CD Review
Van
Halen - Van Halen III
by
Keavin Wiggins
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Artist:
Van Halen
Cd
Title: Van Halen III
Label:
Warner Brothers
Tracks:
Neworld
Without You
One I Want
From Afar
Dirty Water Dog
Once
Fire in the Hole
Josephina
Year to the Day
Primary
Ballot or the Bullet
How Many Say I
I was among the many
Van Halen fans that was excited when the news broke of David Lee Roth rejoining
the band. I thought finally Classic Van Halen again!!! Memories of the
US festival and the debut album came rushing back to me.
Well as Rock history
has now written Roth only was with the band long enough to record tracks
for the Greatest hits record. Van Halen recruited Gary Cherone, the former
singer for Extreme, to take the departed Sammy Hagar’s place. Well Van
Halen III is the first disc from the new lineup, and hopefully the last.
I could give a one-word review of this disc. “CRAP”.
The new singer Cherone
did an excellent job of cloning Sammy Hagar’s voice, but it makes one wonder
why the band bothered hiring him in the first place? Why settle for a cheap
imitation of the original?
The songs are so
uninspiring; that the tape used to record them could have served a better
purpose as the source for the New Kids on the Block reunion disc.
The first track Nuworld
is by far the best on this disc. Although the melodic guitars give little
clue that it is the legendary Eddie Van Halen playing, this is by far one
of the only songs worth listening to twice. Without you starts this CD
on its path to mediocrity, the guitar riffs are tired, the vocals uninspired,
this is just a rehash of the past three Van Halen records, I could not
tell that they had a new vocalist.
I will not torture
you with any more, I must say that I was not one of the biggest fans of
Sammy’s Voice. Therefore, Cherone’s Sammy sound alike vocals did not score
many points with me. This CD was formula through and through. It just might
be time for Van Halen to hang it up, if this is the best they can offer
their fans.
Where is Diamond
Dave now that we really need him?
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