The little things...

[conmee]

Executive ass puncher.

Wait... so is that supposed to be a GAY THING, a new rank at ROTH ARMY, or a term of endearment.

I like the ring of it, uh huh uh huh if it's not gay that is....

That is all.

Icon~

[wiseguy]

Wait... so is that supposed to be a GAY THING, a new rank at ROTH ARMY, or a term of endearment.

I like the ring of it, uh huh uh huh if it's not gay that is....

That is all.


Icon~

All right then. You are our official EXECUTIVE ASS PUNCHER. Good going. You made it kid

[Yount]

I lost my virginity to the Greatest Hits Vol 1 CD. I remember Panama distinctly and the rest was a blur.
Also finding A Little Ain't Enough in a second hand shop and the total inspiration I got out of that. That disc is a tough find. DLR band even tougher.

The little things I like is the discovery of new meaning/truth while listening to Van Halen or Dave.

[ryoungblood]

i agree with you on all you said. i cant wait to hear all of the c.d. i will have both vinyl and c.d. cant wait my wife bought it for me on the net.

[ashstralia]

what a great thread!!!

when was the last time ya did somethin for the first time??

beautiful memories

[Nitro Express]

I got Van Halen II as a birthday present. I opened my presents and we had to leave to make the movie in time. I remember coming home and my sisters were playing it singing you are no good and laughing.

[sambo]

8 years old, water skiing every single weekend and my (late) Aunty used to bring the tape deck down to share some Boz Scaggs, Bony M, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Doors, Doobies, and VH every weekend. First song I heard was "You're No Good" and always thought it was the original..

If I ever got a chance to be "DJ" on those days..always played VH2 "on tape" over and over, and I was rewarded with VH 2 on vinyl shortly after for my birthday (from the same Aunt).

That feeling of playing it from start to finish on the family stereo..

Great tunes for a kid.. Beautiful Girls, Somebody Get me A Doctor, DOA, Women in Love and yes even Dance The Night Away. Must have put a smile on her face to have an 8 year old singing those around the house

Got VH1 for Christmas, along with ACDC's "Highway to Hell" (yes my Aunt was a cool one, Mum did not know about ACDC)... rest is history.

This album reminds me of how cool it was to get an album, race home as fast as you can, just put it on, smile and go wow...I have been to the record store on day 1 of every CVH release since, including this one.

Cheers, cool thread..

[Yount]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

For me it was that voice. After finding a cassette with "Jump" back in the good ol' days I would listen, rewind, listen, just captivated by all the instruments, but especially the voice.
I love to read a good book, but hearing a story read by the Toastmaster General put to great music - tough to beat.

[sambo]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

For me it was that voice. After finding a cassette with "Jump" back in the good ol' days I would listen, rewind, listen, just captivated by all the instruments, but especially the voice.
I love to read a good book, but hearing a story read by the Toastmaster General put to great music - tough to beat.

Well, Dave singing "You're No Good" and the "Ow's", "Ah-huh's, and backing vocals must have definitely been it..

I was too young to really appreciate the band until I was a couple of years older, I used to sing to VH II as a kid, so yeah Dave for sure...

The older I got, the more I listened, the better it got.

[Zing!]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

For me it was that voice. After finding a cassette with "Jump" back in the good ol' days I would listen, rewind, listen, just captivated by all the instruments, but especially the voice.
I love to read a good book, but hearing a story read by the Toastmaster General put to great music - tough to beat.

Grabbed by the sound - hooked by the look. This was a bad-ass, rock and roll looking band that perfectly captured the wild abandon lifestyle of excess. Their clothes, videos, pictures in Circus magazine, posters... they had the look that backed up the sound - but the sound is what kept me coming back. Loved their willingness to take chances, to have a sense of humor, to be able to make an album that had tunes like 'Big Bad Bill' and 'The Full Bug' at the same time. If I could distill my very first memory of Van Halen down into one photograph - the earliest memory I have of this band is the live shot on the back of 'Diver Down' taken at the Tangerine Bowl when the opened for the Stones. Remember clearly, looking at that picture as a little kid and thinking: "Wow - look at all those people...these guys are BIG!"

[Dave's PA Rental]

I'm hoping for more and more quick gut-reaction type posts as people listen to this all the way through for the first time...

Was driving my little girl (she's almost 5) to daycare this morning and said to her that when I pick her up this afternoon, we were going to go buy the new Van Halen CD...she said "Oh yeah!"

[ELVIS]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

The way the wild vocals perfectly complemented the wild guitar...

