A New Album full of songs like "Could This Be Magic?", "Goin Places", and "Black Sand

[steve]

if Van Halen were going to take a more mellow, "mature" approach to their next album I've always thought a direction towards songs like these would make sense. Less vocally intense, yet still having fun, loose rhythms. Softer, yet not dour. Music that allows Dave to be reflective vocally, but not melodramatic (doesn't fit his style). Thoughts?

Perhaps a few more heavy guitar "big rock" songs could be mixed in, but it's more difficult to find words that reflect who you are at 55 years old with music like Romeo Delight (not that they shouldn't ALWAYS play this in concert, but musically and lyrically it is who they were at 22. Fun to visit, but might not fit on a new album).

Or, should they just rock the f*ck out and am I bein' lame?

[Terry]

It should be whatever the Van Halens and Roth want it to be.

Just whatever comes naturally to them.

There's nothing for them left to prove, and it's not really likely ANY new music they release is going to go platinum 10X over at this point, so there's no reason to overlabour the music with some sort of sales strategy in mind: CVH music never struck me as being overly analytical in terms of the songwriting process.

The band doesn't need the money...least not by way of making new records. They can hit the road anytime they want to fill their coffers. So they should just get in a room, let it rip, record it and release it. The end listener can judge for themselves, as always. It's gonna be whatever it's gonna be. I don't necessarily think every single CVH tune was a slam dunk, myself, but even those tunes I don't play very often still had that energy and enthusiasm that made CVH distinctive.

I would agree that it would be erroneous to expect anything new to sound like it was 1981 all over again, because these guys are all obviously older. Hell, even by the time 1984 rolled around, the music was evolving from the first release.

While speculating what new music could sound like, I'd just as soon have the band do whatever the fuck they wanna do than try to tailor-make a batch of songs designed to appeal to whatever demographic. Something overly calculated will come off as being just that, and won't sound natural.

Honestly, I'd rather have the vaults released at this point than have a new album: the legend of CVH might be a little too much for the Van Halens and Roth to measure up to these days. 1996 was a different story, but the last ten years haven't been the kindest to the Van Halens...or to Dave really.

[THEDOCTOR]

Don't expect anything from the past...that would mean having to cut MAin on some of the $$ and we know how much Ed would loathe doing that.
I dont think its so absurd to think that we will get a mix of hard/and mellow. I just hope Dave doesn't want to throw dance beats in the mix.
Judas Priest and Iron Maiden still crank out hard shit, why shouldn't we expect some angst and frustration to materialize in VH?
Dave has been an EMT and Ed has been the victim of attacks on his piss poor performances .....
Perhaps they make a concerted effort to show the world why we thought they could blow the doors off things again.....
I just hope they don't turn into The Stones and put out dreck that no one cares about .(although I did like the last Stones cd)

[Big Troubles]

id love an album full of "flex" and "scarecrow" but pulling that shit off live would be a let down.

its going to be interesting to say the least. Im excited! But I might not be the right guy to even comment since I liked "Diamond Dave"

[FORD]

"Diamond Dave" was a great record on many levels. Excellent production, Dave's vocals were in great form on most of the songs, and for the most part, they were great renditions of the tunes (except maybe the Hendrix cover)

I'm only disappointed because I really wanted to hear some originals from that band. And if the DLR Band album had been as well produced as that, it would have been a huge hit.

[POJO_Risin]

I'm MOSTLY curious to see WHAT they do...and IF they make it through it.

Who fucking knows.

I could see both these jokers (Ed and Dave) going with fucking experimental bullshit...and all of us scratching our heads...wondering what the fuck is going on...

Or...

It could be the best fucking thing we've heard in 20 years...who fucking knows...

[ZahZoo]

why shouldn't we expect some angst and frustration to materialize in VH?
Dave has been an EMT and Ed has been the victim of attacks on his piss poor performances .....
Perhaps they make a concerted effort to show the world why we thought they could blow the doors off things again.....

Oh yeah... I'm 120% cuntvinced that real life experiences such as "kickin ass at the fuckin sheep herding dog show" is exactly the motivational shit that will inspire Dave to create an agnst-filled reprise of I'm the One, Mean Street or DOA...

Then hook that train to Ed's "gotta clean the fuckin garage" rebellious rebirth... oh hell yeah... we're talkin dynomite and dolemite motherfuckers... yawn.

I just don't see it... it's long past time for VH to fish or cut bait. Sadly I don't think they've found the boat that's rotting in dry dock yet...

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[VHscraps]

I'm MOSTLY curious to see WHAT they do...and IF they make it through it.

Who fucking knows.

I could see both these jokers (Ed and Dave) going with fucking experimental bullshit...and all of us scratching our heads...wondering what the fuck is going on...

Or...

It could be the best fucking thing we've heard in 20 years...who fucking knows...

Reckon it could be 'experimental' - or at least not what people are expecting. Somebody mentioned something about that on another thread, and yeah, while it might just be web gossip, I do recall an Eddie interview in an actual magazine (slips my mind right now) in 2008 after the tour - at the time when he said Dave was comin over to his place at weekends or something - saying that what they were working on wouldn't sound like anything anybody expected.

I don't care if it's jug band blues, or big band tunes, a Christmas album or balls-out rock'n'roll, almost anything - just as long as that anything doesn't include lame ballads, which I guess would be 'different' for Dave. Hope that's not what Ed means by 'what you're not expecting'.

Jeez, the though of hearing any more offal like the excreable 'Love Walks In' - or numerous other Hagar specials that allowed all the dweebs to do that two handed Hagar sign that was on the inside cover of lame-named, OU812 (what the f*ck was that hand thing supposed to be anway? Hey, look at me and Mike make a shape like a vagina with our two hands?).

