VH tribute cd is a mistake... Here is why...

[Badabing]

Don't get me wrong, if any band is entitled and long overdue for tribute, it's VH. That tribute 2000 album was cool and had some stellar performances, but overall the world couldnt care less.. Wanna know why?

CUZ THERE ARE NO FREAKIN CURRENT ARTISTS ON ANY VAN HALEN TRIBUTE ALBUM AND THAT IS A HUUUUGE FREAKIN' MISTAKE!!!!!

Everytime a VH tribute is in the works it's strictly done with so called "80's guitar players". Along with some "70's" players maybe. Where are the current bands?

I have said it many times, there are tons of current bands who grew up influenced & inspired by VH. Many who got into rock/metal and picked up a guitar cuz of VH. But you'd never know it cuz no one ever asks them to be on any VH tribute!

Sure those 80's players can play VH. No doubt Vai, Gilbert, Zappa, Hoey, Satch all deserve a spot and I am glad to have them on board.
But why not combine those great players with some new & current bands?

I have read all over Guitar World Mag where System of a Down, Creed, Pantera, Tenacious D, The Deftones, Fuel, Marylin Manson, Staind, Zakk Wylde, The Chilli Peppers, Tom Morello of Audioslave, Buckethead and many more have all listed VH as a huge influence/inspiration.
Why not give them some them a chance to do their own wild version of a VH classic? Or do we just wanna here a buncha shreds doin exact covers? Doesnt that kind of defeat the purpose?

Imagine Tenacious D, led by huge VH fanatic Jack Black, doing a VH tune? That would get a lot of attention.
And am I the only one who smirks thinking of Marylin Manson doing Running With The Devil? Besides, Manson's guitar player is John Lowery, who is a HUGE VH head and who played on the DLR Band record back in the late 90's before joining Manson!
I'd love to hear someone like Tom Morello go off on a tune like "Mean Street" or somethin like that. Or maybe the wild virtuoso Buckethead doing "Atomic Punk" or "House of Pain" or something like that! If I heard Buckethead and Tom Morello where gonna be on a VH tribute I'd piss myself!!
Hell, call up Slash too and let him play one of the easier VH tunes, if there is such a thing...lol

You should combine shreds like Vai, Satch and Gilbert with new & current artists to show VH STILL influences many and always will.

[Brett]

I like hearing the talented shredders playing the VH material, maybe it's just me.

You really think Disturbed or System could pull of a Van Halen song? I doubt it, and I've seen Daron from System playing in the clubs before, and he is hardly in a league to pull off any VH song. He may be a fan, but so are lots of air guitarists too that couldn't do the songs justice.

[Badabing]

And what about METALLICA!!!!
Kirk Hammett always lists EVH as a major influence. Scoring Metallica, or at least Hammett, for a VH tribute would be a MAJOR score. You know how many Metallica fans alone would buy that just for the Hammett track? That would get some press coverage.
Or what about Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains? I bet he'd give his left nut to be on a tribute to one of his all-time heroes!
Or some obscure genius like Uli Roth!

How about DREAM THEATER!!! They do VH tunes in concert and John Petrucci always lists EVH as an influence... rggghhhhhh
I am all for having Vai, Satch, Friedman, Gilbert etc.. But for the love of GOD have some current artists or you will end up on the discount rack or only selling in Japan.

Damn it, I could put together a killer tribute...
Yo fellas, call me, ok? lol....

[Badabing]

Originally posted by Brett:
I like hearing the talented shredders playing the VH material, maybe it's just me.

You really think Disturbed or System could pull of a Van Halen song? I doubt it, and I've seen Daron from System playing in the clubs before, and he is hardly in a league to pull off any VH song. He may be a fan, but so are lots of air guitarists too that couldn't do the songs justice.

I dont know what any of those artists are truly capable of cuz I dont live with them and jam with them.
I do know we could have Vai, Satch, Friedman, Gilbert and others handling the more direct covers and shred, then let artists like System of a Down do their own trippy versions of VH!
I am interested in them doing THEIR version of a VH song, to see what they could come up with.

One of my favorite tribute albums ever was a tribute to Hendrix that came out in the mid 90's cuz the artists where given the freedom to take the tracks and do whatever the hell they wanted with them! They where actually encouraged to experiment, in true Hendrix tradition, and to not just hand over exact covers.

Sure some hit and other missed, but overall, it was exciting to hear and overall it was a cool tribute. They combined people like Seal and Jeff Beck on that album. that combination, in turn, prodcued a stunning version of "Manic Depression"!! Maybe they should do that on a VH tribute and combine Vai with System of a Down, or even Vai with Korn, who I know Vai is friends with.
Anything different and exciting and NEW.

[el_jalepeno]

Badabing summed it up nicely [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

[ December 19, 2002, 12:18 PM: Message edited by: el_jalepeno ]

[DA BIG D]

I think Badabing is WAY correct. If any current interest is going to happen from a VH related release it ought to be w/artists that the average younger person can relate to. There's already been a VH release w/80's era players (yawn). Remember all the interest and stellar sales that release generated? Exactly.

[Brett]

Unless they can do the VH songs justice, why bother putting out a mediocre release of butchered VH songs?

And if VH needs fucking Creed and Staind in order to generate interest in their music, I'd say it's better for VH to be forgotten.

[Badabing]

Oh, I am with you 100% on that Brett. If some of these newer cats butcher a VH tune, screw them! They dont get on the album, dig?

But they should at least be given a chance to do a track. Or as I said, combine people like Vai with other new acts and see what happens. If it fails, oh well, just let Vai do a track alone.

