Van Halen- A Different Kind of Truth
There are two distinctive camps out there when it comes to "The Great Van Halen Debate". There are those, like myself, and the vast majority of Van Halen Fans, where Van Halen ended when David Lee Roth left the group in 1985, forever remembering that at one time, this group singlehandedly ushered in the hard rock scene in Los Angeles, and brought forth a new wave of music. An unapologetic, brash, bold, smart, funny, and most of all, FUN way to enjoy your rock and roll. The type of music where you would smile, bang your head, play air guitar, and try to reach Michael Anthony's soaring background vocals, all at the same time. A time when they were larger than life, selling out stadiums world wide, all the while with albums that were at most, 37 minutes in length. The other camp are those who are Pro Sammy Hagar, who was the lead vocalist from 1986-1995, and again in 2004 on the extremely ill fated reunion tour (Although no fault of Sammy, as Eddie was a certificable mess). That incarnation of Van Halen did bring in a wider, more pop oriented audience with their hit albums such as 5150, OU812, and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (Arguably the best of the post DLR albums, thanks in part to the return of producer Ted Templeman). But that success during that era came at a cost. The cost being that the very essence of what made Van Halen, well, Van Halen, was basically stripped away in favor of more pop laden songs and deeper lyrical content. Depsite my love for Sammy as a member of the seminal rock group Montrose (Bad Motor Scooter, anyone?), his classic period of solo albums from 1979-1982, and his current work with Chickenfoot, I could never personally embrace him as the lead singer of Van Halen. This wasn't the case of Brian Johnson replacing Bon Scott in AC/DC, where the group actually got heavier and ballsier. This was a case of Van Halen losing their way. When I heard "Why Can't this be Love", I literally cringed in agony, wondering how Foreigner was able to steal the Van Halen name and release an album
So, it comes as no surprise that those in the DLR-Van Halen Camp were equally excited and nervous about what "A Different Kind of Truth" would bring. Upon hearing that half of the material was going to be composed of earlier demos and outtakes that never made it to an album, the band got a lot of unnecessary flak for it. If other, well known bands were able to do this (The Rolling Stones "Tattoo You" album, which contains classics such as "Start me UP, "Hang Fire", and my personal favorite "Waiting on a Friend" was composed entirely of unreleased songs from the 70's), then why can't arguably one of the most influential American bands of our time do the same?
7 of the 13 songs on the album are re-workings of Van Halen songs that were never released, or as part of their early Demos. the first song,and single "Tattoo", is a reworking of "Down in Flames", and is far and away the safest song on the album, the most pop oriented of the bunch. Opinions have varied greatly on this song, and it does take a few listens to get used to, but it is a decent song. Again, Van Halen has punked us by releasing the worst song as the first single. They have done this before with Dancing in the Street, and Jump.
"She's the Woman" is a demo from the Gene Simmons produced demo from 1976 for Warner Brothers. It is a typical Van Halen song, short, sweet, adn to the point, with updated lyrics such as "I wanna be your knight in a shining pickup truck". It's a very fun song, and harkens back to the Van Halen I and II era, with a poignant mid to uptempo groove, and Eddie just being Eddie.
"You and Your Blues" is a new composition that fits in seamlessly with the Van Halen back catalouge. Riffs reminiscent of Post DLR Van Halen, but with Roth's signature vocals and lyrical twists. Background harmonies come into play on this track, and though Eddie and Wolfgang fill in admirably, there is a tinge of missing Michael Anthony's signature harmonies. Several twists come into play in the song, switching tempos regularly, with a searing guitar solo thrown in for good measure
"China Town", an homage to Roth's adopted home town of NYC, is a balls to the wall, full speed assault, and one that will have guitar maniacs drooling. This is also a new composition. Alex van Halen brings back what has been missing from Van halen recently. The double bass drum. The song doesn't stop for one second. Full throttle, pedal to the metal from beginning to the end. Shades of Van halen from the Fair Warning days.
