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THEY'RE BAAAACCK
The Return of Van Halen
By Jeb Wright
Calling all rock dogs and rocker chicks! The classic hard rock news of the year is upon us. Van Halen have reunited with David Lee Roth. The dates are set and the tickets are mostly sold out. Edward is sober and it appears likely this is actually going to happen this time. Seeing Ed and Dave hug and smile at the VH press release makes things seem right in the world once again.
To fully understand the significance of the hug one must look backward in time. The date April 1, 1985 was one of the darkest days in hard rock history. It was an end of an era. It was the day that David Lee Roth left Van Halen. To be honest the world of hard rock has never been the same. Sure Sammy Hagar had great success with the band and Dave had his musical moments but like the BB King song, something was different, something was missing; the thrill was gone. Instead of Van Halen being the renegade rebels who were out to conquer the world, we had a kinder and gentler band who put out keyboard laden pop songs and made glossy videos. Roth changed as well. His first attempt at a solo career was a cover of the Beach Boy's classic "California Girls" and while the video was entertaining this was not what we had come to expect from DLR. Roth quickly got his shit together and put together an all star band featuring Billy Sheehan on bass and Steve Vai on guitar and released the classic Eat 'em & Smile album. Dave flew the middle finger at The Brothers. Van Halen answered back by snagging Sammy as the new front man and went straight to # 1 with 5150 proving they could replace Roth and grow to new heights of commercial success without him.
Van Halen created a new audience, separate from the long haired, leather wearing head-bangers who bought only the band's first five albums. Van Hagar and Sam Halen became the terms used to differentiate the two classic line ups of the band. Trouble once again reared it's ugly head. After years of owning the charts, Hagar and The Brothers had a rift and went separate ways. Rumors were flung around that the door was open and that Dave was coming back. Two new Roth sung tunes were added to the Best of Van Halen Vol. 1 release but in the end it was not meant to be. With Sammy and Dave both gone, Brothers VH had to find a third person lead the band. They brought in Gary Cherone from Extreme and released Van Halen III. The album flopped and became the first musical wart on Van Halen's resume. It was also the last album released under the moniker Van Halen.
David Lee Roth's career was struggling as well. Vai and Sheehan quickly tired of Dave's shtick and left to pursue more serious music. Once it was clear his solo career was in shambles Roth courageously stepped outside the box and went to Vegas. This was a pretty cool move actually and for a while it was successful. Many were not surprised to see Roth end up a Vegas showman as this fit his personality perfectly. As Van Halen were putting out classics like "Right Now" and "When It's Love" Roth found getting on the charts tougher than it had been in the old days.
Despite not being in the same band for decades rumors constantly persisted that Dave was indeed coming back. Every time they were announced the fans stood salivating and ready to pounce. Without fail, hopes were dashed and we were left with nothing but tabloid sensationalism. Over the last few decades Van Halen fans have had to put up not only with these pesky reunion rumors. They have had to put up with all three sides of the Van Halen Story -- The Brothers, DLR and Sammy -- fighting with each other. We have witnessed a crazy MTV declaration of the band being back together by Dave only to have Eddie declare that he was going to "kick Dave in the balls." There have been rehabs, marijuana busts, failed talk radio shows, cancer, divorce, porn soundtracks and the Sam & Dave tour. But now --- dare I say it --- the unthinkable has happened. Van Halen, with David Lee Roth in the band, will once again tour --- and if you believe the outspoken Roth --- they will record and stay together as a band.
As a diehard Van Halen fan since the first album was released in 1978, I still have to pinch myself everytime I get a press release or see a story on television about the band being back with Roth . Finally, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen are back in the same band -- not to mention Alex and Michael Anthony --- oh, wait a minute. There is a catch. The Brothers didn't invite Mike to the party. Mike was always the good guy. He was the one who got along with all three camps. He had his ass handed to him and was told to not let the door hit him there on the way out. Apparently the Van Halen camp didn't like him being on the road with Sammy calling themselves The Other Half, even though that is precisely what they were. Not only were they the Other Half but they were the Only Half that was even playing live gigs anymore. For now Mikey has been replaced by another Van Halen: Wolfgang. The kid is not old enough to vote yet and he is going to have to grow some big brass ones to be on the biggest classic rock stage ever.
Now is the time to take stock of the situation and ask the question: "What could possibly go wrong?"
What Could Possibly Go Wrong List
A. Wolfe Could Choke
Mike is a huge part of the fan base. His Jack Daniels bass will be as missed as much as his wide smile and his awesome high end backing vocals. The young Van Halen has one tough job and his age and inexperience will be tested.
