Story of Van Halen: The Early Years [Archive] - The Diamond David Lee Roth Army

View Full Version : Story of Van Halen: The Early Years

ThrillsNSpills

01-11-2010, 05:14 PM

twonabomber

01-11-2010, 05:41 PM

more like it had NO band involvement. a cash grab.

Terry

01-11-2010, 10:47 PM

more like it had NO band involvement. a cash grab.

Couple of decent outtake photos from the WACF album cover sessions...I have it around here somewhere....from what I recall, there is no Van Halen music on it (just some "In The Style of Van Halen" riffs playing in the background), and maybe a few brief band interview audio snippets from the CVH days.

Agreed overall it is very underwhelming stuff, even for a die-hard CVH fan.

Va Beach VH Fan

01-11-2010, 11:02 PM

And don't forget the lame-ass "Van Halen Museum"....

VHscraps

01-12-2010, 06:48 PM

And don't forget the lame-ass "Van Halen Museum"....

Don't know if the youtube clips include the end titles - but did you notice that Steve Rosen was script consultant, or something like that? I wonder if this was before or after Ed excommunicated him when he was in the middle of writing EVH's official biography ...

Agree it is underwhelming. Just compare other bands and the attention they pay to their own history - look at the Stones. They probably pro filmed all of their American tours from the late 60s on - real warts and all stuff.

Anybody got any info on a tour film VH shot with a Dutch film-maker Snade Krellmans in 1979? I have an old clip from a UK magazine that said it was inspired by Robert Frank's film of the Stones 72 tour ('Cocksucker Blues') - the whole backstage shebang.

hambon4lif

01-12-2010, 09:21 PM

I remember being at Daves HOB show in Anaheim, Ca back in '03 (June 11th to be exact), and two of the guys that were putting this doc together were interviewing us while we were standing in line waiting to get in. Cameras, microphones, clip-board, the whole deal....
They approached me and asking me all kinds of questions, and I chatted with 'em about everything Van Halen for the better part of a half-hour. One of the last questions they asked me is what I thought of the Sammy Hagar-Van Halen....I told them "Well...my mom and dad really liked the 5150 album, but to me, it's just not Van Halen.", and when they told me they were going to show Alex the final footage of these interviews, I knew damn well I was gonna end up on the cutting room floor. Some of the people I was in line with actually ended up in the beginning of this video. They were looking for general non-biased opinions, but everyone had the same opinion, so they used excerpts. (What the fuck do you expect when you interview folks in-line to see a Diamond Dave show? I don't know why the hell they would expect anything else.)
When I saw the vid at Tower Records a month later, I bought it, saw how shabby the whole thing was, and thankful that I wasn't a part of it.
Aside from J.J.Jackson (R.I.P.) doing the narration, it's nothing more than a generic 99-cent piece of shit documentary.

It was a total letdown from all angles, and I felt they could've done their homework and done the band more of a justice.

That's my unbiased opinion anyways. LOL!

jharp84

01-12-2010, 11:12 PM

ace diamond

01-12-2010, 11:53 PM

Nice shit thrills! I taped that roth and ronnie wood on VHS as it happs...years back! Still got it! And you are welcome for your last package! :hitch: Fukk is it weed time again! Me's say's Yeah! :biggrin:

smoke it.............get high...........show your love for the sweet leaf!
BURN!:biggrin:

thome

01-13-2010, 12:53 AM

INTERESTING...............STUFF!!!

Perhaps, the men will make a little more music for us....or themselves? I still really don't know how that all works?

I mean I'm down..

Unchainme

01-21-2010, 12:25 PM

Keep saying it, Van Halen needs to do a Behind the Music.

If Lady Gaga and FUCKING Bret Michaels can get one, VH should have earned 2 hour special

Do like 4 parts

1-The Early Days, Dave and co's childhood 1953-1977
II- Hitting the Big times 1978-1985
III-Splitsville 1986-1996, 1998-2005
IV- Reunited and it feels so good. '07 to the pres.

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 06:12 PM

Keep saying it, Van Halen needs to do a Behind the Music.

