Thanks! That was my point all along. People TRYING to not like this thing....Originally Posted by POJO_Risin
Thanks! That was my point all along. People TRYING to not like this thing....
"Don't try to confuse the issue with half truths and gorilla dust." - Bill NcNeal
Can people post a cover of a song from the new album at rotharmy already?
Last edited by bluemustard; 02-04-2012 at 09:33 AM.
Metal, On Second Thought, Rock Music, uncategorized — February 4, 2012 8:44 am
On Second Thought: Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
Posted by Fred Phillips
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I stand corrected – and pleasantly surprised, too.
When I went into my first listen of Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth, I was expecting a steaming pile of mediocrity. After a few spins, I think the team in charge of promoting the record has done a big disservice to it in the clips that they’ve allowed to dribble out to the public. Those clips, with the exception of “The Trouble with Never,” which I’ll get to in a minute, have largely been forgettable and often not even the best parts of the songs.
Take “Stay Frosty,” for example. The clip out there makes it sound like a weak attempt to recreate “ Ice Cream Man. ” It is, of course, an attempt to recreate that song, but by the time you get to the turbo-charged hard rock section later in the tune, you don’t really care. It’s great stuff, and it’s what Van Halen should sound like.
Then there’s the lead single “Tattoo.” Granted, the song is a bit of an earworm after a few listens, but it hardly represents what this record is about. It’s not the kind of track that makes you want to run right out and get the record when it hits shelves on Tuesday. Which brings me back to “The Trouble with Never.” It seems like the obvious track to launch this record. It shows in its opening moments what just about every fan of early Van Halen wants to know – that the band is back and rejuvenated. It opens with this funky, rocking guitar riff that leads into David Lee Roth’s inimitable, over-the-top delivery. It has swagger. It has attitude. It’s an announcement that this is more than a cash-in on Roth being back in the band. There’s real energy here that I haven’t heard in Van Halen in a while.
That spirit carries throughout most of the record. It’s loaded with big, crazy riffing from Eddie Van Halen. My personal favorite is the slightly middle-eastern flavored bit on “Honeybabysweetiedoll,” which leads into a crunchy, heavy, metallic verse lick. It’s not the best song on the record, but it’s my favorite guitar piece. That heaviness returns again on the opening of “As Is,” another favorite, before it busts out into a classic swinging Van Halen run. “ China Town ” opens, as many classic Van Halen songs do, with a tapped lead lick from Eddie, then kicks into hyperdrive with that classic driving Alex Van Halen drum beat. It’s one of a number of high-energy, low BS songs that includes “Outta Space,” which rocks hard on the lines of “Atomic Punk.”
[SOMETHING ELSE! REWIND: This long-waited reunion with David Lee Roth had us digging through some old Van Halen albums. Here's a look back at a few favorite moments with Roth -- and yes, Sammy, too.]
Eddie Van Halen’s licks on this record have more personality than they’ve had since probably Fair Warning. Look no farther than the opening of “Beats Working” to hear it. There’s some soulfulness in “Big River,” and “She’s the Woman” feels like something that would have been at home on their first record. There is, of course, a good reason for that. Much has been made of the fact that the band dug back into its archives to resurrect some old tunes and redo them for A Different Kind of Truth. So what? When “As Is” or “The Trouble With Never” comes blasting out of my speakers, I couldn’t care less if they were written yesterday or in 1976. I’m just glad to be hearing them, glad to have a Van Halen record that I can crank up to start the party again.
As I listen to the record, I keep coming back to one word – swagger. That could be a complete review of this album in itself. It’s something that the best work from Van Halen has always had, and something that, for me, was often missing in the post-DLR version of the band. Regardless of what the actual dynamic in the band is these days – and I have little hope that EVH and DLR can coexist on a permanent basis – A Different Kind of Truth sounds like a band that is reenergized and having a blast.
Eddie is shredding away at his best, Alex is laying down some classic Van Halen beats and David Lee Roth is, well, David Lee Roth. He’s zany, over-the-top and sometimes a bit cheesy, but all of those things are what we loved about him in the first place. He’s not and has never been a better singer than Sammy Hagar, but this is rock ‘n’ roll. The best singer isn’t always the best guy for the job. As for the new addition to the band, Wolfgang, I think he’s a better bass player than Michael Anthony, who wasn’t really known for his chops (see “Runnin’ with the Devil”). But I do agree that this record really misses Anthony’s vocal harmonies, and it just would have been nice to have all four guys back together. That, however, is about the only thing I can find to complain about, and given how good the music is, I’m not likely to complain about it long or often.
