MA on songwriting credits

[Luke D]

Didn't see this posted so...

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla...sitemID=168971

MICHAEL ANTHONY Has No Plans To Go After VAN HALEN For Songwriting Credit On Reworked Old Songs - Jan. 30, 2012

Former VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony says he's looking forward to hearing the band's new album because it includes material that he recorded with the group before they got signed in the 1970s.

Speaking to the U.K. digital radio station Planet Rock, Anthony said, "They [the current lineup of VAN HALEN] played a show in New York the other week. There was [a] song they played called 'She's The Woman', which is actually a song that was, basically, written before I even joined VAN HALEN."

During the same interview, Anthony said he has no plans to go after his former bandmates for songwriting credit on the reworked compositions on the new VAN HALEN album, "A Different Kind of Truth", despite their former policy of crediting all members equally. "I don't want to do anything," he said. "I just let it be." He added, "And, hey, it'll be nice to hear some of those old songs again that I haven't played in a long time."
--

It's nice to hear Mike sounding positive about the new record, and not acting like a douche like Sam. Class act Mike!

[DavidLeeNatra]

he never wrote shit and lived from what Dave, Ed and God forgive me Sam wrote...so what should he go after?

[John Jacob]

he never wrote shit and lived from what Dave, Ed and God forgive me Sam wrote...so what should he go after?

probably the smartest thing you ever posted which is not really saying much at all

[DavidLeeNatra]

probably the smartest thing you ever posted which is not really saying much at all

we got a place for you here...ask Rikk...he'll show you the way...

[John Jacob]

we got a place for you here...ask Rikk...he'll show you the way...

just my low opinion of you dude. fuck off

[Matt White]

just my low opinion of you dude. Fuck off

bwahahahahahahaha!!!

Hit the road ass-clown!!!

[Rikk]

we got a place for you here...ask Rikk...he'll show you the way...

Damn straight.

And seriously...fuck Michael Anthony. The only reason he isn't "going after them" is because he knows goddamn well he never wrote a note or a beat. He played bass and sang. Good for him...but name one goddamn Van Halen song Mikey wrote. No, those six solo bass notes at the beginning of RWTD don't count.

[DavidLeeNatra]

...and yes...he has way more class than sam...

[sadaist]

...and yes...he has way more class than sam...

I think everyone can agree with that.

[DavidLeeNatra]

I think everyone can agree with that.

not that difficult...my last pile of shit this mornig has more class than sam...

[INeedYou]

The stuff I've heard sounds re-worked, some moreso than others. How much do changes to songs constitute a new song? Any publishing royalty experts in the house? Seems like riffs or chord progressions that remain the same, while the rest of the song is fresh, would mean tons of songwriting plaigarism all the time... Props to MA for being realistic and honest about shit written prior to his arrival in the band. Maybe he's even being supportive of VH, God knows it'll take at least an extra helping of that to cover the Hate-gar noise!

[Matt White]

The ONLY thing 'ol Hot-sauce wrote in his time in VAN HALEN was his name on the checks he was cashin'!


Not a bad gig for all those years........

[smorgdonkey]

The ONLY thing 'ol Hot-sauce wrote in his time in VAN HALEN was his name on the checks he was cashin'!


Not a bad gig for all those years........

They could have had someone else play for them back in the day but they went after Mike. A lot of people are pretty rough on the guy who didn't do anything wrong. I'm pretty sure that if he was 'just a freeloader' all of that time, Ed would have cut him loose a long time ago. Ed doesn't just let money fly out the window. It was Ed's ego only that got Mike pushed out. If you didn't think that Ed was near dead around 2005/2006 then you simply weren't paying attention. Just watch the NAMM vids from that era.

[Matt White]

pretty sure that if he was 'just a freeloader' all of that time, Ed would have cut him loose a long time ago.

Hey uh Pinestein.....EVH TRIED to "cut him loose" many times....wanting to replace him with Billy Sheehan as far back as FAIR WARNING.....

