Cherone is one of my favorite singers, I liked him better with Extreme on III Sides and Waiting for The Punchline, mostly because it was a better fit. I agree with you, it was a better disc than it was made out to be, but it didn't stand a chance before it was ever heard by the public because neither VH rev 1 or VH rev 2 lovers were going to praise it. It definitely wasn't vintage VH, but to me, neither was Van Hagar, and I guess I'm one of the few who didn't like 5150 that much, that was too poppy sounding to me, (for the record, I wasn't a huge fan of 1984 either). I did like OU812 and the F-word one pretty well, Balance had some good songs too, but it was also a different band than original VH. Of course, the first 4 discs were incredible. Eh, I'm rambling...

Just my <$0.02, most people will disagree. Yeah, I still pull out VH3 and give it a spin sometimes, I also have a video of most of the concert in Australia that was on MTV that I pull out every once in a while. I like Gary's onstage style, I saw him on the WFTP tour in a medium size (1500 - 2000) club and the whole band was incredible. People either seem to love him or hate him onstage, I like him.

 

i like the rawer sound of F.U.C.K.

i do agree that cherone was better off with extreme. I think that III sides is a master piece. But the point i am trying to show here is that accepting the album for what it is, not typical VH. nowhere near what you would hear with roth or hagar. i think that people should pay more attention to the music, and not who's playing it or just judge it by the surface. anyway, my defense of vh3. not that you were attacking it.

 

I thought they sounded good. I try not to make decisions based on this or that. It was automatically assumed that the album would suck, people have too many preconceived notions of what van halen really is, when in reality van halen has always been eddie and alex van halen, insert showman singer here. Van halen is no more david lee roth than steve vai is >.> Same goes for hagar, both good vocalist, but the truth is the band is eddie playing guitar with a singer behind him. Always has been. Always will be, it just so happens that roth was the greatest frontman ever at one point in time, and hagar appealed to a wider pallete than Roth. Blah blah blah.

All i have ever wanted is for eddie to go the same route the rest of those guitarist did, and realize the band was essentially over, and start doing instrumental material. I think hes really squeezed all he can out of vocal based music and id like to see more stuff like, respect the wind, to this day thats his best track imho. I dont even know at what level his alcoholism is these days, but he played sloshed just fine on van halen 1, so why not just more frickin material now >.>

 

^^^+1

I can't say whether I like VH3 or not since I have never heard it.

I agree with what you say, sniperfrommars. EVH & AVH are the center of the band... the band's name kind of gives it away! I just want the band to get going again and come up with some more kickass material. In an interview with Guitarist magazine two years ago (round about the time the last tour kicked off) Eddie said they were all back together and everything was all cute and rosy. He said that the 3 new songs on the BOBW compilation were "just the tip of the iceberg of what's to come from us". So where's the rest of the "iceberg" then, Eddie?

Guitarists have two things in common with lead singers; they have massive egos, and they have a capability to talk utter bull.

 

^^^+1

I can't say whether I like VH3 or not since I have never heard it.

I agree with what you say, sniperfrommars. EVH & AVH are the center of the band... the band's name kind of gives it away! I just want the band to get going again and come up with some more kickass material. In an interview with Guitarist magazine two years ago (round about the time the last tour kicked off) Eddie said they were all back together and everything was all cute and rosy. He said that the 3 new songs on the BOBW compilation were "just the tip of the iceberg of what's to come from us". So where's the rest of the "iceberg" then, Eddie?

Guitarists have two things in common with lead singers; they have massive egos, and they have a capability to talk utter bull.

Eddie has alot to live up to. He was without a doubt considered the greatest guitarist alive at one point. Arguably the most influential player since hendrix, everything he plays will be viewed through an electron microscope. He is a victim of his own success. I dont doubt that he doesnt have hours of jam tapes recorded, but as sammy hagar once said their are likely 70 hours of music, and 2 useable songs out of all that .

 

Eddie has alot to live up to. He was without a doubt considered the greatest guitarist alive at one point. Arguably the most influential player since hendrix, everything he plays will be viewed through an electron microscope. He is a victim of his own success. I dont doubt that he doesnt have hours of jam tapes recorded, but as sammy hagar once said their are likely 70 hours of music, and 2 useable songs out of all that .