In the coming weeks, a lot of people will have a lot of things to say about this record, and I’m sure not all of them will be good. I probably won’t hear them, though, because I’ll have A Different Kind of Truth on and my stereo will be cranked up to 11.
VAN HALEN: The only band to have not one but TWO of the most amazing, kick ass Debut albums in the history of rock and roll. People are just as blown away from hearing this new album from this "new" band as they were in 1978 listening to VHI.
Probably the best review I've read....
Agree with him 100% on the clips, they could've done a better job with those....
Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee Roth
Ha! These are good times bro! All 3 of those tunes are on top of my list. Time to continue my listening party!!!
this CD will hold up to any of the six pack
I love that Dave DID get a few screams/wails in "As Is", I think in "Stay Frosty" also.
I was hoping he would pull off a few so I am happy.
"I've been rich and I've been poor....rich is better, totally better"
The scream towards the end of the solo in As Is is the scream frum Thug Pop...
Dude, nothin' gay 'bout that. I thought it was spot on.
I can't believe it.......
I may get flamed for this but I think its better than any of the 6...had this been their first release, everything after would have paled in comparison..I am blown away by every thing Ive heard so far( except the acoustic YRGM)...these guys are back with a vengeance..seems they have had their ears open the last few years..
you stand correct...it's about 15 minutes longer than ANY other album and has less fillers (except VHI) and NO cover versions!
Roth Army Icon
First official owner of ADKOT (Deluxe Version)
outta space fuck ya! lets get rockin my fav demo
I think I need to buy more than one disc on Tuesday as I have a feeling one will be worn out very quickly! All killer, no filler! Thank you Mighty Van Halen!!
Got that same feeling while listening, Dave's 'style' of singing in some songs remind me to that DLR band album.
And 'STAY FROSTY' is like ICE CREAM MAN meets TWO FOOLS A MINUTE and 'OUTTA SPACE' is TORA TORA meets LIGHT UP THE SKY and so you got these reconizing moments
in every song !!!
big river...killer track
I've been trying to find the right words to describe everything that's gone through my mind since listening to A Different Kind of Truth. The emotions, the joy, the laughter... (yes, some of it is so good, I've actually laughed out loud at just how good it is). After 50 or so listens, all I can come up with is:
Thank You...
Thank You, for finding your way back together...
I'd go through all 28 years all over again, knowing that the road leads us to this point, to this album, to this tour...We came through blood and fire to get here with you...every fucking one us...
Van Halen, you have outdone yourself...this album is a full frontal, 4 wheelin', ass-kicking ride down a steep hill in a grocery cart!!! It's quite possibly the best Van Halen album ever...and I'll be goddamned if that ain't saying something!
Thank You, Dave, Edward, Alex and Wolfgang...Thank You, for giving us A Different Kind of Truth...
The last couple times I've listened to the album I've been starting on "She's the Woman" because I played "Tattoo" into the ground. This last time I had it on repeat, so after "Beat's Workin'" it looped back to "Tattoo." I should have never skipped it. It's as important to the overall album experience as everything else on the album.
Soooooo good.
I brought my pencil!!!
I could do without Beats Workin'
"As Is" is Hot For Teacher meets It's Showtime.
I fucking love this album.
You and Your Blues,As Is,Big River,Beats Workin',She's The Woman,China Town,Outta Space,Stay Frosty....
God I'm in Heaven.
Dave sounds great,much better than I ever thought he would,best he has been in years.
Eddie, well....what's to say? He's found himself again,and he's just as good as he ever was.So happy he got healthy and sober, I've missed him so.
Wolfie's holdin' his own,and Al is just as good as always.
This thing is very worthy of their past, I'm blown away.
At the beginning of AS IS it sounds like Alex says, "!,2,3,4...fuck sammy hagar!"...
I cannot agree with this. It's my favorite track on the album.
Roth Army Militia
Originally posted by WARF
Rikk - The new school of the Roth Army... this dude leads the pack... three words... The Sheep Pen... this dude opened alot of doors for people during this new era... he's the best of the new school.
