A Different Kind of Truth (review)
Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
[four out of five stars]
Told ya I was coming back.
David Lee Roth knows what he’s talking about. This line from the track “Blood and Fire” sums it up. With the release of the band’s 12th studio album A Different Kind of Truth this past week, Van Halen has returned to give their fans a major dose of hard rock. I’ve read reviews on the web, Twitter, Facebook, comments on blogs and on iTunes, and the reaction is mixed but mostly positive. For those that are disappointed with ADKOT, it’s expected. It is impossible to please everyone, especially when you’ve gone through at least 5 lineup changes in over 2 decades, not to mention it’s been 14 years since the last studio album. This record is for the fans, those who appreciate the music and the band and take it for what it is. I could get into a debate about Dave vs. Sammy, but that’s a post for another day. I just want to talk about the album.
And this album ROCKS.
Boy, does it rock. There are no ballads. From what I can tell, there are no keyboards. Just straight up, bone-crunching guitar-driven rock. The production on this record is better than their last effort; it sounds GREAT. Dave’s vocal range isn’t what it used to be (wasn’t much to begin with), but his lyrics are firmly tongue-in-cheek. Alex Van Halen’s insane tempos on the drums are unleashed once again. Wolfgang Van Halen keeps pace on the bass with his father and uncle; yes, Michael Anthony’s background vocals are missed, but Wolf holds his own. And Eddie Van Halen? Well, he just rips through this record track for track; from bluesy licks to monster riffs, Eddie’s still got it. ADKOT is probably their heaviest and darkest record since Fair Warning. And I love every second of it.
“Tattoo” – The first single, and maybe the weakest track, thanks mostly to the goofy chorus. However, Eddie more than makes up for it with a great solo.
“She’s The Woman” – An improvement on the old demo. Wolf tears it up on bass. This track makes me wanna dance, that is, if I could dance.
“You and Your Blues” – One of my favorites, I love singing along to it. It’s radio-friendly, and it rocks.
“China Town” – Big Al goes bonkers in a “Hot For Teacher”-kind of way. Wolf impresses as he shares hooks with Eddie.
“Blood and Fire” – Love the lyrics on this. Highlight is Dave’s quote above, which leads into a fantastic solo from Eddie. Currently my favorite track.
“Bullethead” – Balls-to-the-wall. It’s enough for me to hear Eddie’s “elephant” sound to kick it off.
“As Is” – The song starts off with a heavy intro that sounds N-A-S-T-Y. Then the tempo kicks in, and all hell breaks loose. Kinda reminds me of “Sinner’s Swing!” off of Fair Warning.
“Honeybabysweetiedoll” – Maybe the darkest song on the record that took some getting used to. Has a basic riff, but by the middle of the song, Ed takes it to the next level. Then he goes off the chart with his solo. LOVE it.
“The Trouble With Never” – The Three Twins (Ed, Al, and Wolf) bring the funk. Mid-song, Dave gets “deep” with Al and Wolf before Eddie returns with more funk.
“Outta Space” – Straight up-tempo rock with some wordplay from Dave.
“Stay Frosty” – Dave gets bluesy and philosophical in a way that only he knows how, then the band joins a la “Ice Cream Man”. VH boogie at its best.
“Big River” – Taken from another demo; I didn’t like this at first, but it has grown on me.
“Beats Workin’” – For me, this song sounds like an outtake from 1984 (it was originally called “Put Out The Lights” in the 70s). Trying to get used to the lyrics.
There are complaints regarding the use of old demos on this album, and that VH could not be “creative” enough to write new songs. To me, these are new songs. Yes, I’ve heard some of the demos before, but we the fans have asked VH for years to release this stuff. And I believe Eddie has always reached into his vault for every album to date, so this is nothing new. I would love to hear the band jam in the studio when playing off the old stuff. I love a good jam session. And in some ways, I can hear the jam sessions on this album. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Told ya I was coming back. Say ya missed me. Say it like ya mean it.
Yes, Dave, I missed you and the boys. It’s good to have ya back.
Van Halen returns
Van Halen – Tattoo from Van Halen on Vimeo.