Okay...thanks for playing....goodbye

[smorgdonkey]

Hey uh Pinestein.....EVH TRIED to "cut him loose" many times....wanting to replace him with Billy Sheehan as far back as FAIR WARNING.....

I've heard that story many times but I don't believe it. Ed's ego couldn't stand to have flamboyant talent like Sheehan around - that's why he was always keeping the Van Halen bass lines simple...as a contrast to his guitar playing. If he TRIED, it would have been done. He didn't try, because Mike fully supported Ed all of the time and he played what Ed told him to play. Not to mention that his backing vocals were part of the VH signature sound & that he was steady as a brick wall live.

[Hollywood Jesus]

I've actually been wondering whether =VH= using the best demo material was precisely so it could finally be published. This would seem to make ownership more legally clear than letting these tunes wallow in purgatory.

And I do appreciated Mike's professionalism through all of this. If Dave and Ed had similar, ADKOT might have happened 20 years ago.

[Cruiser]

I agree Hollywood...Maybe I missed the article where MA slags Van Halen. He's done well to take the high road and 2 interviews have referenced him talking about being excited to hear the new album.

[ZahZoo]

There's not much for Mike to go after... if the songs were never published or released there's not a lot to wrangle over legally.

I find some of the cheap shots slamming Mike rather childish. He was a full contributing member of Van Halen for 30+ years and well respected among many of the top musicians in the rock world. To imply that the Mighty VH was a only two man operation... it just petty crap...

[Roth & Roll]

There's not much for Mike to go after... if the songs were never published or released there's not a lot to wrangle over legally.

I find some of the cheap shots slamming Mike rather childish. He was a full contributing member of Van Halen for 30+ years and well respected among many of the top musicians in the rock world. To imply that the Mighty VH was a only two man operation... it just petty crap...

Agreed - MA's harmonies were an integral part of the Classic VH signature sound. That being said, this thread is a non-story for two key reasons:

• Eddie wrote all the music, while Dave wrote the lyrics for Van HALEN, and Spam-bot wrote those simulated lyrics for Van Hagar.
  
• MA signed away all rights to songwriting credits as part of the agreement he signed back in 2004.

[ZahZoo]

Agreed - MA's harmonies were an integral part of the Classic VH signature sound. That being said, this thread is a non-story for two key reasons:

• Eddie wrote all the music, while Dave wrote the lyrics for Van HALEN, and Spam-bot wrote those simulated lyrics for Van Hagar.
  
• MA signed away all rights to songwriting credits as part of the agreement he signed back in 2004.

The last bullet is wrong... Mike retained all publishing/royalty rights and song writing credits. He signed away his rights to the use of the Van Halen name, logos, images and trademarks... big difference.

[Roth & Roll]

The last bullet is wrong... Mike retained all publishing/royalty rights and song writing credits. He signed away his rights to the use of the Van Halen name, logos, images and trademarks... big difference.

I was under the understanding that he signed away rights to all future songwriting royalties and credits. I understood this to mean that while he will continue to collect royalties on releases prior to 2004, he waived any rights to future releases.

Damn, where is Guitar Shark when you need him?

[Bob_R]

Damn, where is Guitar Shark when you need him?

In all likelihood, downloading porn.

[ZahZoo]

I was under the understanding that he signed away rights to all future songwriting royalties and credits. I understood this to mean that while he will continue to collect royalties on releases prior to 2004, he waived any rights to future releases.

Damn, where is Guitar Shark when you need him?

Correct he still gets royalties and retains publishing rights for everything released up thru BOBW and all future sales from those releases.

The key thing is he can't advertise himself as Mike Anthony of or formerly of Van Halen... same as Spammy, Gary and Dave when they were all voted off/quit Howdy Doody Mountain.

[smorgdonkey]

The last bullet is wrong... Mike retained all publishing/royalty rights and song writing credits. He signed away his rights to the use of the Van Halen name, logos, images and trademarks... big difference.

That's my understanding as well. He keeps what ever he had up to the signing...just has no affiliation from that point on.

