All-Encompassing Van Halen New Album / Interscope Thread

[FORD]

If Dave wasn't given his old post back that of being the 'Quality Manager' on songs/song structures, etc -- then I would be worried as to the type of album we will be hearing.

Might be a mis-mash of Van HALEN/HAGAR even VH3 type of songs -- just with Dave singing.

Yikes!

Well, the 2 songs in 1996 started out as Van Hagar songs, but they turned out alright. Hell there were 2 or 3 songs on VDIII that might have worked, in Dave's hands.

God knows what kind of record we might have had in 1997/98 had Eddie's head not been stuck up Ray Danniels ass.

Is it too late to get that kind of an album from them now? I hope not.

[chefcraig]

Judging by your current avatar FORD, I imagine it's safe to say you lost some sort of bet?

[FORD]

Judging by your current avatar FORD, I imagine it's safe to say you lost some sort of bet?

Nah, I just thought it was one of the most ridiculous pictures of Hagar ever, so I wanted everyone to have a chance to laugh at it.

[VAiN]

I think 'Neworld' is a nice little piece... maybe not the in the blistering VH flavor.. but if something like that takes me into a killer Roth-fronted VH rocker, I'll take it!

[Vinnie Velvet]

Don't get me wrong, I still think we may hear the old magic between Ed and Dave again -- we certainly heard it live during the 07-08 tour so there is definitely hope.

And if it has taken 3 years to do it since the end of the last tour, maybe we are in for something great.
Satisfactory or average just was never part of the Van HALEN vocab.

[Jagermeister]

This may have been posted. If so I don't really care.



During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, former VAN HALEN and current CHICKENFOOT bassist Michael Anthony was asked for his thoughts on his old group's upcoming album, which is tentatively due this fall.

"Well, you know what?! As far as people saying, 'Do you miss VAN HALEN?' or any of that kind of stuff, I've totally moved on. Man, I am just in my total happy place right now. . . Yeah, I'm curious to see what they come out with, but there's no type of competitive type thing." He added, "It's funny, I go online, and see what the fans are saying, you know, 'Oh my God, it's gonna be VAN HALEN against CHICKENFOOT this year, both things coming out, and what's going to be better?' and blah blah blah. If they out put out a great album, that's great. I just know that ours is great, and I'm really proud of it."

Anthony hasn't spoken to any of the members of VAN HALEN since the end of the band's 2004 tour. He said earlier this year, "The tour did not end as harmoniously as we would have liked it to and it probably should have gone on longer than it did." Still, Anthony wouldn't be against having his band CHICKENFOOT open for VAN HALEN should they go on tour — "I got no problem with that," he said.

Anthony last year said that Eddie and Alex Van Halen hold a grudge against him for maintaining a friendship with Sammy Hagar. Anthony recalled to Mojo, that the problems started between him and the band when in the late '90s, VAN HALEN once again tried unsuccessfully to bring David Lee Roth back into the fold. With VAN HALEN seemingly on hiatus, Hagar had called Anthony to see if he was interested in hooking up with him and Neal Schon in their side project PLANET US.

Anthony explained, "Some VAN HALEN fans say I left the band to hook up with Sammy, but I never said, 'I quit.' There was nothing going on in the VAN HALEN camp, but Eddie kinda backed me up against a wall. . . Eddie felt that I was a traitor. I helped hook Sammy back up with them for the 2004 reunion tour, but Eddie didn't want me to be a part of that originally, so I took a big pay cut. I'm not crying, I didn't need the money. I did that because I wanted to play for the fans. I signed away any legal rights I had with the name, the trademark or whatever. I did it because if that was the last time VAN HALEN would ever be on stage, I wanted to be part of it."

He went on to say, "The major reason why I'm not in VAN HALEN (now) is because I became friends with Sammy again. The Van Halen brothers never got over that. If they hold a grudge, they hold it forever."