Again, I am stoked to see Vai, Satch, Friedman and other big shreds onboard cuz those guys blaze. But for the album to be even noticed ya gotta have a big name from a big band like Kirk Hammett(or get Metallica to do a cover as a group) or have newer acts.
I just figure if bands like System of a Down, Creed, Manson, Deftones, Staind, Tenacious D and others claim to have grown up on VH and have been influenced by VH, well then, lets see what hey can do with a VH tune.

Even the guitar player from Incubus, Mike Einzeger, has said the reason he got into rock & guitar is cuz he heard VH as a kid. And I know he
has actually become good pals with Steve Vai as well.
Maybe Vai and Incubus could do a track together? Tell me that wouldnt turn heads?

I would love to hear Pantera rip out a VH metal tune.. damn

[cf]

Originally posted by Brett:
Unless they can do the VH songs justice, why bother putting out a mediocre release of butchered VH songs?

And if VH needs fucking Creed and Staind in order to generate interest in their music, I'd say it's better for VH to be forgotten.

ahfuckingmen.

I like your idea, but the main-stream players out there just fucking suck. I'm sorry I'm just so fucking digusted with the guitar playing that is out there right now. I realize there are some good players that you mentioned, but they're not really main-stream.

Sorry, but the guys from Creed, Korn, Sys of a Down etc, could not play an Edward Van Halen solo if their life depended on it.

Unless they can do it justice, don't do it.

Lord, please bring back good guitar playing in my lifetime [img]graemlins/yell.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/yell.gif[/img]

[Rick S]

actually the guys from korn can play shred and have hung out with steve vai before. just because a guitarist doesnt play solos doesnt mean he s never played a solo before or been in another band. now before you guys freak out i aknowledge there are ones that cant play on a high level but do some research before you say every new metal guitarist sucks ........ i think itd be better if more current heavy bands did the tribute cd thing. but i think itd be hard for them because alot of van halen stuff has a groovyness or bluesy feel to it. for example a black sabbath tribute doesnt require that much change(its been done twice actually)....maybe its just me but id rather hear a well written song with no solo than a terrible song with a great solo. ok flame away.
[img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

[Brett]

No flaming necessary Rick, I agree with your points. I am sure some of these guys can play, but Drop-D tuning and power chords doesn't exactly give me the impression that some can. If they can pull it off, sure.

Badabing - I'm with you, I agree. If they can play the songs and not embarrass themselves and VH in the process, go for it.

[Glenn]

That is an awesome tribute album!!!

I don't find it terribly interesting to hear that tribute cd with all the 80's dudes. Note for note versions of the songs, what's the point, because if that's what it is, I'll just listen to the VH version.

The above album is all over the place, really taking the songs and doing something unique with them.

[cf]

Originally posted by Rick S:
actually the guys from korn can play shred and have hung out with steve vai before. just because a guitarist doesnt play solos doesnt mean he s never played a solo before or been in another band. now before you guys freak out i aknowledge there are ones that cant play on a high level but do some research before you say every new metal guitarist sucks ........ i think itd be better if more current heavy bands did the tribute cd thing. but i think itd be hard for them because alot of van halen stuff has a groovyness or bluesy feel to it. for example a black sabbath tribute doesnt require that much change(its been done twice actually)....maybe its just me but id rather hear a well written song with no solo than a terrible song with a great solo. ok flame away.
[img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

Hey Rick, you're right about stereotyping, I'll give you that. I'm sure there are players out there who do know how to play a solo, they just don't because it's not the cool thing to do now.

However, I think that it would be accurate to say that there is a severe lack of guitar virtuosity in today's music and for me it's depressing. I'm not just talking about solos, how about some intricate rythm playing like Ed, or even some of the stuff Metallica used to come up with.

You know, my 16 year old step-son says to me the other day "yeah didn't guitar playing like used to be really popular?" it was like a dagger through my heart.

I realize that music is a subjective thing, and one form is not 'better' than another but man I miss guys who knew how to play their instrument.

[Rick S]

hey dont get me wrong. i play in a nu metal or whatever you call it band. but between songs i play van halen licks and sometimes we play some van halen or classic stuff because everyone in the band loves the old stuff too and cut their teeth on that,like most bands now did. the problem is kids now are cutting their teeth on just hooks or meledys and dropped d tunings. im sure some kids think being tuned down a whole step and dropping the e string is standard tuning probably.for me that style is refreashing because ive played so much van halen stuff on guitar. ....i remember a quote that was something like..."nowadays its easier for kids to have curt cobain as a guitar hero, they can relate to him and learn to play his songs in a few minutes. "

[Badabing]

Exactly guys. I mean, who would ever guess that Mike Mushok, the guitar player in STAIND, actually grew up as a metalhead cutting his teeth on classic VH and more! Mike fronted a metal band for years before turning to nu-metal and forming STAIND. He even had lessons with the mighty Tony MacAlpine for a while and played in Tony's band for a while! So Mike obviosuly knows his shred. And guys like Buckethead, Dimebag Darrell and John Petrucci are certainly up for the task.
So is John Lowery of Manson. Remember the DLR Band? John can rip and proved it on that album.

I still think they gotta nail down someone like Hammett or Slash to bring some attention to it and combine them with those big name shredders and newer acts.
Anyone recall the recent Doors tribute album from like last year? I heard that shit all over the radio and heard about it on tv.. Know why? Cuz Creed did a version of "Riders On The Storm".
I aint saying to bring in Limp Dikstik, Kid Crock, Nstink or other TRL made trash. NEVER.
Just bring in the new bands, REAL bands, who have grown up on VH and lets see what they got.
If they cant cut it, then they get cut, period.
We dont need anyone to embarass themselves and most importantly, embarass VH.