[Gdog4]

I bought "1984" on cassette tape...my first Van Halen album, even though I was well versed with them by that time. LOVED "Diver Down"...which a lot of people still slag here, there and everywhere in Van Halenland...I think it's great...still do...so it was essential to pick up "1984". I was a school newspaper geek, so I wrote a glowing review of "1984" in the school paper, and I wore that cassette down. I was going to college in Los Angeles in 1985 when I heard on the Mighty KMET that DLR had left Van Halen. That was a sad day for sure. Liked, but never loved Van Hagar...followed Dave through the years. Saw him on the EEASM and Skyscraper tours...saw Van Hagar on the OU812, F.U.C.K. and Right Here, Right Now tours...they were OK at best.

I was so excited in '96 when they appeared on the MTV Music Awards and was stunned when it all fell apart. Caught VH IV on tour in 2007...great night for sure...however like most people here, waited patiently for something I thought that would never happen...A Different Kind Of Truth...

Got up early today, so I could hit Walmart on my way to work and grab the CD...f'ers had no clue that the CD was released, and told me they probably didn't have it...WTF?!?!?! The guy was 800 years old, which is saying something, 'cos I'm 600 years old...LOL. So I'm leaving early for lunch and runnning to Best Buy to pick up the Deluxe Edition. Can't wait to blast it in my car and take me back to 1984...the year, and the album...good times my friends.

[So this is love]

I spent my entire high school days daydreaming of Van Halen back in the early 80's...God the clock was slow...I would picture them coming into class and rock like there's no tomorrow...

[chi-town324]

to this day when i hear "somebody get me a doctor" on Eddies solo i can remember where the pause was when my 8 track would change to the next channel....

the summer of 1981 i blasted fair warning so loud i had cops routinely coming to my apartment for disturbing the peace....

[Momshell]

A new 'little thing' that I am loving now.....waking up every morning with a different NEW Van Halen song in my head. I must be going through the album in my sleep!

[ashstralia]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

my intro to =VH= is a little unusual... in my early teens i got into CB radio as a hobby. this dude kept playing this otherworldly sounding shrieking guitar over the CB.

i finally asked him one day 'what the hell is that?'
yup. eruption. this would've been 82 or 83.. so bought 1984 when it came out, then the previous 5.

[Dave's Bitch]

May I ask you all what was it that first triggered your enthusiasm for this band?

You guys here did it for me .I was into Sammy first,got swallowed into all the us and them stuff and never really gave Van Halen a chance.Played Aint Talkin Bout Love and the rest as they say is history

[ToraToraTora]

The little things...... Y/day i was listening to the album full volume and the wife gets a phonecall, so i quickly throw on the headphones and carry on listening. After about 15 minutes, she's still jabbering away on the phone, and i'm headbanging with my headphones on trying to be quiet and not sing whilst she's on the phone, honybabysweetiedoll is playing,then the slight pause comes, on the cd, and as fate would have it on the phonecall too, cue russell the dog, woof says russell, WOOF shouts Tora as you do when your wearing headphones, the person on the other end of the phones says.....did you guys get a dog???

[rockhead]

mine was a bit different.It was the song "jump" for me.I remember owning a hits album in the later half of 84 called "Throbbin 84" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throbbin%27_%2784) and i was 9.I loved the song and i loved the california surf look of dave, plus i thought the album cover was baddass.....plus they looked like a rocknroll version of slapshot!.It wasnt until i was into my early teens that i delved into the cvh catalogue.....never cared for van hager and just loved the cvh look and attitude, plus 1984 would be my favourite.Ive gone through 4 of those CD's in my lifetime.To me theres nothing like driving to the beach on a weekend in the summer with the windows down and 1984 blasting out of the speakers.

[Carmine]

You guys here did it for me .I was into Sammy first,got swallowed into all the us and them stuff and never really gave Van Halen a chance.Played Aint Talkin Bout Love and the rest as they say is history

I remember your original name here...and the name change that followed...

[Dave's Bitch]

I remember your original name here...and the name change that followed...

Sweet jaysus the drama I caused.The majority of that is probably lost for ever with the rest of the old posts (thankfully)

[fryingdutchman]

Sweet jaysus the drama I caused.The majority of that is probably lost for ever with the rest of the old posts (thankfully)

Yeah...I remember the name change too.

I also remember that you and I slugged it out a few times because you came in here with that "old name" (which I shall not say....)

In fact, that name is now like Voldemort.....it should not be spoken.

[Dave's Bitch]

Yeah...I remember the name change too.

I also remember that you and I slugged it out a few times because you came in here with that "old name" (which I shall not say....)

In fact, that name is now like Voldemort.....it should not be spoken.

Talk about me fighting an uphill battle eh.Young and stupid is all i can say.But hay the past is just that and you are cool in my book.I honestly cannot remember who gave me the name change but once again a big thank you to them and i love you dearly .

