It may not be immediately obvious to the untrained eye or ear, but we're going to let you in on a little secret: Michael Starr, front man extraordinaire for L.A. glam gods Steel Panther, is - gasp! - a major Van Halen fan.
That's right, we said it. And now that we have, chances are you won't be able to unsee - or unhear - it. Dive into, say, just about any track from the Steel Panther catalog, and we're sure you'll agree. Or better yet, cue up the band's latest and greatest - that'd be the brand-new single, “Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight),” from their forthcoming sixth studio album, On the Prowl - and prepare for Panther-style musical pyrotechnics.
Now that the cat - or, should we say, the panther - is out of the bag, we asked Starr to go deep with us on his VH love, and offer our readers some learnin' in the process. He was happy to oblige.
"Can you believe that there are songs by Van Halen that never got the love they deserved?" he told us. "Lucky for you I made a list of five deep VH cuts for you to have a listen to."
Check out Starr's picks below, and while you're at it, enter to win a signed vinyl copy of On the Prowl, as well as a Steel Panther 1987 guitar pedal, direct from the band and Metal Edge. Try your luck here!
1. "Sinner's Swing!" (Fair Warning, 1981)
"Fast, powerful and lyrically amazing. Added bonus: The solo is blistering. My high school best friends dad told us we couldn’t listen to it in his house because Dave said 'fucking.' Lol."
2. "In a Simple Rhyme" (Women and Children First, 1980)
"Melodies that touch your heart along with a great love story. Added bonus: They recorded this record in 2 weeks. It’s raw and powerful. Different kind of sound for them. I remember taking acid and listening to this song over 50 times."
3. "As Is" (A Different Kind of Truth, 2012)
"After nearly three decades between their last full-length record with David Lee Roth, this is a classic VH song, with everything you would expect from VH - killer solo and DLR screams. Added bonus: Wolfgang Van Halen’s first record with his dad."
4. "One Foot Out the Door" (Fair Warning, 1981)
"This is a deep cut. Lyrics are great but the best part of this song is the solo. Added bonus: It’s about pussy."
5. "Source of Infection" (OU812, 1988)
"This is a Sammy classic. Killer solo and killer screams by Hagar. And Michael Anthony’s harmonies and bass line is off the charts. Added bonus: Sammy sounds like DLR."
Reply With Quote