Overall I like it !! I think the album is a fun, interesting, catchy and at points that classic V.H. heaviness !!! I guess you might say that it is the album after 1984 that we've been waiting for.

Dave's voice has changed slightly but then again, it has been 27 years so what do you expect.. The GUITAR !!!! Glad to see you back Eddie !!! Lets hope you can do that same magic on tour !!! Eddie has found his way back again and it sounds great !!!

Not going to into a long review of each song, but if you want to get back to the nostalgia that once was, I think that this album gets you there and hats off to them for doing it ! I am more than sure that this tour will skyrocket for them.

lots of people will have negative comments about it but I give it an A !!

Van Halen is back for now so lets enjoy it !!

I just picked it today. I had only listened to some short clips of some of the songs in advance as I wanted to take it all in on my own systems and all I can say is WOW!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! Top to bottom, I don't have a bad song in the bunch! A few of course I love alot more (like Outta Space, Big River, Chinatown) than others, but damn was I impressed. Eddie (and Alex) haven't played with this much intensity in almost 30 years and they are ripping it up throughout. Wolfgang is no hack on the bass either and does some serious jamming too! (You can actually hear the bass on a VH album! ) As for Dave, yeah, his range is a bit restrained these days but damn if he doesn't give it his all with a few of his war cry attempts and does an admirable job in the studio on the songs. (I loved his "I told ya I was comin' back" line in "Blood and Fire" ) Now on tour we may have a problem vocally with Dave, but this album kicks some major ass and and the band is on fire. I was taken by surprise for the most part due to the almost complete veil of silence from the band the last few years, but what an incredible surprise it was. With the Van Halen III album and the 3 crap new songs with Sammy on the Greatest Hits Vol 2 in 2004 being death blows to the band, what a resurrection this CD is! This one will be getting some serious time in the CD player! Two thumbs up!

I'm with ya dude ! There are so many critics out there who are bashing it and for what I don't know. It really is a good album. It took me so long to get in 1984 when it came out.. probably due to jump being the first single. I never liked that song even till this day but I see why they choose it as a single. After a while, the rest of the album showed itself and I loved it.. the rest of the songs that is. This album immediately grabbed me, probably because I really wanted it to be good and was very optimistic so I didnt have any reservations but I am happy to say that I liked out of the gate !!!

They did a great job with the marketing though I must say. Marketing machines they were !!!

one more thing... if you havent seen this already, really good interview by Dave to Ed and Alex. Some interesting pics and info. Very cool ! Ed is looking like Val Kilmer from the Doors movie during the L.A. Women recordings..

I just finished listening to it and I think it freaking rocks!!! Ed sounds great and the solo to China Town... HOLY CRAP!!! I don't care if some of these songs are rehashes or remakes of old demo tunes. It's good stuff with EXCELLENT playing and I am very happy with this CD! So as far as I am concerned this cd delivers!

My reply to Sammy Hagar's bad mouthing of this cd is... Sammy who???

I can't figure out why the record label would release Tattoo as the single. It's the weakest of the tunes on this cd.

Yeah, hearing "Jump" as the lead off single really scared me too when "1984" came out. I can understand that they chose it as a single because of it's total pop feel and they knew it would draw in a bigger audience than before and they were right. Oh course the rest of the album was much harder rocking and I loved it. I even like "I'll Wait" though it's one of the mellowest songs they ever did with. Very catchy. I think they used "Tattoo" as the lead single here for the same exact reason. I don't hate it or anything, but was a little apprehensive hearing it as the first thing before they unleashed clips of the rest of the stuff. The rest of the album is crushing.

I love how Sammy is talking so much sh*t now and am sure he will be face down in Cabo Wabo real soon when this (as he calls it) "totally uninspired, uncreative batch of leftovers not good enough to make albums in the first place" sells big and Van Halen has another sold-out world tour. And he's STILL begging to open some shows for Van Halen (for free if necessary he says). Why would he even think VH would even acknowledge him after all the serious big time sh*t Sammy talked in his book last year and in the last few weeks? (Granted I'd rather see ChickenFoot than Kool and The Gang, but still! )

That would actually be very interesting...chickenfoot opening for V.H. I am actually surprised Sammy is talking all this crap. I thought he would've taken the high road like Mike. You right about the selling out arenas part though.

