I am one of the few that much prefers the Van Hagar material. Roth just oozed "douchebag" in his vocal style. I couldn't take the music seriously, not matter how good the craft was.
This is the same kind of crap Gail Zappa pulled with some of the Zappa tribute bands. And whether the VH brothers can actually legally stop Sammy from performing the songs (and I don't think they can), the fact is that the threat of a lawsuit and the time it would take to clear it up is enough that some venues or programs will avoid the material just to be on the safe side.
Really a douchey move.
_________________ Alan
"This is a true story, except for the parts that didn't happen." - Steven Wright
Eddie Van Halen on Michael Anthony: ‘I Had to Show Him How to Play … I Have More Soul as a Singer’ By Jeff Giles June 19, 2015 11:01 AM
Eddie Van Halen says he’s still enduring the ups and downs of his working relationship with David Lee Roth because it’s what the fans want. The fans who want bassist Michael Anthony back in the lineup, however, are out of luck.
Anthony’s dismissal remains a point of contention for longtime listeners who still want to see the original Van Halen quartet play together again and who continue to miss his distinctive harmony vocals in the group’s sound. But in a new interview with Billboard, Eddie asserts that Anthony is neither the musician nor the singer that people seem to think.
In fact, he claims Anthony wouldn’t have been able to hack any of Van Halen’s songs without a lot of painstaking instruction. “Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play,” he insisted. “Before we’d go on tour, he’d come over with a video camera and I’d have to show him how to play all the parts.”
And as far as those who wish Anthony was still adding those high harmony vocals of his to the Van Halen sound? Eddie argues you aren’t missing as much as you think. “Mike’s voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he’s not a singer. He just has a range from hell,” said Van Halen. “Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike’s voice on Van Halen songs, but that’s a blend of Mike’s voice and my voice. It’s not just him.”
Reached for comment by Billboard, Anthony — who’s currently touring with former VH vocalist Sammy Hagar‘s current band the Circle and playing a set list that includes some of their old band’s biggest hits — declined to dignify Van Halen’s accusations with a point-by-point response.
“I am proud to say that my bass playing and vocals helped create our sound,” said Anthony. “I’ve always chosen to take the high road and stay out of the never-ending mudslinging, because I believe that it ultimately ends up hurting the Van Halen fans.”
Eddie Van Halen says David Lee Roth “does not want to be my friend” Van Halen guitarist rips his singer ahead of the band's upcoming tour by Ben Kaye June 19, 2015
Van Halen is gearing up for a massive US tour, the band’s first with singer David Lee Roth in almost three years. While many assumed the announcement of the hotly anticipated trek signaled an end to the band’s notorious infighting, a recent Billboard cover story with guitarist Eddie Van Halen revealed that’s not exactly the case.
“He does not want to be my friend,” a bemused Van Halen said of his singer. “How can I put this: Roth’s perception of himself is different than who he is in reality. We’re not in our 20s anymore. We’re in our 60s. Act like you’re 60. I stopped coloring my hair, because I know I’m not going to be young again.”
He went on to say that he’d love to record a new Van Halen LP, but is skeptical of it happening. According to him, if there’s anyone holding up such an effort, it’s Roth. “It’s hard, because there are four people in this band, and three of us like rock’n’roll. And one of us likes dance music,” he said. “And that used to kind of work, but now Dave doesn’t want to come to the table.”
So why is he willing to go on this latest jaunt with a bandmate he barely agrees with? “I think it’s now built into people’s DNA, that it just won’t be Van Halen if it’s not Roth’s voice,” he said. He explained he sticks with Van Halen not for his own interest, but for the fans. “[There} is an element of music that is for the people. You make music for people. Otherwise, just play in your closet. And how do you reach the most people? By giving them the band that they know. To do it any other way would be selfish.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Van Halen said the last album he purchased was Peter Gabriel’s So in 1986, he doesn’t know most of the lyrics to his own band’s songs, and he’s never listened to Radiohead or Guns N’ Roses. At the same time, he had a few thoughts on Max Martin’s role in Taylor Swift’s rise to fame (“I think I read something where somebody said, ‘If Max Martin played guitar like Eddie Van Halen, he’d be dangerous,’” Van Halen said to explain the knowledge discrepancy. “He makes all the hits. But that’s all I know about him”). He also took shots at former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony (“Before we’d go on tour, he’d come over with a video camera and I’d have to show him how to play all the parts”), and shrugged off his hand in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”.
Sammy Hagar To Eddie Van Halen: 'F**k You. You're A Liar'
Blabbermouth.net June 19, 2015
Former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar has branded Eddie Van Halen "a liar" after the legendary VH guitarist claimed in an interview that Eddie had to show ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony "how to play all the parts" to the band's classic songs before they would go on tour.
