Fan-filmed video footage of VAN HALEN performing the song “Hang ‘Em High”, from the band’s 1982 album “Diver Down”, this past Sunday (March 11) at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts can be seen below. Source: Blabbermouth.net
VAN HALEN
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Robert “Kool” Bell, co-founder of the legendary New Jersey jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group KOOL & THE GANG, spoke to The Morning Call about the band’s seemingly unlikely support slot on VAN HALEN‘s North American tour, which kicked off on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky.
“[VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth] saw our show in London last year for the big Glastonbury Festival and as they were putting together the VAN HALEN reunion tour, he went back to his camp and said, ‘Hey, man, I’d like to have KOOL & THE GANG open up for us,'” Bell said.
“They kind of felt it was a little strange in the beginning, but David kind of said, ‘Hey, I think it’ll work because in the ’80s, VAN HALEN was sort of like the rock party band and KOOL & THE GANG was the pop funk party band. He said [VAN HALEN‘s] audience is 60 percent ladies — and of course, with ‘Ladies Night’, we wrote a song for them. So it all came together.”
When asked whether the combination has been successful so far, Bell said, “The beer-drinking VAN HALEN [fans] at the tour the other night, they came in and by the time KOOL & THE GANG finished ‘Ladies Night’, they were jumping up and down. So they might have been hardcore fans in the beginning, but it’s all kind of working out.”
Read the entire interview from The Morning Call. Source: Blabbermouth.net
Van Halen have been in the press a lot over recent months, with tour dates announced then cancelled, dates not announced but cancelled, the whole Download Festival anticipation letting down all the UK fans, and then the widespread disappointment of the release of ‘Tattoo’.
People were saying it was a joke, and die hard fans instantly recognised the striking resemblance to the previously unreleased 1977 track ‘Down In Flames’. In fact, one fan has mashed the two songs together with the video, so you can see just how close it is for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-LobV87Vo&feature=player_embedded
Was reworking their early songs a big shock to everyone? Quite frankly it was, but the signs were there. Rewind to November 2011 and in an interview with Rolling Stone, on hearing rumours that Van Halen had signed a record deal, Sammy Hagar said: “From what I heard, they aren’t working with new material. Ed and Dave didn’t actually write new songs. They took old stuff from previous sessions, and then maybe Dave had to go in and add vocals because they just had scat vocals, or even no vocal part at all.”
I have to say he’s right, but to be honest with you, I would rather hear rehashed late 70s work, than some attempt at becoming a band of this era. Let’s face it, there aren’t that many bands that can take the leap from century to century after such a long absence, so I’m thankful that they have so much stuff to work with from their early days.
I almost skipped ‘Tattoo’, the first track on ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’, after not being overly impressed at launch, but listening to it on a stereo vs. YouTube gave it justice and I’m glad I didn’t press that button. Then when ‘She’s A Women’ kicked in I couldn’t help but smile. It’s the Van Halen I know and love and instantly made me want to be out dancing to it with the groove laden sound, and a chorus paying homage to the soundtrack of my favourite TV show from my youth.
‘Stay Frosty’ is to this album what ‘Ice Cream Man’ was to their debut album ‘Van Halen’, ‘China Town’ showcases Eddie Van Halen’s widely respected fret-work and ‘Blood And Fire’ is the kind of track that will see your fist pumping the air, regardless of whether you want it to or not. ‘Outta Space’ is by far the heaviest track on the album, and ‘Big River’ has a very similar feel to ‘Runnin’ With The Devil’.
Michael Anthony wasn’t invited to the party, well he was ejected back in 2006 to be replaced by Eddie’s son Wolfgang, which is a real shame as his backing vocals are definitely missed, but that’s my only criticism with this album.
‘Tattoo’ is the weakest track of them all, so I find it an odd choice that they released it as the debut single. Maybe they knew it, so wanted to spark discussion and get the buzz and anticipation going for what was to come?
Who knows, but more importantly who cares? This album is a pleasure to listen to, featuring all the things you would expect with a Van Halen album, and should be on your list of must haves if it’s not already in your stereo. It may take a couple of listens for you to fully appreciate it, if your expectation was initially soured by the first video, but stick with it.
Now come on Van Halen, let’s get that extensive tour over to Europe please, to see how this truth translates to the big stage.
VAN HALEN‘s first album in 14 years, “A Different Kind Of Truth”, has entered the official U.K. chart at position No. 6.
As previously reported, “A Different Kind Of Truth” could debut at No. 1 on next week’s Billboard album chart. According to Hits Daily Double, one-day sales reports compiled after the set arrived in stores indicate that it is likely to sell between 180,000 and 200,000 copies in its first week of release. That could be good enough to topple ADELE from the No. 1 perch where she’s been residing for the past few weeks.
“A Different Kind Of Truth” is the band’s first full-length offering with original singer David Lee Roth since “1984” was released in January 1984.
If VAN HALEN ends up taking the No. 1 position, it will be the band’s first chart-topping studio set with Roth. The singer exited the group in 1985, a year after its “1984” album was released. According to Billboard.com, “1984” spent five weeks at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 — VAN HALEN‘s highest charting set with Roth. (1996’s “Best Of Volume 1” hits album, which included two new songs with Roth, debuted at No. 1 with 233,000 sold in its first week.)
VAN HALEN‘s other four other No. 1s were their four studio albums with Roth‘s replacement, Sammy Hagar: “5150” (1986), “OU812” (1988), “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” (1991) and “Balance” (1995).