It would have to be a mini-series.

:smoke:

TAKIN WHISKEY

01-21-2010, 06:12 PM

And yet again we here how Edward has shelfs full of recorded music and how he is a MUSICIAN and has to have a studio because of all of his recording. Unlike other rock stars who only need a studio every three years. When did Van Halen last record a full album? How good did hat turn out?

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 06:27 PM

I like that the one and only Jim Dandy acknowledges Dave and appreciates him, lending proof to the fact that everyone, no matter how original they seem, borrowed something from someone before them.

chefcraig

01-21-2010, 06:37 PM

For such a low rent production, the end result isn't all that bad. Surprisingly enough, the absence of VH tunes really doesn't hurt the film too much. I'm a little fuzzy on why the tunes were not used, it was either the band refused to sign off or it was simply cost prohibitive. All in all it's a worthwhile project, and the closest anyone has come to producing a feature on the band. Considering the anal nature of the Van Halen brothers, this and Dave's book will more than likely be the final word until someone convinces Mike Anthony to write a "tell-all" book, which he obviously will not be doing while still drawing a paycheck for his work with the band. The same could be said of Roth for those looking for a sequel to Crazy From The Heat.

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 07:25 PM

I like that the one and only Jim Dandy acknowledges Dave and appreciates him, lending proof to the fact that everyone, no matter how original they seem, borrowed something from someone before them.

Noone's original.

However, if you copy someone, you'll be called on it, no matter how obscure the one you copied is or isn't, whatever the fuck fuck.

The trick is having a shitload of references, famous, not famous, obscure, spotlighters & in-betweeneers to copy from.

This way, noone short of someone having your exact life experiences, tastes & knowledge will be able to tell just where you got it from.

Sure, you'll be called on copying this from that one, but the rest is, until further proof, YOU.

And the truth is, since noone before you ever came up with such a mesh, you ARE original.

Cheers! :bottle:

chefcraig

01-21-2010, 07:31 PM

kwame k

01-21-2010, 07:37 PM

What you guys are saying is true, be it Dave, John Bonham or anyone else for that matter. We all are influenced by someone.....Everyone except Kingdom Come, they just ripped off Zep.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/black_oak_arkansas.jpghttp://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll103/realtodd/roth-david-lee.jpg

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 07:39 PM

Noone's original.

However, if you copy someone, you'll be called on it, no matter how obscure the one you copied is or isn't, whatever the fuck fuck.

The trick is having a shitload of references, famous, not famous, obscure, spotlighters & in-betweeneers to copy from.

This way, noone short of someone having your exact life experiences, tastes & knowledge will be able to tell just where you got it from.

Sure, you'll be called on copying this from that one, but the rest is, until further proof, YOU.

And the truth is, since noone before you ever came up with such a mesh, you ARE original.

Cheers! :bottle:

What?

Cheers! :bottle:

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 07:44 PM

What?

Cheers! :bottle:

You just copied that from that guy who posts at that site!

I know, I met him.

He's an asshole, I wouldn't want to be seen naked with him.

Cheers! :bottle:

UK ROCKER

01-21-2010, 07:46 PM

Keep saying it, Van Halen needs to do a Behind the Music.

.

Can't see it happening as ED wouldn't be able to have total control over it, Editing etc.

I think Eddie still has nightmares from that MTV 'Welcome Back'
(little ad mtv did for Dave about the reunion) from 96.
Ed ringing Dave saying "What is this shit!" etc (documented in Dave's book)

Here's the vid -

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gr_vhh6ihoM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gr_vhh6ihoM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 07:47 PM

there really isn't anything new under the sun.

That's an exact quote from Chuck Berry in reference to his musical influences, so I'd venture to say it goes waaaay beyond the Hard Rock genre.:baaa:

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 07:50 PM

You just copied that from that guy who posts at that site!

I know, I met him.

He's an asshole, I wouldn't want to be seen naked with him.

Cheers! :bottle:

Shh! Quiet!

I want everyone to think I am the asshole that invented being an asshole.