I'm still waiting to give ADKOT my full attention, at home, on my stereo, with a beer and a joint. BUT I did catch the album release playing on my local FM station. The thing that made me instantly happy is that the band is so tight. Wolf isn't just playing, he's jamming with Dad and Uncle. These guys sound great together in a way the clips just couldn't convey. I didn't get that so much in 2007...and shared the doubts many had about Wolfie. Now, this threesome can stand up to anything out there. Wolf can can sit back and lay down the back-end with his uncle or, in a flash, can start riffing with dad. I'm so pumped to not only listen to this properly on Tuesday but to what we're going to see in the live show. I'm looking forward to Dave taking a 10 minute break, to "...fuck your girlfriend...PAL", just so I can hear the Van Halen's jam together.
So jealous of those that got the CD early.
Roth on!
This has been something I've debated when I FINALLY get to listen to the whole thing on Tuesday. Do I start with 'Tattoo', which - as you've said - has been pounded right into the ground like a carnie tent peg - or do I skip right to 'She's The Woman?' I've only got so much time off work to go buy the album, crank it, then head back. Don't want to waste time on the familiar - but I'm also a purist that wants to hear the album properly - straight through from start to finish. Decisions, decisions...
Is it Tuesday yet?
My karma just ran over your dogma.
zing, your first 5 or 6 listens should start at song#2 imho.
then when you hear the whole album with tattoo later, it's the cherry on top.
edit; last night was my first time listening on the big stereo, and slightly chemically altered.so much better... everything jumps out at ya just right.
i turned the stereo on and it returned the favour.
Last edited by ashstralia; 02-04-2012 at 07:22 PM. Reason: told ya i was comin back...
NAAAAAWWWWWW! Shut up you big silly!!!!!!! Ha!!!
I agree, 100%. I didn't even have to convince myself of it....this is their best work ever....no question in my mind....
well make yourself a special 12 track retard edition ffs...
This guy is on crack...either that or the 86-04 replacement singer wrote this review....
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/02/03...esnt-ring-true
Van Halen
A Different Kind of Truth
Fair warning, Van Halen fans: How you feel about the reunited arena-rockers’ first album in 28 years may depend on your definition of the word ‘new.’
Plain and simple, A Different Kind of Truth is a different kind of comeback record. For this long-awaited disc, singer David Lee Roth and his clan of bandmates — guitar hero Eddie, wild-man drummer Alex and Eddie’s precocious son Wolfgang replacing bassist non grata Michael Anthony — didn’t sit down and write 13 songs from scratch. Instead, they raided the vault for unreleased demos and rarities from the ’70s and ’80s, which they revamped, recut and refurbished with new lyrics, melodies and even titles in most cases.
Nothing wrong with that. Bands do it all the time. The Stones’ Tattoo You was similarly assembled from leftovers and outtakes, and nobody calls shenanigans on that. Besides, what would you rather hear: Old Van Halen or new Van Halen? Thought so.
Having said that, something feels hinky here. Unearthing buried treasures is one thing, but basing a comeback album around a whack of songs that didn’t make the cut three decades ago smacks of desperation and deception. It makes you wonder: Is Eddie’s well dry? Does he not care? Are he and Roth simply unable to work together? And if they did want to release these oldies, why renovate them? Why not just polish up the old tracks and issue them in a box, as the Stones did with Some Girls and Exile on Main St.?
Whatever position you take, the real question is: Does the freakin’ thing fly? Well, half and half. The brothers Van Halen are still the two horsemen of their own musical Apocalypse. Eddie leads the charge, reeling off his usual pyrotechnic explosions and dive-bomb effects while Alex thunders and gallops alongside. Just hearing them work their crazy mojo again is a blast, even if it is from the past. Wolf, for what it’s worth, seems to hold up his end on the bass, though Anthony’s massive, high-altitude backup vocals are sorely missed. But the real fly in the ointment, sadly, is Roth. He’s still got some
powerhouse pipes, but he’s lost his trademark cat-in-heat yowl. Even worse, age hasn’t necessarily enhanced his melodic and lyrical abilities — he’s often wordy and unfocused here, singing against the beat and sacrificing melody for words. Ultimately, a few tunes burn serious rubber, but much of the disc feels like a retread.
For the once-mighty Van Halen, that’s different all right. But truthfully, it’s not always a good kind of different.
Tattoo | 4:46
They don’t exactly come out swinging on this midtempo single based on the unreleased ’70s tune Down in Flames. It’s basically the Jump of the album. But not as catchy.
She's the Woman | 2:59
This funky rocker dates back to some 1976 demos funded by Gene Simmons. But Roth’s new lyrics and stronger melody actually improve the song. Score one for him.
