How did you react to 5150 at the time?

[ytserush]

Liked it a lot, but I never really bought into the David Lee Roth thing, even though I own every Van Halen album up to and including 3 (Which I think is great by the way.)

[Stadler]

Michael Anthony always looked thrilled just to be at the party and had a good time playing.

My best friend in high school and I used to make fun of just that.  "Oh boy, guys, this is GREAT!"   We said the same thing about Pete Trewavas as well (if you watch the "Recital Of The Script" you kind of see that too).

[Stadler]

Liked it a lot, but I never really bought into the David Lee Roth thing, even though I own every Van Halen album up to and including 3 (Which I think is great by the way.)

I've also said this before but a key element of this is that Van Halen was just so much... FUN.  Good, clean, FUN.   Maiden was dead serious; this was before the internet so Rush wasn't the fun-loving BFFs that we know today; Kiss was fun but it was... there was that element of secrecy then, so they weren't on the same level as the rest of us; Ozzy was "fun" in a "wow, that guy is a maniac; I'm glad that's not MY friend" kind of way...

I don't know.  I think that's partly why I never really got ass deep in the grunge movement and really don't like the whole Cobain thing.  It wasn't FUN.   It's no surprise that the only band I erally like from Seattle is the Mother Love Bone, who were a fucking goof in a lot of ways.   "Dirt" is probably my least favorite AiC album, because it's just so BLEAK.  Soundgarden was okay, but they only really clicked with me once I got the humor that was sort of an undercurrent in their music ("do you hear a cow?   A rooster says.... here is a pig... the devil says.... RROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR" on "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" is epic).  To this day, if you look at my top albums - Yes, Genesis, Dream Theater, Rush... only Sabbath is a really dark band.  I just kind of gravitate to that positivity and that's Roth VH. 

[KevShmev]

I've also said this before but a key element of this is that Van Halen was just so much... FUN.  Good, clean, FUN.   Maiden was dead serious; this was before the internet so Rush wasn't the fun-loving BFFs that we know today; Kiss was fun but it was... there was that element of secrecy then, so they weren't on the same level as the rest of us; Ozzy was "fun" in a "wow, that guy is a maniac; I'm glad that's not MY friend" kind of way...

Very true.  And when you say clean fun, I thought they usually did a clever job of having a lot of lyrical content that was clearly about girls and sex, but it was rarely overtly worded.

[Lowdz]

It is half a good album but Eat em And Smile beat it hands down.
There are songs on 5150 I can’t stand, such as Good Enough, Get Up, Inside.
And Vai’s playing just sounded so cool 

[Architeuthis]

Michael Anthony was a very important part of Van Halen, an unsung hero that could sing. His bass playing is great for what the music called for and his backing vocals added alot, plus he had cool stage presence.

Back to subject:  I like most of 5150 but it was hard for me to warm up to after the heavy hitter 1984. Sammy Hager is a great singer and his solo stuff really rocks, he was also great in Montrose.  My first ever concert I attended was Monsters of Rock in 1987 with Van Halen headlining. That was after OU812 came out so they had two albums under their belt with Hagar by then. DREAMS is probably my favorite song of that era and still makes me crank up the radio to this day. 

[TAC]

Arch, summer of '88 actually.

That was a great show.

[KevShmev]

Speaking of Michael Anthony, a friend who saw them on the 1984 tour said that when he did his bass solo, he smashed his bass guitar on the stage and then opened it up and pulled out another bass and started playing that one. Does anyone remember that?

[TAC]

I don't remember that.

Here's his solo (and entire show) from Montreal. This is a great video BTW.

https://youtu.be/-90SPx6Xfwo?t=1887

[Architeuthis]

Arch, summer of '88 actually.

That was a great show.

Oh yeah, you are right!  Summer of 88 at the Kingdome in Seattle.  The line-up was Kingdom Come, Dokken, Metallica, Scorpions, Van Halen.   

[King Postwhore]

I saw that tour as well.

[TAC]

Giants Stadium
June 26, 1988

Metallica on stage:

[TAC]

5150 Tour!

August 22, 1986
Providence Civic Center

[cramx3]

awesome 

[Big Hath]

"So, how many lights do you need"

"All of them"

[KevShmev]

I saw that tour as well.

Of course you did.

I don't remember that.

Here's his solo (and entire show) from Montreal. This is a great video BTW.

https://youtu.be/-90SPx6Xfwo?t=1887

 

[King Postwhore]

 


Kev, in Oxford,  ME.  Partied at my friend's cabin after.  That was not a good morning.   Lol

[KevShmev]

Hangovers suck.  That is one of the reasons I rarely drink booze anymore. 

[King Postwhore]

It was worse than a hangover.   What you do in your dumb youth.

[KevShmev]

[ytserush]

Liked it a lot, but I never really bought into the David Lee Roth thing, even though I own every Van Halen album up to and including 3 (Which I think is great by the way.)

I've also said this before but a key element of this is that Van Halen was just so much... FUN.  Good, clean, FUN.   Maiden was dead serious; this was before the internet so Rush wasn't the fun-loving BFFs that we know today; Kiss was fun but it was... there was that element of secrecy then, so they weren't on the same level as the rest of us; Ozzy was "fun" in a "wow, that guy is a maniac; I'm glad that's not MY friend" kind of way...

I don't know.  I think that's partly why I never really got ass deep in the grunge movement and really don't like the whole Cobain thing.  It wasn't FUN.   It's no surprise that the only band I erally like from Seattle is the Mother Love Bone, who were a fucking goof in a lot of ways.   "Dirt" is probably my least favorite AiC album, because it's just so BLEAK.  Soundgarden was okay, but they only really clicked with me once I got the humor that was sort of an undercurrent in their music ("do you hear a cow?   A rooster says.... here is a pig... the devil says.... RROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR" on "Searching With My Good Eye Closed" is epic).  To this day, if you look at my top albums - Yes, Genesis, Dream Theater, Rush... only Sabbath is a really dark band.  I just kind of gravitate to that positivity and that's Roth VH.

I get the FUN part. I really do.    (Rush was really fun before the Internet, but most people didn't know that.)        But fun for me is seeing Neal's Spock's Beard , Dread Zeppelin, (Led Zeppelin too I guess) Tempest, The Men Who Will Be Blamed For Nothing....Les Claypool  bands like that.

I get the David Lee Roth thing too. Despite what I might think, the guy is no dummy (obviously) and he was the guy that mostly allowed Eddie to be Eddie.  It's more of a stylistic thing with me so I went elsewhere for that.