Billy Corgan's review of FAIR WARNING.

[WARF]

Billy Corgan assesses his favorite Van Halen album, Fair Warning

If you've ever seen the "unchained" video, you've seen a band at its public epiphany. Beautiful and free, Van Halen ruled the world with a wink and a smirk. The rockers dressed like them and the girls all wanted to fuck them--the ultimate forms of teen tribute. When people found out that I played guitar, the question I heard most often was, "Can you play 'Eruption'?" Such was the suburban world, circa 1981.

I used to stay at this guy's house where my high school metal band practiced, and I remember getting up early one morning and playing along to Fair Warning. It struck me, then as now, as a mean, dark album. The worst-selling of all the Van Halen albums, Fair Warning openly displays the conflict between the party- 'Halen front and the real hard life. This was a tired and taxed band, and if the lyrics and guitar riffs have anything to say, it is that they were living a freaky nightmare would of freaks, bleaks, decadents and hollowed souls. This is Van Halen blues as they lived it.

The album opens with an insane, virtuoso Eddie riff, daring you to try and play along. From there he drops us down and dirty into the 'Halen "Mean Street." The riffs are menacing, the lyrics nihilistic, and the grooves taut and funky. "Dirty Movies" flashes a prom queen turned porno queen, then segues into the standard Van Halen breakdown with David Lee Roth encouraging her to "take it off, take it all off." Check out the third song, the double-timed "Sinners Swing!" A woman chases our humble 'Halen narrator. Does he want her, or does she want him? The shadows are never clear on this album. And Eddie is at his guitar meanest, sounding as if every track was recorded lat at night, cigarette in headstock and head down. Ed riffing into the cool California night.

"Unchained" is quintessential Van Halen. Taut voltage riffs slither into melodic lead drops, and yet another famous D.L.R. kickdown: "Give us a break, Dave." "One break--coming up!"

Fair Warning is consistently bluesy and unrepentant, with great titles like "Push Comes to Shove" and the classic "So This is Love?" The guitar playing is vintage brown, all dirt and molasses. The album even ends oddly, the synth-creep "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" giving way to "One Foot Out the Door," with Eddie soloing madly over out-of-control synths as Dave is chased by demons and someone's mean old man.

Fair Warning opens a small window into the true night-world of Van Halen, moving at great speed.

[DrMaddVibe]

Who is Billy Corgan?

LMAO!

[WARF]

The lead singer of the smashing pumpkins.

[Golden AWe]

Probably the best review I've seen about that album...

[jhale667]

I remember that from Guitar World...great review, and a true fan. I too can remember the day when as soon as someone found out you played guitar it was "Can you play 'Eruption'?" Hell, when I was a kid, you didn't leave the house CALLING yourself a guitarist UNTIL YOU COULD! :D

But yeah, Fair Warning's still my fave, too.

[redblkwht]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Who is Billy Corgan?

LMAO!
Man, wheres sarges little helper with that answer dammit!!!!!!!!!!
lol

[DlocRoth]

Grate shite.

[Roth & Roll]

Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
Who is Billy Corgan?

LMAO!

Some short, gay, bald dude

[Golden AWe]

Corgan has made some decent music...but he's also got a HORRIBLE singing voice...

[ELVIS]

Fictional, make-believe review...

[ELVIS]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Billy_Corgan.jpg/250px-Billy_Corgan.jpg

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by WARF
When people found out that I played guitar, the question I heard most often was, "Can you play 'Eruption'?"

And the answer was no...

He can't sing either...

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by WARF
"Give us a break, Dave." "One break--coming up!"



Ummm...

Isn't it "C'mon Dave, Gimme a break" ??

Ummm, yes, it is...


The review is, like I said, make believe...

In 1981, Dave wasn't about to walk the stinkin' street past the crazies on his block...

He was more likely riding in a limo full of cocaine, whiskey, and women...


Smashing pumpkins suck!


:elvis:

[Golden AWe]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Smashing pumpkins suck!


:elvis:

Except for Melissa Auf Der Maur who played bass for them at one point...she's hot and made a very, very good debut solo album...

[AiginMisora]

actually billy corgan is a pretty good guitarist with a unique voice (it fits his music). Good review. To those who said smashing pumpkins suck...well, there's no accounting for good taste.

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Golden AWe
Except for Melissa Auf Der Maur who played bass for them at one point...she's hot and made a very, very good debut solo album...

Name me one good Smashing Pumkins song...

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by AiginMisora
actually billy corgan is a pretty good guitarist with a unique voice (it fits his music). Good review. To those who said smashing pumpkins suck...well, there's no accounting for good taste.


They did suck...

They do suck...

His voice sucks...

Their guitarist sucked, whoever it was...

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by AiginMisora
actually billy corgan is a pretty good guitarist with a unique voice (it fits his music).

Back in the day, "pretty good" was unacceptable, and Bon Scott had a "unique voice"...

Good review.

Bullshit review.

To those who said smashing pumpkins suck...well, there's no accounting for good taste.

Does not compute...

Smashing Pumpkins suck!





:elvis:

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Golden AWe
Probably the best review I've seen about that album...

This one is much better...


