Billy Sheehan Interview: Talks DLR

[FORD]

Because it sounds like Dave trying to do mainstream corporate rock garbage penned by a comittee...

Actually, that's how I described SkyCrapper (for the most part)

[ELVIS]

That's not to say I don't like most of it...

[ELVIS]

Because it sounds like Dave trying to do mainstream corporate rock garbage penned by a comittee...

[Baby's On Fire]

I always thought the reason for ALAE's lackluster sales, and Dave's fall in general was that he had a phenomenal band in VH, then he was gone from VH and had another phenomenal band. There was a lot of finger pointing between Roth and VH and in short order Dave lost another phenomenal band. I think the casual fans out there just threw up their hands and said, this guy is a joke and he looked like an asshole. That combined with all these other factors that have been mentioned...well it just didn't go. Then the tour was replacements, the hairline was going, the squeal was gone. It was a perfect storm. But I really think it was how DLR looked after losing Vai and Sheehan. My two cents.

Dave's voice is perfect on ALAE. Perfect raspiness and booming sound.

Far and away his best album. I can't understand how anyone thinks it's a weak album.

[78/84 guy]

I think that had a lot too do with it. But by 91 80's rock wasn't getting the airplay it had, or video's played anymore. Some of they early mid 80's hits were, but Grunge hit so fast after Nirvana it just steamrolled everyone for the most part. Gun's was still in demand. & Metallica (even though they were never a hair band ). I think the only way Van Halen survived sometimes was the Right Now video took off and got so big. And Eddie. I don't think Balance sold that well. It didn't have the big hit on it really. Sure they still were playing way bigger place's than Dave, but I really think it was the band name & Eddie drawing people more than the songs on the last few albums with Hag.

[TwoFoolsAMinute]

I always thought the reason for ALAE's lackluster sales, and Dave's fall in general was that he had a phenomenal band in VH, then he was gone from VH and had another phenomenal band. There was a lot of finger pointing between Roth and VH and in short order Dave lost another phenomenal band. I think the casual fans out there just threw up their hands and said, this guy is a joke and he looked like an asshole. That combined with all these other factors that have been mentioned...well it just didn't go. Then the tour was replacements, the hairline was going, the squeal was gone. It was a perfect storm. But I really think it was how DLR looked after losing Vai and Sheehan. My two cents.

[ThrillsNSpills]

I've sung praise for Nuno here before, so I won't get off on that tangent again, but that guy's best work is outside of Extreme.

Schizophonic's a great solo album!

[jhale667]

Remember, through some sordid and very evil media brainwashing, a handful of people once took Vanilla Ice seriously, too.

That's one thing I learned doing music marketing... there is a segment of the population that will buy exactly what (and whatever) they're TOLD to... which explains Justin Bieber currently...

[DLR Bridge]

Uuugh. My band opened for those jugheads sometime in the late 1990s, and you'll never meet a group of more drugged out, overly ego-ed twits in the music business.

Hmmm. Must have been the post Jason Beiler incarnation, which had no right trying to exist. My band opened up for them in '95 and they were pretty tight. I liked the two SK CDs with Jason doing lead vocals. Their out on the road with the original singer again. I'm not wasting any dough on that though.

[DLR Bridge]

I've sung praise for Nuno here before, so I won't get off on that tangent again, but that guy's best work is outside of Extreme.

[sonrisa salvaje]

I think Extreme are the exception here. Yeah, they had a big hit with a ballad, but wasn't a power-ballad; and lyrically they were very different from the sex/drugs/rock'n'roll of most the hair metal stuff.

By the time of 'Three Sides To Every Story', they weren't particualry commercial at all.

As a side note, I think Nuno is one of the truly great rock guitar players. His riffs are just ridiculous........

Yeah, i see your point. Extreme just never appealed to me whether it was Kid Ego, Get the Funk Out or Whole in My Heart. I do think Nuno is a talented player. Maybe we should take Extreme out and throw in Danger Danger or Tora Tora or shitty shitty...etc.

[chefcraig]

During that time period, trust me - some of them didn't have a choice. Record companies were demanding soundalikes. When I was working in the industry in the 90s, A & R guys would introduce a new band with "These guys are OUR (insert other currently popular band name)."

Some of them were all about the schlock and gleefully played along, true - but some had no choice but to try to write songs that sounded like either their less-than rockin' ballad that happened to be a hit, or some other band entirely...

I'm pretty certain that you and I both chewed a lot of the same dirt. At that time, nobody, from the artists to management, from the road crew to the caterers, knew which way was up. We literally had guys telling us we need to sound more like Creed one week, then telling us to sound less like Creed the next week.

The compromised results haven't changed much since then, which explains why bands like Nickleback and thinly disguised pop bands "playing" so-called country music have a following today. Remember, through some sordid and very evil media brainwashing, a handful of people once took Vanilla Ice seriously, too.

[jhale667]

Isn't it funny how many bands actually had decent guitarists but chose to appeal rather than apply. Nuno from Extreme was always a heralded guy as was the guitarist for White Lion.

During that time period, trust me - some of them didn't have a choice. Record companies were demanding soundalikes. When I was working in the industry in the 90s, A & R guys would introduce a new band with "These guys are OUR (insert other currently popular band name)."

Some of them were all about the schlock and gleefully played along, true - but some had no choice but to try to write songs that sounded like either their less-than rockin' ballad that happened to be a hit, or some other band entirely...

[binnie]

Isn't it funny how many bands actually had decent guitarists but chose to appeal rather than apply. Nuno from Extreme was always a heralded guy as was the guitarist for White Lion.

I think Extreme are the exception here. Yeah, they had a big hit with a ballad, but wasn't a power-ballad; and lyrically they were very different from the sex/drugs/rock'n'roll of most the hair metal stuff.

By the time of 'Three Sides To Every Story', they weren't particualry commercial at all.

As a side note, I think Nuno is one of the truly great rock guitar players. His riffs are just ridiculous........

[sonrisa salvaje]

Reminds me of this trifecta:

Mr. Big
Extreme
Saigon Kick

3 bands that effectively tore my face off with their live performance (guitar-wise for the most part) that attained commercial success with sap! I still remember going to those shows and picking out of the crowd who was there to sing along with To Be With You, More Than Words and Love Is On The Way, then leave.

Isn't it funny how many bands actually had decent guitarists but chose to appeal rather than apply. Nuno from Extreme was always a heralded guy as was the guitarist for White Lion.