The Eddie Van Halen Dilemma

[Edeble Ed]

I was reading some posts about how badly people want the reunion, and cant wait till they finally announce it to the public. But i started to put myself in eddie' s shoes for a sec. Here is a guy who wants to try new things, and expand (ex. VH3), and who has tried to move away from his signature "borwn sound". yet he will always be remebered for his past, and no offense to sammy fans, but most remembered for his first 6 albums. if we say for conversation sake that eddie really doesnt want to reunite with dave, eddie has a great dilemma. dave represents everything "old" to eddie, and to do songs that fit roth's range, would be to take a step back. yet everyone else thinks he would be takin a step forward. Eddie is a musician and has a right to go wherever his aspirations take him, and if eddie did something with dave he thought was subpar, then he wouldnt be true to his musucianship. yet the majority of the public wiill only care about a van halen mention if it is in the same breath as David Lee Roth. i am not a musician, but feel that his early work far outshines his last effort. unchained is one of the most powerful rock songs of all time, and is just an example of what those six wonderful albums mean to us ( and lets not forget his later albums with sammy, which werent that bad either). yet eddie is a guy who wants to be true to himself as a musician, while at the same time trying to keep his band afloat in the publics eyes. lets hope dlr can do both of those for eddie.

[seriousjuju]

excellent post edeble ed. you bring up some very good points. i really wouldn't want a reunion if it is a forced one. us the fans will be able to tell if the guys hearts are in it. i'd rather have a genuine reunion than one that they are forced in to. anyway if we get a reunion i'm buying the cd. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[ July 05, 2001 at 03:14 PM: Message edited by: seriousjuju ]

[Edeble Ed]

I am getting the cd too first thing. i think a dave cd would sound good actually. dave has show he can still rock (ex. dlr band cd), but i think that eddie may feel those type songs are a step back.

[seriousjuju]

he probably does but his options are limited. the fans aren't going to buy singer #4. i think it really is dave or the grave. hell after all the hype and speculation about the reunion anything else just ain't gonna sell.

[madden]

Yes, we painted Eddie into a corner and now he is fucked! Tough shit. I don't feel sorry for millionairs.Peace out.

[topik killer]

the return of MADDEN. i totally agree, as soon as they decide to keep going as a band they should have hired a manager(to this day i still don't think they have one!) and said hey can it work with DAVE or is this just a cash grab. i think a fourth singer could've worked TWO YEARS AGO (where have we been) but now it has to be DAVE or maybe SAMMY. i don't ED think would ever apologize to SAM. just retire already!!! first thing most people think of when it comes to VH is not the music it is the singer merry go around that never seems to end.

[Glenn]

Great post EE. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I think Eddie needs to understand that the history books on Van Halen have already been written and NOTHING he does now is going to alter that. I'm sure it eats at him as a musician, but his legacy is always going to be his early work, that's just the way it is. Few artists remain in the vanguard for an extended period of time, and Eddie is no exception. You can't TRY to be relevant, it has to be an organic thing.

And....

I'm not at all sure about Dave's voice, but I'd love to see what would happen if Dave got into an environment where he was being pushed. That's one thing that I believe has allowed Dave to diminish in quality; he hasn't been surrounded by musicians/producers who he considers equals, who can kick him in the ass and tell him when he sucks.

[mrblu]

I think a point not mentioned is the fact that nobody is mentioning what Ed WANTS to do. Everyone seems so concerned about album sales, ticket sales, the return of rock. Ed and co. have done this for a long time. They changed the face of music several times. I think at this point in their careers and lives they could care less about that stuff. I figure Ed will do whatever he wants to do regardless. At worst, WB will drop them and they will go indie. So. I'll still buy it. I'm a fan of VH, not a particular singer. I can find something to enjoy musically in EVERY song. I might not like the whole song, but I always seem to find a "cool" part in all of them. I think some "fans" are way too judgemental. Everybody likes it for different reasons, I know! Just my 2 cents!

[SwissHalen]

I think a reunion is possible without Ed having to take a step back. If VH does a new album with Dave it won't sound like classic VH. Dave's voice changed, Ed's playing changed, so the whole sound changed. We got a preview how it could sound with the BOV1 tunes. In my opinion, the best thing VH could do is a big change. They should leave the old days behind, which includes a change of their look (Dave's haircut, clothing) and their attitude. They should get away from the party image and play some angry tunes, which would fit the band much better. We all know that VH isn't just about partying after all what happened in the past, like Eddie's cancer, hip replacement and the whole bitterness between the band and their former singers. A reunion with the band doing the classic stuff would be a fake, because this isn't reality anymore. It would be a farce. Before the band does anything with Dave, they should forget about their egos and have a long discussion about the past, about all the negative feelings between each other and then they should go to the studio and do some kick ass tunes. Me Wise Magic and CGTSNM were kick ass tunes, they should keep the style. Angry, hard tunes that blow you away. Dave is capable of writing such songs, im convinced of it after reading his book. He's more of an angry person than a partying person. When you've read his book you'll understand what I mean.

