Time for some classic rock now - Van Halen! This is one of their older albums, and not one of their most well known - but for some reason it is the only one I own on cd: $10 from Echo records, second hand. It contains absolutely none of their notable tracks and is their 5th album.
Van Halen formed in California in 1972, fronted by the charismatic showman, David Lee Roth. The Van Halen brothers - Alex and Eddie were two of the other members, and Eddie is generally considered one of the finest guitar players in the world. Alex was the drummer and Michael Anthony completed the quartet with his bass guitar. They soared to rock n roll fame - with such hits as "Jump" and "Running with the Devil" which are awesome songs and not on this cd, of course. In 1985, Roth departed the band - due to personal conflict with Eddie, and was replaced with Sammy Hagar. Himself a fine vocalist. Roth returned again for a reunion concert in the mid 90s, before rejoining the band permanently in 2006. He is still a member there today.
Whilst this album seems to have faded into the depths of obscurity, it did earn them a ranking in the Guinness book of records for "highest paid single appearance of a band": $1.5 million for a 90 minute set.
Cover is... boring. Definitely ranks in my top #10 of "least interesting album covers" (Along with Warlord's "Best of", Helloween's "Chameleon" and Wrath's "Nothing to Fear". The cover is red, with a diagonal white stripe running from top left to bottom right. Band name at top right, title at bottom left. Not exactly inspiring. Inside it's no better - a band photo in which Lee Roth looks young, blond and pretty compared to the rest of the band who are all dark. The song titles, and some helpful instructions on how to keep your cds in good condition and clean them (straight line, center to edge, with a clean, lint-free, soft, dry cloth). Guess this WAS one of the earliest cds.*
So, slot it in and give it a spin!
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone!" (sic) the first track proclaims and it has a kind of downbeat feel to it. Roth doesn't have his usual "happy voice" going and sounds almost a little lost. Bit repetitive too, not my first pick for an opening track.
With a somewhat more energetic pace "Hang 'em High" rocks on in with very competent guitar flurries accentuating Roth's vocals. Again, it has a more melancholic feel, with Roth's voice being rather more melodious and smooth.
Some interesting instrumention on "Cathedral". Is that clarinet? It soudns almost like synth, but there's none listed, so must be Jan Van Halen adding their touch.
Another slower rock number, "Secrets" has more of a traditional soft rock feel such as is found in bands like Fish.
"Intruder" is a haunting drum and guitar instrumental, with some whining reminscient of industrial machinery towards the end it slips into the distinctive opening chords of "Pretty Woman" which sounds a little odd from Roth's vocal chords. He's a little rougher than Orbison. He does manage a rather throaty purr/growl at one point. Even this track sounds a bit maudlin.
Picking up the pace with some electronica guitar swirls as quirky twiddly squeaky flurries as it's time for "Dancing in the Street". Orginally performed by Marvin Gaye. Could increase the tempo a bit. Make this a livelier number. But no, still seems a bit foot-draggy. I'm not feeling like dancing guys!
"Little Guitars" starts with a very twiddly and complicated flamenco style intro before taking on bouncier rhythms. This one has a more quirky and upbeat nature to it. The chorus is perky and chipper and this is probably the most upbeat song on the album and, so far, my favourite.
Although I would swear he's singing "etch a sketch, etch a sketch"**
And now we're taking a trip back to the 20s with clarinet and "Big Bad Bill (is Sweet William now)". This is a song popular with barbershop quartets, but Van Halen have added in some extra instrumentation. It still sounds weird and a bit out of place on a rock album.
Now, time for some actual rock, "The Full Bug" has faster rhythms and a solid almost glam-rock beat. Very skilful guitar solo as Eddie makes his axe sing.
And possibly the craziest cover song on the album, "Happy Trails" is performed acapella and is short, slightly out of tune and kinda amusing. In fact, it kinda ruined the album for me. It's amusing, but not a strong way to end a weak album.
This is a very different album for Van Halen. It's less energetic, more soothing and has a shadowy sadness to it. The instrumentation is competent, although there are no full on rock-out guitar solos and there's a kind of lacklustre feel to it. Good background music (I might take this to work, actually). But, it's not Van Halen as I know and love 'em and even their choice of cover songs can't make up for the lack.
The only stand-out track is "Little Guitars" 8/10 for that (it's no "running with the devil") and 4/10 for the rest of the album.My recommendation - if you want a Van Halen cd, DON'T buy this one!
Rating = 5/10
* To wikipedia! The first cds were made in the mid-to-late 70s and became commercially available in 1982. The year this was released.
** It's actually "catch as catch" but still!
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