Author Topic: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone  (Read 59882 times)

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Offline Mosh

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #595 on: May 02, 2017, 09:24:13 PM »
Dave does what works in that context. His lyrics were memorable and fit the band's party rock image. Sammy was always stuck somewhere between trying to live up to Dave's style and trying to write something more meaningful and it didn't work quite as well.
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Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #596 on: May 02, 2017, 09:26:22 PM »
I don't mean to cut down on Dave's lyrics. I really enjoy them too, Dave does what he does best and doesn't try to be something he's not. He has a way with words. I was just listening to Dirty Movies last week and one of my favorite moments is: "Remember when that girl was prom queen?" Classic Dave delivery

Sammy has one of my favorite lyrics though and that's Love Walks In. My favorite
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #597 on: May 02, 2017, 11:16:05 PM »
I have the Live Without A Net version on my iPod. That middle part with the crowd chanting Eddie is really cool. My name is Edward, so it's cool to hear my name chanted  :lol

How would you guys rank the 3 Sammy songs from Best of Both Worlds? For me personally, it goes
1) Up For Breakfast
2) It's About Time
3) Learning to See

Learning to See is last only because I forget about in that batch. It's not bad, it's just not the most memorable

I need to listen to these again. I checked them all out a while back, and none of them made much of a dent. 

Dave does what works in that context. His lyrics were memorable and fit the band's party rock image. Sammy was always stuck somewhere between trying to live up to Dave's style and trying to write something more meaningful and it didn't work quite as well.

Sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn't.  I think the lyrics to Right Now are quite good, especially by VH's standards, which are not very high, because, really, who listens to VH for lyrical greatness?  :lol :lol  And while not Shakespeare, I think the lyrics to Summer Nights do a good job of summing up what summer nights can be (or still are, for the  younger folk ;)).

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #598 on: May 03, 2017, 02:33:42 AM »
The meaning of VH lyrics don't interest me at all, like Kev said, who listens to Van Halen for lyrical content?

There are a few which are outright bad, but if the song's good I don't really care. It's far more important that the lyrics flow with the music than that they make any sense at all.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #599 on: May 03, 2017, 07:06:00 AM »
By and large, I agree.  Don't get me wrong, I love when a band has great lyrics, but with a band like VH, their music sounds like party music anyway, so the juvenile, sophomoric lyrics just kinda work. Can you imagine a song like Panama with more serious lyrics? Hell no.

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #600 on: May 03, 2017, 08:22:28 AM »
I think Dave is massively under rated as a lyricist.  Like I said - I rarely take much notice of lyrics but some of the things he writes are very clever and on another level to Sammy IMHO.   Some of his best work is on ADKOT actually.

Brother, YES!  I was actually just going to write this almost verbatim.  I get it, there are a couple dodgy lyrics in the Roth catalogue, but I think for the most part, the ADKOT lyrics are smart, witty, fit the song, and are a lot... I won't say "deeper", but let's say, "substantive" that he gets credit for.  Even a song like "Drop Dead Legs" (which I realize is off 1984), he's telling a story.   It's like a gutter poetry. 

Sammy is good too; some of his work on Balance is pretty good, but there's a fine line between Roth's "Hey, guy, we're going to hang, listen to some Mountain, drink some Jack, and then I'm going to bang your girlfriend, and you'll thank me for it in the morning" schtick and just crass sex for sex's sake (which is what I think "Black and Blue", and "Up For Breakfast" are). 

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #601 on: May 03, 2017, 08:25:49 AM »
Let's not forget Cabo Wabo, which is essentially, "Let's drink so much tequila in Cabo that we pass out and fall flat on our faces." :lol :lol

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #602 on: May 03, 2017, 08:49:16 AM »
"Tattoo" is much maligned, but I love that line:  "Mousewife to momshell, in the time it took to get that new tattoo".  Tell me that doesn't capture the mindset of a million bored lonely women in this great country. 

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #603 on: May 03, 2017, 08:54:05 AM »
That line doesn't capture the mindset of a million bored lonely women in this great country.


 :biggrin:

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #604 on: May 03, 2017, 09:00:44 AM »
:clap:
Hef is right on all things. Except for when I disagree with him. In which case he's probably still right.

Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread--Summer/Fall 2015 Tour
« Reply #605 on: May 03, 2017, 10:45:54 AM »
I kind of forgot about Black and Blue. Yeah, Sammy did have some interesting ones...  :lol
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #606 on: May 03, 2017, 07:53:06 PM »
It took me 25 years to really appreciate Black and Blue, but now I definitely consider that a top 5 Van Hagar tune (along with Dreams, 5150, Right Now and Pleasure Dome).

