Carter Helm aka The angel on the cover of, "1984".

[WARF]

I know I mentioned him within another thread a few months ago. I thought this was a very interesting topic, and thought we should have a full discussion about this. Watch the youtube video.





Watch this incredible story behind the art work!

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[TJMKID]

He's a friendly lookin' fella --- strangely enough, I can see the resemblance to the 1984 cover.

VH should be super cool and invite this dude and that kid who won the '84 "Lost Weekend with Van Halen" contest to appear at the next show, as well as the Hot for Teacher babe --- bring them out onstage to raucous applause and Dave says "DO YOU REMEMBER THESE PEOPLE?"

If that aint possible --- just invite WARF onstage to chug some Jack with Dave and appear in another official VH video!

[Jérôme Frenchise]

Sure the coolest cover ever.

[WARF]

Thanks TJMKID, but it wasn't me on stage it was the entire Roth Army or anyone has been a member of the online community the past 13 years. I hope MAX got to see it all upstairs, it was his birthday after all.

[WARF]

The day of the drawing which became the now infamous album cover!

[hambon4lif]

I remember having to drive all the way to Northern Wisconsin to find a place that could enlarge this pic to a 2' x 3' (that's 2 feet by 3 feet, BTW) so I could hang it on the wall of my bar at home.
People come over and recognize it and say "VAN HALEN!! I LOVE that fuckin' album!!"

It may not be their best album (that award, of course, goes to their first) but it is one of the coolest and most recognizable album covers of all time, by Van Halen...or anyone else for that matter.

A picture can say a thousand words...THAT one says a million. Pure art!

[WARF]

I remember having to drive all the way to Northern Wisconsin to find a place that could enlarge this pic to a 2' x 3' (that's 2 feet by 3 feet, BTW) so I could hang it on the wall of my bar at home.
People come over and recognize it and say "VAN HALEN!! I LOVE that fuckin' album!!"

It may not be their best album (that award, of course, goes to their first) but it is one of the coolest and most recognizable album covers of all time, by Van Halen...or anyone else for that matter.

A picture can say a thousand words...THAT one says a million. Pure art!

Not my favorite album either.

The last two tracks "girl gone bad" and "house of pain" are two of the most stellar tracks on the album.

[Terry]

Not my favorite album either.

The last two tracks "girl gone bad" and "house of pain" are two of the most stellar tracks on the album.

I'd have to agree.

Hot For Teacher and Drop Dead Legs are right behind them.

Panama is good, although these days if I had a choice I'd sooner listen to Top Jimmy (a track I was lukewarm on when the album first came out, but has grown on me over the years...plus, I've heard Panama too many times to the point where I'm burnt-out on it).

The synth tunes on the album were never that compelling to me. While I kinda liked Jump when it first came out, I doubt I'll ever consciously put it on to listen to it...or even willingly listen to it unless I'm at a VH show and they inevitably play it. I never warmed up to I'll Wait, and can easily imagine never hearing it again.

[hambon4lif]

Not my favorite album either.

The last two tracks "girl gone bad" and "house of pain" are two of the most stellar tracks on the album.

The way Ed busts out of the gate at the end of "House Of Pain" makes this album worth having. Like unleashing a prize racehorse from its cage. Pretenders to the throne are pretty much fucked at that point. They should sell their guitar and take up another instrument, I guess.

I love this fuckin' album, but it just doesn't have the gusto that made me dig this fucking band like the first one had.

No band has ever come close to that....to this day!

[Terry]

The way Ed busts out of the gate at the end of "House Of Pain" makes this album worth having. Like unleashing a prize racehorse from its cage. Pretenders to the throne are pretty much fucked at that point. They should sell their guitar and take up another instrument, I guess.

I love this fuckin' album, but it just doesn't have the gusto that made me dig this fucking band like the first one had.

No band has ever come close to that....to this day!

I always lament the end/fade out of House Of Pain, because I want to hear more of that sick jam!

[WARF]

Alex is once again overshadowed by Eddie Van Halen this whole album.

Listen to Alex Van Halen's snare drum... it's ridiculously awesome!

[78/84 guy]

I wonder if he quit smokin' yet ? Girl Gone Bad & Teacher still tear my head off to this day. Isn't one of the girls in the Teacher vid married to the great one ?

[Terry]

Alex is once again overshadowed by Eddie Van Halen this whole album.

Listen to Alex Van Halen's snare drum... it's ridiculously awesome!

I really dig what Alex Van Halen did on that album.

For some reason, the sounds of the cymbals on that album stand out to me...and the choices he made in terms of what he played...even the electronic drum work he did sounded good...appropriate in a way that for whatever reason wasn't the case when it was reprised on 5150.

Have always been partial to Alex's stuff on Van Halen II, Fair Warning and 1984 in terms of what he played and how it sounded.

[WARF]

I wonder if he quit smokin' yet ? Girl Gone Bad & Teacher still tear my head off to this day. Isn't one of the girls in the Teacher vid married to the great one ?

Yup. She one of the teachers is still HOT today!

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[78/84 guy]

Their daughter isn't too bad lookin' either ! Lol.