Any music fan knows that when their favorite musician(s) releases new material, the moment you hear it, it can be a very special moment. That moment has occurred for me 8 times since the late 80s with the band I’ve followed since 1986: Van Halen. Today, VH released their first single “Tattoo” from their new album A Different Kind of Truth (release date Feb 7). It’s been nearly 8 years since VH’s last new song (“It’s About Time” off The Best of Both Worlds with Sammy Hagar; the band also recorded 2 rather forgettable songs with Sammy). The forthcoming album will be the first studio album for the band since 1998′s Van Halen III with Gary Cherone. The last time they recorded with David Lee Roth was in 1996 for “Me Wise Magic” and “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” from Best Of, Volume I. Truth is the first studio album with Dave since their landmark 1984 album. The new album will also be their first with Wolfgang Van Halen playing bass.
My thoughts on the new song “Tattoo”? It ain’t bad, but it ain’t great either. The lyrics have Dave written all over them: “Mousewife to bombshell in the time it took to get that new tattoo”. Wasn’t crazy of the repetitive chorus at first, but it has actually grown on me. Alex and Wolf maintain the foundation with a solid groove. And Eddie’s guitar is heaven; his signature “brown” sound is back in full force.
I had my doubts on whether Wolfgang could play with the band. But after watching this video of VH performing “She’s a Woman” at their Cafe Wha? show last week, he proved me wrong. The audio isn’t great, but you can clearly hear Wolfgang tear it up on the bass.
People are going to inevitably compare the new stuff to VH from both the Dave and Sammy eras. I don’t expect A Different Kind of Truth to rival any of their classic albums; most bands can’t, and I don’t think that’s the intent. It is 2012, and three quarters of the band are pushing 60 (Wolfgang turns 21 in March). I mean, come on – look at the Rolling Stones, for crying out loud. I’m just happy to listen to the band, and it’s exciting to hear new material from a group who is clearly having fun together once again. If there’s anything that gives me goosebumps, it’s listening to Eddie play. I anxiously await the arrival of the new album.
Now the only thing I haven’t done yet is see them in concert with Dave…
monday shuffle 090709
I was tagged in July on Facebook with the note below. I think I will make it a weekly meme of some sort just to see what comes up each time.
Once you’ve been tagged… (1) Turn on your MP3 player. (2) Go to SHUFFLE songs mode. (3) Write down the first 15 songs that come up–song title and artist–NO editing/cheating, please. (4) Choose some number of people (more than zero, fewer than all) to be tagged. It is generally considered to be in good taste to tag the person who tagged you. (Edit: If you’ve already done this note and had the nerve not to include me, feel free to just forward your original one my way — these things take too much work as is.)
If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about your musical tastes, or at least a random sampling thereof.
(To do this, go to “NOTES” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, enter your 15 Shuffle Songs, Click ‘Preview’ below to tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click Publish, the little blue box at the bottom of your screen).
1. Every Breath You Take – The Police
2. The Way I Am – Eminem
3. God Is A Bullet – Concrete Blonde
4. Sunday Morning – No Doubt
5. Kite – U2
6. (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
7. Hanging On Too Long – Duffy
8. No Leaf Clover – Metallica
9. Morningside – Sara Bareilles
10. Again Today/Hiding My Heart – Brandi Carlile
11. In The Meantime – Spacehog
12. Save The Last Dance For Me – The Drifters
13. Ain’t It The Life – Foo Fighters
14. Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
15. On My Way – INXS
The Beatles
Oh, wow – I want this!
RIP MJ
I don’t remember much about the day Elvis died, August 16, 1977, except for what my mother has told me. We were on our way back from Orlando, Florida, having visited Walt Disney World for the first time. I was 5. It would be years later that I would discover and truly appreciate the King of Rock and Roll and his music.
Late Thursday afternoon, my manager had just given me my annual evaluation. When I returned to my desk, my coworker broke the news to me that Michael Jackson had died. I was shocked. But that was it. No tears, no real sadness. I watched a portion of Dateline’s special later that night. I read the updates that poured out of Twitter and Facebook, a mixture of sadness and mockery. Not wanting to get sucked in, I avoided it like any other media event Michael Jackson was involved in.
News of his death brought back memories of “Billie Jean”, the Moonwalk on the Motown 25 special, Eddie Van Halen playing on “Beat It”, the “Thriller” video. However, I steered clear of being a fan when the weirdness took over. I really thought he could put out a new album of great music, but I think he tried too hard to top himself instead of being himself. And the media circus always outdid what he put out from the studio. From the plastic surgeries to the accusations to the trial, I cared less about Michael Jackson.