[Carmine]

Sweet jaysus the drama I caused.The majority of that is probably lost for ever with the rest of the old posts (thankfully)

You accepted Roth into your soul...and there was the peace...lol...

[Hardrock69]

The little things .... In the mid nineties van Hagar played with Bon jovi at our local stadium ... All the local rock fans were buzzed... Me and a group of friends had an all day party drinking session... We refused to go and called ourselves the real van halen appreciation society ( this was pre the phrase cvh)We had tee shirts the lot .... We got pissed and insulted the van Hagar Ben Jarvis fans in the pub before and after the gig ..... It was like being in a gang ... Bit like this place ... Like pa says its the little things

[Hardrock69]

Early September 1978. In the Army, just a few weeks away from discharge (which actually occurred the day before I saw VH).

Found out Black Sabbath was coming to Seattle on the 29th AND 30th. Some of my buddies in my unit were going up there for the show on the 29th.

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love was on KISW around then, and I heard this new band Van Halen was opening for Black Sabbath. That was all I knew at the time.

Driving up on I-5, Van Halen was at KISW doing an interview that had us all laughing so hard we almost wrecked the car.

General admission tickets...8 bucks...I still have the receipt...and the lady I bought the ticket from at the ticket outlet at Ft. Lewis, WA signed her name on the receipt....Mrs. Osborne, lol.

Being a GA ticket, I was right up close.

Holy mother of god......one thing amazes me to this day...Van Halen had several racks of par cans behind them on the stage....never before or since have I ever seen a headliner allow an opening act to have that sort of thing....here...the photo...you can see for yourself....

VH-9-29-78.jpg

Needless to say, I was blown away. It was thrilling to see Black Sabbath as well, but I had been hearing their music for years....and of course, Doom Metal was this slow, plodding, lumbering dinosaur thing.......and Van Halen was a radioactive explosion as their opening act.

So the next morning when I woke up.....I grabbed a guitar and started messing with this "tapping" thing I had seen that guitarist do.....my roommate, who was also the leader of my band, had not gone with me, and so I showed him what I had seen Ed do.

The following summer, I was back in Kansas, and Van Halen came to Wichita to play a 6,000-seat convention hall downtown.

They had played a 2,000 seat club on an off night while they were out with Sabbath in 1978, and of course, with the release of the first 2 albums, everyone knew about them.....the show was sold out within a day or two of tickets going onsale.....people were fighting with the little old ladies who were sitting on their folding chairs guarding the side doors....someone would run up and shove the door open, and before the lady could drag the door shut, there would be a dozen people through it. Everyone was THAT desperate to see Van Halen.

Saw them again on WACF, then again on Diver Down. Was on the road when they came to town for 1984.

I just got lucky and found out about them on their very first tour. 33 1/2 years ago now.

1986.....Dave had left...was touring solo.....5150 came to town, I bought a ticket.....yeah it was 'Van Halen', but it just was not the same.....the songs just were not REAL......then August 30, Dave came to town.

Fuck.

I realized then Van Halen was fucked without Dave.

Couple of years later OU812 tour came to town. My roommate could not believe I was going to miss the show. He was going to the venue that evening, and asking me...."Are you SURE you don't want to go?" And I replied like I have replied to everyone since then......van hagar is a lame fucking pop band and I want nothing to do with them.

Saw them again slightly on Monsters of Rock tour. Walked out during Ed's solo. Saw Dave solo in 1999 at a 1200-seat club in Wichita. 2002 on Sam and Dave.

Now.....in 2 months....I get to see the REAL Van Halen once again.

Lotsa you peeps have read all of the above too many times....but hey......

And the morning after seeing them on the II tour, WACF, and DD....I was hoarse.....at the end of one of the early 80s tours...the giant VH logo with Rane lights descended out of the lighting rig (WACF? Can't recall...either that one or Diver Down......I was soo fucking blown away.......I walked out of the building screaming my fucking head off

MOTHERFUCKING VAN HALEN!

And I was not the only one......12,000 other people were doing the same thing......have never seen any other band cause 12,000 people to go absolutely apeshit berserk like that....

Ok...next! Been up all night...time for me to get some shuteye, lol.

[Zing!]

A new 'little thing' that I am loving now.....waking up every morning with a different NEW Van Halen song in my head. I must be going through the album in my sleep!

YES! Just how I woke up this morning. 'Big River' running through my head. Love it! Humming bits and pieces of other songs throughout the day, but my brain is locked in on Van Halen even while unconscious.

[jhale667]

...my brain is locked in on Van Halen even while unconscious.

As well it should be...!

