Did Michael Anthony play bass on every classic Van Halen song?

[loucap81]

I know this has been talked about alot but I'd like a containment thread for it.

People have theorized that Ed played bass on some or all of Fair Warning but I've never read any article about it. Of course this was the same timeframe that Eddie was considering replacing him with Billy Sheehan. Or so I've read on the boards; I haven't seen an article on that either.

Can anyone shed light on this?

[DLR Bridge]

I'm of the opinion that Ed played bass here and there throughout the years. Being proficient enough at stringed instruments, one could only imagine he might have layed down tracks to get the full effect of what he was working on and they just decided to keep it. Such is the case, in my opinion, with the demo for Act Like It Hurts. That sounds nothing like Mike's playing style or note selection. Ed plays bass closer to his actual guitar melody, the way many guitarists do. If I'm right, and that's just an Ed & Al jam session, one could only imagine how many songs came into fruition that way. I also feel that Ed is playing bass on Girl Gone Bad. I dunno, so many things just don't sound like Mike. Some proof would be nice though.

[ELVIS]

Of course it's Michael Anthony...

All of the basic tracks on the six pack were recorded live in the studio by Edward, Alex and Michael...

Various guitar solo and rhythm overdubs were added later, as well as the vocal tracks...

ADKOT was recorded in much the same way...

Listen to the rehearsal tracks of Girl Gone Bad where the song repeatedly falls apart, probably due to the songs level of difficulty and Edward trying to get the right feel...

But it's clearly MA playing and it sounds nearly identical to the album version...

They always, ALWAYS recorded this way back in the day. Ed has stated as much, as has Anthony as well as Don Landee and Ted Templeman...


Assholes who strive to rewrite the history of Van Halen totally piss me off...

[ELVIS]

I also feel that Ed is playing bass on Girl Gone Bad. I dunno, so many things just don't sound like Mike. Some proof would be nice though.

I feel you're a dumbass...

[DLR Bridge]

Yay!! It's official!! You called me a name!! I feel my existence here has been validated!! Thank you so much for calling me a name for having an opinion. Aaahh this is the best day ever!!!!

[ELVIS]

Whenever I call someone a name an angel gets its wings...

[chefcraig]

I dunno. On one hand, you have the admission by Billy Sheehan that he was approached by Ed and Dave to join the band sometime in 1980 or 1981. This, taken with Jeff Berlin saying he'd rehearsed with the group at David Lee Roth's home around the same time would seem to indicate a certain dissatisfaction with Anthony's playing.

Yet at the same time, the above doesn't necessarily prove that Anthony's parts were removed and/or replaced by EVH. I have my doubts about parts of Fair Warning, an album Ed has claimed to have tinkered with at night with Don Landee when Ted Templeman wasn't around. Again, he wasn't specific about just what it was he was doing, so to make a claim outright that he redid some bass parts holds no proof other than speculation.

The answer will have to wait until Mike Anthony writes his own book, but even then (given his belief that if "Hagar says something, it happened"), the man himself might not be the best barometer of the truth.

[CROWBAR]

Of course he did. Conspiracy theorists have abounded by the droves around this for years without an ounce of proof. Mike's own brother, who was honest enough to say which songs he didn't play on when it came to VHIII, said he played on all previous Van Halen albums. Ed playing a bass would stick out like a sore thumb.

[SNIPER]

Not all songs were recorded live. Some were finished before Mike or Dave even heard it. Jump, Panama, DDL. come to mind.

[DLR Bridge]

I'm no conspiracy theorist. I absolutely love Mike's playing on demos, boots and studio albums from Gazzari's in '74 to WACF. From Fair Warning on, I simply wonder where that bass player went from time to time. I do recall him telling Jas Or(help me out here) in a guitar magazine that he wasn't happy with being told to play a certain way. This was around '82.

[DLR Bridge]

Listen to the rehearsal tracks of Girl Gone Bad where the song repeatedly falls apart, probably due to the songs level of difficulty and Edward trying to get the right feel...

Interesting. I've never heard the rehearsal tracks you speak of. Can somebody post that? I do have the Quebec 1984 bootleg video and I can clearly tell Mike isn't playing near as flashy as what was on the record.

[ELVIS]

Not all songs were recorded live. Some were finished before Mike or Dave even heard it. Jump, Panama, DDL. come to mind.

That's your imagination getting the better of you...

[atlantakat]

Even back in the day, Ed resented that MA got songwriting credit when Ed came up with all the music. In interviews, Ed was already taking jabs at MA buying expensive Porsches without contributing much to the band's music. And both Sheehan and Berlin have confirmed that Ed was recruiting them to replace MA around FW.

Ironically, I don't think Ed would have been happy with complicated bass lines competing with his guitar. I remember him giving MA the ultimate backhanded compliment when he said something along the lines that he preferred MA (over someone like Cream-era Jack Bruce) for VH because MA "just plays bass."

Having said all that, I don't think Ed started playing the bass lines on the records until the Hagar years.

Over the past couple of months, I have been digging into the South American Diver Down boots (thanks Momshell!) and I was suprised how adventuresome MA was during those shows -- his lines were a lot busier and he was not just laying down single note grooves. While his solo always was the low point in a CVH show for me, I don't remember MA playing that freely at the concerts I saw in the US. I wonder if Ed more or less insisted that MA keep his lines simple as it turns out that MA had more chops than he got credit for while he was in VH.

[CROWBAR]

Mike, quite simply, played what fit the music of Van Halen. It was all about EVH and you wouldn't want to overshadow him. Templeman knew what he had and showcased him. I personally am glad that the Sheehan thing never materialized, because then you would have a "lead style" bass player competing with Ed and it never would have worked. I think it would have sounded "too busy" and less stellar.

If you listen to Mike now (I know many won't because of you know who being in the same band) you can tell he has no constraints and definitely does have chops. To say he's a simple eighth note player is absurd.

[DLR Bridge]

Assholes who strive to rewrite the history of Van Halen totally piss me off.

Yeah me too. Like that one time somebody tried to rewrite the bass playing credits to ADKOT before the cd even came out over a 9 page thread.


I know that took me all day, but this is a characteristically crazy Friday.