Van Halen MTV Unplugged

[MAX]

As many of you already know I've been rehearsing a lot of old KI$$ material on the guitar as of late cos one of my best friends was auditioning for a KI$$ tribute band. Ummm and yes, the poor bastaad got the gig but has to be "Paul Stanley." :o lmao.

Well, whilst both learning and re-learning some KI$$ tunes I've been watching a shitload of old vhs tapes including KI$$'s infamous 1995 MTV Unplugged which ultimately lead to their highly successful reunion. While watching that show it got me thinking.

Those MTV Unplugged shows were soooo fucking popular back in the 90's and practically EVERYONE did them. Fuck, I think even Poison and Great White did them if I remember correctly?

Anyhoo, Van Hagar was still a kickin' back during the Unplugged heyday and one would have thought they'd have done the show? Especially cos it was around the time of that gawd-awful "Balance" album. Y'all know, that one that Ed-Heads claim is the second cumming of The Mighty "Fair Warning?" :rolleyes:

It just seems that it would have made perfect sense for the shitheals to have jumped on the bandwagon and have done it, don't you think? They were acting as such "serious" musicians back then and putting out arguably, the worst garbage even by Van Hagar standards at the time. It seems that Alexia would have reveled in wiping Classic Van Halen's ass and legacy a wee bit further by having the round rocker bastardize some Classic VH gems acoustically and to such a large sheep audience at the time. Don't you think?

Yet, somehow and someway there is no DVD or album of such a musical train wreck. I say that the good lord above put his foot down (literally) and said FUCK NO!!!

Now, with all of that being said, let's imagine for a fleeting moment in time how fucking stellar Dave would shine in a setting such as that. Think of him with an acoustic and a harp? WOW!!! Imagine and "Unplugged" version of "Full Bug" or "Secrets?"

Calgon, take me away...

[Matt White]

DAMN STRAIGHT MAX!!!!

van hagar...UNmasked?!?

What would Spams wretched vocals hide behind without Drunk Boy EVH's wall of Peaveys?!?




DAVE would RULE on UNPLUGGED!!!

FULL BUG, ICE CREAM MAN, COULD THIS BE MAGIC?, WOMEN IN LOVE, MEAN STREETS,..........

DAVE WOULD LIGHT THOSE MUTHAS UP LIKE A NUKE!!!!

[SoldMySoul4RnR]

I freakin love that idea! And Dave would FUCKIN' rule in that kind setting.

I cringe at the thought of Sammy in that kind of setting, sitting with his stupid "Oh yeah, I'm the shit" grin on his face, giving Ed & mikey his boudoir eyes, mumbling in between songs, and butchering CVH gems. Man, sometimes it's almost unbelievable how much that guy sucks.

But Dave would just bring the house down. His voice would be simply perfect in that kind of setting, and it'd be great to see Ed tear it up on accoustic.

Ahhh if only...

[MAX]

Yup Taeo,

Fuckin' imagine the possibilities if Halen would have taken full advantage of what was in the air in '96? They could have had it all. :mad: :(

They should have followed KI$$'s lead and blown them away. I still think Gene $immon$ is a cocksucker but the man is smart and took full advantage at the time.

Tis' such a friggin' shame that the sisters live in such a delusional world and are in such denial about what truly made Halen special. As Ed has shown throughout the years, his wizardry on the axe only goes so far and didn't develop much further without the push from Dave or a producer like Teddy Templeman. He got beyond sloppy, lazy and stuck in limbo as a guitarist. Too bad he believed his own hype and pickled his brain in booze. What a shame.

It seriously explains volumes as to why they are all but invisible nowadays. Dave IS Van Halen. The world knows it and has spoken. Must be an extremely tough pill to swallow knowing that Edward's "growth" as a musician and his "ten albums" worth of material that's "ready to go" sucks so badly. Shit, I'd hide my head like an ostrich if the best shit I could muster was like the last three songs of that last "Best Of."

Pathetic.

[SoldMySoul4RnR]

Originally posted by MAX
Yup Taeo,

Fuckin' imagine the possibilities if Halen would have taken full advantage of what was in the air in '96? They could have had it all. :mad: :(

They should have followed KI$$'s lead and blown them away. I still think Gene $immon$ is a cocksucker but the man is smart and took full advantage at the time.

