New Van Halen Album

[elduave]

My favorite memory of VH3 was throwing the cd out of the car window. Oddly enough, that's the same favorite memory I have of Velvet Revolver's debut.

Aerosmith's Just Push Play out of the top of the Jeep for me...

My drummer's girlfriend's sister's cassette copy of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America" out of the passenger window of her car on the NJ Turnpike for me.

You know, I was pretty indifferent to that record when it came out back in the day, but a copy on vinyl just came through the store and I took it home and pretty much marvel at the songwriting and performance, same goes for Billy Joel's "The Stranger".

As for music out the window, when I was with The Excentrics other bands we shared bills with would routinely give us CD's. I'll never forget how heartless (but funny) it was when they'd get an airing in the van and be highway litter in mere seconds.

[Willie G. Moseley]

Oughta be a new thread about albums chunked outta cars. Examples for me included Quicksilver's Piece by Peace and Uli Jon Roth's Electric Sun

[jisham]

I think Eddie's guitar skills left the building decades ago. Yes, he changed most everything we know about modern guitar playing and building when hit the scene THIRTY YEARS AGO but he hasn't done anything innovative in a couple of decades and like others have said, he's basically just a fried shadow of what he used to be IMO.

I saw the last tour twice with Wolf on bass and had a lot of fun; it was great seeing DLR out front again and the band as a whole was really tight. I have no idea (nor do I care) if they used taped background vocals, but I'm also one who thought the way the brothers dealt with Michael A was pure petty bullshit. Then again, I think every problem VH has ever had was created by Eddie and Alex. But Wolf held his own on the bass and at least Ed seemed to be sober both shows, unlike the trainwreck he was when they did the reunion tour with Sammy.

I suspect the new CD (if it actually ever comes out) will be decent but predictable, and the supporting tour will sell out regardless. For all the bragging Ed does about having "thousands" of unreleased songs, you gotta wonder why it's taken 15 years or whatever is since VH3 to release some of them.

[Steve Haynie]

KISS came up with a decent album when they did Sonic Boom. AC/DC sounded like a fresh new band on Black Ice. If both of those bands can pull off creating something that is not too predictable or rehashed sounding, Van Halen might pull it off, too. The real key to doing it is having your album available exclusively through Wal-Mart.

[Armitage]

I wonder if Van Halen wouldn't do better with coming out with another predictable album then something new and fresh. Sometimes new isn't what people want. For eg Boston sold a zillion albums, but who bought their last, Corporate America?

[MCChris]

I wonder if Van Halen wouldn't do better with coming out with another predictable album then something new and fresh. Sometimes new isn't what people want. For eg Boston sold a zillion albums, but who bought their last, Corporate America?

And in concert they'll play one, maybe two tunes off the album, during which everyone will be buying beers or taking leaks. Which begs the question: why bother? Just go on tour.

[svl]

And in concert they'll play one, maybe two tunes off the album, during which everyone will be buying beers or taking leaks. Which begs the question: why bother? Just go on tour.

Because VH fans WANT a new album, particularly with Dave at the mike. Good, bad or indifferent, it's something that has a market and will make money.

As to Jay's comment about "what's Ed done for us lately", IMO he needn't ever have done anything past the beginning. His contributions to rock and guitar playing were waaaay more than enough, just like Les Paul didn't need to do jack (though he did) after giving us the solid body electric guitar and his amazing innovations in multi track recording. BUT- EVH has actually given us a whole lot in the last 30, including some pretty great guitar innovations including the D-Tuna, the now mandatory in metal 5150 style amps and the MusicMan/Peavey/EVH guitars themselves (can not WAIT to try one of those new EVH WG Custom Shop with the rosewood board).

Is he a jag? Yeah, quite possibly, as are way too many other people out there. Did he screw Michael? Yeah, looks like it, and that sucks. Are he and Alex control freaks pulling the strings in VH, sometimes to the detriment of the band itself? Definitely. But he is an icon, and a deserving one. I'm not Ed, and I don't live in his shoes, so I try to ignore the personal shit which I have no behind the scenes concrete knowledge of and just enjoy the entertainment.

[Brentrocks]

Chinese Democracy?

I hope its not that bad.

If we ever see one I kinda expect it will be, remember VH3.

if it wouldnt have been for VH3...i would have never got to meet Eddie, Alex, and Mike.....and that gary guy....

in all seriousness....i hope its a good album!!!

[gi_zuk]

I think Eddie's guitar skills left the building decades ago. Yes, he changed most everything we know about modern guitar playing and building when hit the scene THIRTY YEARS AGO but he hasn't done anything innovative in a couple of decades and like others have said, he's basically just a fried shadow of what he used to be IMO.

I would say he lost a lot his playing/writing skills sometime in the 90s and I think he lost his ear for good guitar tone in the late 80s. Did you hear the stuff he did for that "movie" a few years ago? It seems to me that Ed's ego got way overblown in the 90s and he stopped listening to other's feedback or possibly stopped asking for it. The guy is just so full of himself now if not delusional. Just read any interview from the past 10 years.