picker Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Unless I've missed it, there doesn't seem to be much response to VH's new single's release. This is kind of a surprise to me, being as Ed and the band seem to matter a lot to folks in the guitar world, some of 'em anyway. I have to admit my basic cluelessness when it comes to their day to day doings. This is demonstrated by the fact that I didn't know their reuniting for another tour was that big of a deal. Last I heard, they were touring amicably a couple of years ago. Did they have another blow out on the road or something? The biggest matter that was being cussed and discussed that I was aware of was whether or not Wolfie was cutting it at filling Mike Anthony's shoes. I don't recall if a general consensus was actually reached on it. I guess I'm just not hip to what's really going down in music today. Oh well... Anyway, I heard Tattoo on the radio coming home from work Friday. I kinda dug it, actually. Couldn't really tell you what it was about lyrically, so I don't know if it's a magnum opus of some sort. Ed's playing hasn't lost much, if any, of it's usual stuff. Roth's vocals sound pretty much like always. Alex's drumming sounds like it always did, and Wolfie may not be an adventurous player, but neither was Anthony. He holds the groove and the low end down well enough. One thing I did notice was the 3 part harmony on the chorus. Yeah, it's one word repeated twice with a pause and then the same thing repeated. But there are three discernible voices singing 3 different parts in pretty good tune with each other. I'm no VH aficionado, but I don't really recall hearing that on a VH song before. Pretty cool. I doubt very much that Lady Gaga or Bruno Mars need to lose any sleep worrying about their fans jumping ship for VH over it, but it's not bad, I think. Discuss... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 It's a band that never spoke to me, so I missed it all, never paid attention, never became a devotee, & never was convinced that something had been invented there that was important to my knowledge of guitar, or to music in general. I just never got the joke, I guess. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Discussed here: https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2370174/Van_Halen_Roth_reunion_tour#Post2370174 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 You mean it's NOT about the little guy on "Fantasy Island"?Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I love vintage VH... in fact I love a lot of what happened in the 80s guitar-wise... (arm your flamethrowers). I've listened to this song a couple of times and it falls a bit flat for me. It's not a bad song, but it doesn't move me like old VH did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I don't know, dvusk, seems to me most of the guitar work in the '80's came from those cookie cutter big-hair-spandex-eyeliner "metal" groups who EVH seemed to have a HUGE influence on!Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SledDawg Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 The Who song of the same name is much better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumabebop Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 the hoopla seems to be about VH touring WITH DLR, the absence of MA being a non-issue to all but the purists... "All music is folk music; I ain't never heard no horse sing a song."- Louis Armstrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvuksanovich Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I don't know, dvusk, seems to me most of the guitar work in the '80's came from those cookie cutter big-hair-spandex-eyeliner "metal" groups who EVH seemed to have a HUGE influence on! Whitefang Yup... and I love all that stuff. There's a lot of cookie cutter, true, but there are also some fantastic players in there who get thrown out with the bathwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Will- Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 It's not Tattoo... but first time acoustic version of... You Really Got Me Music has no boundaries. It is yours to discover, to enjoy, to draw from and to pass on to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Unless I've missed it, there doesn't seem to be much response to VH's new single's release. This is kind of a surprise to me, being as Ed and the band seem to matter a lot to folks in the guitar world, some of 'em anyway. I have to admit my basic cluelessness when it comes to their day to day doings. This is demonstrated by the fact that I didn't know their reuniting for another tour was that big of a deal. Last I heard, they were touring amicably a couple of years ago. Did they have another blow out on the road or something? The biggest matter that was being cussed and discussed that I was aware of was whether or not Wolfie was cutting it at filling Mike Anthony's shoes. I don't recall if a general consensus was actually reached on it. I guess I'm just not hip to what's really going down in music today. Oh well... Anyway, I heard Tattoo on the radio coming home from work