Speaking to Billboard.com, Eddie Van Halen defended his decision to enlist his son Wolfgang to play bass for VAN HALEN following the dismissal of Anthony. He said: "Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play. Before we'd go on tour, he'd come over with a video camera and I'd have to show him how to play all the parts." Van Halen also downplayed the role Anthony's harmonic backing vocals play in creating the group's signature sound. "Mike's voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he's not a singer. He just has a range from hell," Eddie said. "Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike's voice on VAN HALEN songs, but that’s a blend of Mike's voice and my voice. It's not just him."
Earlier today, after being told of Eddie's latest comments about Michael Anthony, Hagar released a video message defending the bassist, with whom he currently plays in THE CIRCLE, also featuring Jason Bonham on drums and Vic Johnson on guitar. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's really irritating to see them go after Mikey. Mikey didn't do anything — ever — to VAN HALEN. Mikey was the most loyal guy in the band. He was the first guy there at rehearsal, the last guy to leave, the guy that was… the first guy at the gig, the guy that flew the… carried the banner, the flag, the VH banner… he carried it every night. And the horseman with the flag, the flagman on the horse in the calvary. That was Michael Anthony, okay?! [He was] a hundred percent dedicated. [He] never did anything to hurt those guys. And they try to hurt him again, and again, and again."
He continued: "For Eddie to say he had to show [Michael] what to play and had to teach him all those songs, that is the biggest line of bullshit I've ever heard in my life. I was in that band for eleven years, and there was never a video camera involved of Eddie showing him what to play. Eddie would tell him what to play once in a while, and say, 'No, Mike, don't play with that many notes. Just stay on one note — boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom — so that I can fuck up and nobody will know it.' It was that kind of shit. And I am telling you straight up, especially on the '04 reunion tour, if Mike would have played any more than one note, it would have been showing that Eddie wasn't playing the right chords again and again and again; I couldn't sing to 'em, you couldn't play bass to 'em. So… that is a lot of bullshit. And I don't know why they go after him like that. He doesn't deserve it. He's one of the greatest rock and roll bass players ever in the world. Michael Anthony is Top 5 rock and roll bass player in the world. Any bass player will tell you that, any musician will tell you that. Listen to him play on THE CIRCLE. He ain't going 'boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom' unless it was called for. Michael Anthony is a bad motherfucker. Fuck you, Eddie Van Halen, for saying that about Mikey. You're a liar."
Anthony, for is part, offered the following rebuttal to Eddie's comments in the Billboard.com interview: "I am proud to say that my bass playing and vocals helped create our sound. I've always chosen to take the high road and stay out of the never-ending mudslinging, because I believe that it ultimately ends up hurting the VAN HALEN fans."
Eddie Van Halen does seem like an entitled asshole after reading all this. He is a guitar-god and all that, but his need to shit all over previous bandmates is pitiful.
It's kind of amazing that Ed is going on this way instead of keeping his trap shut. Mikey is a class act for doing just that. Also, Alex should be commended for not delving.
Sammy? Heck, he was screwed big time like Mikey, but I appreciate Sammy's vocal response in defense of Mike.
I gotta say, the last studio disc sucked, mostly because of the mix and lightly because of the tunes themselves. I tried and tried to get into it and I just can't. Thanks, Ed... you of all people should've known better than to release that disc with that crap mix/mastering.
It's kind of amazing that Ed is going on this way instead of keeping his trap shut. Mikey is a class act for doing just that. Also, Alex should be commended for not delving.
Sammy? Heck, he was screwed big time like Mikey, but I appreciate Sammy's vocal response in defense of Mike.
I gotta say, the last studio disc sucked, mostly because of the mix and lightly because of the tunes themselves. I tried and tried to get into it and I just can't. Thanks, Ed... you of all people should've known better than to release that disc with that crap mix/mastering.
Agreed on all counts (and yes, the studio album sucked), except one.
Alex is not to be commended for anything because he's an asshole too and is in league with EVH on almost everything.
He stays quiet with the PR stuff but he's not clean on these matters.
EVH even took a shot at Gary the other day-is this part of being sober? Trashing your former friends and bandmates?
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
It's kind of amazing that Ed is going on this way instead of keeping his trap shut. Mikey is a class act for doing just that. Also, Alex should be commended for not delving.
Sammy? Heck, he was screwed big time like Mikey, but I appreciate Sammy's vocal response in defense of Mike.
I gotta say, the last studio disc sucked, mostly because of the mix and lightly because of the tunes themselves. I tried and tried to get into it and I just can't. Thanks, Ed... you of all people should've known better than to release that disc with that crap mix/mastering.
Agreed on all counts (and yes, the studio album sucked), except one.
Alex is not to be commended for anything because he's an asshole too and is in league with EVH on almost everything.
He stays quiet with the PR stuff but he's not clean on these matters.
EVH even took a shot at Gary the other day-is this part of being sober? Trashing your former friends and bandmates?
Mostly agree with both of you guys, except that I don't think Sammy lost his writing royalties like Mikey did.
I half wonder if part of what drives Eddie to keep attacking Mikey is the fact that Mikey takes the high road and won't respond in kind. It's almost like it's a quest for Eddie to get him to lash out.