Tis' such a friggin' shame that the sisters live in such a delusional world and are in such denial about what truly made Halen special. As Ed has shown throughout the years, his wizardry on the axe only goes so far and didn't develop much further without the push from Dave or a producer like Teddy Templeman. He got beyond sloppy, lazy and stuck in limbo as a guitarist. Too bad he believed his own hype and pickled his brain in booze. What a shame.

It seriously explains volumes as to why they are all but invisible nowadays. Dave IS Van Halen. The world knows it and has spoken. Must be an extremely tough pill to swallow knowing that Edward's "growth" as a musician and his "ten albums" worth of material that's "ready to go" sucks so badly. Shit, I'd hide my head like an ostrich if the best shit I could muster was like the last three songs of that last "Best Of."

Pathetic.

I think Ed knows right now that it's Dave or the grave, how delusional do you have to be to not be aware of this? It'd be that puss-dripping, festered cunt of a brother of his that would be desperatly trying to convince him otherwise. Al, would be aware that the band needs Dave as well, mind you. But because he's such an asshole he's probably trying to stall things. What a world of good that'd gonna do...Sir Alex, nobody is getting any younger.

The sisters should fucking thank God for the fact that Dave still is willing to work with them after what they did to him in 1996. It was on the same level of something a bitchy school girl would do; trick the unpopular (although Dave is far from unpopular) girl into thinking you wanna be friends with them, and then humiliate them in front of people. What fucking bitches those sisters are! Pathetic!

[MAX]

Originally posted by SoldMySoul4RnR
I think Ed knows right now that it's Dave or the grave, how delusional do you have to be to not be aware of this? It'd be that puss-dripping, festered cunt of a brother of his that would be desperatly trying to convince him otherwise. Al, would be aware that the band needs Dave as well, mind you. But because he's such an asshole he's probably trying to stall things. What a world of good that'd gonna do...Sir Alex, nobody is getting any younger.

The sisters should fucking thank God for the fact that Dave still is willing to work with them after what they did to him in 1996. It was on the same level of something a bitchy school girl would do; trick the unpopular (although Dave is far from unpopular) girl into thinking you wanna be friends with them, and then humiliate them in front of people. What fucking bitches those sisters are! Pathetic!

You Roth bro!!! :killer:

Are you a native mate from Oz? The Land Down Unda has given the world some of the most stellar folk around. Throwin' you a five star regardless.

Your points are beyond valid and true to the gazillionth power. Whether it's true or not, I remember Dave stating in his book how Ed said to him (Dave) back in '96 "Dave, I'm jealous of you."

To which Dave replied "Jealous?!?!?!? WTF? Of me?" or something along those lines.

Ed says "Yeah, cos you get to do whatever you want musically and I always have to answer and please both my brother and the record company. I don't have the freedom to do what I want like you do."

Any fool can see by this point that Alex is the winna of the cunt stopping Classic Halen's return award. Shit, no wonder Edward is such a mess. Alex has always lived his life vicariously through both his brother's talent and Dave's brilliance. The Van Hagar era could only ride on Edwards cliche guitar riffs for so long. Heck, even by the end of that crap, they had become more stale that week old donuts.

[SoldMySoul4RnR]

Yessir! I'm a true blue Aussie boy.

Thanks for the fiver mate!

You're right about Alex; he really has no right to be such a cunt, his brother fucking made him rich and famous, not himself. He's a fucking mediocre-talent prick. I wish Ed would just turn around and kick him straight in the balls.

Better be wearing a cup Alice! ;)

[DABSR]

Hey Max,

First off, as an "Ed-head" or at least one that is more realistic than the dumb-asses that obviously post to these forums, the ones who "claim" "Balance" as the next coming of "Fair Warning" should try listening to Fair Warning FIRST :rolleyes: before making such a stupid remark.

Whether or not it's someone's opinion on that doesn't matter. The first four Van Halen albums are simply ...untouchable. And yes, I always leave the last two out because of my personal preferences. I love some stuff off those last two ...but I LOVE EVERYTHING on the first four. sorry, that's just me

Now, as for Mtv's "Unplugged" series, I've said it from day one to any and all that would listen, that most of the major bands of the time as well as some heavies, KISS included, have done it but it's like the "Behind the music" series, it won't be complete until Van Halen, (and that's a birth name people, so come up with something more original than the very weak "Van Hagar" :rolleyes:) does a 2-hour acoustic set for "Unplugged" and a 2 hour special "Behind the music."

