VH is their own competition

[futzbutton]

Ok..it's been 4 years since the band has played in concert and even then the front man, Gary Cherone, was nowhere as gregarious and outgoing as Sam or Dave. that's a fact.

VH3 was a disaster for a lot of reasons. I think the fans really gave it a fair chance but the quality of the music just wasn't the same as the two previous versions of VH with Sam and Dave as the front men.

Also the mix was not very good and I, for one, could not understand the lyrics unless I had the words in front of me and was reading along.

Topically, I don't think that VH3 was what the fans were expecting. Even when I read the lyrics along with the music I felt that the words did not have the same impact that the previous writers put into their lyrics.

Musically I think the album was pretty good and Ed's playing was, as always, really great.

The engineer who did the mixing really dropped the ball in my opinion.

Now onto the main topic, VH being it's own toughest competition.

We all grow older. That's a fact of life. We all change to some degree because of what occurs in our lives. If we are lucky we learn and grow and become better human beings.

The Sammy and Dave era Van Halen's are gone. They are classic and they stand on their own in terms of excellence. But that was then and this is now.

I, for one, believe that even if Dave or Sam would rejoin VH, the music would be different. While I think that this is a good thing I also believe that many of us would be comparing the newest version of VH to what they have done in the past.

I think it would really be tough for the band to turn out new songs that are better than what they have given us in their earlier albums. When I think of all the amazing songs they have made over the years I can't help but think that any new version of VH, regardless of the lead singer, would be compared to the original 2 versions of the band.

Of course this is just my opinion. I could be wrong. (but I don't think I am)

I'd like to hear from other fans regarding VH3 and if they think that any songs from that album comes close in quality to the Sam and Dave era songs. Do you think that any of the VH3 songs will ever be considered VH classics like "Ain't talking bout love", "Right Now", "Dreams" or "Running with the devil"?

I say..."NO WAY"

I think that one of the reasons VH was so amazing in the beginning is because their music really reflected their lifestyles. But now they are all married with kids and have station wagons and go to parent's night at the local school.

We've all gotten older. Why would we even want the old version of VH back? So what if the new version plays mellower or more mature music? As long as it reflects who they are and what the fans can identify with, I say, "Go for it"

Frankly, after 4 years of nothing, I think that VH is no longer a band. I'd love them to prove me wrong. I'd love to see a newer, stronger and more mature VH playing music I can identify with.

Let's hear some songs about antacids, laxatives, mortgage payments, broken DVD players, hiatal hernias, incontinence and flatulence. I think most VH fans can indentify with these topics.

I can't wait to hear the feedback on this topic.

[Stuff No More]

I've always said that people hoping for "Fair Warning II" would be disappointed by anything a reunited VH and Dave would put out. Personally, any sort of reunion will be the kiss of death for the band - people will hype it up so much and the personal impression of their older material will be further distorted so far towards the positive that the reality of anything they produce will be more than people are willing to handle.

[z28girl]

To discuss VH-III, I'd have to go back and listen to it again, but off the top of my head, I've always liked Without You, Ballad or the Bullet (can never remember that title), Year to the Day, and Once. I think they stand up to anything they've done in the past, especially with Sammy because they're more mature songs with a different kind of energy. I agree that the failure of III was in the production. The band stepped away from who they are completely.

As far as a reunion with either Sammy or Dave, I also agree that the band would have a hard time with comparisons to previous work, but that's mainly going to come from the media because they've always got to pigeon-hole and label everyone. I think if either singer were to come back and the songs kicked ass, the fans would be there.

Yeah, it's getting harder to write a song that applies to a married man with children, but like Ed said, he was only single for two tours, so that has nothing really to do with your attitude. And although I thought Sammy wrote some great stuff for F.U.C.K. and Balance that definitely was dealing with more mature, worldly subjects, I don't want Van Halen to try and be Pearl Jam. Van Halen is Van Halen and the best thing about that is the tongue in cheek, rock your socks off, and get into your pants fun that's sorely missing in this era of angry, whiney kids. It's time to lighten up folks and Van Halen is just the band to do it. Just because I'm 40 doesn't mean that I don't like to check the guys out and have a good time. I still like sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll! [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

And to add one more thing, David Lee Roth is no more a parody of himself than Sammy is right now with his Hawaiian shirts and tequila. At least Dave is true to his original self and not trying to be Jimmy Buffet. And look at Keith Richards! Who wants to look at his scrawny gray-haired chest with all that crap hanging off his head. He's a joke too. Rock stars can't all become Eric Clapton and who would want them to be?

FAIR WARNING: Van Halen is not for children. It's for adults who really know and remember how to party! [img]graemlins/bounce.gif[/img]

[slamdunk20]

You know what blows about all this is that eddie and alex hold all the cards, and thay wont budge an inch. If the day comes that Dave and Van Halen come to terms it will make the kiss so called reuion look like a kc and the sunshine band concert. all four members would make more money then brittny spears and garth brooks put together.

[POJO_Risin]

Originally posted by z28girl:
[QB]To discuss VH-III, I'd have to go back and listen to it again, but off the top of my head, I've always liked Without You, Ballad or the Bullet (can never remember that title), Year to the Day, and Once. I think they stand up to anything they've done in the past,[QB]

I'm not even going to touch that one. A song can be mature, and still not be that good...but you know...everyone has an opinion...

Frankly, it's true...the new music WILL be compared to the old music. All good bands are. Will it sound like the old stuff? Sure it will. You can't be a band that played for as long as they have and sound similar. Of course it will be different however. If it's good...then it won't freakin' matter if it's a lot different. If it's bad...

well...

then let me reference that quote from the beginning of this post...