* Fair Warning - Warner Brothers 1981. *


On this one, I proudly stand alone. Many a critic and fan have called this album a "misstep" or "goose egg" or "not a very good record," but it is easily my favorite of this band's many fine records. Every record they made with David Lee Roth should be considered a guitar rock classic, and I love them all, but I cannot deny that I find this underappreciated gem to be the tiniest bit more interesting than the others. And why? 'CAUSE IT'S SO FRIGGIN' DARK!!!!

Party hearty band? Why the hell would a party hearty band cover an album sleeve in grotesque drawings of child murders, street fights, and disturbing sculptures? Furthermore, why the corinthians would same such party hearty band envelop all of its formerly light-hearted sex and booze interests in song themes so ugly and distressing that the average listener can't help but feel...well, bad about life when the album's over! How adorable is it when mommy's little girl winds up starring in "Dirty Movies"? How can we whistle and leer along with the fellas in the song when that darned Dave keeps shouting, "GO SEE BABY NOW!!!!!!" And why are all of our good-time vices now being referred to as the "Sinner's Swing?" And what about all the angry fighting imagery of "Mean Street," "Push Comes To Shove," "Unchained," and "One Foot Out The Door?" I mean, for the sake of criminy, the first spoken words on the album are "At night I walk these stinkin' streets past the crazies on my block." Yeesh! Fair Warning indeed!

But see, it's not just the lyrics that are aggressive; the music paints a pretty darn dismal picture of the world, too. Aside from the questionable "Sinner's Swing!" and the straightforward (and godlike) pop anthem "So This Is Love?," not a one of these melodies is filled with glee. The opening guitar solo is an insanely speedy hammer-on that soon fades away into the funky Aerosmith-esque bitter pill to swallow that is "Mean Streets" and the mood don't much pick up from there. "Hear About It Later" may give you goosebumps, but they're gonna be melancholy goosebumps, not that sissy happy brand of goosebumps you've come to associate with Beatles VI. And "Push Comes To Shove" may be disco, but it's about the least uplifting disco this side of paradise, F. What else? Oh! The classic "Unchained" has the toughest opening riff of probably any Halen tune of all, thanks to some stutter chops and a sick phaser pedal, and finally, the two teensy closing tracks, "Sunday Afternoon In The Park" and "One Foot Out The Door" represent Eddie's growing fascination with keyboards, sure, but if you can find me an angrier pre-'82 keyboard song than these two fuzzy growlers, please inform me. I'd like to ask its hand in marriage.

Actually, now that I think about it, Throbbing Gristle might have had a couple of songs this disturbed - but probably none that kicked this much ass!!!! So go ahead, write off this album just like everybody else if you want to, but if you give it a chance, you might discover that it's one of the most totally Fuqdup hard rock albums youse'r gonna hear, rear.


Mark Prindle (http://www.markprindle.com/vanhalea.htm#fair)



:elvis:

[Golden AWe]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Name me one good Smashing Pumkins song...

Try her solo album instead!

AUF DER MAUR

the grrrl has a (original) Black Sabbath tribute band too...'nuff said

[Golden AWe]

Look at that tight butt..

http://www.billycorgan.it/images/related/hod2.jpg

[Solbakken]

The Corgan review is excellent stuff! Ed should ask Billy to join VH, what a fresh & exciting band that would be - Van Pumpkin.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Name me one good Smashing Pumkins song...

i'll raise ya 3!

1979
zero
disarm

:)

[ELVIS]

Hmmm...

[ashstralia]

i now have fair warning crankin'.

[ashstralia]

hey i know, E!!

some of my mates here cannot
understand the genius that is
Neil Diamond.


hot august night..... best live album EVER!!!!




















anyway, i thought billy's review was cool.

[Jimmy Jingles]

Originally posted by Golden AWe
Look at that tight butt..

http://www.billycorgan.it/images/related/hod2.jpg




Damn that's a pristine turd cutter!





Smashing Pumpasses still suck though...sorry.

[Diamondjimi]

Originally posted by Jimmy Jingles
Damn that's a pristine turd cutter!





Smashing Pumpasses still suck though...sorry.

YES

and

YES !!!

[DLR_EngineRoom]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Name me one good Smashing Pumkins song...

1979 - That's the only song I like by them. And it's an amazing song.

[WARF]

I'll take TODAY or Cherub Rock...

Actually I like the first two pumpkin albums.

[CROWBAR]

Originally posted by Solbakken
The Corgan review is excellent stuff! Ed should ask Billy to join VH, what a fresh & exciting band that would be - Van Pumpkin.

Van Pumpkin! Ha!:D

[WARF]

Or what about...

The Smashing Vans

[Dirty Duck]

Very good review. Right on point. Fair warning was exactly that...a fair warning letting us know that the band wasnt as happy as we thought. 4 years later Dave left and the rest is embarrasing VH history. I never really liked Billy...I'm not gonna lie though...I LOVE Simese dream. Pretty much the only PUMPKINS album worth mentioning....

[WARF]

Gish was good too.

[Dirty Duck]

Originally posted by DLR_EngineRoom
1979 - That's the only song I like by them. And it's an amazing song.


One of my personal faves! Love the beat...the lyrics...shit.. I LOVE THE 70'S!!!!!!

[The_KiD]

Enjoyed what he had to say as I feel it hits the nail on the head. Early Smashing Pumpkins is great stuff...

KiD

[DLR'sCock]

Kool review from Billy, and the Pumpkins were good.