[SPOILER-FREE] Van Halen 2012 discussion

[Zint]

Ahh yes, finally someone else who loves Honeybabysweetiedoll. Before I heard the album all I read was negative or indifferent stuff, but it's one of my favorites.

I love it too!

[Zeppelin]

Great:

She's The Woman

You And Your Blues

China Town

Blood and Fire

As Is

Honeybabysweetiedoll

Outta Space

Big River

Stay Frosty

Beats Workin'

Good:

The Trouble With Never

Bullethead

Average:

Tattoo

I love the album. I even like Tattoo, but compared to the rest of the album, it's an average track. And yes, I love Stay Frosty.

[James Bond]

Oh what the hell, I'll do this ranking thing too for the album.

The Awesome:

She's The Woman

You and Your Blues

China Town

Blood and Fire

Big River

Beats Workin'

The Great:

The Trouble With Never

Tattoo

As Is

Outta Space

The Ones That Haven't Grown On Me Yet:

Honeybabysweetiedoll

Bullethead

Stay Frosty

[Turn_It_Up]

Ahh yes, finally someone else who loves Honeybabysweetiedoll. Before I heard the album all I read was negative or indifferent stuff, but it's one of my favorites.

I love it too!

Figured everyone dug this track. Woulda been an amazing EVH instrumental, but sooooo glad they added some lyrics to it and even Dave's dog barking. Despite all the reports of Dave recording separately from the band, the fact that EVH let Dave put his unique imprint on this one tells me Ed gave him total freedom on the album.

I've thought about ranking the songs, but honestly love them all so not really worth doing. The one I always liked but didn't have a great grip on because it's so sprawling is AS IS. But can't get enough of that now--just that whole part leading into the solo and then the solo itself followed by that total EVH/VH sounding section. :wub:

Bullethead also on constant play at the moment.

The only song that's not totally stuck in my head yet is Beats Workin' and probably because it's the last song on a long album and I just don't get to it as much. It's cool, but need to give it more listens to totally jell.

Fuckin' great, GREAT record.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Turn_It_Up

[Zint]

Ahh yes, finally someone else who loves Honeybabysweetiedoll. Before I heard the album all I read was negative or indifferent stuff, but it's one of my favorites.

I love it too!

Figured everyone dug this track. Woulda been an amazing EVH instrumental, but sooooo glad they added some lyrics to it and even Dave's dog barking. Despite all the reports of Dave recording separately from the band, the fact that EVH let Dave put his unique imprint on this one tells me Ed gave him total freedom on the album.

I've thought about ranking the songs, but honestly love them all so not really worth doing. The one I always liked but didn't have a great grip on because it's so sprawling is AS IS. But can't get enough of that now--just that whole part leading into the solo and then the solo itself followed by that total EVH/VH sounding section. :wub:

Bullethead also on constant play at the moment.

The only song that's not totally stuck in my head yet is Beats Workin' and probably because it's the last song on a long album and I just don't get to it as much. It's cool, but need to give it more listens to totally jell.

Fuckin' great, GREAT record.

Compltetly agree man.I just don't need to rate this.I dig it all.

Beat's Workin...first few listens was my weak track.Like you said,I usually don't get that far.But one day in the car,it came on..CRANKED...and I was like "WOAH...HEY!"

Just an all around great rock record.

[Powerage5]

My ratings for each song:

Great

She's The Woman

You And Your Blues

China Town

Blood And Fire

Big River

Good

Bullethead

Outta Space

Stay Frosty

Decent

Tattoo

As Is

The Trouble With Never

Meh

Honeybabysweetiedoll

Beats Workin'

Without spoiling anything from the live shows...I will say these ratings don't necessarily hold true for the songs that have been played live in a live setting IMO. Some have moved up my scale, others down.

[Turn_It_Up]

l'll say this, Outta Space still turns me on like the 1st time I heard it. Probably my fav DLR vocal on the record and awesome lyrics too with the "No starving kid to make the case" vintage Dave and taking me back to the "dirty-faced kid in a garbage can" in D.O.A.