B. Dave & Ed Could Start Fighting
Dave has never been able to get along with ANYONE named Van Halen and now he will be surrounded by three of them. Until the two became huggy with each other Ed was telling Dave he was going to kick him in the nads and Dave referred to Ed as Eddie Van Heineken. Hugs aside, this is not the basis for a great friendship. Ed and Dave are famous for hating each other. Is the allure of big money, increased fame and carrying on the legacy of Van Halen enough to keep their egos in check?
C. Egos Could Fly Out of Control
One may think I covered this in the last question but we are talking about Edward Van Halen and David Lee Roth here. I am sure when they are at home enjoying a quite family evening they are both nice guys. However, when put together in the spotlight they tend to battle over who is Van Halen. Is it the guitar player whose last name is the name of the band or is it the singer who wears funny cloths, makes that odd, high pitched squeal and is the focal point of the audience? The obvious answer is that BOTH made up what was Van Halen and both are going to be what takes the band into the future. History has proved that they are often blind to this reality. From accusing Roth of having LSD (Lead Singers Disease) to the aforementioned ball kicking threat Edward has been fed up with Roth many times in the past. Roth has deserved some of the flack as he has shot his mouth off on more than a thousand occasions. Perhaps he is the prefect front man but that job has caused him to cross lines with the media with the full intent of pissing off the person he was talking about. Too often that person was Edward Van Halen.
D. Dave Could Say More Than He Should
Did Dave already cross the line when he said that this was not a reunion concert? Did he promise too much when he told us all that the band was going to make new music and stay together? If this falls apart are we going to have to suffer through another open letter from Dave to a guitar magazine telling us that Edward yelled at him and said he was going to whack his pee-pee again? I certainly hope not but Dave needs to watch what he says and what he does for several reasons A) The Brothers have shown sensitivity to Dave's words in the past and B) This is most likely way that Roth could inadvertently fuck things up.
E. Michael Anthony Could Be More important Than They Think
What if they get out there and find out Anthony was a bigger cog in the Van Halen machine than these four think? The result could be disastrous.
F. Dave's Vocal Limitations Rear Their Ugly Head
Does Dave still have it? If so will he be able to keep it? Van Halen live has always been the best thing about the band and Dave will need to remain at the top of his game to make this a valid undertaking.
G. Ed Could Fall of the Wagon
God forbid this happen. It is nothing to joke about and is nothing we would wish on Ed or anyone in his situation. But the fact is early sobriety is fragile. If Ed can't keep it together then this would spell bad news.
If the band can prove themselves and the list above is overcome then we must ask ourselves, "What could possibly go right?"
What Could Possibly Go Right List
The possibilities for this list could go on forever. Just imagine that we are on the brink of what could prove to be the reawakening of hard rock. A successful Van Halen tour will prove that people still love music that is fun. It will also prove that people want to hear music made by true virtuosos.
More than anything the best part of the reunion is that the music will be back. Van Hagar concerts featured mostly music that featured Sammy. The DLR era has been, for the most part, left untouched. Now the music gets to come back to life. Not just the hits that the Hagar era still played like "Jump," "Panama" and "You Really Got Me" but the songs that have not been played by Ed and Dave since the good old days. "Running with the Devil," "Unchained," "Dance the Night Away," "Jamie's Cryin'" and many more could be given a new lease on life.
I am sure there are plenty who wish for the band to fail. Cynics everywhere think the band will no longer have it. Others think that they are doing it just for the money. Only the four musicians can say for sure why they are doing what they are doing. But as a classic rock fan, a lifelong Van Halen fan, and as a music journalist, I hope Roth is right. I hope the band is back and that the tour goes off without a hitch. Sit back and imagine 2008 with a new release by Van Halen. Imagine further that they pick up musically where 1984 left off. Imagine that Van Halen still have enough simple magic to breath life back into what once was the greatest rock act of their time. They are older and hopefully wiser. Beware not to think they will be the same as time has changed them. But just as time changes us all, it teaches us valuable lessons as well. Time can fade old wounds and time can create enough space to deal with past resentments maturely. We don't need the spandex and we don't need the big show. But we do need the music. And, as it stands today, the music is about to come back louder than ever before. The Mighty Van Halen have returned. If this is the real thing and it looks like it is, then we are in for something special. So sinners get ready to swing as Van Halen prepare to stroll down Mean Street once again. In 1978 they helped kill disco and pave the way for hard rock. Will history repeat itself? We can only hope.
Let's hear your thoughts! Click Here To Respond.