Cheers! :bottle:

;)

chefcraig

01-21-2010, 07:50 PM

That's an exact quote from Chuck Berry in reference to his musical influences, so I'd venture to say it goes waaaay beyond the Hard Rock genre.:baaa:

Yep, now that ya mention it, that line could be applied to pretty much everything. :biggrin:

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 07:54 PM

Yep, now that ya mention it, that line could be applied to pretty much everything. :biggrin:

Yes, it can.

But I've found from experience that even though it's a line that can be applied to everything, it shouldn't be.

Especially when she takes her clothes off & asks you "So... what do you think?"

"Well, it's nothing new under the sun" is NOT something she wants to hear...

Cheers! :bottle:

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 08:00 PM

Shh! Quiet!

I want everyone to think I am the asshole that invented being an asshole.

Cheers! :bottle:

;)

I wasn't gonna reply this post, since I figured there was no need, but then it struck me that it could be a fine example of what I previously wrote.

Now, you obviously understood.

But to those who didn't, let's say you had posted not Cheers! :bottle: but Cheers! :gulp:

That would lead people to think "Hey, I've seen that shit somewhere... where the fuck?..."

Of course, regular Army members would recognize it as being a Sylicker/Seshmeister fusion (Gawd forbid), but not so regular (the ones who don't take that much fiber in their diet) Army members would take some time to put their finger on it, if at all.

Cheers! :bottle:

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 08:06 PM

Cheers! :bottle:

I miss your old av...the one with the guy with the fish tanks over his eyes.:biggrin:

kwame k

01-21-2010, 08:08 PM

I wasn't gonna reply this post, since I figured there was no need, but then it struck me that it could be a fine example of what I previously wrote.

Now, you obviously understood.

But to those who didn't, let's say you had posted not Cheers! :bottle: but Cheers! :gulp:

That would lead people to think "Hey, I've seen that shit somewhere... where the fuck?..."

Of course, regular Army members would recognize it as being a Sylicker/Seshmeister fusion (Gawd forbid), but not so regular (the ones who don't take that much fiber in their diet) Army members would take some time to put their finger on it, if at all.

Cheers! :bottle:

Man, I'm glad I ate that second marijuana brownie.......this is making perfect sense.:stoned-smiley:

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 08:12 PM

Man, I'm glad I ate that second marijuana brownie.......this is making perfect sense.:stoned-smiley:

Well, I've had a few beers & a couple of Jack Daniel's, so yeah... we must be in the same key.

Cheers! :bottle:

kwame k

01-21-2010, 08:22 PM

Well, I've had a few beers & a couple of Jack Daniel's, so yeah... we must be in the same key.

Cheers! :bottle:

D-minor? The saddest of all keys;)

hideyoursheep

01-21-2010, 08:27 PM

kwame's so baked he broke out the brushes...:hee:

chefcraig

01-21-2010, 08:28 PM

D-minor? The saddest of all keys.

Yeah, but A- is easier to play in, besides...every artist on the planet has at least one song in the key. In fact for around a decade or so, it was the only key Neil Young could find.

Anonymous

01-21-2010, 08:32 PM

Yeah, but A- is easier to play in, besides...every artist on the planet has at least one song in the key. In fact for around a decade or so, it was the only key Neil Young could find.

Yeah, that's it.

But forgive Kwame...

He's a drummer. :umm:

Cheers! :bottle:

kwame k

01-21-2010, 08:43 PM

MAX

01-21-2010, 10:00 PM

D-minor? The saddest of all keys;)

You're a damn drummer...

You shouldn't know about that shit!!! ;) :p

kwame k

01-21-2010, 10:08 PM

You're a damn drummer...

You shouldn't know about that shit!!! ;) :p

I watched Spinal Tap like the rest of ya.......

Seshmeister

01-21-2010, 10:17 PM

Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche had an interesting take on originality, in an interview that took place on MTV's Headbanger's Ball back in the day. Essentially, he said that it is the job of today's musicians "to be creatively derivative of everything that has come before". I thought at the time (and still do) that this was a refreshingly honest statement by an artist, as it freely admits that there really isn't anything new under the sun when it comes to hard rock.