Dave leaves no doubt he can still bring it on this track.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Turn_It_Up

[James Bond]

Without spoiling anything from the live shows...I will say these ratings don't necessarily hold true for the songs that have been played live in a live setting IMO. Some have moved up my scale, others down.

I agree. There's one new song in particular that really shines live and has a renewed energy. That's all I'll say in this thread.

[Zint]

Presently,there's only one new song I'd like to see replaced live.

[Powerage5]

Presently,there's only one new song I'd like to see replaced live.

Same for me. Going off of the spoiler topic, I think the general opinion is that song needs to be replaced. Oddly, I've read a number of gig reviews in the Press that cite that song as a highlight

[Powerage5]

Starting to upload my Toronto pics to my Flickr page. I'll be posting them in the spoiler topic, but this'll be my only post here about my pics. These were shot on my Canon T2i with a 250mm lens, with a line of vision of approximately 150 feet to the stage (That's a really rough estimate, but I was as far back as the soundboard and in the very top row of the upper bowl). If you want to see more of these, keep an eye on the spoiler thread

[Turn_It_Up]

Pretty cool interview with Shanks:

======================

Let’s talk about your work with Van Halen on A Different Kind Of Truth. Were you involved in pre-production?

They had a lot of the tracks already. I went to Eddie’s house and there was some pre-production, but they were ready. The discipline of the way they play — it’s not like they had to get up to speed in the studio. They’d been working toward this for a while, so the band was smoking! And it was comforting. I walked in and it was, “Let’s go!” Their work ethic is phenomenal on a daily basis. When you think you’ve done this, trust me, they’ve already been up for three hours and rehearsed. They rehearsed every day. They were always practicing and always working. Another thing I’m really happy about with this record is that the lyrics are printed, because the lyrics are deep.

As a musician, producer and songwriter, can you share some observations about their writing and recording processes?

I’ll use “Hot For Teacher” as an example of why Dave is great, because until people really get to know the new album, it’s hard to explain his magic. Think about “Hot For Teacher.” You have the big hammer-on intro, then you have the guitar part, then down to the John Lee Hooker kind of guitar part. Now, I’m guessing here that when Eddie came up with that, he probably assumed that’s where the verse would start. Most singers, when they hear that, would have started singing right there. Not Dave. What Dave does is, “What do you think the teacher’s going to look like this year,” and then it goes into another section and he starts the vocal. Again, most writers would have written that as the B section. Dave sees that as the verse. Dave goes over barre lines and looks at things completely originally, more than most songwriters.

The way I correlate Dave — there’s a similarity almost to the way Stevie Nicks writes. Stevie writes over barre lines and her verses continue over where you think they would go to this section, but they don’t. She’s like a poet. Stevie writes poems, and Dave writes in a very similar way, where he’s going over sections of songs so it’s not cookie-cutter. Analytically, when you break it down as a songwriter, the way Dave writes sometimes is outside the box, or as he says, it’s “off book.” He has these parameters, and he bends and morphs them to accommodate his ideas, not only melodically but lyrically as well. That’s hard to do, especially in a context of the material he’s working off of. It’s more beat poetry or jazz; it’s more that kind of thing. It’s more R&B.

Dave thinks outside of the box. To see that process was to see what he goes through to create that. He goes through his process trying to find melodies and counterpoints. What I came away with was the brilliance of Dave, which is like the brilliance of Eddie, but in a completely different way, but they complement each other, and then the brilliance of Alex and Wolf. You’ve got to give Wolf credit to walk in there and be the new guy in the band. I’m really proud of Wolf. He’s a badass and he’s a great player. He’s a musicologist and he’s a historian in regards to the band, too, suggesting, “We should play this song,” We should play that song,” “The fans want to hear that.” He’s really amazing. And Alex is an unbelievable drummer.

