound? Would that have destoryed the bands "sound" you think by going more metal?

[BrownSound1]

I never detected any "emptiness" in classic Van Halen...mainly because Edward very rarely had more than one guitar going on the record. Plus, with the way Edward played another guitarist would have been left holding his dick, because he would have just gotten in the way. The twin guitar harmony thing just wouldn't work with their music.

Van Halen as a Metal band? I dunno...they kind of tinkered with it, with On Fire and Atomic Punk. How much more aggressive do you want than that? See in the days before Dave joined, Ed and Al played Sabbath and the like, but couldn't get a club gig for shit. Dave came in and said "you've got to play stuff people can dance to," and the rest is history.

[fe_lung]

VH was a style unto themselves, not metal, not blues rock. The only tag I can really see fitting is party rock. They were a good time, knock one back, bang your girl band. It was an ethos and persona all it's own at that time and place. The only thing I can really relate it to would be the "surf-culture" of the Beach Boys....

[loss of fools]

i think the fact dave liked to be able to dance to it stoped it from turning metal. i dont think metal/party music would have been that good.

[hard rock]

Party rock is a great way to describe CVH`s music because thats exactly what you wanna do when you hear it.

I dont think halen getting heavier would have been a good thing, as much as i like on fire and atomic punk i like unchained and panama more. thats more their style.


Also most CVH tunes were recorded live off the floor, no overdubs or naything like that. There a just a few tunes that have guitars overlapping ie feel your love tonight when Eddie plays a solo .

Eddie has always said back in the day when people would ask about a live album he would say what for what you hear on the albums is pretty much us live.

[Hardrock69]

I call the first 3 albums "Party Metal".

Lotsa high-volume guitars, wild shouting about hot babes and getting fucked up....that is what metal is all about.

That was what attracted me to them to begin with...they had a really heavy sound, the Brown Sound was a really grindy super-charged guitar sound, and they just flat-out kicked fucking ass.

Then Sammy showed up, and they began to SUCK!!!!

AND they still SUCK FUCKING ASS!!!!


FUCK THAT SORRY DRUNK MOTHERFUCKER, HIS FUCKING NEANDERTHAL BROTHER AND RONALD-MCDONALD "SINGER" (oh and Mikey too!).

THEY FUCKING SUCK, AND I WILL NEVER GIVE A FUCK ABOUT SEEING THEM LIVE OR BUYING ANY RECORDED MATERIAL AS LONG AS THEY KEEP THEIR MOUTHS GLUED TO SAMMY'S BROWN HOLE!!!!

[Carmine]

...you pretty much summed up what I was gonna say in your 2nd post!

ROTH AND ROLL

[nosuchluck]

i cant imagine Dave dancing to Atomic Punk, On Fire or House of Pain...

[academic punk]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
I never detected any "emptiness" in classic Van Halen...mainly because Edward very rarely had more than one guitar going on the record. Plus, with the way Edward played another guitarist would have been left holding his dick, because he would have just gotten in the way. The twin guitar harmony thing just wouldn't work with their music.

Van Halen as a Metal band? I dunno...they kind of tinkered with it, with On Fire and Atomic Punk. How much more aggressive do you want than that? See in the days before Dave joined, Ed and Al played Sabbath and the like, but couldn't get a club gig for shit. Dave came in and said "you've got to play stuff people can dance to," and the rest is history.

What he said.

Dave wanted a more "chick-friendly", "dance-able" sound.

Before Dave entered the band, Ed would play these long extended Cream and Black sabbath inspired jams. Impressive, but didn't really inspire the crowds at the beer bars to turn to the person of the opposite sex next to them and ask if they'd like a drink.

Dave and his direction is why they did not develop a more metal-sound.

[Terry]

I think of classic Halen as more straight up rock with hard rock overtones.

When I saw 'em live, didn't feel like there was an emptiness to the sound. Mostly because Ed's style had a lot of licks going on during his rhythm work. Can't see him playing with another guitarist in Van Halen, because there's no need to have one there. EVH could cover so much ground that it wasn't necessary.

Too much diversity within CVH to allow that band to get pigeonholed. Same with Zep. Like, I totally dig Iron Maiden and Judas Priest; Piece Of Mind, Powerslave, Point Of Entry and British Steel are all classics. Those bands, to me, are metal and do what they do well, but that's about all they can do(or choose to), know what I mean?

[Matt White]

BIG ROCK is how DIAMOND DAVE once described CLASSIC VAN HALEN. Like "Folk music shot out of cannons".

"Empty"?!? Might wanna get those ears checked bub!

[Jérôme Frenchise]

So many bands will only have fat sound to sell, just as to conceal their musical "emptiness".
CVH could sound very heavy, but they always had so much more to offer than just thick noise. And their top fun heavy rock music sure ALWAYS makes you wanna party!!

[DLR_EngineRoom]

Originally posted by Mulattothrasher
I know VH is more so a hard rock band (DLR era) then receded into a pop rock band (Sammy era).
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does anyone guess why VH did not get a more aggressive sound?

umm.......yeah........two words/reasons......

K-E-Y-B-O-A-R-D-S

AND

S-A-M-M-Y

Defense rests, your honour, no further questions. Case dismissed.

[monkeythe]

I'm glad they never went in that direction. Metal at that time was all about D&D crap with wizards and warlocks. Can you imagine Dave dancing and singing to that crap.
The fact that is that the music kicked ass and lyrics made you want to party with women as oppossed to kick ass music with lyrics for nerds aspiring to be Gargamel and never get laid.
Once Sammy joined the band they became more metal, in the fact that they sounded like the cheesy hair metal bands of the time; and quite frankly they were not very good at that. With Sammy they followed a trend, with Dave they inspired others to follow them.

[Panamark]

"Light up the Sky"

Very Metal.

In my books anyways. Love that song.
My favourite Van Halen tunes are the heavier ones I have to admit.