[ July 05, 2001 at 05:24 PM: Message edited by: SwissHalen ]

[AbeVanHalen]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SwissHalen:
They should get away from the party image and play some angry tunes, which would fit the band much better. Angry, hard tunes that blow you away. Dave is capable of writing such songs, im convinced of it after reading his book<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


That would probably be the single PHONIEST act of poseur-ism the band could make, regardless of singer. They are in their 40's, have had success out the yin-yang, have millions of dollars, families, and lifestyles which are the stuff of dreams. What the fuck do they have to be so angry about?

Look at Sammy: he said it best "I'm not gonna do ANYTHING that isn't fun". Being angry is not fun. While silly anger appeals to adolescents who like having their ball sacs charged with adrenaline, it is NOT a very adult thing to do. Why force MORE anger upon the masses? Listen to the crap bands have been spewing out for the last decade: morbid, depressing, angry tripe and drivel. You needn't be a 'party band' to have a good time with music. Why, after working for so long to gain such a wonderful position in life, would you want to wallow in anger?

I am not suggesting that ALL aggressiveness be removed from music (theirs or anyone else's), but to become 'angry old men' isn't going to be a positive thing. Look at All-anus Morissette: she was THE 'angry young woman', she sold a bazillion records based on that image, and was living the high life. When she returned with another 'angry' record, people saw how phony it was, and look where it got her: instant obscurity.

Music is a powerful medium, capable of doing either a lot of good, or a lot of harm. A 40-something year old with a net worth in the 9 figure range is not my idea of sincere anger. Considering that Eddie is (supposedly) beating cancer, he would have quite a POSITIVE attitude towards life in general. He should be as upbeat and triumphant as possible. Considering how seriously he takes music nowadays (according to interviews of the last 5 years), an angry record would be rather silly and contrived.

Beethoven had grown deaf, was losing his sight, had some drinking problems, and the nephew he spent YEARS in agony trying to gain guardianship over blew his own brains out. Beethoven had every reason in the world to be angry, especially toward the end of his life. Yet the works he produced during that period were some of the most powerfully triumphant and positive compositions of ALL TIME. He was overcoming the forces of nature, family problems, etc., and he did so through his music.

Music has the power to heal; angry music has the power to harm. An 'angry' record from VH at this point seems to be the last thing they should do.

(considering the flow of logic within VH as of late, this all means that they probably WOULD make an angry record, simply BECAUSE it wouldn't make any sense [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img])

[SwissHalen]

Maybe "angry" is the wrong word for it, maybe "serious" is better. But their music has to be CREDIBLE, and I don't think that a party album would be credible at the moment. I totally agree to your comment about the "crappy bands" that came out in the last years. Their sound isn't credible, they play darker music because it's the flavour of the day (decade) thanks to Nirvana. It sells better, that's why they play it.

But I don't think that songs like "Jump" or "Hot For Teacher" would sound right...credible on a new album. "Fair Warning" is a rather dark album, and it's the favourite album of most of the fans. Darker songs wouldn't be something new to the classic VH lineup, they did songs like "Atomic Punk", "Runnin' with the Devil" and the BOV1 tunes. You can write darker songs with a positive attitude, and they'll do no harm to you. Whatever, a record about pussies, fuckin' and drinkin' wouldn't be credible to me.

[ July 05, 2001 at 06:23 PM: Message edited by: SwissHalen ]

[dooberdober]

I'd like to see one album, one tour, and then just let Ed do whatever he wants. He'll be close to 50 yrs old! Let him record with whoever he wants.

[Scott]

Sorry - - I am going to be REALLY FUCKING sarcastic towards Van Halen here..everyone get your flame throwers out!

If Van Halen wanted to do something UNIQUE - how about the publish a new record!!!

Or if Eddie wants to be completely different - release a fucking solo album and fuck around with a bunch of different artists.

Van Halen is now a trade mark type of name. When you think Nike, you think sports, when you think BMW you think cars and when you think Van Halen you think of good time rock and roll. Eddie should push this to the max - but he can't change his brand identity. Musically OF COURSE if they get back with Dave or Sammy it will be different - with Dave it has been (basically) 16 year - they dynamic will change.

Now if Eddie wants to be different and challenge himself in a different way - release a solo cd with MA on Bass, AVH on Drums and whoever is available that day on vocals.

[diggyd]

Dooberdober, I posted something like that in a reply a while back. I would like VH to reunite with Dave for one studio cd and go on tour. Then, release a double live cd with the music from that tour. At this point the whole reunion thing will be out of everyone's system because we all know Dave and Eddie will not remain in the same band together for more than they have to. Now, Eddie can hook up with whatever singer he wants to and do whatever. After that, release a Best Of Vol. 2 with a couple of new tracks from Dave or Sammy. Now Eddie is in his 50's and ready to do soundtracks and /or retire. Finally we will recieve one helluva box set from VH with all kinds of shit in it. Peace-out

[Whats That Sound]

Diggyd,

I couldn't have said it any better myself. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]