Van Halen: Three Choices
Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 10:39AM 
The rumors - or truths - continue to fly that a reunited Van Halen are about to embark on a fall stadium tour. The current line-up will be the original, minus Michael Anthony on bass. Instead, Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang will fill that role.
In the summer 2007 edition (issue 108) of Classic Rock magazine, the editor's provide a tip sheet on buying Van Halen. Most every album the band has ever released is considered at least "good." The album to avoid - according to the editor's - is Van Halen III.
Here's a secret: I don't own Van Halen III, and I'm not certain I've even ever heard one track off this poorly rated album. Of course, this is the only Gary Cherone era release, and I suppose that speaks volumes right there.
Does anyone out there own Van Halen III? Would you leave me a comment and explain why it's either a good or bad release?
In the Classic Rock article, the editor's write "Gary Cherone was that wuss who sang in Extreme - wearing a leotard...Van Halen and Cherone were a disastrous mismatch, and produced just one album - that sold on 500,000 copies, when every other VH album had shifted at least two million. The reason is that Van Halen III stinks like a wet dog. Every song sucks, and Cherone sings them like a drowning man."
Wow. This is not a good review people. I did a little YouTube research, looking for some Cherone-era VH clips. Surprised, I found more than a few.
I'll be honest. I watched a few of the clips, and didn't seem that disheartened with Cherone. Yes, I like Extreme, but he doesn't sound like Extreme while standing next to Eddie Van Halen. In some respects, Cherone sounds like a poor woman's David Lee Roth.
I suppose this in itself is a little creepy.
So, let's compare. Here's Gary Cherone performing "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" during Van Halen's 1998 world tour.
Now, here's Sammy Hagar performing the same song during a Van Halen tour stop. Judging by the clothes, this is a late 80s or early 90s tour.
Diamond David Lee Roth originally sang the lyrics to "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for Van Halen's massively successful debut album, released way back in 1978. This clip is from the 1984 tour.
So, which is better? You decide.
Reader Comments (60)
Raven, to say it is unfair to compare the 3 clips is wrong. VH are talented musicans and have belted out those songs for sometime, I had no problem with how the group sounded. I will say Cherone's and Hagar clips are not as raw and provocative as Dave's clip. Alot of that has to lay at the feet of the front men not so much the other parts of the band. So I say, it is fair to compare all 3 vidoeos to each other. It is not like they were trying to reinvent or change the structure of the song. Cherone sang it as close to how Roth would fire it off. Besides, most VH fans did not take much fault in how Cherone sang Roth tunes, he actually did it better than Hagar. It was the original music from VH3 that turned people off.
Lets re-cap. When VH dumped Sammy and Dave in the late 90's they really pissed off the 2 VH camps, so one could say that the third incarnation to VH had no chance. I will argue that Cherone was the 3rd mistake, just not the correct singer for the group. Lastly, VH had "jumped the shark" and the ego's of Eddie and Alex certainly does not help they should have toured with Dave after the MTV award show. But that would never happened they wanted a young and docile lead singer so they could boss him around. Perhaps they should have done what Carlos Santana did, an album with all different singers and see what sticks to the fan.
Raven sound like a strippers name or a bird. Kaw Kaw!
- Out
This tour is clearly to make $$$$$$$$$
I'd also like to point the out that its about some rich Divorce trying to be a cool guy to his kid and make up for years of not being there for him because he was out touring and being a drunk. Lets face it that pudgy little guy might be a good musician but he's not as good as Daddy thinks he is. And he's definately no Michael Anthony. By Eddie having Wolf Blitzer on tour he thinks he's winning the battle for parenting sumpremacy over Nutri-mom.
As long as they were going to make it a cash grab they should have invited Sammy and Mike to play some songs w/the band. All three singers could have done their respective songs w/ the band. Then everyone would see who ages together the best.
Another point that is insulting to VH fans is that in the press conference the other day DLR said that they have been practicing in the studio since October of 2006. If this is the case then why not play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fans were pyched that they were amongst the inductees, at least show up and play one song. Sammy and Mikey were the class acts there. Then we wouldn't have to see Velvot Relvover butcher VH tunes.
Van Halen is well over the Shark, they jumped the shark, the bus, the runaway stage coach and leather and pinky Tuscodero.
I have no idea.
--Allyson
VHIII could of been a great album if Gary's vocal hadn't been pushed too far, but with repect for the band he sang however he was told, and it showed when you listen to it, what ever chemistry they could of created was stripped away, Listen to VHIII if you don't like it that's fine listen to the back catalogue, Maybe it's time to accept that VH just have nothing left to offer thats worth listening to. If you think thats bullshit then im sure i'll be proven wrong when they stop putting a few new tracks on best of album's and the next record goes multimega platinum it's only been 10 years in the making so far so i guess its gonna be really special.
Sammy still kicks ass.
When Gary joined it was exciting again. There's a lot of new ideas on the album and whilst it is very patchy in parts I believe the band had a fire again. They recorded it real quickly after Gary joined. Eddie was like a kid again!
The live set was out of this world with song choices too and Gary had no quarms with performing stuff from all eras. Getting Michael Anthony on lead to sing 'Somebody Get Me A Doctor' and also the multi leads in 'Why Can't This Be Love' were great too.
Van Halen had become vital again.
I think a second album with Gary would have been awesome if he'd have been given the chance.
However, what most people are missing here in the discussion of Dave vs Sammy is CONTEXT.
If you started listening to VH in the late 70's or early 80's (like myself), the first four albums define VH and everything after Fair Warning is crap (including 1984) and DLR is an integral part of the band.
If you first heard VH when Pretty Woman or Jump were released, then VH with Sammy Hagar is more acceptable since the band was already heading in the pop direction.
If you first heard VH when 5150 came out (with SH) then you probably don't even think that VH is a hard rock band (more like Journey)
If you first heard VH with Gary Cherone then you...wait a second, that's actually not possible.
Anyways, it's strange that GC didn't make it with VH because Nuno Bettencourt was a complete 100% rip-off of early EVH on the first album.
Van Halen is the best (at least through 1981) but Mutha (by Extreme) has to be the best song in the world.