Van Halen III

[bueno bob]

So I was listening to that oddball p.o.s. the other day (mostly because I wanted to LOL @ Eddie's singing) and I started thinking that, since it's the George Lazenby of Van Halen albums, maybe they should just remaster the damn thing and re-issue it as Eddie's solo album and effectively take it out of the Van Halen discography.

Pros/cons? You discuss. But don't yell at me about it, because that'll make me get different, and nobody has a good time when that happens. Well, other than me, but you get the idea.

[LoungeMachine]

Don't get bob all different.....



I hate it when bob gets different.....

[PETE'S BROTHER]

So I was listening to that oddball p.o.s. the other day (mostly because I wanted to LOL @ Eddie's singing) and I started thinking that, since it's the George Lazenby of Van Halen albums, maybe they should just remaster the damn thing and re-issue it as Eddie's solo album and effectively take it out of the Van Halen discography.

Pros/cons? You discuss. But don't yell at me about it, because that'll make me get different, and nobody has a good time when that happens. Well, other than me, but you get the idea.

*yelling* i thought if we ignored it, like trollish folk, it would just go away...

[bueno bob]

*yelling* i thought if we ignored it, like trollish folk, it would just go away...

I have to laugh at Eddie singing.

Don't you see?

I HAVE TO.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I have to laugh at Eddie singing.

Don't you see?

I HAVE TO.

The really funny part is that song was an ENCORE.....

[bueno bob]

The really funny part is that song was an ENCORE.....

It's actually kind of a good thing I didn't get a chance to meet them that tour (as was the original plan...I had backstage VIP meet 'n' greet crap ready to roll, couldn't do it though). If I'd have learned that, I would have just asked him to noodle Strung Out for 10 minutes and call it good.

[Romeo Delight]

i can't get past the fact there are audible hums and hissing on the cd...wtf? How is that possible in this era?

[bueno bob]

i can't get past the fact there are audible hums and hissing on the cd...wtf? How is that possible in this era?

No doubt the production job was just a butchered up mess...between Mike Post, Ray Danniels and The Ed and Al Show, it's amazing Warner Bros. ever let it see the light of day...

[fraroc]

Well, the only track that I really bonded with on VH3 was Eddie's "Neworld" It almost reminds me of Dee by Randy Rhoads.

[Blaze]

For those that have not heard it.
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Van+Halen+III/172248
I like the first minute, so far, but I enjoy a gentle guitar and a melodic piano.

[Diamondjimi]

The really funny part is that song was an ENCORE.....

[gbranton]

The really funny part is that song was an ENCORE.....

........that nobody cheered for.

Sort of like the answer to the question nobody asked.

[motherchicken]

Never heard a single song off that album. By the sounds of the reviews that's a good thing.

[VAiN]

i can't get past the fact there are audible hums and hissing on the cd...wtf? How is that possible in this era?

To be honest, IMO, that's one of the good things about that album... it's a bit raw. Things in this era sound too air tight. Eddie was playing pretty fucking well on that album, some real nice lead work. The album as a whole is thrown together and not awesome, no doubt. But I can appreciate it on the Eddie solo album level. That's how I see it anyway..

[DONNIEP]

Remove all the vocals - all of them - and I'd probably give it a listen all the way through. Maybe. Or, more than
likely, I'd toss in my DLR solo show CDs from 2003 and just be done with it.

[chi-town324]

i also have never heard even one song of the album and plan to keep it that way

[DONNIEP]

For anyone that's still on the fence or who's never heard the record...give this a listen. It's pure shit. Like the kinda shit you take the morning after downing a fifth of Jack and all the beers in the house. Matter of fact, I have to say this: I've never had one piano lesson in my life but I guaran-damn-tee you I could play something better than this. Hell, I bet I could bang out Big Bottom and it would sound better than this crap...

[Blaze]

Alright, I listen to it. There are some key clips that would be great for a dubstep!
This is my notes:
Gary sounds a lot like Hargar.
The end of audio track 4 and the begining of audio track 5 should be brought togehter.
Once - the begining is good. Gary could enucate a bit better, I cannot understand what he is singing.
Year to day - like
Audio Track 10 - like
How many I say - I like Eddie's smokey voice. It would have been better if he had not blended it with a stronger voice.

