Did Michael Anthony play bass on every classic Van Halen song?

[ashstralia]

I don't Ed

yes you do.

[Seshmeister]

It wasn't until I started playing bass that I found the secret to playing the Mean Streets into. It's slap funk on a guitar. So Ed was using popping and slapping on a six string electrical guitar. That's all it is but you need strong hands and you need to be accurate to pull it off.

I don't think so, I don't think Ed even played on that.

[Nitro Express]

Ed doesn't sound like a bass player. You need fat greasy fingers for bass.

It wasn't until I started playing bass that I found the secret to playing the Mean Streets into. It's slap funk on a guitar. So Ed was using popping and slapping on a six string electrical guitar. That's all it is but you need strong hands and you need to be accurate to pull it off.

[ashstralia]

haha! yount vs sniper!!

you guys crack me up..

i'll go on record and say i reckon it is mikey on the 6 pack, 98% at least.

also think the reason the eeas band (and every other DLR solo band, for that matter) didn't play the =CVH= songs verbatim is because, well, why would they?? i'd want to bring something fresh and exciting to the music, change it up and re-interpret it for a new sound... which is exactly what they did.

$0.02

[Yount]

What are you trying to say sir?

I bet even Flea always chooses to upsize, except he chows into heaps of drugs to even it out. Mikey would be a drinker and a pastry man. Perfectly suited. Not even Mikey cared whether he played bass on Eddie's records, as long as fudge was on room service everything's hunky dory.

[SNIPER]

Ed doesn't sound like a bass player. You need fat greasy fingers for bass.

What are you trying to say sir?

[Nickdfresh]

I always enjoyed Mike's vocals, but damn....Sheehan would have been great with VH.

Why? He wasn't that great playing CVH with EAS...

[Yount]

Ed doesn't sound like a bass player. You need fat greasy fingers for bass.

[SNIPER]

I am glad Sheehan never got in. It would have not been the same FW DD and 84 as we know it. Plus I don't think he would have stayed long term and VH would have had many other bass players over the years. As I think Billy is more of a band hopper and likes to do many projects. Not to mention we would also not have EEAS as we know it as Dave most likely would have picked up another player. History would have been all fucked up. ..Just my 2 cents. But I have felt this way for a couple decades now. Boy I need to get a life.

[Romeo Delight]

I like Mike, but can you really say you liked his balls-in-a-vice screams that were part and parcel of every live show before 1981-82?

He may have been restrained in the studio, but Mike didn't seem to have any governor in the live show until later.

[CROWBAR]

I always enjoyed Mike's vocals, but damn....Sheehan would have been great with VH.

I don't. I saw Sheehan on the EEAS tour with Dave along with Steve Vai attempt VH songs and it just did not sound right. Understandably, it wasn't their music and they did what they could with it, and, as good of players as they both are, it came off phony. Sheehan's aggressiveness just couldn't fit in with EVH's style as well. I don't think Sheehan would have wanted to be "restrained" just to appease the Master. His creative differences with Dave during Skyscraper is evidence of that too. Dave had the final word and Sheehan bailed.

C'mon - MA had been a bass player for a long time by the time VH came to record the six-pack. He subordinated himself to the needs of the band. He's probably got way more chops than he was ever allowed to show in VH.

Agree

I've said it before and I say it again now - one of the first things we KNOW for sure that Ed played bass on was that Hagar solo album around 1986. For me, the guy was simply not a bass player on the evidence of that - the bass playing on that album stood out to me as a guitar player trying to play bass.

Absolutely it did. I've heard it too. It was Hagar's final obligation to then Geffen Records I think, and Ed stepped in and played bass to help out.

Do you think Sheehan would have helped VH avoid the late 80's fade into parody, and move towards the styles of ADKOT but obviously years earlier? The move could have pleased all members if you consider, but who knows about the personalities?

No

[VHscraps]

When I listen to parts of Fair Warning, some of it does sound a bit unlike anything Anthony had played on previous records...

However, when I listen to what Anthony is doing on those 3 Oakland 1981 live tracks (particularly on So This Is Love?), it's clear what was played on Fair Warning was easily within Anthony's capabilities.

I suppose the counter-claim would be that Eddie obviously went back and redubbed the bass tracks to the Oakland audio as well

Agree on that.

On the albums, I can think of the bass on 'Romeo Delight' - when Ed hits the solo, listen to that right there. MA also takes off at the same time, and plays some hot shit right there.

I hate to admit it, but I saw some Chickensh!t in the studio video clip when the band, minus Hagar, were jamming / in rehearsal - it might have just been MA and the Chad the drummer dude. MA was definitely showing some chops on that.

I don't have a link ...

[Yount]

Do you think Sheehan would have helped VH avoid the late 80's fade into parody, and move towards the styles of ADKOT but obviously years earlier? The move could have pleased all members if you consider, but who knows about the personalities?

[Terry]

There's no telling, ultimately, unless Donn Landee or Ted Templeman come out and say it, but I think it was Mike Anthony on all that stuff.

Yeah, I agree, that when Ed was tinkering around in the studio after hours on the Fair Warning sessions it might have given him an opportunity to do some bass. The funky bass on 'Push Comes to Shove' - for some folks that probably sounds like un-Mike bass playing, but I do remember at the time Mike saying that Ed was getting him to listen to Percy Jones of Brand X, and saying 'try playing a bit like that for this tune'.

C'mon - MA had been a bass player for a long time by the time VH came to record the six-pack. He subordinated himself to the needs of the band. He's probably got way more chops than he was ever allowed to show in VH.

I've said it before and I say it again now - one of the first things we KNOW for sure that Ed played bass on was that Hagar solo album around 1986. For me, the guy was simply not a bass player on the evidence of that - the bass playing on that album stood out to me as a guitar player trying to play bass.

When I listen to parts of Fair Warning, some of it does sound a bit unlike anything Anthony had played on previous records...

However, when I listen to what Anthony is doing on those 3 Oakland 1981 live tracks (particularly on So This Is Love?), it's clear what was played on Fair Warning was easily within Anthony's capabilities.

I suppose the counter-claim would be that Eddie obviously went back and redubbed the bass tracks to the Oakland audio as well

[Satan]

I've said it before and I say it again now - one of the first things we KNOW for sure that Ed played bass on was that Hagar solo album around 1986. For me, the guy was simply not a bass player on the evidence of that - the bass playing on that album stood out to me as a guitar player trying to play bass.

Which isn't always a bad thing in and of itself. Not necessarily on the Hagar album, but when it comes to folks like Geezer Butler, Ronnie Lane, John Entwistle, Ronnie Wood, etc. All guitarists who took a back seat to another guitar player and ended up playing something that might be called "lead bass" on occasion.

Problem is, when Eddie played bass behind Hagar, it was the polar opposite of this.... a crap guitarist with a bass player who was better than him.