I was reading something a bit depressing about creativity recently which basically said that it goes by the time you get to 30 and is replaced with experience and ability. Scientists, writers and musicians were all highlighted that they might get better technically but few ever match their creative 20s.

Hard to argue with.

MAX

01-21-2010, 10:19 PM

I watched Spinal Tap like the rest of ya.......

Well, at least you haven't exploded on stage or died in a bizzare gardening accident?

kwame k

01-21-2010, 10:21 PM

Well, at least you haven't exploded on stage or died in a bizzare gardening accident?

Fuck, I never said I was that good of a drummer;)

MAX

01-21-2010, 10:24 PM

Fuck, I never said I was that good of a drummer;)

Gimme sum monneeeeeeey? lol :0

hambon4lif

01-22-2010, 01:31 AM

Keep saying it, Van Halen needs to do a Behind the Music.

Do like 4 parts

1-The Early Days, Dave and co's childhood 1953-1977
II- Hitting the Big times 1978-1985
III-Splitsville 1986-1996, 1998-2005
IV- Reunited and it feels so good. '07 to the pres.If they made it into 2 parts that would be cool enough for me.

Part I: 1974-1985: The part that matters
Part II: 1986-2010: The part that doesn't

That way, I could just watch Part 1 and be happy, because I don't give a fuck, shit, or a damn about anything that happened with this band after '85.

hideyoursheep

01-24-2010, 02:10 PM

Allright....Which member of VHLinks is the proprietor of the *cough* VH Museum?

:hee:

Panamark

01-25-2010, 08:41 AM

tHanks Thrills !!

Never seen it before...
Enjoyed it heaps mate !!!

Roth and Roll !!!

I definately feel Dave left, and was not fired after watching
all those clips... But he is the Man, and back where he belongs

vaijuju

12-31-2010, 03:11 AM

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5482/stonealexeddie.png (http://img403.imageshack.us/i/stonealexeddie.png/)

Mark Stone Al and Ed (thanks humberto and simon from vhclassic)

ThatArtGuy

12-31-2010, 04:36 AM

After taking in all the different sources, I believe that yes, Dave did quit and leave. However, I believe that Dave was put into a position where he felt that he had to.

Dan

12-31-2010, 04:51 AM

No Shit.:D

sadaist

12-31-2010, 07:24 AM

I think Eddie still has nightmares from that MTV 'Welcome Back'
(little ad mtv did for Dave about the reunion) from 96.
Ed ringing Dave saying "What is this shit!" etc (documented in Dave's book)

Your Youtube link has been removed. No fear. I have the most complete copy up. Recorded on VHS when it was first airing and transferred to digital a while back. So yeah, it's not the best quality, but it is the only copy of the commercial out there. A couple others only caught about half of it. here is the full shebang.

(Apologies for the VW commercial at the beginning. No matter how hard I tried with my limited video transfer experience, I just could not cut it close enough to remove it)

But yes, this thing pissed Eddie off immensely. Funny, because it had the exact opposite effect on the fans.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qiPf7ubjk4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qiPf7ubjk4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?54560-WELCOME-BACK-DAVE!-MTV-clip-IN-FULL&highlight=

POJO_Risin

12-31-2010, 09:57 AM

I think the first time I saw that history video was a few years back when Va Beach came down to the MOJO Dojo East for the Sam and Dave tour. I've got a copy of it somewhere...but I think this morning was the first time I saw it sober.

Shit, it is what it is, but I think I'd watch anybody talk about Van Halen's glory days...cash grab or not.

We should all fucking put out a video talking about the first time we heard Classic Van Halen, what we thought about each album, the break up, EEAS Band, Vegas, Fake Halen, Sammy Canned, MTV, out again, Fake Halen 2, rumored 2000 reunion, Sam and Dave tour, Sam reunion fiasco and the two shittiest songs of all time, new reunion, future...

If nothing else, it would be fun to watch...

