For sheer impact on the music community as a whole, I have to go with Jimi Hendrix. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see Hendrix live, but I have seen many recorded concerts. I also have a very extensive collection of bootleg concerts and interviews. He was one of those musicians who, when he was ripping a solo, would go to another level of being; a whole other place. His impact on music and the guitar-playing community is unmistakable. Virtually every great modern guitar player mentions Hendrix as a major influence on their own playing. His innovation on guitar and in the recording studio will live on forever.

For pure virtuosity of playing, I’ll go with Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was a pleasure to witness this man playing guitar…usually with your jaw on the ground. I was fortunate enough to see SRV a couple of times; both times were absolutely remarkable. When he went into a solo, it was impossible to look away. I found myself fixating on his fingers as he climbed around the neck of 1963 Stratocaster. Pure genius! He too seemed to go to some other place when he was shredding. I once heard Eric Clapton refer to SRV as a channel…music just flowed through him and erupted out of his fingers. At times, I felt sorry for the rest of Double Trouble as they tried to keep time and keep up!

For total innovation on the six string, I’m going with Eddie Van Halen. The first time I saw him play with both hands on the neck, I was completely blown away. What was this dude doing? Where is his pick? I’ve seen VH many times and watching Eddie perform his guitar solo is well worth the price of admission. In my opinion, he brought the use of two hands on the neck to rest of the world and into the mainstream. Many modern guitarists added this style to their repertoire, but nobody perfected it, or plays it better, than Eddie.

I could easily go on and on about great guitar players. After all, there are so many phenomenal ones to talk about. From the likes of Django Reinhardt through Les Paul, great guitar players have spanned the generations. Other modern guitarists who easily deserve mention are guys like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Tom Morello, Jeff Beck, Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen…somebody stop me! Let’s all enjoy these guitar virtuosos as they shred their six string things.

The source for the awesome Eddie Van Halen photo is here!

Can cause Murder?

Many musicians and rock songs have made mention of recreational pharmaceuticals. Whether it be an overt declaration or a discreet revelation, these substances have made their way into the lyrics of songs of most every genre for many, many years. But one recreational substance is mentioned very frequently. Can you guess which one it is? From bammy to zambi and ganja to weed; cannabis by any other name is still cannabis. And it is the old faithful of recreational drugs…at least according to music.

From the time Stephen Tyler declared he’d be “…sleepin’ late and smokin’ tea!”, MJ has been referred to hundreds, if not thousands, of times in musical compositions all around the world. Although, some songs I find more entertaining in their use and description than others.

There is a great song from Sublime called ‘Smoke Two Joints’. It makes me laugh every time I hear it. There’s one line in particular that cracks me up…it goes something like this: “I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints, and then I smoke two more”. Instant classic! Okay Brad, did you see any foreshadowing here? Apparently not, but we didn’t listen to this song for formal education. We listened to it for the ecstatic celebration of the singer’s favorite substance to abuse.

I see what you did there...

Another great one comes from our friends in Cypress Hill. The song is called ‘Hits From the Bong’. It is just as entertaining as the previous song I mentioned, but this singer openly declares his love for this pharmaceutical. He even provides a mini-lesson: “…And then take that finger off that hole, plug it, unplug it, don’t strain! I love you Mary Jane!” I wonder if Mary was blushing after that heart-felt assertion? No surprises; these dudes are insane in the membrane!

No discussion of burning a blunt would be complete without mentioning the quintessential song about the leaf that is loved (or hated) by so many. I’m talking about the song from Black Sabbath entitled ‘Sweet Leaf’. This song probably has one of the most distinct opening lines: Ozzy coughing in an endless loop until Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi come crushing in with a kick-ass, sludgy guitar riff to get the song moving. Ozzy declares his love for pharmaceuticals in this way: “My life is free now, my life is clear, I love you sweet leaf, though you can’t hear!” Ah, unrequited love. Poor Ozzy. What’s a man to do when he declares his love, but gets nothing in return? No wonder he’s ‘Flyin’ High Again’.

I neither condone nor condemn the use of recreational pharmaceuticals. I stand before you neutral on the subject. But there is no denying the celebrated obsession with this activity in music. From the psychedelic 60’s to the grungy 90’s, it seems many musicians found comfort in dating Mary Jane.

Cover Songs.

