Official "A Different Kind of Truth" Album Review Thread

[Halen High]

i said that the other day, i think this album in 1 day will out sell the chickenfoot cd, and it will debute at number 1

The last time I checked how the absurdly named Chickenfoot III was doing on the charts, it had just dropped out of the Billboard Top 200 after 4 or 5 weeks with sales of about 80,000. So I guess it's probably sold about 90,000-100,000?

It will be interesting to see if ADKOT debuts at or reaches number one at all. Depends on what else is out there. The reality is, our generation tends not to buy new CDs but rather settle for listening to the old stuff and attending a show. I think in time, as more people are exposed to the new music at shows and through word of mouth, ADKOT will sell 1m+. It will be a 'stayer' rather than an instant hit.

[Dave's Bitch]

Bbbbbb BULLETHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.My fav on the album.Now Hagar and fans know how Van Halen fans felt in 85'

[Carmine]

Epilogue

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH (cont.)

Van Halen, as a band, had used up eight of their nine lives. This was it. Sure, Ed has the vault of music with ten albums worth (epically plundered now), but that music would never see the light of day without first giving the fans what they wanted. This has been a sticking point with the Van Halen brothers for nearly thirty years. As professional musicians, who can blame them? You want to live in the current, in the now – record and document what is relevant in your life today, not eons ago. But first things first. You need the fans before you can have the music. The fans wanted ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ and this band, our band, delivered. We can now have closure for the last 28 years of silence. We can properly appreciate and validate all those long-suffering years where we were convinced nothing – short of the two ’96 tracks – would ever happen again. We forgive you. We love you like we did all those years ago. I know it’s not manly to admit your love for something – but let’s be honest here. We’re family, right? We can say ‘I love you’ without blushing.

To Alex Van Halen: thank you for the thunder. You’ve never wavered, through good times and bad, and have proven that even rock stars, including drummers, can have class. To Eddie Van Halen: I’m proud of you for conquering your demons. You are an example to all, musically inclined or not, and your fret-work on ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ will be studied like Mozart. Sounds like schmaltz, right? It’s not. You raised the bar. Again. When we chant “Eddie! Eddie!” at your concerts, we mean it with all our collective hearts. To David Lee Roth: thank you for your undying devotion to this band. You never gave up, you never stopped believing, even when many of us did. Your lyrics are like poetry, and your lifestyle is worthy of an action hero. You’ll always be my hero – and some day my kid’s hero as well, and you can take that to the bank. And finally, to the most important member of this quartet: Wolfgang Van Halen. Thanks kid, for loving your dad. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that that is why we’re even having this conversation at all. You resurrected the greatest American rock and roll band of all time and saved a good soul worth saving. I know you will live in the shadow of a former member to some, but in my book your playing was epic, and your dedication to your father even more so. You have earned our respect. Take a bow, kid.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…the mighty VAN HALEN!

Can a Brutha get an AMEN?!?!

[Dave's Bitch]

Seriously i will be in shock if this does not go straight to number one.I am still gathering up pieces of my face that were melted off.I will rate this album 6 stars All killer no filler,uncompromising,raw,fun,good time,feel good,play your instruments like a mother fucker belt out vocals rock GOLD BABY

[Halen High]

Bbbbbb BULLETHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.My fav on the album.Now Hagar and fans know how Van Halen fans felt in 85'

I LOVE Dave's vocal treatment for the new Bullethead - yeah it's in my top five tracks on the album.

[Halen High]

I think I read 2 or 3 weeks ago that Interscope had planned for 200,000 - 250,000 sales in the first week. Is that enough to hit number one?

[sadaist]

I think I read 2 or 3 weeks ago that Interscope had planned for 200,000 - 250,000 sales in the first week. Is that enough to hit number one?

Does the Billboard #1 also count digital sales of the full album or just physical copies? A ton of people just downloaded the entire thing. I hope that counts. I like winning.

[Hardrock69]

Yes, they count digital now. Also, considering these days one can have a top 5 album by selling less than 50,000 copies, it is a no brainer. The older generation of VH fans, who saw them in their first 6 years of public existence have never forgotten what it was like. Also, consider in the past 2 months how many times statistically like on Yahoo, Google, etc. Van Halen was the top thing being searched for....it was like that for DAYS around the time of Cafe Wha......consider overseas sales.....USA is one thing. But Van Halen is a global phenomenon......we gonna see some muthafucking sales.......Interscope knew they scored BIG TIME when they signed VH.

We should know by when....Thursday evening? Friday? The weekend? Billboard always makes projections based on the first few days of Soundscan data....naturally the final numbers won't be out until after next Tuesday.....but I am sure it will rival anything Metallica sells.....they have a much wider appeal to a much wider audience....

[Mr Walker]

This CD really is "the killing side of Van Halen".

Unfortunately, this CD is another casualty of the 'Loudness Wars' where the mastering sacrifices dynamics for brickwalled volume... let me control the volume...
Looking forward to hearing this on vinyl.

[neuralfraud]

Absolutely right man. There is a lot of clipping in the songs and you can hear it. What the fuck is wrong these days?

I hope the vinyl is better but ill have to wait for pbthal..

This CD really is "the killing side of Van Halen".

Unfortunately, this CD is another casualty of the 'Loudness Wars' where the mastering sacrifices dynamics for brickwalled volume... let me control the volume...
Looking forward to hearing this on vinyl.

[neuralfraud]

Oh and cmon. 1996 is calling asking "where's the fucking CD-TEXT?"

[golitely]

Was snowed in all weekend so only made it to the store today. First store (like a Best Buy), no VH to be found. Second store, they had about 40 copies of the reg CD and about a dozen of the deluxe in two different spots in the store. Wish they'd had a poster or some sort of end-of-row display, but guess those are reserved for a Deep Purple boxed set and Adele (?).

Car CD player decided to cooperate for once. There is nothing like listening to DLR/VH over car speakers. Smiled all the way home. Now I'm ready for the next snow storm this weekend.

Only criticism, more a suggestion...can we have We Die Bold on the follow-up album?

[Mr Walker]

I hope the vinyl is better but ill have to wait for pbthal..

Have you heard his VH1 and 1984 Final Masters? holy fuck!

[VHscraps]

Now that I own it and I've heard it I feel like I am taller, bigger, stronger, faster and sexier than I was before. I'm lookin at buildings saying "Go ahead, fall on me, it won't hurt" and walking out in front of cars saying "Try and hit my ass, I'm too fast" in the best Van Halen tradition.

Yeeeeeaaaaaarrrrrrrgggghh !

[riggodrill44]

I know I'm drinking the Kool Aid... but this is a masterpiece. </opinion>