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 – 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…

When I first heard of Beatles Rock Band, I was skeptical. I’m a huge fan of the Beatles thanks to my parents, my uncle, and my cousin. But I never thought that it would be fun to play their music a la Guitar Hero. Then D saw the game’s presentation during the E3 convention in the spring, and he noted he liked some of the songs; this prompted him to borrow some of my Beatles albums. My buddy Scott has told me that the beauty of these music games is that it exposes younger generations to the music we enjoyed when we were their age.

My curiosity piqued as the release date quickly approached for Beatles RB. The internet was full of buzz surrounding the game and the re-release of remastered versions of the band’s complete catalog on CD. My only dilemma was for which game system should I buy it for. Not wanting to get burned like I did with GH Metallica, I decided on the Wii version.

The game is not difficult like GH Metallica, nor is it challenging. It does have a good selection of songs, but they could have added more (where’s George’s “I Want To Tell You”?). You can also purchase more song downloads from the online store, although I have yet to access it. I currently enjoy playing guitar on “Day Tripper”, “And Your Bird Can Sing”, “Birthday”, and “Here Comes The Sun”. Having bought the “band” version (guitar, drums, and microphone), it also allows me to play like Ringo (more difficult than one can imagine), or sing along with any of them. I’m no singer, but I’d like to think I have good tone (you certainly won’t catch me at karaoke night anywhere). What is really nice about Beatles RB is the feature of singing harmonies on their songs. I always wanted to learn John Lennon’s harmonies on Paul McCartney’s tunes; now I can (at least, on the songs that are featured on the game).

What I also enjoy is being able to hear these songs remastered. The songs sound so much better than what I currently own on CD. Because of this, I desperately crave owning the Beatles Stereo Box Set (wish list here)!

This game isn’t for just the casual gamer; you must be a fan of the Beatles and their music to enjoy this game. I still feel that GH Metallica is a more complete game, but Beatles RB is not too far behind and is just as fun.

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

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.