I was on the road the other day, and I heard a cover of ‘Hey Joe’; you know, the Hendrix tune. But, it was Deep Purple actually performing the song…and not incredibly well either. I was a little put out by this because I like Deep Purple and I am a rabid Jimi Hendrix fan, but I consider it blasphemous that anyone would cover a Hendrix tune and do it in such a poor manner. That’s not the worst of it; ‘Hey Joe’ has been recorded over sixty (yes, 60!) times since it was first penned and recorded in 1965 (by a group called The Leaves). Say it ain’t so! I haven’t listened to all sixty versions of the song, but I bet that each cover is at a different level of quality. In recent memory, I think the worst version of a song I have heard is Avenged Sevenfold covering ‘Paranoid’; the old Black Sabbath tune. Have you heard this? I think it was recorded for a sound track. Not only is it a piss-poor version of the song, but who told M. Shadows he could sing in the first place.

Just awful!

Of course, not all covers are bad or performed poorly. I thought that Guns N’ Roses did a pretty good job with ‘Live and Let Die’. And their cover of ‘Hair of the Dog’ was decent. I recently heard a cover of ‘Born to be Wild’ that was performed by The Cult. I was never a big Steppenwolf fan and I have always walked the fence on whether I liked this tune or not. But to hear Ian Astbury belt out the vocals and Billy Duffy crush the guitar riffs, I found myself singing that version of the song for the rest of the night! Another great cover that comes to mind was ‘Come Together’ done by Aerosmith. Man, that was a great cover of a great song! No problem with that performance at all. Oh yeah, and how about Stone Temple Pilots cover of Zeppelin’s ‘Dancing Days’; very well done. My all-time favorite cover is…drum roll please: ‘Cross-Eyed Mary’ performed by Iron Maiden. If you can find a copy of this, put it on and crank it up. This version will rock your socks off. It was recorded on one of Maiden’s many EPs, probably some obscure import; I don’t remember. Jethro Tull could never come close to sounding like this! I think Ian Anderson would promptly put his flute away and go back into retirement after hearing this version of his classic.

If you’re going to cover it, play it right! Perform it well. Execute it with gusto! I’m not whole-heartedly against bands covering other bands’ songs. In fact, I’m a big fan of the ‘tribute’ albums that were popular a few years back. Not all of them were good, but I think they’re done with good intention…sort of a cool way to honor a band. And I think one of the best ways to get some air play is to cover a ‘famous’ song. Remember Marilyn Manson doing the Eurythmics tune? Whether you liked their cover or not, you definitely noticed it! If you’re going to do it, just do it right!

1. The Background

This is the tenth studio album from Queensryche; technically the twelfth if you include Operation: Mindcrime II and Take Cover. The album centers around the trials, stresses, general torment and complicated decisions that a combat soldier is faced with on a daily basis. Geoff Tate, the singer and songwriter for Queensryche, wanted to musically chronicle the war and expose the feelings of guilt, hate and loss of innocence these men and women experience, from the time they enlist in the forces, through the nightmare of fighting and killing, enduring, until they return home to their family and friends. The war seems even more chilling (and meaningless) from these soldiers’ perspectives.

2. The Substance

This album is extremely intense. The intensity comes in part from the actual voices of the soldiers themselves which are peppered throughout the recording via sound bites from the interviews that Tate conducted with former soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. From the interviews, Tate weaves countless tales of fear, remorse, guilt and tragedy into some very powerful and memorable lyrics that reflect the emotional turmoil and anxiety of soldiers. The album takes you on a journey from the opening command of “On your feet!”, which starts the first song on the album called ‘Sliver’, through the soldier’s declaration that ”…bad things happen at night…” and the whispered “Wake up!” to find yourself in the “Middle of Hell”, all the way to the return home and the hope that the family of the soldier remembers him or her for who they are and not what they’ve done. Regardless of which song you listen to, the chaos of war is very palpable and apparent. The best song on the album is ‘If I Were King’. It starts off with a touching, if not unsettling, testimonial from a soldier who lost his friend on the battlefield. Geoff Tate’s lyrics and voice are particularly poignant on this song and really drive home the love-hate connection of the war and the brotherhood of soldiers.

Long time fans of Queensryche will notice that Chris DeGarmo is not on guitar for this album. I loved the style and virtuosity of DeGarmo, but I feel like Michael Wilton does a stellar job with the six-string duties. And Scott Rockenfield is still on the drums; a great percussionist and long time member of Queensryche. Musically, the album is as solid as any Queensryche album. Overall, the tone of the whole record is pretty dark, but the liner notes really bring the project into perspective and provide a context for all the stories and songs. In the liner notes, you will find the words of Brigadier General Charles M. Burke, U.S. Army (Retired), “Americans owe their freedoms to today’s soldiers. Their voices should always be heard, and this unique project is making that possible.”

