Mammoth WVH New Releases

[Never was]

It is solid musically and he is a solid musician but simply lacks any memorable hooks. Pleasant enough but yet totally forgettable too. He needs help song writing

[Phil theStalker]

iT'S a HiT

[ZahZoo]

This latest one instrumentally I like mostly...it could use a more distinct and slower tempo break down after the 2nd verse... then kick it back into overdrive just to create tension...

Lyrically it's not bad... but as mentioned, his vocal melodies really need some hooks and some tonal variation.

[Nitro Express]

It is solid musically and he is a solid musician but simply lacks any memorable hooks. Pleasant enough but yet totally forgettable too. He needs help song writing

Yup. I listened out of curiosity and didn’t go YUCK! but nothing made my big toe shoot up in my boot either. If you have to make an
effort to decide if a song is good or not it’s not a great song. You will know a great song when you hear it. It just grabs you.

[twonabomber]

Mammoth WVH will be opening for Guns 'N Roses later this summer

[Terry]

Mammoth WVH will be opening for Guns 'N Roses later this summer

Really?

None of the stuff on the Mammoth album even remotely stacks up to the stuff Guns would be playing onstage. And depending on how long Mammoth's opening slot is, unless it is a short slot and they stick solely to the Mammoth album, they'll have to fill out their set with Van Halen tunes...and I must say if that proves to be the case, Wolfgang with whoever he will have in the touring version of Mammoth playing Van Halen material...it just ain't right.

[Southpaw]

They are playing 2 dates at Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantic City. I wouldn’t mind seeing that show if I don’t have to remortgage my house to do so. Ticket prices are so outrageous these days I guess I’m getting old and cheap!

[twonabomber]

Really?

None of the stuff on the Mammoth album even remotely stacks up to the stuff Guns would be playing onstage. And depending on how long Mammoth's opening slot is, unless it is a short slot and they stick solely to the Mammoth album, they'll have to fill out their set with Van Halen tunes...and I must say if that proves to be the case, Wolfgang with whoever he will have in the touring version of Mammoth playing Van Halen material...it just ain't right.

I thought WVH said he wouldn't play any Van Halen songs live.

A 30 to 40 minute set would probably cover the album.

[ZahZoo]

8-10 songs will fill an opening slot... There's the Mammoth WVH material plus any additional stuff Wolfgang and his band buddies could cover without venturing anywhere into Van Halen tunes...

[ZahZoo]

Very good and comprehensive article/interview with Wolfgang. A lot of details of the final years of Van Halen the band.

Most interesting piece... Wolfgang inherited control of Ed's images and decision-making rights. Alex controls the band's recordings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-...YawnOoCBeyQm9k

[Terry]

Very good and comprehensive article/interview with Wolfgang. A lot of details of the final years of Van Halen the band.

Most interesting piece... Wolfgang inherited control of Ed's images and decision-making rights. Alex controls the band's recordings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-...YawnOoCBeyQm9k

That WAS a pretty good article.

Certainly confirmed what one suspected in terms of Wolfgang joining the band in 2006, in that it took Wolfgang joining the band to keep Eddie motivated to do the last 3 tours with Dave and the ADKOT record. Thus, while I - along with everyone else - wanted to see a CVH reunion in 2007 and beyond rather than Van Halen Mach 4, it's doubtful a CVH reunion would have happened anyway. It may have, but maybe not.

[wolfsbane]

I don't want to post on this thread because I want it to go away. Which it will in a few years.

Dave took risks in music when he was young. Still is. And he is triple Wolfgang's age.

The only hope for Wolfgang is to be part of a band. Democracy not autocracy.

[ZahZoo]

Hmmm Wolfgang is 30... Dave's 65 not 90. Check yer math...

You don't consider it taking risks to compose an album and perform every musical note and vocal..?

[twonabomber]

[Kristy]

Dave's 65 not 90. Check yer math...

6+5 = 11 and 9 in 90 obviously means 9/11. Roth is behind 9/11!!!

[ZahZoo]

That's a round-about trip on the road to nowhere...

[Nitro Express]

That WAS a pretty good article.