[WARF]

Their daughter isn't too bad lookin' either ! Lol.

Here you go!

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[Northern Girl]

He's a friendly lookin' fella --- strangely enough, I can see the resemblance to the 1984 cover.

VH should be super cool and invite this dude and that kid who won the '84 "Lost Weekend with Van Halen" contest to appear at the next show, as well as the Hot for Teacher babe --- bring them out onstage to raucous applause and Dave says "DO YOU REMEMBER THESE PEOPLE?"

I was 'friends' with Carter a few years back on another site. We chatted quite a bit. I didn't get the impression that he really followed the band; because he seemed genuinely shocked at how cool I thought it was to meet him and talk to him. To him he was just helping a family friend by taking the pictures. Didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal; although he was using the album cover as an av with a title that said 'yeah, that's me.' LOL.

[TJMKID]

The last two tracks "girl gone bad" and "house of pain" are two of the most stellar tracks on the album.

Still makes me a little sad that Dave split in 1985 instead of 1992 when grunge and rap finally nailed the coffin lid on hard rock. VH was so fucking tight as a band in 1984 and tunes like "Girl Gone Bad" and "Drop Dead Legs" is all the proof anyone needs they could write killer songs in their sleep!

I'll swear to my dying day that if Dave stayed in the band until '92 and relations werent at the breaking point --- VH easily would have produced another 2 or 3 albums that would've reached "1984" success or damn close to it. They had so much momentum and hard rock was still a big market force until '92 that we'd all be talking about the "8 or 9 Pack" instead of the Six Pack of legendary albums.

Ohhh, what could've been.....

[hambon4lif]

Ohhh, what could've been.....

The eyechart is always alot easier to read if we had the chance to look at it again. The 'hindsight 20/20' nonsense.

I have to say....given the choice....I pick the "Eat 'Em And Smile" way of doing things as opposed to the mundane, suburban zombie "5150" way of doing things.

....it's why we're even here. It's definitely why I'm here!

[TJMKID]

The eyechart is always alot easier to read if we had the chance to look at it again. The 'hindsight 20/20' nonsense.

I have to say....given the choice....I pick the "Eat 'Em And Smile" way of doing things as opposed to the mundane, suburban zombie "5150" way of doing things.

....it's why we're even here. It's definitely why I'm here!

I doubt that "5150" would've turned out to be suburban fluff if Dave was involved. I like the music on songs like "Summer Nights" and "5150" (minus the electronic drums) and Dave's swag vocals on those tunes would probably match anything on "1984".

Oh well, none of us has a hot tub time machine so fuck it. Nice to dream, though.

[WARF]

Still makes me a little sad that Dave split in 1985 instead of 1992 when grunge and rap finally nailed the coffin lid on hard rock. VH was so fucking tight as a band in 1984 and tunes like "Girl Gone Bad" and "Drop Dead Legs" is all the proof anyone needs they could write killer songs in their sleep!

I'll swear to my dying day that if Dave stayed in the band until '92 and relations werent at the breaking point --- VH easily would have produced another 2 or 3 albums that would've reached "1984" success or damn close to it. They had so much momentum and hard rock was still a big market force until '92 that we'd all be talking about the "8 or 9 Pack" instead of the Six Pack of legendary albums.

Ohhh, what could've been.....

I think OU812 would have sounded like a cross breed of that and skyscraper. I don't think it would have held up to the classic six pack. Both 5150 and 1984 still would have been synth albums. Now if you put Dave's vocals over the F.U.C.K. you probably would have had something really special. I don't listen to Van Hagar very much unless it's forced upon me, but I would have loved to hear Dave's vocals over POUNDCAKE or PLEASURE DOME.

[TJMKID]

I think OU812 would have sounded like a cross breed of that and skyscraper. I don't think it would have held up to the classic six pack. Both 5150 and 1984 still would have been synth albums. Now if you put Dave's vocals over the F.U.C.K. you probably would have had something really special. I don't listen to Van Hagar very much unless it's forced upon me, but I would have loved to hear Dave's vocals over POUNDCAKE or PLEASURE DOME.

It's really hard to say how any VH album with Dave would've turned out if he stayed until '92 or so. I agree with you that synth was so ingrained in Ed's mind by '84 that "5150" would still be synth-heavy, but definitely cooler with Dave's vocals on them. "OU812" is a lazy uninspired pile of shit so Dave could salvage that stink bomb by just farting in the studio. People claim that guitar solos were dead by '85, but GNR's "Appetite for Destruction" released in '87 and it had a lot of flashy guitar solos, so I think EVH could've still put out some jaw-dropping shit on us.

The only thing I liked about FUCK was they recorded the bottom end correctly. Sort of made up for ignoring it for 13 years. If nothing else, we wouldnt have VH history polluted with lyrics like "All you bad, bad boys get your mind blown! Dial 1-900-SPANKED".

[hambon4lif]

The closest I ever got to pondering that was in '91. It would be if the music of F.U.C.K. would've been fused with the vocals, lyrics, and attitude of "A Little Ain't Enough". You want a killer fuckin' Van Halen album that could've been? There ya' go!