Very true

VH3 is my least favourite album, not because of Cherone, but beacuse I think EVH is running out of ideas. Fire in the hole is a cool song tho

 

I like it but there are a lot of 'buts' to get past in my enjoyment of it. I was so excited when I heard Gary had joined Van Halen cos I was such a big Extreme fan, but the production on that album is so synthetic... the auto double-tracking on Gary's voice buries the nuances that make him sound like himself, and turn his performance into some kind of Sammy Hagar clone. I also didn't like Eddie's tone for much of the album, and the drums sound plastic and without guts. And Eddie wouldn't let Mike Anthony play on the album, all the bass is Eddie, and I find myself missing Mike's simple but distinctive style.

I like the songs, I like the performance of them, but the sounds used to do so, from all elements of the band, don't cast the songs in a good light.

 

And Eddie wouldn't let Mike Anthony play on the album, all the bass is Eddie, .

I never knew that, you learn something new every day

 

Mikey didn't play on the three new songs from BOBW either. Athough apparently Eddie has had problems with Mike for a long time - a shame since Mikey seems the soundest guy out of the lot of them. Probably something to do with Eddie's LGED (Lead Guitarist Ego Disorder). A shame, really. They are such a good band.

 

I didn't like VH III because the vocals by Gary Cherone were so weak. Wait for the Punchline was the death of Extreme pure and simply.

Regards

André

 

I guess my original point was missed, yeah, I like VH3, it's a fine disc compared to other discs put out in the same period, it's all in the context it is placed. I also think Cherone's lyrics are as good or better than Sammy's and I prefer his vocals. I like Sammy as a singer too, but sometimes his lyrics are kinda sappy.

I disagree that VH is only Eddie and Alex, I believe that without DLR back in their club days people wouldn't have taken as much notice of them. His strong stage persona was what helped push them to the top, we are guitar players, most of the public is not.

Andre,
WFTP didn't appeal to alot of people because it sounded different, Nuno was playing through a cranked Fender and had a totally different tone than his old shredder-ish tone. I agree that III Sides is a masterpiece, but most of WFTP songs are just as strong, just different. But, vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, we all have different tastes.

Down to $0.01 from $0.02...

 

I guess my original point was missed, yeah, I like VH3, it's a fine disc compared to other discs put out in the same period, it's all in the context it is placed. I also think Cherone's lyrics are as good or better than Sammy's and I prefer his vocals. I like Sammy as a singer too, but sometimes his lyrics are kinda sappy.

I disagree that VH is only Eddie and Alex, I believe that without DLR back in their club days people wouldn't have taken as much notice of them. His strong stage persona was what helped push them to the top, we are guitar players, most of the public is not.

Andre,
WFTP didn't appeal to alot of people because it sounded different, Nuno was playing through a cranked Fender and had a totally different tone than his old shredder-ish tone. I agree that III Sides is a masterpiece, but most of WFTP songs are just as strong, just different. But, vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, we all have different tastes.

Down to $0.01 from $0.02...

They could have had a monkey singing with eddies playing at the time and you would still have van halen 1 regardless. Roths vocal style = unoriginal as ****, he is a unique person no doubt, but i dont think it would have made a difference one way or another, and besides they sold more records with hagar. On that note, Gene Simmons suggested that they get rid of Roth on a few occassions, i think this was more to get eddie to play with kiss, but who knows for sure.

 

Well, the songs were pretty bad. Eddie tried to write differently than he normally does and it didn't really work to well.

I love Gary. He ended up being the scapegoat for that album and that's crap. He deserved better. If you haven't got it, go out and get Tribe of Judah. Think Extreme with a bit more techno-industrial sound. Still heavy guitars. Really hard to describe. Excellent album though.

 

VH 3 is a good album in my book. More weight on the lyrics, and a different sound. It's all good. I like most of the songs on VH3, and listen to the album on a regular basis, whatever that means.

 

I think VH III was a decent "almbum" just not a great "Van Halen album". I got into Extreme prior to their hair ballad band label and thought they were great. Gary walked into a lose/lose/lose situation and I don't think that even a great album would have been good enough. He brought some new hope for the fans with his willingness to do the old stuff on tour (which he did pretty well, IMO). I think this whole mess is Ed's fault, from the time he and Sam stopped getting along, all the way up to the 2004 tour fiasco.