Certainly confirmed what one suspected in terms of Wolfgang joining the band in 2006, in that it took Wolfgang joining the band to keep Eddie motivated to do the last 3 tours with Dave and the ADKOT record. Thus, while I - along with everyone else - wanted to see a CVH reunion in 2007 and beyond rather than Van Halen Mach 4, it's doubtful a CVH reunion would have happened anyway. It may have, but maybe not.

I remember Vallerie saying Ed wanted to retire from touring and it was Wolfgang that motivated Ed and Al to start playing the old stuff and take it on tour. Patrick Bertinelli also said Ed had some problems with substance abuse and is really stubborn. The only person he would listen to was Wolfgang. So maybe getting Ed back on the road and putting him in a situation where he had to be more responsible was a form of rehab. Ed was pretty rough at first. You could tell he fucked himself pretty good but he cleaned up and the last tour with Roth he played great. Sadly all those years of being a heavy smoker got him but at least Ed had a great tour with his son before he went.

[ZahZoo]

Mr Ed... nice solo.

[ZahZoo]

I've listened to the whole album... no duds and none of it feels like filler. At the moment Resolve is my favorite.

[ELVIS]

It sounds manufactured, like Ozzy's last few albums...

I lke it though...

Dave taught him all he knows...

It would be better with Dave on vocals...

[ZahZoo]

He's a good singer and his vocal melodies are fine for the style he's created with this material... to me it all falls into a fairly narrow lane, both sonically and emotionally. It's difficult to put a descriptor to it... dark thoughtful angst... I don't know.

The vocals lack some soul, diversity and don't evoke any sense of joy, fun or mischief...

[Terry]

Hmmm Wolfgang is 30... Dave's 65 not 90. Check yer math...

You don't consider it taking risks to compose an album and perform every musical note and vocal..?

I wouldn't consider it risky in the sense that there is going to be, by default of who Wolfgang's father is, a degree of interest before a single note is heard. That isn't to point out anything other than the obvious, which is by the very fact of Wolfgang's lineage he gets a leg up in terms of publicity and distribution that his music doubtless wouldn't otherwise were he an unknown. In other words, being Eddie's kid gets Wolfgang musical foot in the door. As to how people react to what Wolfgang came up with once the music is heard, that's a different story.

[Terry]

I've listened to the whole album... no duds and none of it feels like filler. At the moment Resolve is my favorite.

The stuff is okay to my ears. No better, no less. A reaction that has everything to do with my own tastes in rock music.

None of it is really sticking to my cortex in terms of making me want to listen to it over and over again, but that would have been true if this same music had been released a group or musician who wasn't Wolfgang Van Halen.

[twonabomber]

[Kristy]

My, my he's a rich kid isn't he?

[Vinnie Velvet]

The songs are alright but I sense everyone in VH fandom (Hagarites, the Army here, etc) are desperately trying not to shit on it or be at the very least critical of it for some reason. Its as if they don't want to be mean to a dude who lost his father 8 months ago.

Hey I know what its like to lose a parent to cancer in their 60s. Its very tough.

As far as his music goes, Wolf is really talented. But he didnt have to put out this album to convince me. He held his own when he was just 15 on a mega tour with DLR and of course two more tours and an album.

But this album ain't my cup of tea. It sounds like mid to late 90s FM rock. Which is fine if you like that stuff but not me. Sorry.

Some of the songs here are pretty good but it won't get any repeated plays from me moving forward.

Oh well. Good luck to Wolf on the GNR tour. I'm sure he and his band will be great.

[Von Halen]

Fucking guy sounds like Sesh, only coherent.

[ZahZoo]

Podcast with more on Wolf's new album but some interesting stuff about working with Dave starting at around the 25:30 mark.

When Dave first showed up in Dec 2006 he brought presents... furry hats for the Van Halens... LOL

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aJYgeJqvOBOQKlkxGz8VV

[Terry]

The songs are alright but I sense everyone in VH fandom (Hagarites, the Army here, etc) are desperately trying not to shit on it or be at the very least critical of it for some reason. Its as if they don't want to be mean to a dude who lost his father 8 months ago.

Hey I know what its like to lose a parent to cancer in their 60s. Its very tough.

As far as his music goes, Wolf is really talented. But he didnt have to put out this album to convince me. He held his own when he was just 15 on a mega tour with DLR and of course two more tours and an album.