I think the album without most the vocals could be edited into a solid half hour dub.

[binnie]

Are there any pros about this album?

Josephine is so terrible it actually makes me laugh every time I hear it (after I've thrown up in my mouth). I didn't think it could get worse than 'Whaaaam Bam, Amsterdam', but I was wrong.

[Yount]

Are there any pros about this album?

Josephine is so terrible it actually makes me laugh every time I hear it (after I've thrown up in my mouth). I didn't think it could get worse than 'Whaaaam Bam, Amsterdam', but I was wrong.

"Josephina" was a last minute inclusion on the album, replacing "That's why I love you" but I do not think it's a poor song. Released under the name Van Halen doesn't do it any favours though.

[VHscraps]

I listened to it once, about two years ago - so more than ten years after it was released. Had never heard a lick of it before. I was slack-jawed at how ill-disciplined it seemed; and how formless the songs were.

Overlong intros to songs that couldn't decide where they were going was one of the things that stuck out to me. I can't be arsed with Cherone either, so I admit I started out wanting it to be bad.

I couldn't bring myself to listen to it twice.

I read Hagar's book last year and one of the things I do tend to believe in it is where he said that he, and before him Roth, turned Eddie's ideas into songs.

VHIII proves that in spades for me. It's a bunch of ideas, where Eddie - probably for first the first time - was telling the singer what to do.

Okay, I only listened to it once, so maybe my opinion is worthless, but there you have it. I don't consider it a Van Halen album.

[Yount]

I've listened to it at least 50 times. Not much at all lately though. You have to dig deep to hear things you like, but in all honesty, it grows on you much more than Sammy's work with the band. You can hear and feel more for these guys as a band, even though the songs were just really a "miss" under the name Van Halen, commercially or otherwise. Sammy had that pop sound, III was like the insert photo, a wacky carnival WTF? They were still finding their feet I guess, but the public was already impatient after the DLR debacle. It was a wrong time, wrong place, wrong name, band.

Without you - one I want - Fire in the hole - once (the scrapped single) - were not really hits were they? This album lacked a genuine WOW hit.
It's still far superior lyrically to Sammy's moon june dribble.

[Yount]

Have always been interested in hearing the follow-up album to III, songs like "Left for dead" "Comfortably dumb" "River wide" "Rock n roll cliche" I wonder what they might have sounded like.

[Seshmeister]

i also have never heard even one song of the album and plan to keep it that way

I don't think I've heard half of it.

Just looked up Strung Out as I had never heard it before.

Holy fuck.

[Seshmeister]

It's still far superior lyrically to Sammy's moon june dribble.

In the same way that testicular cancer is far superior to pancreatic cancer.

[Yount]

Strung out is from Balance - 1995.

Can't stop loving you.
Not enough.
Amsterdam.
Big fat money.
Feelin'.

I don't enjoy them.

Baluchitherium or however you spell it. No vocals.
These guys hated each other and could barely produce an LP of tunes. Blame Eddie & management. Nah blame Sammy too. He's just shit and I hate him more with each listen. His lyrics take me nowhere 'cept maybe some immature sentimental lamenting mindset. Love love love. All so superficial. What I want, big fat money. I'm listening to Balance now. It's horrible. Seventh Seal is good and gives you some hope, but the ending is bad. Feelin' sucks. What happened to the great endings like On fire? Both Balance and III had tragic last tracks.

[Seshmeister]

Well apparently I haven't listened to all of Balance either.

These albums are why you can't tell people you are a Van Halen fan without then spending 5 minutes explaining what you mean by that.

[Yount]

you can't tell people you are a Van Halen fan without then spending 5 minutes explaining what you mean by that.

Yeah, agree.

[ZahZoo]

Leave III just as it is...

Sometimes in life it's best to have a vivid reminder of your worst mistakes sitting around... damn near guarantees you won't do it again!!