There were times when we were tracking when I would watch — Eddie and Wolf play in the control room, so I’m sitting between the two of them, and through the glass we’re all watching Alex. They’re so locked in, there’s synchronicity, and you have Wolf now, so there’s this blood connection. There were definitely a couple of times when they were playing and they’re so in the zone and listening to each other so intensely that you get emotional because it’s so real. It was truly a thing to watch, to be a witness to, and to be part of. I’m grateful for that. And then adding Dave, it’s like the pieces of a puzzle that just fit together.

Dave is an artist. He’s like any great artist in the sense that when the motor is running and he’s in his zone, it’s pretty wild. He’s not the same person he was on 1984 or on his solo records. He walks in with these journals of writing. He has a plethora of lyrics that he filters down into their essence in order to put them on the song. This record showcases Eddie, Wolf and Alex, but it really showcases Dave in a different way than when he was younger. He’s in a different place in his life, so it’s a collective of what works for the way he sings now and the way he writes now. He’s bringing his life experiences to this. It’s a different time in his life, and his sarcasm and double entendres and wry sense of humor really come across on this record. It did in the past, but [for example] that “1-800 tell me, baby” [“The Trouble With Never”] was an ad-lib in the moment. It’s like an actor doing the same scene over and over, and every time, a great actor will tweak it and take it to the next level. Dave, when he’s in that place, will do that. It was wild to watch. Even in “Tattoo,” there’s that cool little ad lib before the last chorus, and the way he hits it was definitely in the moment and spontaneous. It wasn’t pre-planned. It was someone who’s on his game, present and working off the moment, and boom, that happens. He’s feeling the music. Some of those ad-libs and lyrical hooks he might have in his bag of tricks, but the way he applies them is what makes Dave “Diamond Dave.” It’s wild to see when he’s in his zone.

When did you hear the finished album for the first time?

I was in a room and I heard part of it, and then when I got it, I just wanted to listen to it by myself. I still have it in my car and I listen to it every few days because it’s a deep record. Every song — there’s a lot work and a lot of information and it takes a little bit because everyone listens differently, so it takes a minute for it to marinate with people. When it does, you start to understand the richness. It’s like you’re on this little roller coaster ride and you notice things differently the more you listen to it, even for me. I listen to it and I relive it … and some of it, I’m reliving the work!

When “Tattoo” was released, with the wonderful and very unique black-and-white video, it immediately stirred up a reaction. Many of us absolutely loved it straight out of the box, and others … not so much. Any theories as to why there was such a split response?

I think the video was intentional. They shot it at the Roxy, they kept it lean and mean, it’s not a big budget at all. I think it was OK for it to be the first single. I think it’s fine. I think “She’s The Woman” is the next single, and that’s even more classic Van Halen and I think it will do really well. But people need to shut the f--- up. It is what it is. Relax. It’s fun, it’s playful, it’s got the big backgrounds and everyone needs to not worry so much. Let it be. It’s not as light as some of their other stuff or as heavy. It’s a good calling card, and I think the follow-up is the right choice; from what I understand, it is the follow-up. Everyone should just enjoy the ride a little bit. At some point in your life you’ve got to realize that it’s a time capsule, it is what it is, it’s Van Halen, it got done, it came out, they’re back and that’s it. At the end of the day, it’s Eddie, Dave, Alex and Wolf — and it’s awesome!

http://www.examiner.com/music-industry-in-national/producer-john-shanks-on-songwriting-studio-techniques-and-recording-van-halen

[Turn_It_Up]

Well deserved:

====================

Van Halen’s “A Different Kind of Truth” wins Best Comeback Album on THAT METAL SHOW

APRIL 9, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT

By VHND’s Scott Essman

On the April 7 episode of That Metal Show on VH1 Classic, the “Throwdown” segment pitted Van Halen and its new album “A Different Kind of Truth” against Metallica and “Death Magnetic” for Best Comeback Album by a hard rock/heavy metal artist, ostensibly one whose heyday was in the hard rock-metal glory years of the 1980s.