But this album ain't my cup of tea. It sounds like mid to late 90s FM rock. Which is fine if you like that stuff but not me. Sorry.

Some of the songs here are pretty good but it won't get any repeated plays from me moving forward.

Oh well. Good luck to Wolf on the GNR tour. I'm sure he and his band will be great.

Maybe the bulk of people in VH fandom are being polite toward the Mammoth stuff. Maybe they really like it.

Dunno.

Musically, I've never thought Wolfgang was all THAT talented. From what I've heard (which includes seeing him live with Van Halen twice, the ADKOT album, the Tokyo Dome album and now the Mammoth album), I'd say he has been/is slightly better than average talent who has undoubtedly benefitted more from his last name than he has in terms of making it on his own hook or hoisting himself up by his own bootstraps or whatever. It's not even a slam to state that Wolfgang has benefitted from being who he is and pointing out who his father was. It's simply fact.

I mean, it wasn't exactly a stretch musically to replicate Michael Anthony's bass parts on a technical level. It's not like Wolfgang had to replace Billy Sheehan or Les Claypool.

The Mammoth album is a competent batch of - as you say - FM rock of the type one WOULD have heard in the mid to late 1990s or the early 2000s.

I will say Wolfgang was smart enough at a young enough age when he first became Van Halen's bass player to recognize that the band's best move was to bring Roth back into the fold. And perhaps 'smart enough' isn't really what I'm trying to say (because one didn't need to be smart in 2006 to realize a reunion with Roth was a no-brainer)...but, rather, that Wolfgang alone had the influence with Eddie to push for Dave's return. And, apparently, Wolfgang was clued in enough to realize that in addition to the tunes one would expect to hear at a Van Halen concert the fans would also like to hear some deeper cuts. Thus, with each of the last three tours different deep cuts were sprinkled throughout the setlist. I tend to doubt the activity taken under the Van Halen name from 2007 to 2015 would have happened had Wolfgang NOT joined the group.

But, it's one thing to play Anthony's parts onstage with the rest of CVH surrounding you. It's quite another to write and record your own stuff: there's no safety net of the Van Halen name with that undertaking beyond the name sparking an amount of publicity Mammoth wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Whatever. I suppose in the end I give Wolfgang credit for doing what he wants to do musically with Mammoth...one certainly can't say Mammoth was ripping off VH in terms of style or musical content. If he's doing what he wants to do and is making a sincere effort, that will shine through.

Hey, better Wolfgang does his Mammoth thing than jamming with The Circle.

[Terry]

Podcast with more on Wolf's new album but some interesting stuff about working with Dave starting at around the 25:30 mark.

When Dave first showed up in Dec 2006 he brought presents... furry hats for the Van Halens... LOL

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aJYgeJqvOBOQKlkxGz8VV

Yeesh.

Honestly, the older he gets, to me Dave seems more strange than cool.

Roth is one odd duck.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Maybe the bulk of people in VH fandom are being polite toward the Mammoth stuff. Maybe they really like it.

Dunno.

Musically, I've never thought Wolfgang was all THAT talented. From what I've heard (which includes seeing him live with Van Halen twice, the ADKOT album, the Tokyo Dome album and now the Mammoth album), I'd say he has been/is slightly better than average talent who has undoubtedly benefitted more from his last name than he has in terms of making it on his own hook or hoisting himself up by his own bootstraps or whatever. It's not even a slam to state that Wolfgang has benefitted from being who he is and pointing out who his father was. It's simply fact.

I mean, it wasn't exactly a stretch musically to replicate Michael Anthony's bass parts on a technical level. It's not like Wolfgang had to replace Billy Sheehan or Les Claypool.

The Mammoth album is a competent batch of - as you say - FM rock of the type one WOULD have heard in the mid to late 1990s or the early 2000s.