And howe about the Mtv "Icons" ...I mean, if it weren't for Van Halen, (mostly Edward in my opinion) ALL of the 80's hair bands wouldn't have had the short lives they had, with a few exceptions.

In closing, there will be one problem that is unavoidable ....when Van Halen ....IF Van Halen sign on for those shows, the dead rocker will jump back on board to help is once again, failing solo career by doing his-era stuff acoustically. :rolleyes:

Just my take boys and girls out there.

[franksters]

I think the sisters don't have any vision and that's why there in the dust right now, Ed and Al would've probably had a different career if David would have not join that band, change their name to VH, change the set list and give them an image and of course put up one of the best entertainment experience ever.

without him it is just goin down the drain, yes they had #1 on the billboard but these songs will be forgotten soon as everyone acknowledge that the real good stuff is when Dave was part of the band.

seriously I don't think that Vh with spammy influenced a generation of musician and made anyone dream like vh with Dave did...

[DavidLeeNatra]

dave gave us little clues of what an unplugged gig could be with him at the helm while he was doing radio gigs with just a guitar, bass and ray on some bongos...absulutely grate!!! panama, mean streets even jump and gigolo sounded fantastic...

[Matt White]

EVH & AVH would NEVER do an UNPLUGGED with DAVE:

1.) IT would be hugely successful

2.) The FANS want it.

3.) It would showcase DAVE.....No "Brown-sound" for EVH....You'd see how much DAVE made those songs CLASSIC. The sisters would NEVER allow DAVE to be seen in that light.
Their supposed "genius" cries like a child when anybody else gets the spotlight....he'd have a breakdown right in the studio.

[Vanstonica]

Originally posted by Matt White
EVH & AVH would NEVER do an UNPLUGGED with DAVE:

1.) IT would be hugely successful

2.) The FANS want it.

3.) It would showcase DAVE.....No "Brown-sound" for EVH....You'd see how much DAVE made those songs CLASSIC. The sisters would NEVER allow DAVE to be seen in that light.
Their supposed "genius" cries like a child when anybody else gets the spotlight....he'd have a breakdown right in the studio.

You're right on the money, Matt. I recall reading an interview with Ed back in the mid 90's (it may have been the Rolling Stone interview he did around the time of Balance), and Eddie said that MTV had contacted them about doing an unplugged, and he turned it down. His exact words were "If I wanted something to sound unplugged, I would have written it that way in the first place".

At the time, Eddie must not have turned into the cash-grab joke that he is today.

[Bill Lumbergh]

Originally posted by MAX
As many of you already know I've been rehearsing a lot of old KI$$ material on the guitar as of late cos one of my best friends was auditioning for a KI$$ tribute band. Ummm and yes, the poor bastaad got the gig but has to be "Paul Stanley." :o lmao.

Well, whilst both learning and re-learning some KI$$ tunes I've been watching a shitload of old vhs tapes including KI$$'s infamous 1995 MTV Unplugged which ultimately lead to their highly successful reunion. While watching that show it got me thinking.

Those MTV Unplugged shows were soooo fucking popular back in the 90's and practically EVERYONE did them. Fuck, I think even Poison and Great White did them if I remember correctly?

Anyhoo, Van Hagar was still a kickin' back during the Unplugged heyday and one would have thought they'd have done the show? Especially cos it was around the time of that gawd-awful "Balance" album. Y'all know, that one that Ed-Heads claim is the second cumming of The Mighty "Fair Warning?" :rolleyes:

It just seems that it would have made perfect sense for the shitheals to have jumped on the bandwagon and have done it, don't you think? They were acting as such "serious" musicians back then and putting out arguably, the worst garbage even by Van Hagar standards at the time. It seems that Alexia would have reveled in wiping Classic Van Halen's ass and legacy a wee bit further by having the round rocker bastardize some Classic VH gems acoustically and to such a large sheep audience at the time. Don't you think?

Yet, somehow and someway there is no DVD or album of such a musical train wreck. I say that the good lord above put his foot down (literally) and said FUCK NO!!!

Now, with all of that being said, let's imagine for a fleeting moment in time how fucking stellar Dave would shine in a setting such as that. Think of him with an acoustic and a harp? WOW!!! Imagine and "Unplugged" version of "Full Bug" or "Secrets?"