 

ed really is the center of tension in the band....

but that's the thing, you can't really listen to the album, with van halen in mind, because you sure as hell aren't gonna get what you are expecting. i do agree that gary is pushing the vocals, to be reminicent of hagar. that didn't cut it for basically everyone who was hoping for a decent album.

okay, why didn't i know that mikey didn't play bass on the whole album. i always got the notion that things between ed and mike were hunky dory. it always seemed to be the singer and his supposed, "lead singers disease". then again, sammy and mike formed a band called, "the other half''.

even with roth saying that a reunion is inevidable recently, i highly doubt it will happen. with ed in his current state....he seems to have gone back to drinking and smoking, even after getting tongue cancer.who knows what to expect.

 

.

even with roth saying that a reunion is inevidable recently, i highly doubt it will happen. with ed in his current state....he seems to have gone back to drinking and smoking, even after getting tongue cancer.who knows what to expect.

It stinks that such a great guitarist has to be such a stupid person. It'd be nice to have a VH reunion, but some things are better left to stay the way they used to be. For example, even though I couldn't go to the Robert Plant show, I'm sorta okay with that, because I know that what he USED to be is NOTHING compared to what he is now. Sometimes, it makes you wonder whether or not the band would still have its old chemistry! I'm perfectly okay if VH doesn't get back together, because what they gave us, music wise, continues to be satisfying enough! For me, anyways. It would've been nice to see them in their prime, though....

 

what i would like to see though is an album like Def Leppard's Retro Active, and just release a bunch of stuff that didn't make it before. you know eddie's got shelves and rooms of music on tape just collecting dust. That's what bugs me the most.

 

We should get in ninja outfits..

Sneak into Eddie's house..

Steal the tapes..

Call up some major recording label.... (Warner Bros, if they still had did music..)

AND RELEASE GREAT MUSIC TO THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~ Katrina

 

Personally, I am not a fan of Van Halen 3, for numerous reasons.

1. Gary Cherone is poor fit. Had they hired him around the time of Extreme II: Pornograffiti, maybe things would have been different. But he really seems to be reaching for notes that don't sound good coming out of his mouth on this album.

2. Ed stopped being interesting. I guess the simple way of putting it is that he really is repeating himself here. "Fire in the Hole" sounds like an even more processed version of "Summer Nights" and "Get Up". "Dirty Water Dog" sounds like "Secrets" and "Top Jimmy".

3. Ed's soloing really sucks on this album. I know it was released during the era of "soloing sucks" mentality, but his playing is really unimpressive.

4. The production is lousy. Gary is way out front, and Ed's guitar sounds alternatingly very dry, and very processed.

5. No one should ever let Ed sing.

 

5. No one should ever let Ed sing.

I love his singing:

As an aside, the next album (if there is one) should be called Van Halen .18 (as in BAC).

 

Personally, I am not a fan of Van Halen 3, for numerous reasons.

1. Gary Cherone is poor fit. Had they hired him around the time of Extreme II: Pornograffiti, maybe things would have been different. But he really seems to be reaching for notes that don't sound good coming out of his mouth on this album.

2. Ed stopped being interesting. I guess the simple way of putting it is that he really is repeating himself here. "Fire in the Hole" sounds like an even more processed version of "Summer Nights" and "Get Up". "Dirty Water Dog" sounds like "Secrets" and "Top Jimmy".

3. Ed's soloing really sucks on this album. I know it was released during the era of "soloing sucks" mentality, but his playing is really unimpressive.

4. The production is lousy. Gary is way out front, and Ed's guitar sounds alternatingly very dry, and very processed.

5. No one should ever let Ed sing.

Yeah the solos weren't that great. It sounded very weird to hear Ed use Whammy pedals etc.

Regards

André

 

I love his singing:

As an aside, the next album (if there is one) should be called Van Halen .18 (as in BAC).

That sounds really good . I heard people say that on tour they sounded really good.

Regards

André

 

I'm just too used to seeing Sammy Hagar in the band. I really do miss seeing him in the band with the guys. His vocal performance and tone matched well with the personality of the band. It was such a bad day to hear he decided to leave VH. I think the band as a whole was better with Sammy.

Paul

 

DLR gone = VH's downfall...