I will say Wolfgang was smart enough at a young enough age when he first became Van Halen's bass player to recognize that the band's best move was to bring Roth back into the fold. And perhaps 'smart enough' isn't really what I'm trying to say (because one didn't need to be smart in 2006 to realize a reunion with Roth was a no-brainer)...but, rather, that Wolfgang alone had the influence with Eddie to push for Dave's return. And, apparently, Wolfgang was clued in enough to realize that in addition to the tunes one would expect to hear at a Van Halen concert the fans would also like to hear some deeper cuts. Thus, with each of the last three tours different deep cuts were sprinkled throughout the setlist. I tend to doubt the activity taken under the Van Halen name from 2007 to 2015 would have happened had Wolfgang NOT joined the group.

But, it's one thing to play Anthony's parts onstage with the rest of CVH surrounding you. It's quite another to write and record your own stuff: there's no safety net of the Van Halen name with that undertaking beyond the name sparking an amount of publicity Mammoth wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Whatever. I suppose in the end I give Wolfgang credit for doing what he wants to do musically with Mammoth...one certainly can't say Mammoth was ripping off VH in terms of style or musical content. If he's doing what he wants to do and is making a sincere effort, that will shine through.

Hey, better Wolfgang does his Mammoth thing than jamming with The Circle.

Ha no kidding.

Speaking of Spammy, I saw that he and MA have opened up a new "Van Hagar/The Other Half" social media page (Instagram/Twitter). Celebrating their Van Hagar years.

I'm sure Al will be pleased. Lol

[Terry]

Ha no kidding.

Speaking of Spammy, I saw that he and MA have opened up a new "Van Hagar/The Other Half" social media page (Instagram/Twitter). Celebrating their Van Hagar years.

I'm sure Al will be pleased. Lol

I'd tend to guess Al doesn't care much one way or the other anymore: it wouldn't be surprising to me if we never see/hear Al play drums again.

Sammy and Mike...well, what else would one expect them to do but keep on with what they've been doing? Like every other aging rocker out there, it's what they know. Long as there is an audience willing to pay to see it and a buck to be made in the process, why not? Thankfully, it's not compulsory that I listen to any of it.

[FORD]

If Al ever plays the drums again, it will probably be at some sort of tribute concert for Eddie.... assuming such a thing ever happens. Or if Wolfie plays a gig somewhere in the greater LA area, he might bring on Uncle Al for a guest appearance. But as far as playing in a band, yeah, those days are over. I'm sure Al would have liked to quit when he was wrapped up like a mummy to do the VDIII tour. But he had three ex wives to pay off, and probably Eddie begging him not to quit.

Don't know what the status of his alimony payments are, but obviously he doesn't have to keep at it, for Ed's sake anymore.

Now on the other hand, all the references Dave was making to talking to Alex recently, during the Rogan podcast, leads me to believe that they might be conspiring on some VH Vault releases. I would think that live stuff is more likely than another ADKOT style of studio album. Not holding my breath for any of these things to be released immediately, but they eventually might take a page from the Stones' manual and start cranking 1 or 2 live DVDs out every year.

[Vinnie Velvet]

If Al ever plays the drums again, it will probably be at some sort of tribute concert for Eddie.... assuming such a thing ever happens. Or if Wolfie plays a gig somewhere in the greater LA area, he might bring on Uncle Al for a guest appearance. But as far as playing in a band, yeah, those days are over. I'm sure Al would have liked to quit when he was wrapped up like a mummy to do the VDIII tour. But he had three ex wives to pay off, and probably Eddie begging him not to quit.

Don't know what the status of his alimony payments are, but obviously he doesn't have to keep at it, for Ed's sake anymore.

Now on the other hand, all the references Dave was making to talking to Alex recently, during the Rogan podcast, leads me to believe that they might be conspiring on some VH Vault releases. I would think that live stuff is more likely than another ADKOT style of studio album. Not holding my breath for any of these things to be released immediately, but they eventually might take a page from the Stones' manual and start cranking 1 or 2 live DVDs out every year.

Here's hoping we get something in terms of CVH vault releases.

Its nice to hear Dave and Al staying in contact with one another. Seems like Al ain't interested in doing the same with Sam. Lol

[Terry]

If Al ever plays the drums again, it will probably be at some sort of tribute concert for Eddie.... assuming such a thing ever happens. Or if Wolfie plays a gig somewhere in the greater LA area, he might bring on Uncle Al for a guest appearance. But as far as playing in a band, yeah, those days are over. I'm sure Al would have liked to quit when he was wrapped up like a mummy to do the VDIII tour. But he had three ex wives to pay off, and probably Eddie begging him not to quit.