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #607 on: May 03, 2017, 08:01:36 PM »
"Dreams" and "Humans Being" are easily my two favorite Van Hagar tunes.  Even today, I'm still quite surprised at how super heavy Humans Being is.  And I watched Twister a couple of months ago for the first time in years and that song fits in the movie perfectly.

Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #608 on: May 03, 2017, 08:07:57 PM »
I love that bass riff and drum part that backs up the guitar solo on that track, despite what I've said about bass on that album. It'a a great song.

Happy to see the love for Pleasure Dome as well. Always loved that song and it's so different compared to other Van Halen/Hagar tracks. It's dark, not quite sure what it's about, and that solo at the middle and the end. It's a great track. Can it be considered a more progressive VH track? Or is that just me thinking it's more complex than it is
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Offline Imaginos

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #609 on: May 03, 2017, 08:45:17 PM »
Agreed on Humans Being. Eddie's riffs are fantastic (and pretty heavy) and I love Alex's playing on the song, especially during the "loud" part of the guitar solo (for lack of a better description). I fondly recall having Humans Being stuck in my head all day once back in tenth grade, after I'd just discovered what a great song it was.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #610 on: May 03, 2017, 09:19:52 PM »
Humans Being would be in my next tier of Van Hagar tunes.

Top tier
Dreams
5150
Black and Blue
Pleasure Dome
Right Now

Second tier
Summer Nights
Love Walks In
Feels So Good
Poundcake
The Seventh Seal
Humans Being

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #611 on: May 04, 2017, 07:46:44 AM »
Van Hagar only:

TOP TIER:
Dreams
Summer Nights
Love Walks In
Cabo Wabo
When It's Love
Runaround
The Dream Is Over
The Seventh Seal
Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do
Take Me Back

NEXT LEVEL:
Why Can't This Be Love
Best Of Both Worlds
AFU
Feels So Good
Pleasure Dome
Top Of The World
Can't Stop Loving You
Feelin'
Crossing Over

Online cramx3

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #612 on: May 04, 2017, 07:55:46 AM »
Yea, Human's Being is actually a song that really got me into VH.  I LOVED the movie Twister growing up, and I bought the soundtrack because I always liked that part of the song in the movie.  I was glad to see them play it in 2005.

Top tier Van Hagar:

Dreams
Summer Nights
5150
Cant Stop Loving You
Runaround
Right Now
Aftershock

Next:

Source of Infection
Top of the World
Humans Being
Amsterdam
Why Cant This Be Love
Love Walks In
When Its Love

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #613 on: May 04, 2017, 05:51:38 PM »
I've never gotten the love for Runaround. It's an okay song, but that chorus is so damn bland.

I hated leaving Cabo Wabo, Source of Infection and Judgement Day off of my list.

Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #614 on: May 04, 2017, 11:11:59 PM »
Since Kev brought it up, I've been listening to Black and Blue a lot. I've got one question though, and maybe it's just me, but is there a phone ringing during the outro?
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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #615 on: May 05, 2017, 07:32:06 AM »
That chorus for Runaround is so fun though!  I don't see it as bland at all

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #616 on: May 05, 2017, 07:33:32 AM »
Revisiting this (Van Hagar) I forgot a) how solid the whole catalogue is, and b) how solid those last two records are.   You could put all of "...Carnal Knowledge" and most of "Balance" on the top tier list and not get too much quibble.  5150 is good, but it's a little schizophrenic, veering between guitar rockers and keyboard ballads, and OU812 (in addition to perhaps the worst album title for a mainstream band ever) is a little all over the map too. 

Offline DragonAttack

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #617 on: May 05, 2017, 12:06:54 PM »
Good Enough   
Why Can't This Be Love      
Dreams
Love Walks In      
Mine All Mine      
When It's Love      
Feels So Good      
Finish What Ya Started      
Black And Blue      
Poundcake      
Right Now      
Not Enough
Top Of The World      
Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)      
Big Fat Money
Baluchitherium
Take Me Back

A shame that during the F*U*C*k tour (which I saw in Kzoo), that they played nine of the eleven tracks from that LP, and that is what we ended up with on the 'Right Here' live disc.  That's what kept that concert off of my Top Five or Ten of all time.  Glad that I could grab parts from the Toyko '89 concert to include to make it a GREAT live LP.

'Black And Blue'...oh, so overtly sexist....yet, back in the day, after winning 80%+ of our softball games, (and winning one of four championship games), we had so many gals come to the bar afterwards, and they would be humping against us during this track while we were shooting pool.   My then wife would do the same, we'd do air guitar with the pool sticks, we'd all sing, etc etc.

