Your true feelings toward Van Halen III (read first post for explanation)

[jonjuan]

Some absolutely love VH III. Many absolutely hate it. I put it in the middle. It has some good, even great songs, but also has the worst VH song ever.

Can those who hate it honestly say that Fire in the Hole and Ballot or the Bullit are crap? Can those who love it really say that How Many Say I is great?

Did you say it sucked, just to go along with the crowd? Did you say it was great, just to avoid ripping on VH?

Here is the opportunity to express your true feelings of VH III, come on, it's theraputic, be honest. I'll start:

I think that VH III is a decent album. I loved Fire in the Hole, Ballot or the Bullit (even though the solo lacked), Year to the Day (great lyrics, great melody-most guitarists would have strummed chords instead of playing a melody-not Eddie), and One I Want had some killer guitar. Unfortunetly, songs such as Without You, Once, From Afar, Josephina, and Dirty Water Dog, though not without redeeming value, lacked in either a small, or large way. Then there is How Many Say I-worst VH song ever-I hated it!
VH III is not as bad as people say, but I think that fans were disapointed because it isn't all that heavy (though the guitar PLAYING is better than the last couple albums), and it was a little too progressive. Then there was the fact that Gary didn't have a style that was totally individual (like Dave's bluesy, scat-singing baritone, or Sammy's nasal screaming, party voice). VH III could have been better, but it wasn't that bad.

[Mario VH]

We've gone over the VH3 thing and Gary quite a few times at the Links. Without sounding like a broken record player I thought the album was pretty good. The problem with VH3 lies in its production-Mike Post was a bad choice and it shows in terms of sound quality and secondly Ed tries to do everything himself. Gary, Alex and Mike were merely an afterthought on the album as this truly was in essence 95% Edward Van Halen. Ed has always been at his best when someone is there to reign the guy in ie-Dave, Sammy or even someone like Andy Johns or Ted Templeman. The album just didn't have enough commercial appeal to be successful and the songs were mostly long and not very radio friendly which is why a song like "That's Why I Love You" should have been include on the album. A polished version would have been a great folow up to "Without You." Van Halen took a great gamble by bringing Gary into the mix and they had to come out of the blocks with a monster album. Neeless to say VH3 wasn't a monster album. We all heard the reaction even before 3 came out. Nobody was willing to give Gary a shot and they hadn't even listened to the album. When we finally did hear the record and the results for most were below expectations we understand why 3 was a commercial disappointment. It still would have been cool hearing a follow up to 3 because I think the band could have corrected some of the mistakes they made with 3. Gary deserved at least one more album.

[Pacfanweb]

Listen to Ballot or the Bullet and see if you think the main riff sounds a bit like the theme from "I dream of Jeannie".

A twisted version of it, but it does remind me of that show's them song. I'm not talking about the intro solo riff, but the main melody riff that Gary sings over.

[5150 Mean St]

I thought Josephina, Year to the Day, Once, Neworld, and Fire in the Hole were the Albums strong points. Josephina and Year to the Day were my favorites off the album. I think VH III is actually a very good Album, and I wish they'd done a follow up with Cherone. But, oh well. VH III was a great Album, and it doesn't deserve the bad rap it gets.

~5150~

[jonjuan]

Originally posted by Pacfanweb:
Listen to Ballot or the Bullet and see if you think the main riff sounds a bit like the theme from "I dream of Jeannie".

A twisted version of it, but it does remind me of that show's them song. I'm not talking about the intro solo riff, but the main melody riff that Gary sings over.

Yeah, I can hear that!

[Haaseracer]

Being listening to it for some time now...
I like it now~
Fire in the hole, Year to the day, One I want (except the weird lyrics) are my picks

[ June 23, 2002, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: Haaseracer ]

[bob'e'chops]

I've listened to the album alot lately......the songs are quite good,the guitar awesome,the drums good,the bass good, the vocals...... crap!.(lyrics good but vocal recording and sound....whooosh)) On my CD, G. Cherone sounds like he has a lisp.....(One I want) whats going on, has somebody done this on purpose or what!dreadful!!!!
The album also lacks what I would call attitude. VH has always been about somethin'......whats this album about........a new singer, new songs ....so what, no get up and go!!To be fair another album with a different producer and different presentation might have cut it...but everybody still wants either Sammy or Dave.
To me Van Halen was, and always will be about a lifestyle.....16 years old, patches on jeans,long hair,crazy flipped out coloured guitars,screaming harmonics and whammy dives....even the car horns on running with the devil.(who thought of that) loads ofd fun,freedom and beer...with damn good loud rockin music to boot....just thinkin 'bout it all makes me smile.This can never be repeated for me.
In the words of Van Morrison-
"The beauty of the days gone by
It brings a longing to my soul
To contemplate my own trueself
and keep me young as I grow old"
The beauty of the days gone by
the music that we used to play
So lift your glasses and raise it high
The beauty of the days gone by"

Thats what Van Halen means to me......and VH3 just part of the journey.........near completion and quite restrained, but still a link in the chain of my life.
The next album...........who knows..........?

Regards Bob'e'chops.
.........look what the ^%$^% I'll pay ya for it!!

[Kamikazesheep]

I like it [img]smile.gif[/img] Apart from Gays voice which I find too shrill & the last track which is utter shite

Musically I find it fresh & adventurous

But thats just me I guess [img]graemlins/sleep.gif[/img]

[AbeVanHalen]

I've said this before, a LONG time ago, but I'll say it again:

When Eddie said in interviews that there was 'depth' to the songs and the lyrics, he wasn't kidding. If you read the lyrics (READ them for some degree of comprehension and not simply decryption) while listening (listening, not just "hearing") to the music, after a few times through Eddie's conceptualiation does come to light. The music very much is an interpretaion of the lyrics.