I don't know why anyone holds that signing against him - he says that he thought it would be Ed's last go and I thought that same thing. The pictures of Ed around that time were whacked-out homeless druggie sort of images. It was Ed's manipulation of him then to push him out. I don't think anyone would have guessed that he was going to put Wolfgang in his place.

[Yount]

To imply that the Mighty VH was a only two man operation... it just petty crap...

Yeah poor Alex. Fools.

[dave_is_vh]

There's not much for Mike to go after... if the songs were never published or released there's not a lot to wrangle over legally.

I find some of the cheap shots slamming Mike rather childish. He was a full contributing member of Van Halen for 30+ years and well respected among many of the top musicians in the rock world. To imply that the Mighty VH was a only two man operation... it just petty crap...

Van Halen is/was ABSOLUTELY a two man operation. I could play bass or drums in Van Halen right now and you wouldn't even know the difference unless you saw me. And I am not even a good bass player or drummer. Furthermore we all know Dave and Ed wrote ALL of the songs.

[ZahZoo]

Van Halen is/was ABSOLUTELY a two man operation. I could play bass or drums in Van Halen right now and you wouldn't even know the difference unless you saw me. And I am not even a good bass player or drummer. Furthermore we all know Dave and Ed wrote ALL of the songs.

Now, now... don't go talkin out your ass... No need to go embarrassing yourself.

In a blind test I'd know the difference in two beats within a measure.

Clearly you don't have the knowledge nor experience to know what went into composing and recording all of the Van Halen material. At least 4 people went into the studio and 4 performances made it to tape. I think we all acknowledge Ed's guitar contributions and Dave's melodies and lyrical genius. The bass and drums are not optional plug-n-play modules. It's all an integral part of the VH magic... A riff track with scratch vocals does not a hit song make...

[clarathecarrot]

MA can change his mind as he matures and he has the freedom to bash and then forgive ..like how I remember all those women I made love in my youth, too, and in my heart I really meant, just the tip.

Now, that I have mature'd I wish I could see them all again and just knock off one more piece of that ass.

Mutha On Bitches.

[MUSICMANN]

I don't have but one big problem with MA. Instead of being loyal to VH, he chose to side with that Red Round Fat Spammy. MA was and will always be part of VH legacy and signature sound. Just a shame he took the route that was not really in his best interest. Hey, MA is a cool dude, a nice guy, but i think really gullible. He let The fat one get in his head and caused him to make some monumental friendship mistakes with Ed and AL and Dave for that matter. I think in the near future, as this new Album really starts to heat up and the fat fucker getting more and more crazy jealous, and continue to mouth off, MA will start to finally see how he was used by that prick and cost him his place in VH.

[smorgdonkey]

I don't have but one big problem with MA. Instead of being loyal to VH, he chose to side with that Red Round Fat Spammy. MA was and will always be part of VH legacy and signature sound. Just a shame he took the route that was not really in his best interest. Hey, MA is a cool dude, a nice guy, but i think really gullible. He let The fat one get in his head and caused him to make some monumental friendship mistakes with Ed and AL and Dave for that matter. I think in the near future, as this new Album really starts to heat up and the fat fucker getting more and more crazy jealous, and continue to mouth off, MA will start to finally see how he was used by that prick and cost him his place in VH.

I don't see that at all. Ed was not doing anything related to music and Sam got him to go and play bass in his band. Mike never told Ed that he quit...he probably thought that Ed was done and that's also likely why he signed away his 'future rights' with Van Halen. Ed used the tour to leverage Mike into signing. If Mike didn't sign then Ed would have just fired him outright after the tour.

The thing that I don't get in all of this is the people who say "Mike made the wrong choice" when I don't see where Mike made any choice. He played bass and he was never given an either/or. It has always been the Eddie fanatics who seemed to take that stand because they don't want to put it on Eddie. It is on Eddie.

Mike was just happy to play bass often and he made hotsauce - sure as F Haggis likes to eat and hotsauce goes with everything.