I think Andy Johns was in heaven working with a drummer like Alex, but I think he would've had a total blast working with Dave. (Sammy kept trying to fire the guy, which is why Warner Bros. sent Templeman in at the last minute in a desperate attempt to save the entire project.)

In '91, Dave didn't really have a band, he just had a badass guitarist who unfortunately came down with ALS. and Van Halen didn't really have a singer either, just a fatass loser with a bad case of greed.

F.U.C.K. + A Little Ain't Enough= BOOM!!

You fuse those two albums together, and you'd have the greatest Van Halen album that never was.

[TJMKID]

The closest I ever got to pondering that was in '91. It would be if the music of F.U.C.K. would've been fused with the vocals, lyrics, and attitude of "A Little Ain't Enough". You want a killer fuckin' Van Halen album that could've been? There ya' go!

I havent listened to ALAE in years but it had some good tunes -- title track and "Sensible Shoes" still hold up well to this day. With Ed and Al on that album, could've been of the last great hurrahs of hard rock. I would've loved to see Jason Becker on the ALAE tour if he didnt come down with ALS.

Speaking of hypotheticals --- how would "Amsterdam" and "Aftershock" sound like with Dave?

"Aftershock" kinda sounds like an updated version of "Girl Gone Bad" to me.

[hambon4lif]

I havent listened to ALAE in years but it had some good tunes -- title track and "Sensible Shoes" still hold up well to this day. With Ed and Al on that album, could've been of the last great hurrahs of hard rock. I would've loved to see Jason Becker on the ALAE tour if he didnt come down with ALS.

Speaking of hypotheticals --- how would "Amsterdam" and "Aftershock" sound like with Dave?

"Aftershock" kinda sounds like an updated version of "Girl Gone Bad" to me.

Dave was writing some really cool shit around that time. If you looked at the lyric sheets of ALAE....even today, it would blow your fucking mind at just how awesome it was. He was, at that point, mastering the craft.

The only post-Roth Van Halen song I can bring myself to listen to is "Ballucitherium" or whatever the fuck, because it's an instrumental, and there's no Sammy in it.

Out of the 9 million reasons I hate and despise Sammy Hagar, the main one is that he tried to take my favorite band into a corporate rock. faceless, forgetful Journey, REO, Foreigner, Toto kind of existence where there are no real fans, only fickle ones.

Why Can't This Be Love?.....'cause my love is rotten to the core, motherfuckers!!

[WARF]

What about Ed's solo from Humans Being?

[hambon4lif]

What about Ed's solo from Humans Being?

What about it? Was that at the point where Ed had 3 solo spots to compensate for having a shit song?

I probably would've given Helen Hunt a real 'twister' that would've made her squirt across the room, but beyond that?.....meh!

[WARF]

What about it? Was that at the point where Ed had 3 solo spots to compensate for having a shit song?

I probably would've given Helen Hunt a real 'twister' that would've made her squirt across the room, but beyond that?.....meh!

I thought humans being was the best Van Hagar song they ever made.

1) Sammy's voice songs distorted to the point where it doesn't really even sound like him.

2) The solo was one of the best Ed has ever done during humans being.

3) It was the end of Van Hagar, so can enjoy listening to it knowing that Sammy was out of Van Halen.

4) I never found Helen Hunt attractive, but I would still bang her!

[hambon4lif]

I never found Helen Hunt attractive, but I would still bang her!

I agree! It's really the deepest thought I've ever had regarding Van Hagar!

They made a song for a movie with that chick I might fuck!


Deep.

[Nitro Express]

4) I never found Helen Hunt attractive, but I would still bang her!

Yeah. If I was a river guide and took her down the salmon river for a few days I probably wouldn't find her all that attractive. The thing is if the door to my tent unzipped and she crawled in and started giving me horny looks and started taking her clothes off. My sleeping bag probably would end up with a wet spot in it.

[WARF]

I agree! It's really the deepest thought I've ever had regarding Van Hagar!

They made a song for a movie with that chick I might fuck!


Deep.

It's not her body so much, she is just kinda ugly....

She's like a chick you would bang after 3 or 4 drinks....

She's like Sarah Jessica Parker but a little better looking....

Sarah Jessica Parker looks face looks like a foot.

[Nitro Express]

As long as the body is good you always can put a bag over her head.

[WARF]

As long as the body is good you always can put a bag over her head.

[Angel]

WARF! Clean out your PM's

[WARF]

I'm cleaned out baybee!

[Zing!]

I'm cleaned out baybee!

That's what she said.

[Angel]

That's what she said.

Zing!

[Dan]

How Rude.

[sadaist]

It may not be their best album :

Speak for yourself Ham.....by FAR my favorite VH album. Quite possible due to the timing, my coming of age, first car, first girls, starting high school, first weed, first beers, etc.....but this album is beyond magic.


And non-hardcore fans would probably agree with me or at least be split between this and VHI.

[ashstralia]

i hold panama in the same regard as back in black or paranoid or .... name your own. it's an Ultimate Rock Song©

never ever get tired of hearing it.