Case in point: "Once". Through the ending of the song, Gary keeps singing "have you ever really touched?" and "not once". Listen to Eddie's guitar work in the background. He's following the vocal medody, but he's doing so 'late'; in other words, he's chasing the lyrics with the music, but he never catches up. In other words, the notes never touch the vocals. He was musically depicting what the lyrics were saying. Things that like, and they're ALL OVER the record, go unnoticed by most people. So you have to ACTIVELY listen to it to 'get it', and let's face it-most people just want something to crank up while driving or whatever.

So, artistically speaking, VH3 was successful.

Unfortunately, the general 'listenability factor' was low. The vocals were nasty. The drums sounded like a Muppet set, recorded in a garage with a $15 Radio Shack microphone. The song structures were too loose, lacking focus and anything resembling 'hooks'.

People rave about the guitar playing; I think it's EASILY Eddie's worst performance on record. He was sloppy as hell, his guitar sounds were generally poor, and for the most part his playing lacked the melodic element he had developed from about 1984-1996.

Had they used a good producer to organize Eddie's musical mess into cohesive, listenable songs, to allow Gary to sing instead of squawk, and of course to get decent SOUNDS on the recording, then the record could have been a real gem.

Overall, I think the concept was great, but was never realized to its full potential. The 'free-form' songs struck me as mostly immature, and the overall effect of the record struck me as 'premature'.

[MAX]

Originally posted by AbeVanHalen:

Had they used a good producer to organize Eddie's musical mess into cohesive, listenable songs, to allow Gary to sing instead of squawk, and of course to get decent SOUNDS on the recording, then the record could have been a real gem.

I completely agree about the production. The previous three VH songs: "Humans Being", "Me Wise Magic", and "Can't Get This Stuff No More" had me really exited for VHIII. It also would have been great if we could have heard "Between Us Two"(Quoted as Van Halen's "Stairway To Heaven") because it was also in the hands of either Bruce Fairbairn and/or Glenn Ballard. I remember an interview with Eddie when he said that he had no reason to work with any other producer once he met and worked with Glenn Ballard. That was in an interview of Guitar World right when they first got Gary. I wonder what happened and why they chose Mike Post? Either way, In my opinion VHIII doesn't sound "finished" with the songwriting, mixing, engineering or production.

[Newely]

It was a strange album in the sense that I really liked some of it, and hated some of it, there was no in between. I think it would have been better had Gary not been made to sound like Sammy Hagar on some songs. I also have a question for anyone who knows. Were the songs "Without You" and "Year to the Day" written before Sammy left VH? I wonder because it seems like they were made for his voice, as Gary really sounds like Sammy during these songs, especially during the chorus of "Year to the Day. Has anyone else noticed that?

[The Show Must Go On]

very basic, some brilliant moments it just sounded rushed to me. Though once could have been a radio single? Personally i like dirty water dog alot.

[SactoFan]

With 3, which I really like, I think Ed was making a real statement about the singer mess...I'm moving on...

Unfortunately, he didn't give Mike, Al, and Gary time to pack enough clothes for the trip...

The production is awful...Even 'Without You', which should explode out of your stereo, sounds like you're listening through your pillow...

No Mike backup vox=No chance at a "classic" VH sound...

Al's drums are non-existent on the record...

The positive...

It's so OUT THERE for a VH record...It certainly never will be confused with Aerosmith, whose last several albums sound, uh, the same...

Really dig the tunes and Gary's vox...

I think the real reason I will always look on 3 fondly is the tour. Gary just sang the dang songs...no BS...no bickering...just the songs. For all the crap the guy got, fans forget that Gary Cherone GAVE US WHAT WE WANTED! We got the classics and the Sammy hits from the guy and he came ready to sing.

I hope on any possible box set, we get to hear some follow up to 3...Judging from TOJ's "Left For Dead", the second Gary VH could have been pretty awesome!

[TyndellE]

My favorite songs on that CD were "Without You," "One I Want," and the abandoned "That's Why I Love You." I agree that a second release with Gary was in order and I hope they do release the songs they completed some day. I thought that Van Halen sounded "tired" on that album. They should have worked with a producer they were familiar with rather than an unknown. Also, the best example of what Gary is capable of is on the Extreme CDs. He sounded much better, much more powerful with them. In Sammy Hagar's case, he went to a higher level in Van Halen, with regard to his singing. Gary went a step back....

[drummerboy74]

I was very excited when I heard that Gary Cherone was picked to be the next Van Halen singer. I have been a huge Van Halen fan all my life, as well as a HUGE Extreme fan. I am from Boston, so I have known about Extreme for a long time! When I first got VH3, I thought it was great! However, after having lived with it for about 4 years now, I think it is a fairly good CD. The production is absolutely NOT what it should've been. It sounds so flat. Alex's drumming is virtually non-existant, and Gary's voice does not sound like his real voice (just a shadow of it). There are some really good tunes on it (such as "Neworld", "From Afar", "Once", "Josephina", and "Year to the Day"), but some not so great songs as well ("Ballot Or the Bullet" and "How Many Say I" come to mind). I also wish they had put out a second CD together, because it would've been MUCH better than VH3. Gary got blamed for most of the reason why VH3 was a failure, but I think it was mostly EVH's fault. If you wanna hear how Gary REALLY sounds, do yourself a HUGE favor and pick up Extreme III Sides To Every Story (one of my favorite albums of all time), or the new Tribe of Judah!