3. The Decision

4/5. If you’re a big fan of Queensryche, go out and pick up this album; you’ll love it.  If you have never heard Queensryche before, I would recommend you pick up some of their earlier works, and then come back to this one. This album is solid…great vocals, guitars and drums. Plus, it tells one hell of a story!

Life by the Drop by Stevie Ray Vaughan. This song is from the album entitled ‘The Sky is Crying’. It is the last track on the album. It’s a very simple song, seemingly sung from the heart. It is just Stevie Ray and a twelve string acoustic guitar. I have to guess that it’s a song that reflects his struggle with substance abuse and how he finally overcame all the addictions and realized what was really important in life. Put this song on, turn it up, close your eyes and lean back and enjoy. I get goose bumps every time I hear this song…no lie.

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. This song is from the album lovingly referred to as the Zoso album. You know the one where the dude on the front is carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back? I vividly remember the first time I heard this song. I was walking through a parking lot and I walked by a clunker of car that was cranking out this Zeppelin tune. The stereo system in this car was easily worth more than the car itself. Robert Plant wailing through those speakers, followed by Jimmy Page’s furious onslaught of guitar riffs was glorious. The song embodied everything rock and roll had to offer…at least to my impressionable young ears. When I finally scraped together enough to buy the album, I listened to this song a hundred times in a row and I never got tired of listening to it.

Three Strange Days by School of Fish. This song is from the debut album from these guys. I don’t think they were tremendously successful in the music industry, but this one song still sticks in my head. The guitar riff totally hooks you right from the first note and the lyrics have some great imagery. From “floating on my back” to the “simulated wood grain” that ‘Johnny Clueless’ brought; this song is a great tune for relaxing and singing along to. If you can find it, listen to the version that contains the extended introduction. They are doing some weird stuff in that version before the song starts…but it’s very cool.

Been Caught Stealing by Jane’s Addiction. This song is from the album called ‘Ritual de lo Habitual’ which was Jane’s second studio album. The entire album is excellent, I just freakin’ love this song! Perry Farrell on vocals is sublime. The song is just so complete; from the frantic beat of the bass through the fast tempo to the searing guitar work of Dave Navarro, it is just one solid tune. It took some time for this song to grow on me, but when it finally clicked, it’s definitely one I could listen to a million times. This song also has an extended version…check that out if you can find it.

Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix. This song comes from Hendrix’s last studio album entitled ‘Electric Ladyland’. From the first few strikes of the guitar pick against the guitar strings, this song is amazing. It’s also probably one of the most recognizable riffs in guitar history. You don’t believe me? Here is a quote from Joe Satriani: “It’s just the greatest piece of electric guitar work ever recorded. In fact, the whole song could be considered the holy grail of guitar expression and technique”. Okay, so now that I have Joe Satriani on my side, how could you disagree? I challenge you to dig it out of your record collection and give it a fresh listen! That’s good stuff!

Okay, so there you have it; my desert island selections. Fortunately, you and I don’t have to be marooned on an island to enjoy listening to these kick-ass tunes. Considering the sheer number of great songs out there and the multitude of great artists, it is very hard to pick just five songs. I may have to revisit the desert island line-up and make some amendments in the future.

Gold Medal: Geoff Tate. For those of you who may not recognize the name, Geoff Tate is the amazing voice, and backbone, of the group Queensryche. The first time I heard this guy sing, I was blown away. His range is absolutely astounding. And he sounds just as good in concert as he does on the recordings. I was lucky enough to catch Queensryche on the Operation Mindcrime tour. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! My jaw was on the floor the whole show. For some classic Geoff Tate high notes, check out the early stuff like ‘The Warning’ and ‘Rage for Order’. The newest release, entitled ‘American Soldier’, is very good stuff also (and will be a future album review). If you have ever wondered how high the male vocal range can get and still sound as powerful as ever; listen to some Queensryche!

Silver Medalist Bruce Dickinson!

Silver Medal: Bruce Dickinson. I’m not sure if Bruce Dickinson is any more recognizable than the gold medalist, but his voice is just about as remarkable. Bruce has been the front man for Iron Maiden since roughly 1981. He left the band for a few years, and then reunited with them and has been a staple out front ever since. The element about Dickinson’s voice that I most admire is the strength behind the notes. His notes come across almost like an opera. Supposedly, he actually studied opera singing prior to turning to metal music and that’s how he got such a powerful voice and great range. I have seen Iron Maiden several times over the years and the live shows are fantastic! Lot’s of energy! On the album front, my favorite Maiden disc is still ‘Power Slave’, followed very closely by ‘Piece of Mind’ and ‘Number of the Beast’. Virtually any song on any of these albums will put Dickinson’s powerful voice on full display for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

and finally...Bronze Medalist Freddie Mercury!