We all had fun, we worked hard and played harder, and somehow made it to work on time the next day.

Good times x10
« Last Edit: May 05, 2017, 01:46:24 PM by DragonAttack »
...going along with Dragon Attack's Queen thread has been like taking a free class in Queen knowledge. Where else are you gonna find info like that?!

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #618 on: May 05, 2017, 06:23:44 PM »
Haha, nice.

It seems hard to believe that Black and Blue was never a live mainstay once the 90s kicked in. They did play Mine All Mine at the one show we saw in like '93 or '94, which was cool.  That was my first VH concert and it opened the show, so Mine All Mine stands as the first VH song I ever saw played live.  That seems odd.  Good, underrated tune, though.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #619 on: May 05, 2017, 06:49:00 PM »
My favorite Van Halen songs are in just four albums, two each from the DLR and Hagar era. My Van Halen 1-CD length playlist:

Mean Street
Sinner's Swing
Unchined
Jump
Panama
Hot for Teacher
Girl Gone Bad
Dreams
Summer Nights
Love Walks In
5150
Poundcake
Judgment Day
Pleasure Dome
Right Now
316

This is the perfect VH album for me. Sometimes I throw in Without You in there (yes, I like that song).

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #620 on: May 05, 2017, 06:50:47 PM »
Hard to argue with those four albums, although the first album is still the best.  :biggrin:

Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #621 on: May 05, 2017, 07:01:13 PM »
Without You is a great song. No shame there. Cool music video too. Well, not cool, but it works
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Offline erwinrafael

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #622 on: May 05, 2017, 07:12:43 PM »
Hard to argue with those four albums, although the first album is still the best.  :biggrin:

 :lol I just tend to like artists when they already have a full arsenal. The songwriting and musicality just feels more...complete (not sure if that is the right term).

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #623 on: May 06, 2017, 05:07:06 AM »
Without You is a great song. No shame there. Cool music video too. Well, not cool, but it works

That is actually the one VH song I karaoke'd, like 13 years ago.  I am pretty sure drinking was involved regarding that decision.  :lol :lol

Hard to argue with those four albums, although the first album is still the best.  :biggrin:

 :lol I just tend to like artists when they already have a full arsenal. The songwriting and musicality just feels more...complete (not sure if that is the right term).

Hey, you like what you like. It's cool.  :coolio

Nice to see you had Sinner's Swing in there.  That song is so much fun. :metal

And I have a new appreciation these days for Drop Dead Legs.

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #624 on: May 06, 2017, 06:41:56 AM »
Sinners Swing is a great song and Fair Warning is my favorite VH album.

Unchained would be my favorite tune from the album but I always thought Push Comes To Shove was the coolest track.

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #625 on: May 06, 2017, 04:07:22 PM »
Drop Dead Legs was awesome on first listen! :metal
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline Mister Gold

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #626 on: May 06, 2017, 08:56:04 PM »
I actually happened to write a music analysis essay on Girl Gone Bad for my American Music class a few weeks back! Not sure what grade I got on it yet though. :lol
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Offline Mosh

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #627 on: May 06, 2017, 10:40:09 PM »
That's a good one, lots of pedal tone stuff.
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Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #628 on: June 01, 2019, 09:35:32 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKRcbKVfmp8

Not sure why Roth's team even decided to post this video, it was pretty obvious that they had no clue who he was and a part of me doesn't think that was a bachelor party....Anyways, I think he knew they didn't recognize him because he seemed to leave in a hurry. Nonetheless, I found this to be an entertaining video because I felt uncomfortable watching the awkwardness and just had to laugh.
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Offline jammindude

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Re: Van Halen Thread v. Where Have All The Good Times Gone
« Reply #629 on: June 01, 2019, 09:42:08 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKRcbKVfmp8

Not sure why Roth's team even decided to post this video, it was pretty obvious that they had no clue who he was and a part of me doesn't think that was a bachelor party....Anyways, I think he knew they didn't recognize him because he seemed to leave in a hurry. Nonetheless, I found this to be an entertaining video because I felt uncomfortable watching the awkwardness and just had to laugh.

The one guy at the end who came out to the elevator.....he was the ONE GUY at the party who knew exactly who that was.   

I can just imagine all the guys going back inside going "IDK, some guy named David something something Roth said he was Van Halen." and then that guy was like, "Seriously?   David Lee Roth was at the door?   GTFO!"   and the friends are like, "Wait, you know who that guy is?"   And that when he throws on his shorts and runs out into the hallway.   
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