VAN HALEN‘s last all-new album, 1998’s “Van Halen III”, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart and was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies, a disappointment compared to their previous platinum efforts. Source: Blabbermouth.net
Cameron Adams from Australia’s News.com.au spoke with legendary VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth recently about the band’s reunion and new album, A Different Kind Of Truth. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:
News.com.au: You’re back fronting Van Halen and have made A Different Kind Of Truth, your first album with them since 1984. Was it important not to just tour and play old songs?
Roth: “Nostalgia is a form of denial. I love denial. I like selective amnesia, too. Mix the two and you’ve got a hell of a weekend. However, in terms of aiming the starship there, nah, retromania is not a great destination.”
News.com.au: Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang is on bass now. What’s it like being in a band with a 20-year-old?
Roth: “I’m starting to be impressed by the kid. I didn’t want to be. He can play the shit out of that thing. He’s bringing it. We never changed. We’re a ’70s hard rock band. We enjoyed our fame in the ’80s but all our roots are pre-’80s. That’s Van Halen. Old plus new. It’s like watching Dragnet on your iPad.”
News.com.au: How are you and Eddie getting on?
Roth: “If Ed and I can get along then world peace can have a chance. There’s sparks, there’s energy, there’s a team enthusiasm closer to pirates than little league. There’s still some pillaging going on there. You can hear it in the music. There’s routinely conflict but there’s a lot of laughter. A lot of appreciation for the privilege of the job; compared to some of the other jobs we’ve all held, this is better. In one of the songs I say, ‘I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, rich is better’. It’s totally better.’
News.com.au: How do you describe the chemistry between you and Eddie? It’s led to you leaving the band a few times.
Roth: “Our form of sparks will be in the first sentence of our mutual obituaries. These are the songs and messages that have brought a smile to a thousand hips.
Maybe that’s our only responsibility as artists. You must delight. I don’t care if you’re running with a football in a screaming stadium or playing a solo violin in a concert hall, you must delight. We treasure that responsibility more than ever. You see it in the handshakes. The smiles are genuine. We individually idle somewhere between pissed off and not too pissed off in terms of anger. When you get too happy that’s a different band. That’s a vacation.”
Read more at News.com.au.
Van Halen performed a dress rehearsal for friends and family at the Los Angeles Forum last night (February 8th). It was to be a secret show but it was one of the worst kept secrets as thousands attended the show. Below is the opening number, the band’s classic KINKS cover ‘You Really Got Me’:
According to Billboard.com, Van Halen might be on its way to a sixth career No. 1 album on the US Billboard 200 chart – unless ADELE’s 21 stands in the veteran band’s way.
Industry sources suggest that Van Halen’s A Different Kind of Truth may sell about 180,000 to 200,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, February 12. Under normal circumstances, that would be enough for the recently-signed Interscope act to bump Queen Adele from the top slot.
However, this isn’t a normal week. The 54th Grammy Awards take place on February 12, at 8-11:30 PM on CBS – where Adele is scheduled to perform. The artist is nominated for six Grammys this year, and the performance will mark her first since undergoing surgery last year on her vocal chords. Further, Adele will sit down with Anderson Cooper for an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes immediately before the Grammys.
Check out BraveWords.com’s glowing review of Van Halen’s A Different Kind Of Truth this location.
Van Halen’s video for ‘Tattoo’ can be viewed below:
Source : Bravewords.com
VAN HALEN played a special “rehearsal” show for their upcoming North American tour last night (Wednesday, February 8) at the Forum in Los Angeles.
VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash, who was one of the lucky people in attendance, tweeted after the concert, “VAN HALEN was killer tonight at the Forum. Eddie [Van Halen] was brilliant. So amazing to hear/watch.”
The band’s setlist was as follows:
01. You Really Got Me
02. Running With The Devil
03. She’s The Woman
04. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some
07. Beautiful Girls
08. Ice Cream Man
09. China Town
10. Dance The Night Away
11. Hot For Teacher
12. Blood And Fire
13. Guitar Solo
14. Panama
15. Jump
Fan-filmed video footage of Eddie Van Halen‘s guitar solo from last night’s show can be seen below.
VAN HALEN will kick off its North American tour on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky.
VAN HALEN‘s new album, “A Different Kind Of Truth”, is likely to sell between 180,000 and 200,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on February 7 via Interscope.
The first review of “A Different Kind Of Truth” was posted online last week at Antiquiet — and it was overwhelmingly positive. Critic Johnny Firecloud said that the band’s first album with original singer David Lee Roth in 28 years is a “true return” and “screaming triumph,” adding, “That old familiar feeling has returned, the unique flare of excitement that comes from a muscle car rhythm section led by a six-string wizard and a singing sexual megalodon with an ego that made Kanye look like a kid flaunting his new Spider-Man underoos — and the pipes to back up the strut.”
The review acknowledged that much of the album is made up of material pulled from the band’s archives, writing, “Thankfully, these songs do not sound like old men putting on the smelly old spandex and combing over the strays. Fresh is the operative word here, a supremely confident swing for the fences in an understandable progression from the obsessively romanticized pre-Hagar era.”
First single and album opener “Tattoo” is described as the “low point for an otherwise fantastic album,” which may offer hope to fans who have voiced displeasure with that track. Other songs cited as standout tracks include “She’s The Woman”, “You And Your Blues”, “China Town” and “Stay Frosty”.
The review concluded, “‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ will be remembered as evidence that a band can endure every cliche in the book and return, with the right focus, obsessed dedication and mojo, to a sweet spot of rejuvenation — one that holds the hand of nostalgia but doesn’t go for the full embrace, leaning instead, wisely, toward evolution.”
Source: Blabbermouth
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