After nearly 2 days since the announcement, the sadness is starting to kick in. I tried searching for my copies of Thriller and Bad but could not find them. Frustrated, I played disc 1 of HIStory, and I had forgotten how awesome his music is; my childhood has come back to me. He will be missed by millions, myself included. Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.
idol
Sorry to see Matt Giraud go home tonight. However, his performance of “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” was just not good enough. I still like Chris Daughtry’s version on American Idol 3 years ago.
UPDATE: ok, I jumped the gun. Looks like the vote was 3 to 1 to keep Matty around another week. Now that the judges used the save, from this point on, the contestants, who are all good, must be prepared to go home each week.
iTunes now DRM-free
iTunes goes DRM-free with variable pricing
It’s about time iTunes is freeing its content from copy protection. I started purchasing music from iTunes in 2004. But in the last year, I made the move to Amazon’s MP3 store. Amazon sells songs with no DRM, at variable prices, and in a 256 kbps MP3 format. With the latter, I can play the song on any device, on any computer, using any media player. With iTunes, their format is still in their proprietary AAC format, which means only an iPod can play the file. Now I realize I currently own an iPod, but if I want to stream my music to, say, Daniel’s Xbox 360 or our TiVo, it won’t play AAC files, only MP3. The nice thing about iTunes going DRM free is that I can now convert the file from AAC to MP3 (you can’t do that with AAC’s with DRM).
I can also upgrade previously purchased songs from iTunes to the DRM-free formats. The bad news? I have to pay roughly $.30 per song to upgrade, and I’d have to do it in bulk. That’s almost $100 in one shot (NO thanks). Amazon is still my #1 choice for digital music, but if I can’t get it there, I know now that I can rely on iTunes.
Straight No Chaser
Heard these guys on the radio yesterday on the way to work. Great stuff!!
Death Magnetic
Metallica’s ninth studio album Death Magnetic was released last Friday. Picked up my copy from Target on Saturday, and I can’t stop listening to it (that is, until I load up Baby Einstein for Sophia). It’s fast and furious. It’s reminiscent of their sound from the 80′s before they went mainstream in 1991 with their self-titled disc (aka The Black Album). (more…)
random 10 #136
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
Holiday tunes … Merry Christmas!
- “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” – John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- “White Christmas” – The Drifters
- “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – U2
- “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee
- “Little Saint Nick” – The Beach Boys
- “The Chipmunk Song” – The Chipmunks
- “Blue Christmas” – Elvis Presley
- “The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole
- “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” – David Bowie and Bing Crosby
- “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” – Thurl Ravenscroft
…and one picture that relates back.
Christmas 2004 – Christine prepares Salem for Christmas morning festivities
top 5 on friday #155
Top 5 albums released in 2007 (in your opinion)
- Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace – Foo Fighters
- Little Voice – Sara Bareilles
- Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
- The Story – Brandi Carlisle
- It Won’t Be Soon Before Long – Maroon 5
tuesday tunes #13
Open your Itunes or Windows Media or Winamp or whatever music player you use and tell me …
Your top 5 songs:
- “DOA” – Foo Fighters
- “Thunderstruck” – AC/DC
- “All My Life” – Foo Fighters
- “Best of You” – Foo Fighters
- “End Over End” – Foo Fighters
Your most played artist: Foo Fighters
How many songs you have on your computer: 2551
The first artist listed alphabetically and the last:
- A3 with “Woke Up This Morning”
- ZZ Top with “Legs”
piano prodigy
Check out Ethan Bortnick, a 6 year old who can play 200 melodies from memory and has composed over 20 pieces.
Thanks to Dad for sharing!
