'A Diffrent Kind of Truth' sets Van Halen fans free

[Seshmeister]

It was a fair review I think. This album should have followed 1984 and in my mind it did. Hate some of the mix like on Bullethead but as a whole it is one of my favorite albums. I still listen to it a ton so it must be right ? There are 4 or 5 songs on it that rate up there with their best work. I will take that every time. Give me one more ! At least one more.

I think Bullethead is the weakest track on the album.

It's worth remembering that its 4 songs and 10 minutes longer than most CVH albums so in this age of electronic music just remove the ones you don't like from your playlist and you are still up on the deal.

ADKOT exceeded most peoples expectations.

[Zing!]

I think Bullethead is the weakest track on the album. .

Weaker than Tattoo? Say it ain't so...

[FORD]

I say Tattoo is the weakest, just by the fact that it has keyboards. And didn't need them.

Van Halen NEVER needed keyboards. Very few bands do. You have the occasional exception like Deep Purple, and nothing that John Paul Jones did with Zeppelin was especially offensive, but for the most part, it's cheese and completely irrelevant to making a decent record.

[Seshmeister]

Weaker than Tattoo? Say it ain't so...

It's funny I was talking to someone tonight who has been a fan since 1979 and he thought it was one of the best songs on the album and obviously the band/record company thought that too.

I think part of the issue people here have with the song is that it came out a few weeks before the rest of the album after all those years waiting and so seemed an anti-climax.

[VHscraps]

I say Tattoo is the weakest, just by the fact that it has keyboards. And didn't need them.

Van Halen NEVER needed keyboards. Very few bands do. You have the occasional exception like Deep Purple, and nothing that John Paul Jones did with Zeppelin was especially offensive, but for the most part, it's cheese and completely irrelevant to making a decent record.

Those keyboard fills on it are ... cheap, lame, I dunno - why not use some horns or a harp to add that kinda fill. The keys just sounded like that kinda 80s synth 'wash' effect.

I don't mind keyboards, per se - whenever CVH used them they were the main thing, and not filling out the sound.

Bullethead's one of my faves ... it has good energy.

My least fave, aside from Tattoo, is probably the one a lot of people really like - Chinatown. Shoulda remained what it sounds like - an instrumental. It has great playing on it, but Dave never really succeeding in making much of a song of it.

[VHscraps]

It's funny I was talking to someone tonight who has been a fan since 1979 and he thought it was one of the best songs on the album and obviously the band/record company thought that too.

I think part of the issue people here have with the song is that it came out a few weeks before the rest of the album after all those years waiting and so seemed an anti-climax.

The video of Tattoo - I think - gave everyone a kinda bad impression of the song. It is just a totally underwhelming video, and because it was probably what we all saw before we had the actual album, it was a bit of an anti-climax for a lot of people hearing it through youtube, etc.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think it is a BAD song. It's just ... I dunno ... someone said when it came out that it reminded them of Huey Lewis and the News, and that has coloured my perception of it. It does, a bit - and those keyboard fills give it that dated 80s feel. It's mid-paced in a way that Van Halen never really were, with a few exceptions.

[FORD]

Chinatown is likely a song from the aborted 2000/01 reunion sessions, since I recall seeing that title in posts and articles regarding not only Van Halen sessions from that time, but also the solo album Dave was allegedly writing with John "5" Lowery after reunion 2.0 fell apart.

I'm actually surprised that it's one of the songs the band actually managed to work into the set list on the current tour, considering there are several songs on the record that they should be more comfortable playing live, since they have played them before (in one form or another) even if it was over 30 years ago.

For some reason Dave has made it the 21st century equivalent of "Romeo Delight" where he "forgets the fucking words" every night. Not sure what's up with that, but maybe he wrote the lyrics back in 2000, and 13 years after the fact, doesn't like singing them? Damned if I know, but it's the only theory I have. Which of course begs the question of why he wouldn't have changed a few lines before recording the song.... but what ever.

[VAiN]

Agreed that Tattoo was a bit underwhelming, but I loved it anyway... IMO, they should have thrown 'As-Is' out there as a lead-off single...

I think that Chinatown is great on record but not-so-great live... it's annoying.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

The best part of Tattoo was Ed's solo, he really nailed it....

[ODShowtime]

Front to back...album...get the vinyl...

The new LP is great because every side has at least one essential track.

My main problem with Tattoo is that I really dug Down in Flames.

[DLR Bridge]

My main problem with Tattoo is that I really dug Down in Flames.

Here here! That f'ing song start to finish, including "bring these lights down low here. I wanna sound sexy to these people" is one of my all time favorite early originals. I'm still trying to make out all of the lyrics, but that's ok. That mother fucker has swagger in spades! Tattoo, not so much, but has grown on me over time.