Sammy's "Not 4 Sale" pretty good

[SteveKrutzler]

When I first listened to it I thought, "well, Sammy's voice sounds great and gets better with every CD but the songs don't really get me goin' like =VH=."

But now I've listend to it a few times and I really like the CD. When I first heard tracks 6-9 I thought they all sounded mostly the same but now I can definitely discern differences. Tracks 1-4 are my favs, with Stand Up definitely an energizer with a nice little Eddie-esque trem picked solo stuck in there.

Hallelujuah has a great "new rock" sort of sound to it. I don't care all that much for the chorus because it's almost like he should've thought up some more words but the rest of it is great. I really like the keyboard solo in there, really gives it a 70s groove in the middle. These first two songs really sound like a cross between classic rock and new rock... I mean, the big power chords and lack of crazy soloing should appeal to youngsters these days.

Memphis is a great song once it gets going and I love the chorus and the line "you can't find it on a shelf," which clearly is a recurring theme on this record ("not 4 sale"). Things've Changed is also good, with a good acoustic/electric mix and it's pretty energizing.

Whole Lotta Zep is alright but honestly it's not my fav. I've never been a huge Zep fan but the song is one of the only guitar solos on the whole CD so that's good.

Big Nail seems to be the "southern rock" installment on this CD, and Sam seems to have fit one like this on most of his recent solo efforts. I like the highway references and the line about the mustang but I don't know what "big nail" means--I assume it's the nickname for a part of the country?

Make It Alright has a good sound and enough speed but I think he shouldn't have put so many "Yeah.... yeah.... yeah"'s on it and instead opted for more lyrics.

Not 4 Sale is probably my favorite and it sticks in my head the most. The lyric parts are VERY "new rockish" sounding and you've just gotta love the "go on-line, check my e-mail" and after the Guitar World interview I can't help but hear Sammy reaching out to Eddie with the verse right after the interlude...

Big Square Inch is probably my least fav for two reasons: 1. what the hell is the big square inch? and 2. the chorus is, again, repeated just too much when another verse or some change-ups would be welcome.

Karma Wheel is really growing on me. It's so different from everything else on the CD but it has this huge, epic, grand sort of feel to it. Sam's voice is great and I love hearing him scream "Kar--ma... wheeeeeeeee--eee--eee--ee--eee--eellllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!" toward the end.

If anything, I'd say I wish there were guitar soloing on the record. I know Sam doesn't want to try to be Van Halen but somehow songs just seem empty without a good solo, hehe. Does anyone know when/what songs Sam is playing guitar vs. Vic or does Vic do all the guitar work? Whatabout leads? Does Vic do the few lead solos that are on the various songs? I think 10/13 had more solos on it...

All in all, I haven't listend to 10/13 in a while but I recall there not being as many good rockers on that one. Red Voodoo I also haven't listened to in a while. For me, Van Hagar or Van Halen always dominate the CD player and solo Sam CD's just don't have the same magic but he's making good music and his voice is better than ever. It's a great way to hold us over until he gets back with Van Halen. I hope they reunite and make some killer new albums together!

[SeriousDooDoo]

hey steve,

i think the album sucks.

no hard feelings,

DooDoo

[Goo]

Probably better suited to songs & Albums forum

Good review dude. some thought put into.

[valdez44]

Love, Karma Wheel....cool vibe, and dig Sammy's solo and Mona's bass lines. Stand up is the definite stand out in this album. The other tracks are good too, but don't really stand out as much.

Recently saw Sam in Vegas, and he opened with, "big square inch". Don't ask me why as I too think thats one of the lamer tracks on the album. He also did, "whole lotta zep", which sounds a whole lotta better done live. He also did "things've changed, and Halfway to memphis.

I like this album better than 10/13. For me, it has good flow to it, and has a good mixture of sounds on it.

[Mas Tequila]

Album is a lot better than Ten 13. I love Not 4 Sale, Halfway to Memphis, and Make It Alright. This is by far one of Sam's best albums.

[GMAN5150]

Originally posted by SeriousDooDoo:
hey steve,

i think the album sucks.

no hard feelings,

DooDoo

You probably haven't even listened to it.First your a Dave Fan and you don't like Sammy in the first place as everyone here knows so why would you listened to it?Thats ok...I like Dave with VH but have bought and listened to several of Daves solo albums and I think they all suck....no hard feelings.... but at least I listened to them... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Raldo]

It's definitely an album that gets better the more you listen to it. I wouldn't put it in the same league with Van Halen, Led Zepplin IV and Who's Next but it's a good, fun record.