[chefcraig]

Matter of fact, I have to say this: I've never had one piano lesson in my life but I guaran-damn-tee you I could play something better than this. Hell, I bet I could bang out Big Bottom and it would sound better than this crap...]

Wanna learn how to suck pretty much all of the oxygen out of a barely-filled concert hall? Try pulling this off with a straight face. Any percussive sounds you hear are provided by the feet of people stomping their way toward the exit signs. And hats off to you depraved, more than likely twisted masochists that can endure the entire clip.

Fuck this piece of crap and the crippled horse it rode in on. Just looking at the album cover (no need to listen to the miserable dreck contained within) is like seeing a girl you once thought of as nothing short of lovely now married to the sweaty fat-ass who never used antiperspirant but loved picking his nose and eating the results in 10th grade hallways.

[jasonA]

VH III was the first VH album that I did not buy, but it is interesting to go back and listen to in the context of the whole VH canon - especially since the release of ADKOT. A lot of the songs on VH III seem disjointed, the structure doesn't make sense (Without You). These song structure problems became event more prominent on the 3 new songs from 2004's Best Of, so EVH definitely needs somebody to write with and work his scattered ideas into songs.

One I Want and Dirty Water Dog are decent tunes, though, and in some ways I like Cherone better than Hagar (which isn't saying much). At least Cherone was capable of occasionally writing some clever lyrics and was better at singing the old material on tour than Hagar. But, yeah, like was mentioned above, comparing Van Hagar to VH III is like comparing testicular cancer to pancreatic cancer.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

For anyone that's still on the fence or who's never heard the record...give this a listen. It's pure shit. Like the kinda shit you take the morning after downing a fifth of Jack and all the beers in the house. Matter of fact, I have to say this: I've never had one piano lesson in my life but I guaran-damn-tee you I could play something better than this. Hell, I bet I could bang out Big Bottom and it would sound better than this crap...

I oughta ban you for posting that....

[chefcraig]

I oughta ban you for posting that....

And I should ban myself for including the live version.

[Seshmeister]

Has anyone got the clip of Howard Stern playing it to Roth? I haven't heard that for years, I remember much laughter...

[DLR Bridge]

Have always been interested in hearing the follow-up album to III, songs like "Left for dead" "Comfortably dumb" "River wide" "Rock n roll cliche" I wonder what they might have sounded like.

Title and lyrics to Left for Dead appeared on his Tribe of Judah (NIN-ish) project. Comfortably Dumb title and lyrics ended up on last Extreme CD.

[chuckjitsu]

For me, its greatest sin was that it was musically uninteresting (or cringe worthy, in the case of how many say i). I liked without you and fire in the hole, but the other stuff? Forget about it. Not a fan of Gary's vocals either. It was an entire album of "skip" songs, as in songs you would skip to get to a better song somewhere else on the cd, except in this case there were no better songs!

[fourthcoming]

Sounds like an entire cd of a guy (eddie) who has run out of ideas and is forcing it. Never liked Cherone before or after VH. Extreme sucks......I know I know....Nuno....blah blah blah....for my money Vito Bratta was a better Ed rip off than Nuno.

[DLR Bridge]

......I know I know....Nuno....blah blah blah....for my money Vito Bratta was a better Ed rip off than Nuno.

How DARE youuuu!!!! That's cool. We were bound to disagree on something. I've said it before and I'll say it again, sample some of Nuno's post Ex(crement)treme work. It does not disappoint. Vito had some nice things going on Pride, but even that featured way too many Eddie trademark riffs. Nuno rarerly does hammer ons and sounds nothing like Ed, though he's definitely from the school of VH.

[fourthcoming]

Lmao.....this may actually be the very first time we ever disagreed on something my friend. I will take your advice and give Post Extreme Nuno a listen.

[chefcraig]

In the late 1980s, there were about two and a half dozen blink and you'll miss them bands that featured ponderously advised names. To tell ya the truth, I think I mistook Extreme for Nitro, and expected them to sound a shitload heavier with a name like that. Pornograffitti and about 2/3rds of III Sides To Every Story weren't bad albums at all, at least to me. Yet like with viewing most tv series and sporting events, I moved on to other, more interesting things when there was a lull in the action.