Calgon, take me away...

I'd give my left nut for this to happen(if my wife didnt keep them in a jar under the bed)...........

[bigc]

Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
dave gave us little clues of what an unplugged gig could be with him at the helm while he was doing radio gigs with just a guitar, bass and ray on some bongos...absulutely grate!!! panama, mean streets even jump and gigolo sounded fantastic...

are there any bootlegs of these performances kicking around?

[Big Fat Sammy]

There is the unplugged version of Mean Street from the BBQ vid.

[BrownSound1]

There's always Angel Eyes too. ;)

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by bigc
are there any bootlegs of these performances kicking around?

yes...got them somewhere...

[MAX]

Originally posted by DABSR
I mean, if it weren't for Van Halen, (mostly Edward in my opinion) ALL of the 80's hair bands wouldn't have had the short lives they had, with a few exceptions.

Decent post and I respect your opinion. However, the part that I highlighted tis' where I respectfully disagree. Sure, Edward changed the way the guitar was forever played but to give him the majority of the credit for the rest of the 80's hair bands is absurd. IMO. Dave was the mouth, ringleader and the one who sold that kind of attitude and image. Look at all of those so called "singers" from that era. Hence the Brett Michaels, Vince Neils and heck, even fuckin' Jon Bon Jovi. They all borrowed their stage presence and persona from Dave. Sure, the guitarists mimicked Ed's signature guitar riff's and fingertapping but as far as the definitive Rock and Roll/Heavy Metal frontman most clearly wanted to be like David Lee Roth. Often imitated but never duplicated.

[BenJammin]

Speaking of the Unplugged series, I never saw when Great White did their version. Did anyone ? (but I also heard it never aired???)

There was a public comment made [cannot remember the source] that said Great White more or less sucked on that performance.

So... if anyone saw it, can you clarify?

[MAX]

Originally posted by BenJammin
Speaking of the Unplugged series, I never saw when Great White did their version. Did anyone ? (but I also heard it never aired???)

There was a public comment made [cannot remember the source] that said Great White more or less sucked on that performance.

So... if anyone saw it, can you clarify?

If I remember correctly, Great White actually scored a hit by covering a Zep tune on "Unplugged?" I'm almost certain it was a dead on cover of "Babe, I'm gonna leave you." It was literally note for note. Shit, just like that fuckin' band from the late 80's Kingdom Cunt. lol.

[spmusicplyr]

i think balance has the same dark and cold feelings as fair warning did...i think fair warning and balance are the best of the DLR and hagar eras, 5150 not counting since half of it was daves material with the boys

[DLR82VH]

Dave would OWN !!!! in a setting like that.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Originally posted by MAX
If I remember correctly, Great White actually scored a hit by covering a Zep tune on "Unplugged?" I'm almost certain it was a dead on cover of "Babe, I'm gonna leave you." It was literally note for note. Shit, just like that fuckin' band from the late 80's Kingdom Cunt. lol. You are right about Great White on Unplugged. Does anyone remember when Ratt did it? What a trainwreck (I do like Ratt though). I could see Dave doing this now! How killer would Black Sand and Damn Good be?

[BenJammin]

Originally posted by MAX
If I remember correctly, Great White actually scored a hit by covering a Zep tune on "Unplugged?" I'm almost certain it was a dead on cover of "Babe, I'm gonna leave you." It was literally note for note. Shit, just like that fuckin' band from the late 80's Kingdom Cunt. lol.

Yeah, I have that track on their 'Anaheim Live' album and Jack smokes on that. BTW, I dig them [even if they are accidental arsonists !], so I was confused about the rumor they tanked on Unplugged.

Jack sounds more like Robert Plant used to than Robert Plant does :)

Oh, and sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a Great White thread.

[diamondsgirl]

Originally posted by Bill Lumbergh
I'd give my left nut for this to happen(if my wife didnt keep them in a jar under the bed)...........

LMAO! :D

this is a great topic and I think Dave would sound spectacular especially with his usual improvising of lyrics

Damn Good would be mint

[Unchainme]

If I recal right, Dave did do acoustic versions of And The Cradle Will rock, and Yankee Rose on the Bob and Tom show and he was Hilliarious. Anyone got a Mp3 version of this?

[VonHalen]

it would be cool to hear a whole set of dave unplugged