POJO_Risin

12-31-2010, 09:58 AM

Your Youtube link has been removed. No fear. I have the most complete copy up. Recorded on VHS when it was first airing and transferred to digital a while back. So yeah, it's not the best quality, but it is the only copy of the commercial out there. A couple others only caught about half of it. here is the full shebang.

(Apologies for the VW commercial at the beginning. No matter how hard I tried with my limited video transfer experience, I just could not cut it close enough to remove it)

But yes, this thing pissed Eddie off immensely. Funny, because it had the exact opposite effect on the fans.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qiPf7ubjk4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qiPf7ubjk4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?54560-WELCOME-BACK-DAVE!-MTV-clip-IN-FULL&highlight=

I remember the first time I saw this...going apeshit...

POJO_Risin

12-31-2010, 09:58 AM

It appears as though the double-posts and white screens have fucking returned...oh joy...

sadaist

12-31-2010, 10:44 AM

I remember the first time I saw this...going apeshit...

Ditto.

And my friends that thought I was lying about Dave being back, I couldn't wait to show them this video to rub it in their faces. Turns out I ended up with a lot of egg on me face.

POJO_Risin

12-31-2010, 11:12 AM

Ditto.

And my friends that thought I was lying about Dave being back, I couldn't wait to show them this video to rub it in their faces. Turns out I ended up with a lot of egg on me face.

Those few months were crazy. I was working in management at the time, and working 14-16 hour days, so after the MTV music awards, I was more or less out of the loop. Maybe a month after the awards, a good friend calls me up and says, they kicked Dave out again...and of course, I told him he was full of shit. Me Wise Magic was on the radio at this point, and same day he calls, I'm sitting at home listening to the radio, and Me Wise comes on. When the song ended the DJ read Dave's open letter over the air...

One of the shittier moments of my life...I felt like fucking kilroy, peering over the edge at the Mighty Van Halen...then having that spED stop on my fucking fingers, and kicking me off the wall.

Bastard.

http://www.kilroy.cx/photos/KilroyWasHere/KilroyRacing.jpg

Egg in the face

sadaist

12-31-2010, 01:30 PM

I actually won a call-in contest from the local rock station. The promotion was anytime they played a VH song (classic), the 10th caller would win a VH cd and be in the final drawing for tickets & limo to the concert when/if they came to San Diego. I was 10th caller, drove down & picked out VH I from the box even though I already had it. And was stoked I was in the final drawing.

I shoulda hit that station up in 2007 for tix since that was the next VH concert in town.

At the time Me Wise Magic hit, me & friends were discussing renting a motorhome for 2 weeks & seeing as many shows as we could once they toured.

fifth element

12-31-2010, 02:21 PM

thx, Thrills, I enjoyed the biography....

POJO_Risin

12-31-2010, 02:44 PM

Terry

01-02-2011, 07:55 PM

By the time 1996 rolled around it appeared that the Van Halens were gonna keep churning out shite rock with Hagar for years to come...that lame Twister movie came out in, what, late spring 1996 or so and the Humans Being video was being played quite often...by then it had been several years since I'd read any rock media mags with any regularity and Dave's career following ALAE had become progressively low-key to the point of near invisibility. Also, back then it wasn't a case of nearly every home having the internet, so the exchange of information was hardly instantaneous. Like, for that whole two month span of the band being back into the studio until the MTV Awards show info about the reunion existed in as close to a media blackout as you could get. All that was really known is that Roth apparently was back in the studio with the Van Halens.

Then comes the MTV appearance, followed by a few weeks of silence, then right around the same time MWM hits the radio Roth and the Van Halens issue their respective open letters explaining why nothing beyond the two tracks is gonna happen, and btw Gary Cherone is gonna be the new singer. It was just such an odd series of events, all of which happened in a black hole in terms of any key players saying what was going on until it was all over.

I remember thinking at the time that the Van Halens were totally insane to do anything along the lines of what they did with Dave, then try and go forward with Cherone as the new singer. I mean, why get people's expectations raised shy-high and not deliver? It was tantamount to dousing their fanbase with a bucket a cold water in announcing that the former lead singer of Extreme was their choice.