DLR Band is VHIV?

[VAiN]

So I've given the DLR Band a few solid listen-throughs for the last few days, and I have to ask myself - How much better will the the next VH album be? I feel that it'll be what's been missing since Dave split.. riff equal to his greatness... Discuss..

[FORD]

Comparing the albums both released in 1998, DLR Band kicked VDIII's ass in just about every way imaginable. Dave's two biggest problems with that album (aside from the low-fi production) were the horrible distribution, and the fact that he didn't tour the album. If he would have hit the road in the summer of 1998 with John "5" Lowery, Ray Luzier, and who ever on bass (probably Todd Jensen at that point) and played a good chunk of this record, I think it would have gone platinum, and the rest of the world might have been able to buy it before 2002 (or whenever it finally got worldwide disribution).

As it is, when he finally decided to tour, he took the opening slot on the Bad Company reunion tour, and with a shortened time on stage, he obviously went with the Van Halen songs. So aside from "Slam Dunk" getting played at a couple festivals in Europe, the album never really got a fair promotion. Damn shame too.


Too close to mommy, grew up square
with all the spine of a chocolate eclair

now who do you suppose that was about?

[ashstralia]

my big worry is one that's long been the pachyderm in the ointment... has anyone got proof that the tuba player has still got riff? he's got a long history of blaming shit on singers. that might work with spam and gary, but david lee roth? don't think so. he owns multiple failures.

i've said before dave, put the eeas band together again.

[chefcraig]

Dave's two biggest problems with that album (aside from the low-fi production) were the horrible distribution, and the fact that he didn't tour the album.

The biggest problem with the DLR Band album was Dave's at times forced, screechy vocals that were way beyond his range. I don't know where that tendency came from, as he'd not openly displayed it before, but it made some of the tracks damned near unlistenable.

[VAiN]

The biggest problem with the DLR Band album was Dave's at times forced, screechy vocals that were way beyond his range. I don't know where that tendency came from, as he'd not openly displayed it before, but it made some of the tracks damned near unlistenable.

I agree... he seems to have stopped doing that. He kept it in his range in 07/08... As long as he doesn't go for the high notes we're good..

[Terry]

The DLR Band album was certainly an answer to the VH claims that Roth was washed-up and incapable of participating in a Van Halen reunion.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the riffs and tunes on the DLR Band were "as good" as what CVH created, but it was clear the goal was to conjure up the style, sound and spirit of CVH. I mean, it was more along the lines of what I would want Van Halen to sound like than Van Halen III was, for sure.

Yeah, Roth was straining vocally more than a few times on the record, trying to hit notes and sing in a range that was a decade behind him, but that along with the demo-ish quality of the production was part of the charm. That it had such a small distribution (most casual Van Halen fans probably weren't even aware it existed when it came out) is neither here nor there. Dunno what that effort, released 13-odd years ago, could foreshadow in terms of a hypothetical Roth-fronted Van Halen release these days. One would imagine a professionally produced Van Halen record with Dave wouldn't be quite as low-fi from a sonic standpoint, and in theory there would be a lot more time to cut the vocals. If anything, Roth seemed more at ease with the limitations of his range in 2008 than he did in 1998, where then he was determined to make the attempt to do things vocally even if the end results weren't gonna quite get there.

It's all obviously speculation, anyway. Based on the show I saw 3 + years ago, Dave and Al can still play. The few snippets I've heard from Ed in the years since VH3 was released combined with the subpar condition he was in when I saw him live in 2008 would give me far more pause about Ed's abilities to cut the mustard on a new Van Halen record than any reservations I'd have about Roth or Alex.

[VAiN]

It's all obviously speculation, anyway. Based on the show I saw 3 + years ago, Dave and Al can still play. The few snippets I've heard from Ed in the years since VH3 was released combined with the subpar condition he was in when I saw him live in 2008 would give me far more pause about Ed's abilities to cut the mustard on a new Van Halen record than any reservations I'd have about Roth or Alex.

Tru dat... Dave & Al were super solid every night. Ed.. .ehhh... not so much..