meandthestereo

What image comes to mind when someone mentions Van Halen? Don’t be afraid; close your eyes and just let the thoughts and pictures flow freely. Is that a guitar you see? Is it the red and white striped one? Who is the singer? Is the bass guitar shaped like a Jack Daniels bottle? For me, Van Halen was one of those revolutionary bands that comes along every few years and raises the bar on rock music. The four original members, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth combined to create a synergy that was unrivaled at the time and some would still argue, has not been equaled since. I like all the incarnations of Van Halen. I refuse to pick a favorite. There has been heated debate in recent years regarding which Van Halen was the best Van Halen. Let’s travel back in time to 1978 and have a little look-see; shall we?

Jimmy Carter jogging is sooo 1978.

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Van Halen, released 1978

In February of 1978, Van Halen took the country by storm with its self-titled, debut release: Van Halen. You have to remember that one. The cover featured a long-haired David Lee Roth, Alex and Eddie slightly blurred and Michael Anthony banging on the four-string. This album contained arguably one of the greatest, single guitar tracks of all time: Eruption. My God, man! Who is this guy? How did he play that? How many guitars are on that track? This instrumental, along with several other radio-friendly tracks like Jamie’s Cryin’ and Ain’t Talkin ‘bout Love, catapulted Van Halen into the national limelight. And the four original members would become rock icons before the decade was out. They went on to record five more albums; their last being 1984. I was lucky enough to see the original Van Halen in 1984 and I have to say, they kicked ass! The guitar solo, in and of itself, was worth the price of the ticket. David Lee Roth was a master showman and an unbelievable front man. They were so tight and well-rehearsed; I hated to see the show end. But, as we all know, egos got the best of the band and the original Van Halen was history…or so we thought.

5150, released 1986

Along came Sammy Hagar. The story I heard was that Eddie was getting his Maserati serviced and the mechanic told him that Sammy was available. Maybe the two of them should hook up. Now, I’m not sure if that story is true or not, but I am glad that Sammy found Eddie and they put together a landmark album (in my humble opinion): 5150. I was still a huge VH fan and I have been a fan of Sammy Hagar since the Montrose days. But when this album dropped in the spring of 1986, it was alike an atom bomb dropped. Heck, there may have even been a mushroom cloud over L.A. when this shell went off! The three remaining original members, plus the addition of Hagar created a rock monster. The 5150 album was damn near flawless; not a clunker on it. Eddie’s guitar work was as sharp as ever and his keyboards sounded great as well. And Hagar’s vocals were awesome. I saw the new Van Halen on the 5150 tour and I was not disappointed. Sammy didn’t have the same amazing stage presence that Roth did, but man, that dude had some serious energy. Non-stop, punch-you-in-the-face type of energy. He forced you to have a great time. Oh, but all good things must come to an end. After Balance was recorded and released, the band was teetering a bit. To try and regain some of the old fire, VH invited David Lee back to record a few tracks for the dreaded greatest hits compilation and Hagar cried foul. Another brutal blow to Van Halen. Would this be the end? Apparently not.

Another singer stepped in and another iteration of Van Halen was born. Another album was recorded and released in March of 1998, with the obligatory world tour to follow. I have to give Gary Cherone credit; he tried. The band tried. The promoters tried. But the fire just wasn’t there. Sure, Gary Cherone was fine when he fronted Extreme, but I missed Diamond Dave. I missed Sammy Hagar. Cherone just did not have the charisma of Dave or the sheer energy of Hagar. After all, a live Van Halen show is an event of legendary status and if you were singing for VH, you were expected to be the ringleader! Gary just couldn’t take the lead and command this behemoth. This version of Van Halen only lasted one album and the band broke up…seemingly for good this time.

The band took a long hiatus, with Sammy and Michael Anthony apparently becoming best buds and business partners. They spent their time partying in Cabo and getting on stage occasionally. Eddie bounced in and out of rehab. The last anyone heard, David Lee Roth was training to become an emergency technician. But strange things happen in the world of rock. After a substandard attempt at touring without Eddie, Alex and Michael on the Sans Halen tour (am I the only one who remembers that?), rumors started circulating about a Van Halen with Diamond Dave back as the front man and Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, playing bass.

We all know this finally came to pass and the ‘new-old’ Van Halen has been touring since early this year. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to see them this time around. That’s okay. I was fortunate enough to see all three prior composites of the band. I’m hoping they put out some new material and tour well into the future. Who knows, the way their lineup changes, maybe I’ll be the next singer for the next Vodes Halen!

Soon to feature Vodes on lead vocals!

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Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the great articles, interviews and memories we had to share this week. Stay tuned for Saturday’s first Arist of the Week, hopefully coming to you from beside the sea on the shores of South Carolina!