"Blood and Fire", is a reworking from an Eddie Van Halen instrumental from 1984 titled "Ripley". It is a refreshing mid tempo change of pace song that harkens back to nostalgic times, and is an unabashed statement of "We've been through a lot of shit together, but we're back. Tell me you've missed us." Yes, yes we have.
"Bullethead" was a song never released, but composed in 1976. Pure speed, once again. It's astonishing that 3 of the 4 members are pushing 60, yet still have the energy to play like this. the growing trend here is that there are no ballads, and no songs that be considered as soft. that trend holds true for the rest of the album. Roth struggles to keep up on this song, and vocally, might be one of the low points on the album for him.
"As Is" is a new composition, and it flat out rocks. Starting out with a drum beat harking back to the "Everybody Wants Some" days, it quickly turns into a full out sonic blast. Eddie shreds throughout the song, and it quickly turns into a bluesy track midway through the song, with spoken word from Roth, before pounding the eardrums again with full force. one of my favorite songs on the album
"Honeybabysweetiedoll", a new track, is somewhere between Fair Warning and Nu-Metal in terms of the song composition. Thundering drums, washed out guitars with an alomst middle eastern vibe, and half vocals, half spoken word, the track is very, very heavy.
"The Trouble with Never", also a new track, has a Hendrix/Funk inspired groove, and could have, and quite honestly, SHOULD HAVE, been released as the first single. Soaring guitars, smart lyrics, and good vocal harmonies on the track.
"Outta Space" is a reworking from an older Van Halen song (the name escapes me). High tempo song, but an average song. Nice signature changes in the song, but not a song that I pruposely try to select when listening to the album. Throwaway song, in my opinion.
"Stay Frosty" Here we go. My favorite song from the album, a new composition that reminds anyone and everyone of "Ice Cream Man". An acoustic blues beginning that quickly swings to a rock-boogie assault on the senses. Lyrically, the strongest song on the album, and you can't help but smile when listening to this.
"Big River" is a reworking of "Big Trouble" a song that never was released. Great Van Halen sound circa 1979-1980. A Grandiose song with everything that you could ask for.
"Beats Workin"- a redux of "put out the lights", another song that was never released. Not Roth's best work vocally, but the song harkens back to those days from the 70's when life was all about having a good time in your custom van, smoking a joint, and downing some Pabst Blue Ribbon, or whatever beer you could afford for 2.00 a six pack. Has the signature Van halen sound.
My final grade on this is a 9/10. Why not a 10 out of 10? Several reasons. First, the production on the album could ahve been better. It has a muddy sound, which will certainly appease fans of the "Brown Tone" era of Van halen albums, but as loud and abrasive as Van halen inthe past has been, their albums were always crisp. You could hear every single note, every cymbal, every bass line. Sometimes, things just get a little fuzzy on this record. Also, although Roth is mostly in fine form, there are times where he does struggle with some of the faster songs on the album. Considering that he is pushing 57, and was never blessed with a great voice to begin with, this is understandable. He certainly sounds very good, all in all, and that is no minor accomplishment. Lastly, Michael Anthony. Granted, Wolfgang is emerging into a phoenomenal bass player, and there are moments where does sound "Anthony-ish" on the background vocals, you can tell that the background vocals were sometimes kep to a minimum because Anthony wasn't there. Songs such as Big River, Beats Working, you and Your blues would have been even better if he were there, but I digress.
I will end my review with this statement. I, as many Roth era Van Halen fans were wondering what this album would sound like, and where it would stand amongst the 6 classic albums of the past. I will say this. This is the heaviest Van Halen album since Fair Warning, and possibly even the best one since that 1981 release. This album trumps all of the hagar era records, and I'm not even going to count the Gary Cherone led disaaster of VH III. This is the ballsiest, in your face, unapologetic album by Van Halen in 30 years, and I am possibly the happiest Van Halen fan on the planet now for having listened to this album and appreciating everything about Van halen that I so dearly loved in my formative years.
Welcome back, boys. We missed you so much. Don't ever leave us again
9/10
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