Guests for the April 7 episode included Alice (Vincent Furnier) Cooper and Jack Russell, lead singer of the 1980s hard rock band Great White. During the Throwdown, Russell, no stranger to the Los Angeles rock scene, predictably voted for the Van Halen album, as did That Metal Show hosts Eddie Trunk and Jim Florentine. The holdout was Don Jamieson who voted for “Death Magnetic.”

During the discussion after voting, Trunk, a hard rock/metal historian, DJ and author, cited his disappointment in “A Different Kind of Truth’s” first single, “Tattoo,” citing its lack of hooks and top playing, and expected the entire album to be a disappoinment. However, Trunk stated that he later found “Tattoo” to be the poorest song on the collection, further noting that the rest of the album is solid throughout. Florentine and Russell underscored Trunk, describing Van Halen’s return to late 1970s/early 1980s form with a welcomed no-holds-barred approach and top playing by the band, most notably Eddie Van Halen.

Though Jamieson stated that “Death Magnetic” was the stronger of the two albums, being Metallica’s finest since 1988′s “… And Justice for All,” the other three on the panel steadfastly asserted that Van Halen rocked out on “A Different Kind of Truth” unlike any record since the classic first four Van Halen albums in their 1978-1981 period. Russell went even further by claiming that having a Van Halen album with David Lee Roth back as vocalist was a true resurrection of the band, stating that the Sammy Hagar/Gary Cherone periods, regardless of their inherent qualities, did not represent “real” Van Halen.

Following the “Throwdown” discussion, always held at the very end of the shows, Jamieson took an informal crowd poll which might have given Metallica the edge though it was not a clear favorite (and in a metal-only audience would be expected anyway). Regardless, the metal fans in the Los Angeles crowd did show due love for Van Halen and its rebirth, a sentiment being echoed at arenas across America in 2012.

You can watch the Throwdown below. It starts at 41:11…

http://www.vhnd.com/2012/04/09/van-halens-a-different-kind-of-truth-wins-best-comeback-album-on-that-metal-show/#disqus_thread

[dalsh327]

That Shanks interview was mostly about Dave's writing - but the way VH has worked, where they spent a lot of time coming up with the music, Dave came in later and just started doing his thing. I think after the last tour, they were able to get along for the most part, but Ed can be unpredictable.

[James Bond]

Music video for She's The Woman:

Nothing extraordinary but it's nice to have some pro-shot clips from the tour and some rehearsal footage.

[Powerage5]

Music video for She's The Woman:

Nothing extraordinary but it's nice to have some pro-shot clips from the tour and some rehearsal footage.

Cool, definitely better than the Tattoo video. This makes me want an official live DVD even more, they need to film one this tour!

[DirtyDeeds]

It's so nice to take a break from the insanity and read a thread about a nice, normal functioning band like Van Halen.

[Turn_It_Up]

It's so nice to take a break from the insanity and read a thread about a nice, normal functioning band like Van Halen.

Awesome.

[Powerage5]

It's so nice to take a break from the insanity and read a thread about a nice, normal functioning band like Van Halen.

It's pretty amazing that VH is being considered a "normal" band

[Zint]

It's so nice to take a break from the insanity and read a thread about a nice, normal functioning band like Van Halen.

[mrandyk]

What's funny is that it's fucking true for once. Amazing.

[Zint]

Music video for She's The Woman:

Nothing extraordinary but it's nice to have some pro-shot clips from the tour and some rehearsal footage.

Cool, definitely better than the Tattoo video. This makes me want an official live DVD even more, they need to film one this tour!

just got around to watching this.

Not bad...should have gone for full on live footage imo.

But I agree with P5,they really need to film this tour and put a release together.

[Zint]

Van Halen

London Ontario

John Labbatt Centre

Sat. July 21, 2012

[Zint]

American Express presale today at 10 am

[Zint]

Opening act for London is KY-MANI MARLEY.