Rumor has it that when David Lee Roth was the front man for Van Halen, he would do his damnedest to prevent Eddie from playing all of that poppy crap he kept tapping out on his little Casio at night (under his covers with a flashlight and a cigarette while Valerie tossed and turned and labored under the nightmares of Alex peeking through the window at her and Eddie’s lovemaking…but wait, was it really just a dream?). Obviously a few keyboard items would end up on the records from time to time—and in the case of Jump, ended up as the band’s only number one hit.
I believe the rumors. Granted, I haven’t had the time to do all of the research (I do have some kind of life), but for me, once Sammy Hagar joined the band, the songs took such an incredibly candy turn to pop music that the albums could dissolve in water. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; I know for a fact that many people less inclined to ROCK THEIR ASSES OFF actually prefer the watered-down beer of Van Hagar, and this opened up a lot of people to the virtuosic guitar playing of the toothless wonder.
Decide for yourself. Because I love all of you so and would do nearly anything for you (except Michael Cesari, aka Medium Happiness, the guitarist for the explosively popular band the Shallow Divers—he can kiss my ass with his bizarre and cruel hatred of the victims of theft; see his blog article here) I have included in my article a little jukebox player I have concocted with some songs from both eras. As you listen, please try to note how much freaking better the guitar playing is on the Roth era songs. For more regarding the controversy between the singers themselves, click here.
For more on the Gary Cherone era, please slam your head in a door.
Tags: Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Jump, Medium Happiness, Michael Cesari
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February 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Wait a minute!! If we’re gonna discuss the fine art of the guitar, let us not forget that guru… “slowhand”!!
February 19th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Dear brother,
I like your blog, and I finally got around to listening to the music you sent me, and it was good.
Peace, love.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Hold up there, POPS. This is not a debate on who is the best guitarist, simply about when Eddie VH was at his best. But since you bring it up, sure, Eric Clapton had his day in the sun with Cream, but much of his solo stuff is, while technically top notch for sure, stylistically in the toilet. Wonderful Tonight?? Gag me with a tampon.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Jose, believe it or not, Wonderful Tonight was not his finest moment. It’s unfair to use that as your touchstone.
Personally, I thin EV did a lot for the progression of the rock guitar but the band’s songs kind of blow!
February 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
No, Wonderful Tonight was NOT his finest moment, Medium, nor was any of that other Kenny Rogers sounding crap he cranked out (Lay Down Sally, Forever Man, I’ve Got a Rock and Roll Heart). As for the Roth era VH songs “kind of blowing,” I can’t take it seriously until you back off the Arcade Fire nonsense.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Hey, man. I liked Arcade Fire the first time I heard them in the vacuum of my brothers car. I didn’t know what they looked like who they were or where they came from. That’s a pretty great thing when it happens. I can’t think of many of my other favorite bands that I got hipped to without any preconceptions. The CD was in my brothers car and I listened to it and it rocked my balls off!
I think WIn Butler is one of the best lyricists of recent memory AND as a cynical and dark scribe yourself I am surprised that you do not feel any connection to him. You guys write about the same exact thing.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Ok, Medium. Now I have to sit down and think.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Since we’re not discussing “great guitarists of our time”… Let’s not discuss Eddie Cochran. I had the pleasure of watching Eddie recently on the local PBS station. He was waaayyyy ahead of his time! He played with the likes of Slowhand and Hendrix and was one of the ‘founding fathers’ of great licks. On this specific occasion, Cochran and Clapton were playing some really ’smokey’ blues. Talk about real soul…… But, Oh ya… I forgot, we wern’t discussing great ax players, just ‘has been singers’ who were suppose to some how use their shallow vocal talents to enhance the inherent and and already well defined skills of true talent. Comparing vocal skills to the those physical skills that are possesed by our finest guitarists, wellll, is like saying a belch is on the same plane as a fine fart that’s been brewed from that glorious concoction of beer and beans. Maybe ‘Medium’ can understand this concept!
February 20th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Wow. POPS, you are looking for a fight. OK, first thing, I was more talking about Roth’s ability to manage Eddie’s ego with an ego just as large, resulting in better songwriting. I guess I should have been more clear.
Secondly, POPS, how can you compare singing skills and guitar skills? They are two completely different things. And I am willing to bet money that if the conversation was about Willie Nelson, you wouldn’t belittle his vocal prowess, or claim it to be a second class instrument. I’m not saying that Roth was a fantastic singer, I’m just saying that the argument “guitar playing is more valuable than singing” is invalid.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Jose, I really like your new flash jukebox. Where can I get one?
February 20th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Katie, thanks for noticing. And thanks for your interest. At this time, you can only find the Jose Jukebox RIGHT HERE, at Jose el Retardo.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:24 am
The Halen is making my ears bleed, make it stop. Agreed, singing is without a doubt as important as guitar playing as are the drums and bass and maybe the keyboard.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
Wonderful Tonight is the roxors. It gets the laydeez into the beds.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
That may be, zenpvnk, but which ladies are we talking about?
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Well, the ones who aren’t in bed yet, of course, and just wantin to dance or talk or sumthing useless… this trick question?
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:06 am
Ok jose…we know that your boy eddie has a small drinking problem. maybe he played better with roth because he was younger and was not suffering from cirrhosis of the liver yet. maybe he after the number one success of “jump” money and greed took over his mind and he opted for the “pop music” sound that would make him big bucks. Or drinking turned his brain to mush…hard to say…
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 am
by the way…did you ever see the clip of roth singing blue grass. he was using van halen songs. it was so sad as well as his comb over
February 27th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Some good points, the sis. However, I’m not so sure I hate the bluegrass stuff. I will check it out again, but the little I heard I seem to remember liking. Am I nuts?