and here he is playing a duet with his piano teacher …
little voice
I discovered Sara Bareilles thanks to a free download on iTunes. This girl is talented, and her album Little Voice is excellent. In fact, with the exception of the Foo Fighters’ latest, it’s the only album I’ve listened to on a regular basis all year. If you haven’t heard her yet, give her single “Love Song” a listen:
random 10 #126
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
- “Stranger Things Have Happened” – Foo Fighters
- “Not Falling Apart” – Maroon 5
- “Don’t Worry Baby” – The Beach Boys
- “Bubbly” – Colbie Caillat
- “How Far We’ve Come” – Matchbox Twenty
- “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around” – Justin Timberlake
- “Romeo Delight” – Van Halen
- “Bold As Love” – John Mayer
- “Back in the U.S.S.R” – The Beatles
- “Love Song” – Sara Bareilles
…and one picture that relates back
fake grapefruit
new Foo
The latest album from one of my favorite bands was released today. Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace is the Foo Fighters’ sixth studio album. I had pre-ordered this on iTunes at the beginning of August. However, this morning, I didn’t get an offer to download the album as soon as it was available. So, me being impatient like an avid gamer buying Halo 3 at midnight, I immediately purchased it when I woke up this morning. Little did I know that Apple would send me an email this afternoon telling me my pre-order was available for download. Thank goodness I wasn’t billed twice; I was able to cancel the pre-order. I gave it a listen while eating lunch at my desk. It’s new and different. Dave Grohl shows he’s capable of writing great music. The album rocks when it wants to, and the soft stuff is very good too (check out their live DVD Skin and Bones; this acoustic set is one hell of a concert). Granted all of this is from one listen; it still needs to grow on me. I’m listening to it now as I write this, and I must say I’m liking what I hear. Here’s the first single, “The Pretender”:
random 10 #121
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
“I’ve Got a Feeling” – The Beatles – need I say more?
“Talula” – Tori Amos – only song I own of hers
“One I Want” – Van Halen – rare gem from the short-lived Gary Cherone “era”
“Marigold” – Foo Fighters cover a Nirvana tune
“Old Love” – a classic performance from Eric Clapton’s “Unplugged”
“Love Me” – Elvis Presley – I like to sing this one out loud
“Eminence Front” – The Who – one of the 1st videos I saw on MTV
“The Story” – Brandi Carlile – a new tune introduced to me by a friend
“Getting Better” – The Beatles – still can’t believe this was used to promote plasma tv’s
“Like a Star” – Corinne Bailey Rae – just got this album
…and one picture that relates back
Salem’s all worn out
maybe 3rd time's a charm?
Van Halen & David Lee Roth announce tour
I don’t know. I said this before – maybe I would’ve been excited about this 10 years ago. I’ve seen VH in concert with Sammy Hagar on vocals, but I’ve never seen them perform live with Dave. However, I can’t fathom spending $50 for a nosebleed seat to watch a band who hasn’t performed together live in 22 years. And these days, I just don’t enjoy the same things I used to a decade ago. I will note the band seems happy together, and Eddie looks as healthy as he did in 1995. And the idea of a new album does give me goosebumps. But even if they survive this tour (and possibly endure Asia and Australia), we may not hear new stuff from VH until 2009.
take me back tuesday #135
Let’s go CD shopping!
Back in the day before the internet ruled the earth and people went to malls etc…
What was your favorite record store?
When I was a teenager, I always shopped at Birdland Records in Virginia Beach, VA. Great selection and great service.
Are there any non-chain stores that you still frequent for your music needs?
Not really. I only buy CD’s if they’re of a decent price (I won’t pay more than $12 if possible). Or I just put it on my Christmas wishlist for family to buy for me. Otherwise, it’s digital downloads for me (iTunes, eMusic).
What was your favorite “find” at your favorite store?
In the summer of 1989, I bought what became my favorite album by the BoDeans – Home (featuring “You Don’t Get Much”)
random 10 #117
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
An eclectic mix that randomly showed up on the pod this weekend …
“Green River” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Last Night” – The Traveling Wilburys
“Pillar of Davidson” – Live
“More” – Bobby Darin
“February Stars” – Foo Fighters
“Thunder Road” – Bruce Springsteen
“Pride and Joy” – Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble
“Outta Here” – Kenny Chesney
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” – The Beatles
“The Bare Necessities” – Harry Connick, Jr.
…and one picture that relates back.
With an excessive heat warning in the St Louis area through Friday (temps at 100 with heat indices around 110), the ice storm of 2006 seems like a distant memory.
top 5 on friday #132
Top 5 Musical Collaborations (songs, albums) it can be a mixture of both.
- The Traveling Wilburys
(Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty)
“End of the Line”
- The Beatles and Billy Preston
“Get Back”
- Queen and David Bowie
“Under Pressure”
- Power Station
(Robert Palmer, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Tony Thompson)
“Some Like It Hot”
- John Mayer Trio
(John Mayer, Steve Jordan, Pino Palladino)
“Vultures”