And a sad part to me is that Wolfie is kind of collateral damage in this - I'm not a fan of replacing MA in VH, but Wolfie has turned out to be a really good bass player. I've only seen him w/VH on TV, but I saw him play with Tremonti after being in the band for three or four days, and he was all over it.
_________________ Alan
"This is a true story, except for the parts that didn't happen." - Steven Wright
It's kind of amazing that Ed is going on this way instead of keeping his trap shut. Mikey is a class act for doing just that. Also, Alex should be commended for not delving.
Sammy? Heck, he was screwed big time like Mikey, but I appreciate Sammy's vocal response in defense of Mike.
I gotta say, the last studio disc sucked, mostly because of the mix and lightly because of the tunes themselves. I tried and tried to get into it and I just can't. Thanks, Ed... you of all people should've known better than to release that disc with that crap mix/mastering.
Agreed on all counts (and yes, the studio album sucked), except one.
Alex is not to be commended for anything because he's an asshole too and is in league with EVH on almost everything.
He stays quiet with the PR stuff but he's not clean on these matters.
EVH even took a shot at Gary the other day-is this part of being sober? Trashing your former friends and bandmates?
Mostly agree with both of you guys, except that I don't think Sammy lost his writing royalties like Mikey did.
I half wonder if part of what drives Eddie to keep attacking Mikey is the fact that Mikey takes the high road and won't respond in kind. It's almost like it's a quest for Eddie to get him to lash out.
And a sad part to me is that Wolfie is kind of collateral damage in this - I'm not a fan of replacing MA in VH, but Wolfie has turned out to be a really good bass player. I've only seen him w/VH on TV, but I saw him play with Tremonti after being in the band for three or four days, and he was all over it.
Only Mikey did.
Did someone say Sammy did?
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
(hennemusic) Van Halen performed a mix rarities and classics - including a pair of live debuts - at the launch of their North American summer tour in Seattle on Sunday night.
"This is by far the best setlist I've made for us," teased bassist Wolfgang Van Halen earlier this week. "Can't wait for everyone to hear it. Y'all are gonna flip."
The band opened their 2015 road trip at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn with "Light Up The Sky" from 1979's "Van Halen II" - its first performance in 35 years - while sprinkling the rarities throughout the 26-song set, including the "Women And Children First" tune "In A Simple Rhyme" (first time since 1978), and 1978's "Feel Your Love Tonight", which appeared for the first time since 1998.
Van Halen also delivered the live debuts of the "Fair Warning" track "Dirty Movies" and the "1984" album cut, "Drop Dead Legs." Billed as a greatest hits tour in support of their latest release, "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert", the show also featured a selection of classics from the group's original era with frontman David Lee Roth alongside two songs from 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth."
"First show of the tour went amazing!," posted Wolfgang after the show. "Thanks so much for a killer show, y'all! On to Portland."
The group's 2015 tour continues Tuesday at Ridgefield, Washington's Amphitheater Northwest.
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
Like Van Halen, Pantera had a core comprised of brothers who played guitar and drums. In a recent Q&A, the drummer, Vinnie Paul, recalled the time he and his brother Dimebag Darrell met Eddie Van Halen.
After talking about how Van Halen inspired the two of them, Paul said that the meeting happened around 2004 at the Clubhouse, a strip club in Dallas that he owns. Pantera had broken up and the brothers had started Damageplan.
“He was in town and I was off doing something and my brother was in Phoenix,” he said in the video above. “And my manager from the Clubhouse calls me and says, ‘Hey, man, Eddie Van Halen is in the club and he wants to see you.’ And I was, like, ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me! He’s in there?’ [And he says] ‘Yeah.’ I hauled ass over, walked into the club, and he’s sitting there at the table by himself waiting on me. I came in, and we gave each other a big hug [...] We’d been talking maybe 10 minutes, and he goes, ‘You know, man?! It’s crazy. We’ve only been talking, like, 10 minutes, but it’s unbelievable how much we’ve got in common — you and your brother, and me and Al[ex Van Halen].’ And it was an amazing thing that happened.”
Van Halen had such a good time with Paul that he made sure they got together again when their schedules found them in the same city shortly thereafter, and this time Darrell got to meet him. “And then we had to fly out and play this thing called Locobazooka in Boston, and they had some shows, and [Eddie] wanted us to come and see him. And Eddie sent a limo to pick us up, which was very cool. And we came in, and he brought us right up on stage and hung out at soundcheck and everything. And the show was amazing. And I’ll never forget. We got on the plane, and when we were flying back to Dallas, my brother looked at me, and he goes, ‘Man, you know what? If this plane was to go down in a crash right now, I’d be okay with it. I finally got to meet the dude that made me wanna play guitar.’ It was really special.”
Unfortunately, Darrell never got another opportunity to hang out with Van Halen. Roughly 10 weeks later, he was murdered onstage in Columbus, Ohio. Van Halen sent the guitar he was playing on the back cover of Van Halen II to be buried with Darrell.
Users browsing this forum: Jason Michael and 1 guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
