Wolfgang's Vault

Wolfgang's Vault - Where Live Music Lives

LOGIN

Results for Van Halen

Even Van Halen's most dedicated fans admit that the band's progression from pow to plod with a recent plateau at pedestrian has been disappointing. Exploding from the starting gate with <i>Van Halen</i> in 1978, the original group of classically-trained Eddie and Alex, plus David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony produced a truly monster rock/metal/party album that had fans and critics smelling Led Zeppelin. <i>Van Halen II</i> followed the next year, falling a bit short due to the 'lightning doesn't strike twice' factor, and other solid releases continued almost annually until the watershed <i>1984</i>. <i>1984</i> was a breakthrough in the band's sound, featuring really good melodies with a pop flair, and VH1 video releases complemented market outreach. Roth left the band by mutual consent around this time, and his replacement, Sammy Hagar, helped deliver two more hit albums including <i>OU812</i>. In a case of "can't live with him, can't live without him" Part II, however, Eddie and Hagar had a falling out. Roth returned, Roth left, new albums came and went and <i>Van Halen III</i> was released in '98 to a tepid response that makes 'o.k.' sound good. Hope springs eternal, however, and Van Halen has most recently staged a North American tour with David Lee Roth in tow. The future, apparently, holds endless possibilities....more

  • Fang: Landshark

    by James Greene, Jr.May 7, 2008Comments (2)

    Luckily, there’s usually someone thinking ahead of the curve, a group or person actually being so punk they put everyone else in their class to shame. Fang was such a group. (read more)

  • Punk Rock Supergroup: Minuteflag

    by Anthony FirestineApril 9, 2008Comments (1)

    Minuteflag was a “jam-band” project between members of Black Flag and Minutemen. There isn’t much info on this release out there in internet punk-rock-nerd-blog land. It seems like a bunch of friends on the same label (SST) just wanted to get together and drink some beers and record whatever transpired. (read more)

  • Metallica: ... And Justice for Some

    by Jocelyn HoppaApril 9, 2008Comments (18)

    I remember the year, the place, the song. I remember it because it was that singular, insulated moment that sent me willingly, insatiably, down the path towards being a rock ‘n’ roll fan for life, constantly on the hunt for more amazing moments that recaptured the very first time rock punched me (read more)

  • Swedish Pop: ABBA vs. Jens Lekman

    by Jessica GentileMarch 19, 2008Comments (4)

    In 2004's The Wilco Book Jeff Tweedy writes sincerely about a band that is often regarded as anything but. He writes, "Look at a band like ABBA who were considered the worst thing in the world… it's like why the fuck? (read more)

  • Cover This: What Makes for a Definitive Version?

    by Denise SullivanMarch 12, 2008Comments (11)

    When I set out to take on the matter of cover songs, I thought I'd be seeking uncomplicated answers to simple questions like: Is there such a thing as a definitive version of a song? Who decides these things? And why do we care? (read more)

» See All 12 Items

» See All 41 Items