James Bond Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Am I only person who thinks VH II > VH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, James Bond said: Am I only person who thinks VH II > VH? No, I've heard it often enough (by people). I have a hard time placing VH2. Beautiful Girls and Light up the sky are my JAMS. Those 2 songs ALWAYS end up on my VH playlists. You're no good (even though it's a good cover), kinda starts the album out with a bit of a let down for me. It's also not one of VH's strongest covers. The rest of the album is killer though. I STILL put it ahead of 5150, and I really LOVE that album. As for Dave albums though, it's easily better than ADKOT and Diver Down. I'm not a HUGE Women and Children first fan, but Take Your Whiskey home, Could this be magic (which is criminally under rated), and Everybody Wants some edge out VH 2 for me. My top 3 are set in stone. Edited October 20, 2020 by Iron MikeyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucketfoot Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Fair Warning and 1984 beat VH1 for me but not by much, the debut was obviously the more groundbreaking of the three. Due respect given to the Sammy era as well, 5150 would come in 4th in my list behind that holy trinity of DLR albums. Also, A Different Kind of Truth is far better than a reunion album has any right to be, It's great that the brothers got back together with Dave and they went out on a massive high... everyone loves a happy ending. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 For me the debut loses points for two covers (as much as I love both), and while I would never dare to slight the impact Eruption had on me (and the rest of the world) I enjoy listening to Spanish Fly just a little bit more. So I basically consider VH II to be a slightly more refined version of the debut, plus it has Women In Love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 1 hour ago, James Bond said: For me the debut loses points for two covers (as much as I love both), and while I would never dare to slight the impact Eruption had on me (and the rest of the world) I enjoy listening to Spanish Fly just a little bit more. So I basically consider VH II to be a slightly more refined version of the debut, plus it has Women In Love. Spanish Fly IS more impressive than eruption imo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron MikeyJ Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 I've always found ADKOT to be an interesting album in the VH catalogue. Eddie is REALLY on, which is always great to hear. Having said that, I don't hear the creativity in Eddie or the band that is on every other album. VH 3 has creativity to the moon and back (too much, hurt the album). I have always felt and believed that VH 3 was Eddie's swan song creatively. After that album bombed, Eddie got sick, and that was TRULY the end of VH. ADKOT is a reunion album, where it just FEELS like Eddie is just happy to be along for the ride, not driving the band. At least NO WHERE near how he drove the band in years past. That's why most of the songs are reworked old things, Eddie wasn't into it creatively nearly as much. Having said that, his actual guitar playing is phenomenal. It's just the only album where Eddie does "feel" more like the "guitar player," and not the musical genius. The songs are really heavy though, and that probably appeals to a lot of people. I still enjoy the album, and LOVE She's the woman and Blood and fire. For me, I would take Right Now and Pound cake over anything on ADKOT. So that's why I put FUCK higher, even though I feel that album has some issues as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 ADKOT is indeed an excellent reunion album and the songs are fantastic. I don't love the production on it, but that's a minor gripe. Reworked old songs or not, it is a textbook example of a reunion album done right. It's up there with their best so it's a great note to end on. Well, not counting the Tokyo Dome album which I can barely listen to. FUCK is my favourite Sammy album. I loved Eddie's tone during that era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 My biggest gripe with VH II is the production, I've always found it just a little flat. VH I is raw, aggressive, and Eddie's guitar just cuts through the mix like a knife without ever feeling like it actually overpowers the rest of the mix. Production-wise, it's one of my favorite albums of all time. VH II is more polished and less dynamic to my ears. Works good for some of the poppier stuff like Beautiful Girls and DTNA, but it really doesn't do the rockers like DOA or Light Up The Sky Justice, they feel a little neutered by the production IMO. Song-wise it's absolutely on par with the debut, if not as revolutionary. As for ADKOT, I still love it. It holds up as one of my favorite VH albums actually. It's as good a reunion album as any band could ask for, and it's proof that sometimes tinkering with songs can improve them (From what we've heard of original demos vs. their final products on ADKOT, all of them blow the demos away). The fact that, eight years later I still can't say 100% which songs are new compositions and which ones are reworked older songs is a testament to the spirit of the album (I was looking into this the other day and I'm surprised there isn't more concrete info on which songs are reworked older songs - She's The Woman, Big River, Blood And Fire, and Bullethead are the obvious ones, but beyond those I haven't found any solid info except Eddie said seven of the songs are reworked older songs). It's not a perfect album - Honeybabysweetiedoll is one of the most blatantly forgettable songs in the VH catalog, and Tattoo while a solid mid-tempo song was a bad choice for a lead single, but what there is to love is so great. Blood And Fire and You And Your Blues rival the best of VH's poppier stuff, As Is is absolutely infectious (I love Dave's "This next part should really confuse things" bit going into the bridge, classic