Aside from doing the 2007-08 tour for some bucks / as a nostalgia trip with his kid, I don't think Eddie is interested in trippin down memory lane. And with the way Dave's voice has changed, it may actually force him to think of writing differently

But, I guess we won't know until something actually materializes.

[GAR]

I'd love to see some tinny-sounding piece of 5150-produced CRAP full of keyboard-laden late-1980's socially-conscious drivel so I can completely write off any thread of credibility I ever gave to these idiots. Then I can bury or ebay the last VH-related music items I have left and move on with my macrame' and knitting classes.

Know what I'm saying? Fuck the "oh I got 10 albums, in the can" drama.. gimme the fucking metal, ASSHOLE. EVH = "guitar greats of the world" class of player.. bullshit.

Play, hit record, email it, print it, so I can buy it and either like it, or dislike it. Stupid fucker..

[sonrisa salvaje]

I think the least amount of contact Dave and Ed can have with each other would be more beneficial to getting something at least close to the CVH sound or something worthy to make the bookend of the 7 pack. At this stage, i think Dave would have a better grip on what riffs or demos to go with for a CVH project than Ed would. Ed should record tons of demos and send them to Dave. Dave could then thin out the fluff and choose 10-12 songs that fit and he can do something with lyrically. Once Ed and Alex record the final music Dave can come in at the end and lay the vocal tracks down. I think i am correct in saying that this is how 1984 was recorded. I don't think Dave and Ed sitting down together is a good idea. They may end in a truce over certain songs with Ed getting to put in 3 lame songs for every 2 that Roth wants to go with.

[DFVH5150]

I was thinking songs sounding like "Going Places..." and "Black Sand" as well. Definitely gotta throw in at least 5 rockers though.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

It should be whatever the Van Halens and Roth want it to be.

Just whatever comes naturally to them.

There's nothing for them left to prove, and it's not really likely ANY new music they release is going to go platinum 10X over at this point, so there's no reason to overlabour the music with some sort of sales strategy in mind: CVH music never struck me as being overly analytical in terms of the songwriting process.

The band doesn't need the money...least not by way of making new records. They can hit the road anytime they want to fill their coffers. So they should just get in a room, let it rip, record it and release it. The end listener can judge for themselves, as always. It's gonna be whatever it's gonna be. I don't necessarily think every single CVH tune was a slam dunk, myself, but even those tunes I don't play very often still had that energy and enthusiasm that made CVH distinctive.

I would agree that it would be erroneous to expect anything new to sound like it was 1981 all over again, because these guys are all obviously older. Hell, even by the time 1984 rolled around, the music was evolving from the first release.

While speculating what new music could sound like, I'd just as soon have the band do whatever the fuck they wanna do than try to tailor-make a batch of songs designed to appeal to whatever demographic. Something overly calculated will come off as being just that, and won't sound natural.

Honestly, I'd rather have the vaults released at this point than have a new album: the legend of CVH might be a little too much for the Van Halens and Roth to measure up to these days. 1996 was a different story, but the last ten years haven't been the kindest to the Van Halens...or to Dave really.

I agree in general with Terry's statement, HOWEVER...

There's gotta be some edge, some energy, some rawness, some fire.... 'Cause if there's not, I'm gonna be extremely disappointed if the new album is more of the same blase' stuff like the Up for Breakfast pukefest.... I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I'll be disappointed if the songs are similar to MWM and CGTSNM....

Of course, we all hope that Dave's presence will eliminate the possibility of any Mickey Mouse lyrics like Bette has always done....

Yes, my old ass will go to several concerts when they go back on tour regardless, and hopefully the length of time they're spending in 5150 will result in a typical CVH product....

[joe d'amato]

if Van Halen were going to take a more mellow, "mature" approach to their next album I've always thought a direction towards songs like these would make sense. Less vocally intense, yet still having fun, loose rhythms. Softer, yet not dour. Music that allows Dave to be reflective vocally, but not melodramatic (doesn't fit his style). Thoughts?

Perhaps a few more heavy guitar "big rock" songs could be mixed in, but it's more difficult to find words that reflect who you are at 55 years old with music like Romeo Delight (not that they shouldn't ALWAYS play this in concert, but musically and lyrically it is who they were at 22. Fun to visit, but might not fit on a new album).

Or, should they just rock the f*ck out and am I bein' lame?

... excellent post. god, you nailed it man. i absolutely agree ...

... eddie's keyboard work is so beautiful (yes even the hagar stuff) and he so loves to compose on keyboards it would be downright mean to deny him a couple of keyboard songs on the album. if you want to go mellow then bring in the keyboards ...

... thing is, even if they put out the equivalent of led zeppelin 4 it'll be maligned and criticized to death so expect that to happen anyway ...

[Seshmeister]

... eddie's keyboard work is so beautiful (yes even the hagar stuff) and he so loves to compose on keyboards it would be downright mean to deny him a couple of keyboard songs on the album. if you want to go mellow then bring in the keyboards ...

I guess if you read these boards for long enough eventually someone will come along with the ultimate in wrongness.

Congratulations!

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I think one problem would be that Roth wouldn't be able to sing the backing vocals without laughing his fucking ass off.

Has anyone got a copy of when Howard Stern played this to Dave?

[joe d'amato]

... what does van halen 3 have to do with a vh album with dave on vox? don't blame dave for that one. or eddie for that matter. wasn't mike post at the producer's helm on that one?