Don't know what the status of his alimony payments are, but obviously he doesn't have to keep at it, for Ed's sake anymore.

Now on the other hand, all the references Dave was making to talking to Alex recently, during the Rogan podcast, leads me to believe that they might be conspiring on some VH Vault releases. I would think that live stuff is more likely than another ADKOT style of studio album. Not holding my breath for any of these things to be released immediately, but they eventually might take a page from the Stones' manual and start cranking 1 or 2 live DVDs out every year.

Far as any 'Classic Van Halen Vault releases'...I'm over it.

I was salivating for such a release for years and years.

Should it come to pass down the line, great.

If not, great.

I mean, there's only so much anticipation one can have for the stuff for so long, until the point where you just really don't give a shit one way or the other. The same applied for the CVH reunion: by the time the rumors of 2019 activity were being floated in late 2018, the whole idea of the CVH lineup getting back together seemed more wistful and sad than exciting to me. It came off as something the band should have done 20 years prior, when all the members were still in shape to do such a reunion justice...not something that should have been dodged/avoided/postponed for two decades and past the point of no return in terms of such a reunion being worth seeing. A creaking, weezing Van Halen fronted by an age-ravaged Roth with a shot voice? Fuck that. I'd rather have what we ended up getting, which was no reunion at all as opposed to a geriatric, half-assed one.

[Terry]

Just the same, I still would be interested in seeing and hearing some of the unofficially released CVH live footage restored. Tend to doubt it would come out in a dvd form now, most likely streaming for pay.

Even though I have plenty of dvd boots, including the most likely culprits that immediately spring to mind for restoration (the US Festival, Largo 1982, Brazil and Argentina 1983), even the most clear of my boots would doubtless pale in quality to a release that was professionally restored.

Yet this stuff remains unreleased. Whatever was shot on film, well, far as restorations from the original film goes...film - even film that has been stored in temperature-controlled environments - still deteriorates over time. Stuff shot on videotape might fare a little better in terms of deterioration.

Point being, these fuckers better not wait forever if they want my money...I'm gettin' up there in years myself: not too many moons from now, I may well have trouble remembering my own name, much less Van Halens.

[wolfsbane]

Anyone who follows DLR/VH knows we are not getting any vault releases anytime soon. WVH confirmed this fact when he denied any remaining tracks from the ADKOT sessions. Technically, he is probably right. The remaining songs were probably only rehearsed but not fully recorded. We still don't have any songs from the DLR 5150 sessions.

"Okay folks, please move along. There is nothing to see here."

[Terry]

Anyone who follows DLR/VH knows we are not getting any vault releases anytime soon. WVH confirmed this fact when he denied any remaining tracks from the ADKOT sessions. Technically, he is probably right. The remaining songs were probably only rehearsed but not fully recorded. We still don't have any songs from the DLR 5150 sessions.

"Okay folks, please move along. There is nothing to see here."

Sounds about right.

[FORD]

Well, that's definitely the track record in recent years. But given the current reality, I'd say it comes down to a question of who owns what, among the various archives. If Warner Brothers owns any of it, they're going to be the greedy corporate bastards that they are, and are going to want to "cash in" on Ed's death, just as they have done for years with other "departed" recording artists (Warners is not alone in this, of course. All the big labels have done it, but they're the only label of consequence here, as Van Halen only made one album for Interscope)

So if Warner Brothers was threatening to put out something as a blatant cash grab, I would think Alex & Dave would rather get creative control over that release and put out what THEY choose, not some bean counters in a Burbank boardroom.

[ZahZoo]

Alex has primary control over the Van Halen recordings... I don't think Dave has any decision rights regarding the VH catalog.

Wolfgang inherited the rights to his dad's images and his decision making rights. All control remains within the VH family.

The Sunset Studio interviews indicated a box set of out-takes and alternate versions of songs, 4 albums worth, was prepared for release a few years ago... but got shelved. I can only imagine Al & Ed chose not to proceed with the release. It sounds like WB can't move on anything other than the current released catalog without Al's approval.