[MUSICMANN]

I don't see that at all. Ed was not doing anything related to music and Sam got him to go and play bass in his band. Mike never told Ed that he quit...he probably thought that Ed was done and that's also likely why he signed away his 'future rights' with Van Halen. Ed used the tour to leverage Mike into signing. If Mike didn't sign then Ed would have just fired him outright after the tour.

The thing that I don't get in all of this is the people who say "Mike made the wrong choice" when I don't see where Mike made any choice. He played bass and he was never given an either/or. It has always been the Eddie fanatics who seemed to take that stand because they don't want to put it on Eddie. It is on Eddie.

Mike was just happy to play bass often and he made hotsauce - sure as F Haggis likes to eat and hotsauce goes with everything.

Life is full of the choices we make. MA made the wrong choice by going out and playing with fuckwade Spammy, instead of just going out and doing his own thing and being supportive of what was going on with Ed and the shit he was going through. Hell, all the nasty shit that Ed and Dave said about each other all through the years, still Dave called and lent a helping hand. Of course he knew how much Ed couldn't stand spammy no more, and he thought the best thing to do was to go out and tour with the guy. MA brought this upon himself, by letting spammy sway his opinion of people he basically grew up with and worked with for way more years than he knew that fuckstick.

[smorgdonkey]

MA brought this upon himself, by letting spammy sway his opinion of people he basically grew up with and worked with for way more years than he knew that fuckstick.

That's the part that I don't get. I haven't heard Mike slag any of them except for Dave when Mike was Ed's lapdog. Who says Mike didn't call once per week? It's not like Ed was going to be friendly with him knowing that he was going to have the kid play bass anyway.

It's just stupid anyway, like Gene Simmons' kid putting on the Ace makeup and taking over on tour. I know, that hasn't happened - YET!

MA's background vocals are overrated

Try saying that 2 octaves up.

[AccidentalAngel]

That's the part that I don't get. I haven't heard Mike slag any of them except for Dave when Mike was Ed's lapdog. Who says Mike didn't call once per week? It's not like Ed was going to be friendly with him knowing that he was going to have the kid play bass anyway.

I don't think Ed was planning to have Wolf play base back in 2004 for two reasons.
1. The kid was what 13 years old at the time.
2. 2004 Ed didn't seem to be able to do much thinking or planning

[gbranton]

It's just stupid anyway, like Gene Simmons' kid putting on the Ace makeup and taking over on tour. I know, that hasn't happened - YET!

I think Nick will end up on stage with makeup on...... Gene's that is. Anybody heard him sing on the last Bruce Kulick album? He'll be singing God of Thunder, not Shock Me.

Evan Stanley will take Paul's place and KISS will play on for another 40 years.

[dave_is_vh]

I don't have but one big problem with MA. Instead of being loyal to VH, he chose to side with that Red Round Fat Spammy. MA was and will always be part of VH legacy and signature sound. Just a shame he took the route that was not really in his best interest. Hey, MA is a cool dude, a nice guy, but i think really gullible. He let The fat one get in his head and caused him to make some monumental friendship mistakes with Ed and AL and Dave for that matter. I think in the near future, as this new Album really starts to heat up and the fat fucker getting more and more crazy jealous, and continue to mouth off, MA will start to finally see how he was used by that prick and cost him his place in VH.

Mike chose to align himself with the dark side. For that there will be no forgiveness. Never. Ever.

[chi-town324]

Ed brought in his own kid...MA was gonna be out anyway

[gbranton]

Ed brought in his own kid...MA was gonna be out anyway

Yeah I don't think he had a choice, seeing as how he only played on three songs on VHIII and had nothing to do with BOBW. He said in a 2006 interview that the VH brothers didn't want him on the 2004 reunion tour.

[FORD]

Yep. It's definitely Pibbles. Prepare for departure, bitch......

[Vinnie Velvet]

Mike and Sam sure like to talk a lot about VH dont they?

[Roth & Roll]

Mike and Sam sure like to talk a lot about VH dont they?

I'll never lump Mike in the same category as Spammy. Mike is light-years ahead in every way. His only fault was aligning himself with the fat tequila salesman.