Friday. I kinda dug it, actually. Couldn't really tell you what it was about lyrically, so I don't know if it's a magnum opus of some sort. Ed's playing hasn't lost much, if any, of it's usual stuff. Roth's vocals sound pretty much like always. Alex's drumming sounds like it always did, and Wolfie may not be an adventurous player, but neither was Anthony. He holds the groove and the low end down well enough. One thing I did notice was the 3 part harmony on the chorus. Yeah, it's one word repeated twice with a pause and then the same thing repeated. But there are three discernible voices singing 3 different parts in pretty good tune with each other. I'm no VH aficionado, but I don't really recall hearing that on a VH song before. Pretty cool. I doubt very much that Lady Gaga or Bruno Mars need to lose any sleep worrying about their fans jumping ship for VH over it, but it's not bad, I think. Discuss... you are right , they were touring not that long ago. so i guess the only real news is the fact there is a new album. yeah i am not happy with the lack of Mike Anthony, but my original comments in the other thread was the fact that every few years there is a rash of Eddie covers in mags and NEW EVH equipment. i am at the point of "ok Ed time to shit or get off the pot"..so now that there is a new release i guess the guy did actually poop...good, it is about time. as for Tattoo i heard it once or twice and i like it, i don't expect VH to be exactly like the past so i am not going to whine and say it sucks or anything. it sounds like VH and yeah i will buy the CD, because even though i have crapped on EVH for turning into a brand name i still dig his playing and VH is a cool band with a sound their own. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 You mean it's NOT about the little guy on "Fantasy Island"? Whitefang ze plane, ze plaaaane Guitar Speak Podcast www.guitarspeakpodcast.libsyn.com https://www.facebook.com/guitarspeakpodcast www.itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/guitar-speak-podcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Well, I think with any great band, that usually every member is an integral part. Old VH was no different. Michael Anthony has an extremely identifiable backup voice. I would say it is as important to their sound as anyone else in the lineup. Not to include him in the lineup at this stage of their weathered careers is a slap in the face to their loyal fans that have waited for 30 years for a real VH album. I could give a flying F about them now, and to me Eddie's tone sounds terrible compared to the old Ted Templeman plexi tone of yesteryear. Of course that is my own selfish opinion. I realize that perhaps if I was Van Halen maybe I would do the same thing. I mean they can do whatever they want. I just won't bother with them because I want the old VH. Also it seems like Eddie forgot all the licks that made him cool. Like all those fast bluesy pentatonic licks from the old Roth years. Or those kind of chromatic/whole tone sounding runs from say Drop Dead Legs. The excitement seems to have been lost in the Hagar era. He does all the same rehashed Hagar era licks. To make my point. I am referring to say the lick that closes 'You really got me now'. That is the kind of Eddie I miss. When he was playing as Roth said "high velocity blues licks". The tapped pentatonic run he does so much in the Hagar era or that tapped harmonic thing where he hits one harmonic and then goes to the other octave (hagar era) is over used. It is like he has dain bramage and forgot all those cool solo licks. Like his solo in 'so this is love'. Scorchin improv. Now it is like every solo sounds the same. I am sure none of you doubt my love for Eddie. I always bring him up when I am discussing rhythm or feel because I think those 2 elements made him shine. Others discuss tapping as being relevant to his impact, I beg to differ. To me he raised the bar for rock rhythm guitar, and just the perfectionist quality of production. His feel too is very exacting, no string noise, no off time stuff, intricate picking patterns for rhythm and also complete command of string muting. Not to mention one of the most versatile commands of vibrato in rock. Most players have like a 1 dimensional vibrato, which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. I mean Angus has a great style, and a very unique vibrato--but it is always the same. Eddie definitely has a very unique command of vibrato because it is always different. Used more like an effect pedal than something that is the same everytime. I love old VH, though I don't want to play that way, I do emulate parts of his feel. I try to PLAY the guitar when I play. You know not relying on amp distortion to achieve my tone. He taught me that very important lesson (along with others I grew up with) that tone IS ALL in your hands first. Not to say production and amps don't play a major role--but without the former the latter is diminished. