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Van Halen's new tune


mwestenberg

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I don't even know what its called, just followed an Internet link. But it really needs some space in the guitar sound you know? Seems like back in the day when Ted Templeman was producing, there was a definable place for each instrument in the mix. You turned it up and, whoa, God has spoken! Talk about monolithic guitar sound! Now, you turn it up and AAARRRHHH everything is 120 db in your ear :confused: Guess its a combo of supersmash mastering and mixing. :mad:

Lyrics. Wasted space between solos.

I can't tell you, but I can play it for you.

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back in early "halen" ed was more concerned with rockin out and feel was number one. his best riffs were solid and more groovin. i find his later stuff was more plugged full and had less space. i prefer an arrangement to have some space and air so the drums can punch through. i find it hard to listen to something when it is layer and layer of over gained stuff. don't get me wrong i love VH but i wish they would add more raw energy and remove the polish and over production.
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its called "its about time" and it rocks in a new way afaic-

VH will never sound like they did back in the Diamond Dave Days and i dont care for sammys screechin but nothing lies still long.

s :cool:

AMPSSOUNDBETTERLOUDER
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I think it's shit.

 

I agree about the sound. It's too dry and direct. Overall it has that normalized sound - over compressed in mastering and lacking in dynamics. Like a lot of the shit on commercial radio these days.

 

The song itself is typical Sammy-era VH. It sounds more like something off 5150. F.U.C.K. was the best Sammy record IMHO.

"You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer
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JEEEEEEEZ. I'm appalled. What the hell is that? I don't like anything about that. The tone is wrong, there is no song-just frantic motion. Force without purpose. Where's the elan, the grace, the synergy? Where's the class? Yikes. In 1983 you couldn't pry the first 4 VH albums out of my fingers with a crowbar. I'd pay them to hang it up at this point.

 

What the hell is the world coming to? Oh, thanks for posting that, though. It's good to know what's going on anyway. :)

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Sounds like a typical 2004 "drop D through a cranked Triple Rectifier"-tone to me. I agree it's not a great song or tone, but maybe he's trying to be "modern." I prefer his old Marshall and Kramer tone to the new Peavey stuff, but doesn't everyone? :)
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:freak:

Maybe they are trying to move in a new direction or something (which is certainly their right), but I really don't like that tune at all. Why in the world does VH feel the need to copy the current style of down-tuned nu-metal?

 

yuk.

May all your thoughts be random!

- Neil

www.McFaddenArts.com

www.MikesGarageRocks.com

 

 

 

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Cheesy at best. The sad thing is that they have not learned how to adapt and bring something new and exciting. If this song was hot VH would be all over MTV and at the top of the charts. The lyrics are dumb, the song is so reminiscent of "I can't drive 55" at some points when I hear Sammy singing---not happy.

Their time is past. I'm still going to enjoy the show when it comes but nothing new and exciting here.

 

 

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It reminds me of the "Balance" album. Nothing special. Sammy has definitely lost anything he may have ever had.

 

Modern record producers go so nuts with filling every space that there's no air left in the room. Somewhere there was a thread about sound where we all ended up talking about how every instrument needs its space and not cluttering up everything. What we didn't say was that not every space needed an instrument.

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At one time VH was undeniably the most cutting edge band in the world. All of them shined equally in the mix, and otherwise. Those years were of course the Roth years.

 

That was when Eddie still had tons to prove. He did it. I always wonder what the hell happened to his tone.. It seems like it went from raw and chunky, to soupy and candy coated. It is like he decided one day to quit trying to be Eddie and to try and be Steve Lukather or something.

Like on the early albums how he would mike his amp with the Phase 90 on. That is cool, and it sounds way more real. I can't stand that computer sounding tone he has had since 5150. I mean comparedly.

 

I want to hear the tone he had on I'm the One. That was just totally raw sounding. When he pinched a harmonic it didn't over compress and sound like soupy preamp distortion.

 

I know Ted Templeman had a huge hand in Eddie's old tone.

 

It is weird how Roth just brings the best out of everyone. When Roth is there, Eddie tries. With Sammy, he has no need. Eddie steals the show.

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They're just old and don't have the magic anymore unlike Aerosmith for example. It's that's simple. They had their time in the spotlight. But that spotlight grew dim... A LONG TIME AGO! If they can no longer meet their fan's expectations, they just need to "pack it up" and leave gracefully. I want to remember them by their good songs, NOT crappy ones. What they REALLY need to do is go on a "Retro Tour". Just play the old stuff and nothing else.