rambling Dave), She's The Woman has a great sleazy groove. And as has already been said, Eddie's playing is on fire. I am with @James Bond on Live At The Tokyo Dome - I don't think I've listened to it since the week it was released. Not a huge fan of the production, and they could've picked a much better gig from the ADKOT tour. I really wish they had released a live album of the 2007 tour, the band was really on fire (Including Dave). I was listening to the recording of the Toronto gig I saw that year again the other day and it was really something special. Somebody Get Me A Doctor especially stood out as a phenomenal track on that tour. Hopefully we can get a posthumous live album of that tour someday. It's occured to me over the last few days I really have a tough time ranking the DLR albums - I know Diver Down is my least favorite (And it still has plenty of great moments on it), and I'd probably say Women And Children First is my second least favorite, but the rest of them are all interchangeable for me depending on my mood. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucketfoot Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 I think what they did with ADKOT in terms of reworking old songs was a really smart move. Why toil over writing a full album of material from scratch, when you know you have a bunch of unreleased gems tucked away in the vault, that just need a bit of polish? Material from when they were young and hungry with everything to prove. I remember reading somewhere that the album was around half old, half new songs. Anyway, the energy on that record is astounding, really and, as mentioned, Eddie plays like a demon throughout. It's not a perfect record like 1984 or Fair Warning were, I agree, there's one or two tracks I would trim to make it a little leaner, but overall, what a comeback and as it turned out, send off for a legendary band. Now, if only GN'R could do something similar.... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSoRose Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 VH1 and VH2 are the pinnacle of rock guitar tone. Superb! I also think ADKOT is an amazing album, and if a GNR reunion record was as good, I would be ecstatic. I hope when the time is right, Wolfgang and Alex can put together a record from Eddie's archieves and have DLR or Sammy do vocals. I think it could be an incredible send off and a fitting tribute. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moreblack Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 I've seen the wall of tapes he had in his studio with ideas, I'm sure there's enough to work with there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Jay Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSoRose Posted November 16, 2020 Author Share Posted November 16, 2020 New interview with Wolf- Ed was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2017, and diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019. It was discovered after a motorcycle accident. A "Kitchen Sink" Tour was planned with all of the alumni, but it seems Ed's health got in the way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvanG Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) I was reading an interview Billy Corgan had with Eddie in 1996 and this part saddened me, Quote I think my desire to do my own thing came from my dad. He was a real soulful guy. He played sax and clarinet like a motherfucker. Unfortunately, he was also an alcoholic who died when he was 66. But he lived a full life. My mom, on the other hand, is 80, but she doesn't live. So I'm trying to find a balance between them. I don't want to be like my mom and live to be 80, and not live. And I don't want to die at 66 like my dad. https://www.guitarworld.com/gw-archive/archive-billy-corgan-interviews-eddie-van-halen-1996 Edited November 17, 2020 by EvanG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSoRose Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 Terrible. He died way too young. That shit catches up to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAU3R Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 https://loudwire.com/david-lee-roth-van-halen-tribute-tour-rumor-joe-satriani-jason-newsted/ how do you think about that? It would be quite interesting imo even though Newsted needs to be substituted for either Wolf or Michael Anthony and I’d love to see Sammy up there as well. I’d still rather have a kind of one off tribute concert like the Freddie Mercury one in 92. Have 15-20 great guitarist play 1-2 songs each with Al, Michael, DLR, Sammy and Wolf as a backing band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll41 Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 55 minutes ago, SAU3R said: https://loudwire.com/david-lee-roth-van-halen-tribute-tour-rumor-joe-satriani-jason-newsted/ how do you think about that? It would be quite interesting imo even though Newsted needs to be substituted for either Wolf or Michael Anthony and I’d love to see Sammy up there as well. I’d still rather have a kind of one off tribute concert like the Freddie Mercury one in 92. Have 15-20 great guitarist play 1-2 songs each with Al, Michael, DLR, Sammy and Wolf as a backing band. Didn’t DLR retire? And didn’t he hint that he was sick? Doubt this will ever happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAU3R Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 18 hours ago, rocknroll41 said: Didn’t DLR retire? And didn’t he hint that he was sick? Doubt this will ever happen. I thought the same, he announced some farewell shows in Vegas that were cancelled without giving a real explanation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll41 Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 1 hour ago, SAU3R said: I thought the same, he announced some farewell shows in Vegas that were cancelled without giving a real explanation Interesting. Hopefully he’s ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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