[Angel]

VH trip down memory lane....lost my virginity after a VH show in '84, need not to say anymore haha!!! I bet you can't top that....

Yes I can. I gave two roadies blowjobs in an attempt to get backstage in '80. Unfortunately, at the time I didn't know about local "day" crew... TOP THAT ONE!!!!

[Dave's PA Rental]

I'll bet those weren't little things...

[robg8888]

For me, its like things came full circle. I remember riding my bike down to Rainbow Records in Cape Coral Florida (look it up, it still exists) to pick up 1984 when it first came out. I had been a VH fan since hearing Diver Down in my older brother's car. I probably figured I had many years to enjoy the original lineup, but sadly they broke up the next year. On Tuesday, I drove my car down to the very same small, local record store, and bought the new CD. Its as if time froze a bit since I was waiting for Dave's next album with VH all of these years.

So far I am noticing many little subtle things on the new CD that are very cool and reflective odes to the past. Blood and Fury, to me, is their coming out song on this album. It is the bridge from past to present. "We came, we came, through blood and fire!!!!!". Their shout out to the hard work and hard times they endured, together, seperately, and then together again. "Now look at all the people here tonight" as he says in the song. A very cool salute to his 1980's mega stage presence and crowd rap. But what I liked the most is that after the break before Ed's solo, Dave confidently says: "I told ya' I'd be back", and then Eddie's very next response? His most classic elephant roar. Not the kind we've heard on the albums, but the most authentic classic, on stage, 1977, elephant scream where Ed would turn his back to the other guitarists in the audience. This was Dave and Ed making ammends right before our very steaming eyes.

[Chong Li]

I am glad the poster above me posted the same way I feel about Blood and Fire. When Dave says "Told you I would be back, tell me you miss, say it like you mean it", he is talking to US. What a beautiful thing!!! And Ed's solo on that piece is CVH, nothing else. Its like time stood still. The big difference now? You can hear Ed having a blast playing with his son. He sounds joyous in his playing.

[Sensible Shoes]

Yes I can. I gave two roadies blowjobs in an attempt to get backstage in '80. Unfortunately, at the time I didn't know about local "day" crew... TOP THAT ONE!!!!

I still can't believe you tell people that story!

[rocking ron]

In 1978 most teenagers in Holland were into disco(SaturdayNightFever) and Abba, and I was...........

'RUNNIN' with the Devil...

[Angel]

I still can't believe you tell people that story!

I never thought I would tell it again, lol I just couldn't resist the dare!

[NIN1211]

My Mom coming home with Diver Down...I was 11......got me through alot of shit......yet here I am...Damn this disc rules. Been taking random car rides. My wife thinks I am having an affair!

[Yount]

My wife thinks I am having an affair!

She's not wrong!

[Chong Li]

My Mom coming home with Diver Down...I was 11......got me through alot of shit......yet here I am...Damn this disc rules. Been taking random car rides. My wife thinks I am having an affair!

Hah. I am the same age, Diver Down was my first album. I loved the big red cover...and that awesome photo in the sleeve/back with Dave wearing the gi top, Alex looking so cool in his shades...

As a kid, I always wanted to be a mix of David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen. Watching Dave do his kicks is what got me into martial arts 28 years ago...I always thought Alex looked cool and distant like he just didnt give a fuck. Role models!

I remember getting 1984 for Christmas on tape along with ZZ Top Eliminator right before I turned 14....I remember calling into MTV to keep Jump as the top video every week...the closest competition was when She was Hot by the Stones came out....all my classmates loved that video, but I just liked the simplicity of Jump. Always watched how dusty the keyboard was in that video.

I remember the first time I heard Van Halen- it was 1982, I was at the mall and the cool older high school kids had a boom box playing Little Guitars. I was mesmerized by the guitar riff. Just entranced.

God, Van Halen was such a big part of my life. Seeing DLR solo in 1986 was my first concert. Went with some older guys in a van...got so wasted, it hurt.

Didnt see Dave again until 2003. I had tickets in 88 but I had to sell them, was in a lot of trouble at the time.

I was so glad to see them in 07. I honestly didnt think it would ever happen. Yes, I gave up hope.

Still waiting for the tickets to get cheaper before the Mohegan Sun show, scalpers will have to bail out sooner or later.

I too am spending a lot of time in the car this week listening to the CD. Its just not the same on a computer.

Not a frequent poster, but always loved it here. I remember when it was Slawterhouse or something? Been coming here for over 12 years.


"Say it like you mean it".

[Sensible Shoes]

If you end up going to Mohegan Sun, make sure you check in that thread to find out where everybody's going to meet up. Roth Army pre show gatherings are a tradition!