WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST Re-visited

[chefcraig]

Rikk...I honestly feel it was a stellar review.

You breathed some life into it...and in my opinion your review was superior to the record.

When I got it (day of issue) I was really dissapointed. I liked "Take Your Whiskey" and "Could This Be Magic", yet I thought the rest of the record was crap.

I'd seen them live, and wanted better.

"Everybody Wants Some" is still a "Cheech and Chong" song to me.

Frankly, I'm pleased (historically) that they used this record to shake off the rust..."Fair Warning" would come next...and I have roughly 3500 words for that text!

IMHO...craig

[Bill Lumbergh]

Originally posted by Rikk
Thanks guys. When I do get to it, it'll be detailed! And that CD will then by in my player (and yours, hopefully) for days!

You're not applying yourself dude..........take a couple weeks off from work so you can really nail the FW review. Thanks, Bill..........

[Rikk]

Originally posted by Bill Lumbergh
You're not applying yourself dude..........take a couple weeks off from work so you can really nail the FW review. Thanks, Bill..........

LOL. "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

[tjvhou812]

wacf....the fucking cd rocks, period.

[Rebel]

Awesome thread here. Romeo Delight is bar none, no doubt, my favorite VH song. That thing smokes. Dave is at his lyrical best on this one, great stuff, and the music is still ahead of it's time. The groove and arrangement is so diffferent than anything to that point, and anything since, just a great, great song.

Also, props to Gary for breaking it out on the "3" tour, very nice version and the band sounded really good on that tour. It really smokes on the Unchained Monsters boot.

As far as Sam singing it, I'd rather he didn't, he couldn't do it to be honest.

[Rebel]

Originally posted by Rikk
Thanks guys. When I do get to it, it'll be detailed! And that CD will then by in my player (and yours, hopefully) for days!

Don't forget to post one for "DLR Band" at some point. I listened to it last night, several awesome tracks on it.

I love that "Black Sands" track, it may be "cheesy", but I don't give a shit, Dave sounds great on it.

[Rikk]

Originally posted by Rebel
Don't forget to post one for "DLR Band" at some point. I listened to it last night, several awesome tracks on it.

I love that "Black Sands" track, it may be "cheesy", but I don't give a shit, Dave sounds great on it.

Yup. DLR BAND is definitely something I want to write. Not enough people appreciate the damn thing. In fact, I may do that first. If enough people on here that don't have it read a long appreciation of it, they may go pick it up!

Probably within a week I'll do one for DLR BAND.

[Lou]

When I first heard "Slam Dunk!" on the radio I immediately thought Van HALEN and not Dave solo. I could totally see that song being on 1984.

[Hecubus]

Dead on Rikk.....

Romeo Delight.

Quite possibly the best =VH= song ever written.

[diamondsgirl]

I finally got comfy with a cup of coffee and read that entire post. It was excellent. Nice job, Rikk.

I was just entering High School when that album came out and I was getting in with "the wrong crowd" , as my folks would call them.

What a great time we had. Whenever we'd smoke anything harsh, and then cough, we'd say "where'd you get that shit...oh yeah.".
Trying to sound like Dave. LOL.

[Kristy]

Some really interesting facts and tid bits about how the songs came together and I'm always astounded when I read one of these "revisited" posts because they seem to be written from the heart instead of the usual glib of some music journal hack. With that being said, I really don't like this record and personally find it to be the weakest link in the original Van Halen 6-pack. I don't know why that is but the many of the riffs seem dated and tired to me. There are some gems on this record though - like 'Take Your Whiskey Home' which, to me, sounds like this is exactly what Muddy Waters would play if he was white and in his late 20's. It's hard to believe a band like Van Halen preaching morals but I don't think that song was anything tongue-in-cheek (just ironic for Eddie) but more of a respect that rock was based on the blues and that short to-the-bone solo Eddie punches out at the end of the tune just takes the wind out of me.

Maybe success came too sudden for them back then and I know they were highly pressured by Warner Bros to put out album after album followed by tour after tour and maybe that's why this one seems so weak to me then the others - even 'Diver Down.' Still, I wouldn't disregard it even though of all the 6-pack albums, I usually turn this one down.

[Wayne L.]

WACF is one of the most underrated classic rock albums Van Halen has ever released for some reason even though it's bluesy, ballsy & raunchy with great tracks like Everybody Wants Some, Romeo Delight & Take Your Whiskey Home showcasing VH at their finest while most of the tracks would make Mick Jagger blush.

[DLRdelight!]

Adore this album , great review

[Rikk]

Thank you!

[secrets]

Great review and a great thread. Love this album. Those who don't keep listening it'll grow on you.

Underrated indeed. Came quite low in the top 100 (guitar) albums of the 80's in Guitar World, though 1984 was voted No 1.