Bronze Medal: Freddy Mercury. This vocalist probably needs no introduction. He was easily one of the best vocalists and front men in the business. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara, but he will forever be remembered by his stage name. To me, Freddy Mercury always seemed larger than life. His voice was so enormous and powerful…it propelled the music forward at a frenetic pace, even on the slow songs! His voice simply drove the music right out of the speakers and punched you square in the chest. My favorite Queen album remains ‘News of the World’, but I was also a huge fan of ‘Jazz’ and ‘A Day at the Races’. There are some great, great Queen songs on those albums that really demonstrate the vocal virtuosity of the late, great Freddy Mercury.

Honorable Mention: There are a few singers that I did not mention in the top three, but definitely deserve a shout-out for their vocal ability. I consider Robert Plant a phenomenal vocalist…his range and power are legendary. The late Brad Delp of the group Boston still makes me crank up the volume and try desperately to sing along. James LaBrie of Dream Theatre really belts it out…love that guy’s voice. Brent Smith of Shinedown sounds great, even unplugged! And last but not least, I have to include Rob Halford of Judas Priest. He has the original high-pitched wails that make you cringe! Turn it up! And sing along!

Here are the sources for the second and third photos.

Crüefest 2 consisted of five bands on the main stage: Charm City Devils, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack and, of course, Mötley Crüe headlining the event. There was also a second stage featuring some good, up-and-coming bands. I checked out a band called Schram, out of Detroit. These guys put on a good show. They had a ton of energy and seemed genuinely happy to get out on stage and play. I also caught a band called Silver Stone, out of Arkansas. They also put on a really good show. The singer was good and the guitar player shredded some pretty killer riffs. They also had a third band on the second stage, but I only caught a few of their tunes. Okay, okay, so I was waiting in the beer line and didn’t get over there in time. What? I was thirsty! Thankfully, the second stage was jamming while the main stage was setting up for the next band. I made my way back and forth from one stage to another all night long…with an occasional stop at the concessions.

Watch out, Crüe!

On to the main stage! I got to the main stage in time to catch Theory of a Deadman’s set. It was excellent! Those guys put on a great show. They brought the house down with a kick-ass rendition of ‘Bad Girlfriend’. Tyler Connolly sounded great on vocals and was tearing into his solos on guitar. A good show. The next band up was Godsmack. If I said the Godsmack set was awesome, it would be understating how great these guys are…what a freaking show these dudes put on. Sully is an absolute freak out front! And Shannon Larkin on drums is just ridiculous! They had a fantastic set of all their hits. If you weren’t singing along, you may have been dead because there was so much energy coming from these four guys that you couldn’t help but get up and jam. During the show, Sully jumps on a drum set and Larkin’s set rolls forward on the stage, and these two go face-to-face just beating the piss out of the drums. Sully is a talented guy, he sings, plays guitar, and oh yeah, just happened to play drums for twenty-plus years before he became a front man. You know what; I will make the statement that Godsmack was better then the Crüe on this particular evening. Yeah, I said it. Should it be called Smackfest?

Finally, the main event; the bad boys from L.A. themselves took the stage. After some brief theatrics in front of the curtain, the Mötley Crüe stage was revealed; a padded room with lights on the walls, leading back to the drum set. The remaining three members, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars came pouring out of the padded tunnel and they busted into Dr. Feelgood to open the show. The plan for this tour was to play the Dr. Feelgood album from front to back, in its entirety. That was fine by me! I have many favorites on that album and they played them all with gusto. ‘Kick Start My Heart’ and ‘Same Old Situation’ both sounded great. I did take note that Tommy Lee was not behind the drum kit. As it turns out, he injured his hand and the guy behind the kit was playing in his place until he healed up. That didn’t detract from the show, in my opinion. Tommy Lee is a good drummer, but nothing spectacular as drummers go. Average will always describe the bass playing of Nikki Sixx. Mick Mars and Vince Neil both sounded great, but didn’t knock my socks off.

Overall, this show is not to be missed! Godsmack was clearly the best band on this night. The Crüe sounded good, but I thought they lacked the sheer energy that they are easily capable of and have displayed in gaudy excess in years gone by. Check it out, if you dare!

Here’s the sources for our images! Image 1 and Image 2.