During VAN HALEN's August 2007 press conference announcing their reunion tour with David Lee Roth and Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, Roth skirted over the issue of why a then-16 year old kid was playing bass instead of Anthony. "Michael Anthony is part of this band's history, " he said. "There's a lot of great alumni who have been through this band. I'm shocked that any of us are still vertical after 30 years. And as far as why Wolf is in the band, may I speak for you, Ed? I understand how he wanted to play with the boy because he's amazing

[sadaist]

"The Van Halen brothers never got over that. If they hold a grudge, they hold it forever." - Michael Anthony

Not true Mikey. They got back with Sammy in 2004. They got back with Dave in 2007/2008, and are currently about to release an album with Dave singing and tour in the fall with him. Yes, the brothers do hold grudges over seemingly piss ant shit, but not forever.

[TAKIN WHISKEY]

I'm stoked and ready to roll. The time is almost upon us.

[AJW]

Nah, I just thought it was one of the most ridiculous pictures of Hagar ever, so I wanted everyone to have a chance to laugh at it.

And I did laugh my ass off.

[Halen High]

Mike: "The tour did not end as harmoniously as we would have liked it to and it probably should have gone on longer than it did."

Is Mike kidding? The 2004 Van Hagar tour featured half-empty stadiums, the worse reviews in the band's history from both fans and the press, saw the band labelled by one journalist as "the poster boys for reunions gone bust", almost ended up in a fist fight between Eddie and Sammy at the last show.........and he thinks it should have gone on longer?

[chefcraig]

Mike: "The tour did not end as harmoniously as we would have liked it to and it probably should have gone on longer than it did."

Is Mike kidding? The 2004 Van Hagar tour featured half-empty stadiums, the worse reviews in the band's history from both fans and the press, saw the band labelled by one journalist as "the poster boys for reunions gone bust", almost ended up in a fist fight between Eddie and Sammy at the last show.........and he thinks it should have gone on longer?

This points to something I don't quite follow in the entire "Anthony/Hagar Reasons For 2004 Not Working" excuse folder. Before these two signed on, they knew well in advance that EVH was in awful shape. This is confirmed by Hagar's meetings with the guitarist, whom he described in such detail in that hastily thrown together autobiography. Then there was the skirmish over Anthony's presence on the tour, and the much ballyhooed signing away of his rights. So going into this debacle, both had more than sufficient evidence that it just might come off the rails, yet they proceeded anyway rather than insisting Van Halen got straightened out. Later on, Hagar laments that he would have lost money to quit the tour, so he stayed with it due to contractual obligation. Now, does that ring just a little bit false coming from a guy that enjoys telling people how much money he has and claims not to need it? At one point, the doofus claimed he would stop charging admission for his shows, he was so well off.

Closer to the truth, in 2004 Hagar and Anthony sacrificed their consciences for a paycheck, plain and simple. No matter how much the two of them would like you to believe they were helpless in the situation, their own actions were no more noble than Edward Van Halen's lummox brother and the management team that allowed this disaster to go forward in the first place.

[ZahZoo]

Flip side Chef could be Mike and Bozo saw it as the "last supper" based on Ed's awful shape... I know that's what I was thinking back then.

[chefcraig]

Flip side Chef could be Mike and Bozo saw it as the "last supper" based on Ed's awful shape... I know that's what I was thinking back then.

Fair enough, but this still jibes with my point about knowing fully well how events could/would transpire, they went along willingly, took the money and only raised objections after the fact. Here we are 7 years later, and they still feel a need to bring it up in every interview. This more or less belies the contention (usually made in the same interview) that the two have "moved on" and are in "a happier place."

[sadaist]

Flip side Chef could be Mike and Bozo saw it as the "last supper" based on Ed's awful shape... I know that's what I was thinking back then.

that's what I thought. I saw them at the show in Vegas - Mandalay Bay. One of the 2 or 3 shows that was actually sold out. So the crowd was great. So much excitement before the show as usual. As we walked back through the casino to our room after the show I was heartbroken. I remember the whole walk I just was telling my wife it was over, they're done, what did we just see? It fucking sucked and was a shitty feeling.

[Diamondjimi]

that's what I thought. I saw them at the show in Vegas - Mandalay Bay. One of the 2 or 3 shows that was actually sold out. So the crowd was great. So much excitement before the show as usual. As we walked back through the casino to our room after the show I was heartbroken. I remember the whole walk I just was telling my wife it was over, they're done, what did we just see? It fucking sucked and was a shitty feeling.