The Return of Van Halen
By Jeb Wright
Calling all rock dogs and rocker chicks! The classic hard rock news of the year is upon us. Van Halen have reunited with David Lee Roth. The dates are set and the tickets are mostly sold out. Edward is sober and it appears likely this is actually going to happen this time. Seeing Ed and Dave hug and smile at the VH press release makes things seem right in the world once again.
To fully understand the significance of the hug one must look backward in time. The date April 1, 1985 was one of the darkest days in hard rock history. It was an end of an era. It was the day that David Lee Roth left Van Halen. To be honest the world of hard rock has never been the same. Sure Sammy Hagar had great success with the band and Dave had his musical moments but like the BB King song, something was different, something was missing; the thrill was gone. Instead of Van Halen being the renegade rebels who were out to conquer the world, we had a kinder and gentler band who put out keyboard laden pop songs and made glossy videos. Roth changed as well. His first attempt at a solo career was a cover of the Beach Boy's classic "California Girls" and while the video was entertaining this was not what we had come to expect from DLR. Roth quickly got his shit together and put together an all star band featuring Billy Sheehan on bass and Steve Vai on guitar and released the classic Eat 'em & Smile album. Dave flew the middle finger at The Brothers. Van Halen answered back by snagging Sammy as the new front man and went straight to # 1 with 5150 proving they could replace Roth and grow to new heights of commercial success without him.
Van Halen created a new audience, separate from the long haired, leather wearing head-bangers who bought only the band's first five albums. Van Hagar and Sam Halen became the terms used to differentiate the two classic line ups of the band. Trouble once again reared it's ugly head. After years of owning the charts, Hagar and The Brothers had a rift and went separate ways. Rumors were flung around that the door was open and that Dave was coming back. Two new Roth sung tunes were added to the Best of Van Halen Vol. 1 release but in the end it was not meant to be. With Sammy and Dave both gone, Brothers VH had to find a third person lead the band. They brought in Gary Cherone from Extreme and released Van Halen III. The album flopped and became the first musical wart on Van Halen's resume. It was also the last album released under the moniker Van Halen.
David Lee Roth's career was struggling as well. Vai and Sheehan quickly tired of Dave's shtick and left to pursue more serious music. Once it was clear his solo career was in shambles Roth courageously stepped outside the box and went to Vegas. This was a pretty cool move actually and for a while it was successful. Many were not surprised to see Roth end up a Vegas showman as this fit his personality perfectly. As Van Halen were putting out classics like "Right Now" and "When It's Love" Roth found getting on the charts tougher than it had been in the old days.
Despite not being in the same band for decades rumors constantly persisted that Dave was indeed coming back. Every time they were announced the fans stood salivating and ready to pounce. Without fail, hopes were dashed and we were left with nothing but tabloid sensationalism. Over the last few decades Van Halen fans have had to put up not only with these pesky reunion rumors. They have had to put up with all three sides of the Van Halen Story -- The Brothers, DLR and Sammy -- fighting with each other. We have witnessed a crazy MTV declaration of the band being back together by Dave only to have Eddie declare that he was going to "kick Dave in the balls." There have been rehabs, marijuana busts, failed talk radio shows, cancer, divorce, porn soundtracks and the Sam & Dave tour. But now --- dare I say it --- the unthinkable has happened. Van Halen, with David Lee Roth in the band, will once again tour --- and if you believe the outspoken Roth --- they will record and stay together as a band.
As a diehard Van Halen fan since the first album was released in 1978, I still have to pinch myself everytime I get a press release or see a story on television about the band being back with Roth . Finally, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen are back in the same band -- not to mention Alex and Michael Anthony --- oh, wait a minute. There is a catch. The Brothers didn't invite Mike to the party. Mike was always the good guy. He was the one who got along with all three camps. He had his ass handed to him and was told to not let the door hit him there on the way out. Apparently the Van Halen camp didn't like him being on the road with Sammy calling themselves The Other Half, even though that is precisely what they were. Not only were they the Other Half but they were the Only Half that was even playing live gigs anymore. For now Mikey has been replaced by another Van Halen: Wolfgang. The kid is not old enough to vote yet and he is going to have to grow some big brass ones to be on the biggest classic rock stage ever.
Now is the time to take stock of the situation and ask the question: "What could possibly go wrong?"
What Could Possibly Go Wrong List
A. Wolfe Could Choke
Mike is a huge part of the fan base. His Jack Daniels bass will be as missed as much as his wide smile and his awesome high end backing vocals. The young Van Halen has one tough job and his age and inexperience will be tested.