Lester William Polsfuss was born in June of 1915. You may know him better as Les Paul. He apparently had an uneventful childhood in Wisconsin until around age 8. He then discovered music by way of the harmonica. He moved on to the banjo and eventually settled in to play the guitar. By the age of seventeen, Les Paul was a professional musician who had played guitar and harmonica on many recordings and radio shows under several different pseudonyms. As successful as he was, he was unsatisfied with the limited sounds that he could create on a ‘traditional’, acoustic hollow body guitar and set out to produce the first solid body, electric guitar. It was dubbed ‘The Log’ because that’s basically what it was; a regular old 4-by-4 piece of lumber with a bridge, neck and self-invented pickup attached. I don’t want to muddy the waters (no pun intended), but Leo Fender was working on a solid body guitar around the same time (so was a fellow named Adolph Rickenbacker). I mention this fact because the folks at Gibson were not interested in Les Paul’s ideas regarding solid body electric guitars until Fender put out an instrument that was well-received…Gibson didn’t want to take the chance. Eventually though, the Gibson folks relented and in the early fifties, Gibson and Les Paul struck a deal and designed the first Gibson Les Paul guitar. And the rest is history, as they say!

Jimmy Page with Les Paul Guitar

Besides the solid body, electric guitar, Les Paul had a huge impact on the recording of music. Les Paul invented many of the recording techniques that engineers and musicians take for granted in today’s industry. For example, he pioneered the use of overdubbing and multi-tracking. He would cut acetate records with an original recording, and then play those recordings and play guitar along with them, thus creating the sound of two guitars playing. He did this over and over again until he achieved the sound he was seeking. He also invented many of the delay features such as tape delay and phasing. It always amazes me to read about innovators like Les Paul or guys like Eddie Kramer (the sound engineer for Jimi Hendrix) who can just imagine some sound they want to recreate and then figure out a way to make it materialize.

I have often wondered why many of the well known guitarists in music decided to play the Fender Stratocaster instead of the Gibson Les Paul. I’m talking about guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. I guess these guys know the sound they’re looking for and couldn’t get that sound from the Gibson. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of good guitar players playing Gibson guitars; Slash, Ted Nugent and Alex Lifeson, just to name a few. Regardless of which guitar a person chooses to play, there is no denying that Les Paul will pop up in the conversation of great guitars and great guitar players. In the words of The Edge: “His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten.”

Thanks, Vodes, for helping us remember a great guitar player, fun musician, and exciting innovator. Thanks for the tunes, Les Paul! Sources for the first photo and the second photo.

1. The Background

This is the first album from the “super group” Chickenfoot. The group has been dubbed a super group because all four members have been successful either on their own, or with another group that has garnered accolades from the music industry and fans. Joe Satriani, the guitar virtuoso, fits into the former category and Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith are recognizable names from former mega-bands. At first listen, this album is pretty much what you would expect from a talent-laden foursome like C-Foot. There is a lot of screaming from Hagar and a ton of kick-ass guitar playing from Satriani. Chad Smith provides a very solid back beat and Michael Anthony provides the same unexciting and completely non-innovative bass playing for which he is famous.

2. The Substance

Overall, the album is very well produced. The sound quality is great. Satriani plays a well constructed rhythm guitar when necessary and his lead licks are clean and crisp. He also has some great ‘sounds’…that’s the only way I can describe them. Listen to “Soap on a Rope”. He rips off these little pops in between the big, meaty riff of the song…pure Satriani. Sammy Hagar sounds freakin’ ridiculous! This dude lets loose with some screams that are reminiscent of Roger Daltry! I mean, primal; that’s the label I would put on them. Give a listen to “Oh Yeah”. The scream at the middle and towards the end almost makes your blood curdle! My only jag for Hagar is the lyrics. They are trite and a continuation of his wine, women and song motif. Yawn, heard that lyric before. The drumming on the album is good. I would have enjoyed hearing a little more creativity from Chad Smith, but he did what he was hired to do; keep the beat for Hagar and Satriani. Michael Anthony was back in two aspects: his mediocre bass playing and his strong, extremely high-pitched harmonies on backing vocals. I missed those backing vocals from Anthony. Listen to “Turnin’ Left”. It’s classic Michael Anthony straining the limits of the male vocal range! His bass playing is solid, if not very innovative. His booming bass combined with Smith’s drumming produces a full, solid beat on this recording.

3. The Decision

4/5. If you’re a fan of good, solid, rock-hard, rock music, go out and pick up this album. There were only one or two songs that I didn’t care for; one of them being the obligatory slow ballad. Satriani, Hagar, Anthony and Smith put their egos aside and combined to make some great music. In this case, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Listen to “Oh Yeah” right here.

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!

Source

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!