You and Your Blues | 3:45
Another midtempo number with a chuggy riff and some lung-busting vocals, word is it comes from Eddie’s instrumental score to the 1984 film The Wild Life.
China Town | 3:17
A monstrous thrash riff, pumping double-bass drumming from Alex and plenty of firepower. Don’t know when this was written, but it’s the heaviest track so far. About time.
Blood and Fire | 4:28
Originally titled Ripley and included on the Wild Life soundtrack, this starts with folksy arpeggios, shifts into a chiming pop-rocker, then builds to an anthemic chorus. Not bad.
Bullethead | 2:33
A hard-driving riff-rocker that made regular appearances in the band’s show in the ’70s. Roth updates the lyrics again, but I prefer the original: It has more momentum. And a drum solo.
As Is | 4:49
Speaking of Alex, he opens this one with some tom-tom thunder, before the whole thing explodes into a high-speed firecracker a la Hot For Teacher. Roth’s lyrics are suitably randy.
Honeybabysweetiedoll | 3:49
Eddie and co. lay down some low-down heavy funk. Roth doesn’t have much to do — and when he does chip in, he’s all over the beat and jamming in way too many words. A near miss.
The Trouble With Never | 4:01
More funk-rock — but with a big arena-rock chorus full of stacked harmonies and some wah-wah pedal work from Eddie. This could be a single.
Outta Space | 2:56
Back to the oldies. Fans may know this propulsive basher as Let’s Get Rocking from those 1976 demos. The new lyrics are goofy, but Roth really belts out the vocals. So-so.
Stay Frosty | 4:10
It’s a blatant knockoff of Ice Cream Man, from acoustic-blues opening to boogie-metal ending. One problem: Roth’s motormouthed metaphysical jibber-jabber.
Big River | 3:53
In the ’70s, it was called Big Trouble. With the four-on-the-floor beat and giant ringing chords, it’s sort of a poor cousin to Runnin’ With the Devil.
Beats Workin' | 5:03
One last blast from the past — 1976’s Put Out the Lights is the source for a midtempo slice of funky cowbell-plonk rock.
Read that, too, man - earlier today.
This 're-tread' stuff is pretty lame as a hook on which to hang 'criticism'. As everyone has been saying on here for weeks - since the Crimson Clown started spouting about 'old stuff = no inspiration' - so what if they went back to some old ideas?
Ya think Brooce doesn't do it all the time? Bob Dylan? or countless others? Well you don't know zilch about the creative process.
You bet your ass they do it too.
Anyhow this stuff is ALIVE!! Most bands' new material is just retreads of the same old ideas masquerading as new songs. This is the real shit. Real energy. Real attitude.
THINK LIKE THE WAVES
"Roth’s motormouthed metaphysical jibber-jabber."
some people just won't ever get it my friend. journalists think they're clever, we know the truth. a different kind, that is.
I've said it before, the simple fact that they knew that songs they wrote almost 40 years ago would stand up in 2012 the way they have says everything about their music...it is...in fact....timeless.
I really do not get the comparison with "FROSY" and ICM these ass wipes are saying. Aside from blues going heavy they are veeeerrrry different sounding tunes.
agree sniper. my fave song atm.
←
Yea - Well Fuck You!!!!!!!!!!!
urgh that review was a one-listen critique. Seriously, we all know how long it takes to understand Dave's stuff (like he says, he plans it that way.)
Here's the thing. That reviewer wants to hear:
Oh, here we go! Yeah yeah
Yesterday, I saw my love light shine straight ahead in front of me
You never really know when love'll come or go
But yesterday I was alone
Suddenly I walked you home
I never really knew what love could make me do
I'll send the message in a bottle
trust in the mercy of the sea
Stormy weather
Waitin' for love to set me free
Everyday I watch the tide roll in, Stay until it rolls away
Though nothin's on the shore, I'm runnin' back for more
Hey, Feels so good (So good) Woo!
And it feels so nice, When love comes around
I feel good (So good) So good, so good
An' it feels so nice (So nice) Woo!
Ow! Feels so good
(Guitar Solo)
Hey, Gonna make her feel nice (So nice)
When love comes around
I feel good, woo! (So good)
So good, so good, so good (So nice)
Now come on baby, make me feel good
(So good)
Get up, get up, get up, get up (So nice)
Uh! Hey baby, I feel good (So good)
Woo! Now come on, now come on (So nice)
Yeah, make it nice. Ow!
So good, so good
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