B. Dave & Ed Could Start Fighting
Dave has never been able to get along with ANYONE named Van Halen and now he will be surrounded by three of them. Until the two became huggy with each other Ed was telling Dave he was going to kick him in the nads and Dave referred to Ed as Eddie Van Heineken. Hugs aside, this is not the basis for a great friendship. Ed and Dave are famous for hating each other. Is the allure of big money, increased fame and carrying on the legacy of Van Halen enough to keep their egos in check?
C. Egos Could Fly Out of Control
One may think I covered this in the last question but we are talking about Edward Van Halen and David Lee Roth here. I am sure when they are at home enjoying a quite family evening they are both nice guys. However, when put together in the spotlight they tend to battle over who is Van Halen. Is it the guitar player whose last name is the name of the band or is it the singer who wears funny cloths, makes that odd, high pitched squeal and is the focal point of the audience? The obvious answer is that BOTH made up what was Van Halen and both are going to be what takes the band into the future. History has proved that they are often blind to this reality. From accusing Roth of having LSD (Lead Singers Disease) to the aforementioned ball kicking threat Edward has been fed up with Roth many times in the past. Roth has deserved some of the flack as he has shot his mouth off on more than a thousand occasions. Perhaps he is the prefect front man but that job has caused him to cross lines with the media with the full intent of pissing off the person he was talking about. Too often that person was Edward Van Halen.
D. Dave Could Say More Than He Should
Did Dave already cross the line when he said that this was not a reunion concert? Did he promise too much when he told us all that the band was going to make new music and stay together? If this falls apart are we going to have to suffer through another open letter from Dave to a guitar magazine telling us that Edward yelled at him and said he was going to whack his pee-pee again? I certainly hope not but Dave needs to watch what he says and what he does for several reasons A) The Brothers have shown sensitivity to Dave's words in the past and B) This is most likely way that Roth could inadvertently fuck things up.
E. Michael Anthony Could Be More important Than They Think
What if they get out there and find out Anthony was a bigger cog in the Van Halen machine than these four think? The result could be disastrous.
F. Dave's Vocal Limitations Rear Their Ugly Head
Does Dave still have it? If so will he be able to keep it? Van Halen live has always been the best thing about the band and Dave will need to remain at the top of his game to make this a valid undertaking.
G. Ed Could Fall of the Wagon
God forbid this happen. It is nothing to joke about and is nothing we would wish on Ed or anyone in his situation. But the fact is early sobriety is fragile. If Ed can't keep it together then this would spell bad news.
If the band can prove themselves and the list above is overcome then we must ask ourselves, "What could possibly go right?"
What Could Possibly Go Right List
The possibilities for this list could go on forever. Just imagine that we are on the brink of what could prove to be the reawakening of hard rock. A successful Van Halen tour will prove that people still love music that is fun. It will also prove that people want to hear music made by true virtuosos.
More than anything the best part of the reunion is that the music will be back. Van Hagar concerts featured mostly music that featured Sammy. The DLR era has been, for the most part, left untouched. Now the music gets to come back to life. Not just the hits that the Hagar era still played like "Jump," "Panama" and "You Really Got Me" but the songs that have not been played by Ed and Dave since the good old days. "Running with the Devil," "Unchained," "Dance the Night Away," "Jamie's Cryin'" and many more could be given a new lease on life.
I am sure there are plenty who wish for the band to fail. Cynics everywhere think the band will no longer have it. Others think that they are doing it just for the money. Only the four musicians can say for sure why they are doing what they are doing. But as a classic rock fan, a lifelong Van Halen fan, and as a music journalist, I hope Roth is right. I hope the band is back and that the tour goes off without a hitch. Sit back and imagine 2008 with a new release by Van Halen. Imagine further that they pick up musically where 1984 left off. Imagine that Van Halen still have enough simple magic to breath life back into what once was the greatest rock act of their time. They are older and hopefully wiser. Beware not to think they will be the same as time has changed them. But just as time changes us all, it teaches us valuable lessons as well. Time can fade old wounds and time can create enough space to deal with past resentments maturely. We don't need the spandex and we don't need the big show. But we do need the music. And, as it stands today, the music is about to come back louder than ever before. The Mighty Van Halen have returned. If this is the real thing and it looks like it is, then we are in for something special. So sinners get ready to swing as Van Halen prepare to stroll down Mean Street once again. In 1978 they helped kill disco and pave the way for hard rock. Will history repeat itself? We can only hope.
Let's hear your thoughts! Click Here To Respond.
Three time witness to the comeback of the MIGHTY VAN HALEN. And then they faded back into obscurity.
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