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I found Tattoo uninspiring. It's an OK song but there's definitely a lack of rock and roll swagger that VH had in spades back in the day. I believe the term is "phoning it in". The solo didn't really pop either. Even in Hagar-era VH, the song would build and then Eddie would really take off. It's just kind of flat. Too bad. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Gabriel E and me always agree http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I found Tattoo uninspiring. It's an OK song but there's definitely a lack of rock and roll swagger that VH had in spades back in the day. I believe the term is "phoning it in". Or growing old. How long can you keep acting like you're 25 years old? How long can rock & roll swagger, which is really adolescent , pouty, rebelliousness, continue to motivate people who are mega-wealthy, who have none of the friction weighing upon them which inspired their rebelliousness in the first place? There are very few examples of aged rockers who have become mature players of true depth & relevance. Jeff Beck & David Gilmour come to mind. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Okay finally had a listen.Ya, I have to concur with the consensus-not bad, but not new and not Dave.No Broadway, no showtime. Where`s the arranging? AFA Scott`s comment-well I think `Zan said it, in a different context. Okay, you nailed the frustrated teen thing before but now the only one who comes close to getting away with that is the bass player-so shit or get off the pot. Either make a leap, do something totally new or forget it. Maybe it really comes down to what one is made of as a player? a person? I don`t know-I believe, or I want to believe-that Eddie has it in him, the guys are talented-there`s more than enough ability there to do something that`s VH, but a new step-that`s what that song of mine is about. It comes off as a bit lazy-maybe they didn`t want to push Eddie too much. Okay I know I shouldn`t be doing this but, too funny to pass up-for some reason I started scrolling through the youtube comments and someone said, Dave is starting to look like Dr. Smith from Lost in Space-`Quiet you bellicose bumpkin, you pusillanimous popinjay `-oh the PAIN... Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I found Tattoo uninspiring. It's an OK song but there's definitely a lack of rock and roll swagger that VH had in spades back in the day. I believe the term is "phoning it in". Or growing old. How long can you keep acting like you're 25 years old? How long can rock & roll swagger, which is really adolescent , pouty, rebelliousness, continue to motivate people who are mega-wealthy, who have none of the friction weighing upon them which inspired their rebelliousness in the first place? There are very few examples of aged rockers who have become mature players of true depth & relevance. Jeff Beck & David Gilmour come to mind. I think youre mostly right about the age thing. There are a few ways an aging rocker can remain relevant theres the Beck/Gilmour/Plant route of become more experimental, nuanced and substantive. Then theres the cranky and still-pissed-off route which I think Neil Young and Springsteen have successfully tapped into. Or the still have something to prove route Metallica made Death Magnetic after churning out 15 years of drivel. Unfortunately VH arent doing any of those. Theyre just doing a pale version of what they used to do. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Mustaine is doing an awesome job of still kicking butt. as for VH maybe Tattoo is not what the rest of the CD sounds like ( hoping for big surprize ) ..there has to be a boogie http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Will- Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 New Van Halen song preview.... here Music has no boundaries. It is yours to discover, to enjoy, to draw from and to pass on to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrell Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 yawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 stay frosty sounds pretty cool as does She's the woman ( which is from their original demo) http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Will- Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 What about this one??? Music has no boundaries. It is yours to discover, to enjoy, to draw from and to pass on to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 New Van Halen song preview.... here "Dance the Night Away"!! "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I just saw the video for "Tattoo" and though it was a very forgettable song. Eddie's solo was fairly typical, well done, not his best. I never was a big VH fan, never bought any of their records (OK, that's a lie - I bought one of the later ones for $5 at a record store trying to get rid of their cassettes). Still, I always though Eddie was a talented guitar player. Tapping? No, he didn't invent it, nor did he take it to the highest possible level - so far, I think that would be Stanley Jordan, based on players I've heard - but he damn sure did it well in the rock context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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