 

Sorry Ed, Alex, and Michael... it just ain't the same good ole' rock-n-roll anymore. Stop trying to beat a dead horse.

 

Peace :)

"Treat your wife with honor, respect, and understanding as you live together so that you can pray effectively as husband and wife." 1 Peter 3:7

 

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Yes, it may be time for Ed to pack it up, at least until some real inspiration finds him. But, the tour is another thing. There can't be too much new stuff, can there? I'm guessing it will be all For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge-and-before material. Maybe I should say I'm hoping. Anyway, I'll be at the tour opener in Greensboro, NC on the 11th. Concert review in a couple weeks.
Everybody knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. - Homer Simpson
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Originally posted by BiC:

They're just old and don't have the magic anymore unlike Aerosmith for example.

I will argue that Aerosmith lost their magic a LOOOONG time ago. They were washed up in the early 80s. Run DMC reignited their career but aside from that collaboration, they have been only commercially succesful. Not artistically.

 

They're a bad parody of their younger selves.

"You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer
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http://www.cathedralstone.net/Pics/VanHalenIIEd.jpg

 

Ahhh, those were the days.

Everybody knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. - Homer Simpson
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Originally posted by webe123:

Originally posted by Jedro:

http://www.cathedralstone.net/Pics/VanHalenIIEd.jpg

 

Ahhh, those were the days.

I remember him earlier than even THAT, when he played "ice cream man" on his RED strat that he built with one volume knob because he said in a guitar magazine, that back then he didn't know HOW to put a tone knob in! So...his old...red frankenstrat was born! But somewthing tells me, that the VH I knew back then, can't be duplicated with the gear he uses now. Also, he uses a HUMBUCKER equipped guitar (The Peavey wolfgang) and not a single coil strat type like in the old days. I have to agree that his new stuff is nowhere NEAR the quality of his old stuff. But when you become a multi-millionare....why would you even care to try? You have nothing left to prove to anyone, mabye THAT is part of the problem! I think he should just be who he is and quit trying to imitate all this new stuff. You can hear enough of that on the radio.
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I disagree about Aerosmith. I think they are an even better example of a band who 'lost it'. I haven't heard 1 thing that wasn't totally uninspired and pathetic in like 25 years or more. That shit in th e80's was horrible, and the stuff now is even worse.

 

Rag Doll Shittin in a movie, Rag doll feelin kind of groovy. CMON!!!

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Also, he uses a HUMBUCKER equipped guitar (The Peavey wolfgang) and not a single coil strat type like in the old days.
In the interest of pedantry:

 

EVH used humbucker-equipped guitars pretty exclusively since before the first VH record. His old red frankenstrat (same guitar as the white one above - he later repainted it, installed a Floyd and cut off most of the pickguard) had a Gibson PAF humbucker in the bridge position. You can see it in the above photo if you look closely enough. Otherwise, he used humbucker-equipped Ibanez Destroyers, Gibson Vs and various Kramers and Steinbergers until his Ernie Ball and Peavey endorsement deal. It's hard to approximate the EVH "Brown Sound" from the first 5 records without a guitar with a hummer in the lead position.

"You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer
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Originally posted by Gabriel E.:

Also, he uses a HUMBUCKER equipped guitar (The Peavey wolfgang) and not a single coil strat type like in the old days.
In the interest of pedantry:

 

EVH used humbucker-equipped guitars pretty exclusively since before the first VH record. His old red frankenstrat (same guitar as the white one above - he later repainted it, installed a Floyd and cut off most of the pickguard) had a Gibson PAF humbucker in the bridge position. You can see it in the above photo if you look closely enough. Otherwise, he used humbucker-equipped Ibanez Destroyers, Gibson Vs and various Kramers and Steinbergers until his Ernie Ball and Peavey endorsement deal. It's hard to approximate the EVH "Brown Sound" from the first 5 records without a guitar with a hummer in the lead position.

Well they don't SOUND like a humbucker equipped guitar at all! Take a listen to ice cream man! You'll see what I mean. I think it would be very hard to get the highs like he did on that song with humbuckers! Also the red strat I am thinking of had a Kramar like neck with a Kramar looking head to match ....BEFORE he ever was endorsed by Kramar guitars(the headstock was just plain red....did not say kramar or anything), so I don't see how THAT white guitar is the same one? unless he changed out necks!
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