I have only listened to about 4 songs. But I dig what I am hearing.
Stay Frosty.


(Probably my fav. that songs is awesome. Makes me laugh every time I hear it.)

When it comes to opening for Van Halen I would rather not. If Chickenfoot were to open for VH, that means there would be a chance for Sammy, Ed, and Alex to possibly smooth some things over. Next thing you know Sammy is invited on stage during VH's show to sing a tune for "old time's sake", then weeks later it's two songs, then three, then the next thing you know Dave and Ed have some kind of spat and Roth is out and Sammy is back in...again!

Noooooo thank you , let's keep Sammy as far away from Van Halen as possible!

Well, first I think that this would NEVER happen (Chicken opening for Van Halen) and I was just saying if I had a choice of replacing the usual string of sucky opening acts Van Halen has employed for years and years, I'd take CF any day. (I really would love to see Eddie invite Satriani onstage someday though for some jamming) Now, the way I see it is there will never be any gigs together as Sammy has sealed that deal with his big mouth. Dave would never want Hagar in the same building (after Sammy's shit-talking post Sammy/Dave tour in 2002) and would surely nix that idea. Eddie wouldn't even want him in the same zip code! Hagar has killed any chances of a reunion ever again (which I am thankful for! ) But I love how it's killing Sammy to wanna gig together and maybe someday play with Eddie again. Ain't gonna happen. Mike hasn't even spoken to Ed since their last gig together in 2004 and he hasn't been doing much trash-talk (well, a little in the foreward in Sammy's book, but nowhere near Hagar-sh proportions.). So I see this version of the band ("3 parts original, one part inevitable" as Dave says) as the final and I don't smell any peace pipes forthcoming with Hagar.

Indeed it is awesome!

'Stay Frosty' rocks

Really digging the whole album overall. When I first heard 'Tattoo' on the radio a few weeks back I was really diggin' the music especially the guitars, really didn't like the vocals too much, but it has started to grow on me and I'm liking it.

I downloaded the album from iTunes on Wednesday morning (Feb and listened to it over and over....probably 5 or 6 times. I really love this album....Eddie has some really good riffs on this record and you hear touches of past Van Halen in the recording. Dave sounds like Dave (yes...27 yrs later) not as high of a vocal range as in the past, but that's OK, I can live with that. Alex sounds great in his drumming, and word is on the street is that Wolfgang played all the bass tracks.

I'd recommend that you pick this album up.

I haven't bought an VH since 1984 and it was a letdown of sorts at the time. This new one should have been the one after 1984. After writing them off for so long I was blown away when a bud brought it over and my jaw hit the floor. What a shock!! Dave is back and Ed has fire in his playing again. Must listen for any old school VH fan. Yeah I have the demos of some of the songs but I liked the fact they finally surfaced. I always wondered why they weren't used because they rock. Get this CD..............

Old Van Halen sound but no outstanding tracks.

I think this album is AMAZING!

I've heard it 8-9 times through, and I haven't done that with ANY other releases in the last five years. And I haven't gotten tired of listening yet.

I think DLR sounds awesome on it. Even TATTOO has grown on me, and now I love it.

I hate to say it... but this release is WAY better than anything FOOT has put out. Is it just me, or does FOOT always sound like it's in 2nd gear? The new VH album is 150mph on nitro!

Or maybe just Joe. Don't get me wrong... I love Joe, but he hasn't cut loose yet on any FOOT albums. He's obviously holding back... it sounds like it to me. Then again, the last Satriani album I bought was THE EXTREMIST, and it's been a long time since that came out.

My favorite song on the new VH is definitely BLOOD AND FIRE. That one brings a smile, and I do like it when DLR says he's back. And what he says immediately afterwards makes me laugh!

I also love AS IS... and Dave's awesome trademark scream and subsequent growl when the song gets started!

So totally pleasantly surprised with the whole album!! I worried a bit when we got "Tattoo" as the first peek at the CD, but I have to admit even that tune has grown on me and I often catch myself with that one bouncing around my head.

I had originally planned to skip this tour, but the strength of the new album has me re-thinking that now....

As for Sammy's trash talking of this, clearly he's been too deep in the tequila. Either that, or he's just plain jealous, because this one rocks through all 13 tracks. I do agree that his trash talking has ensured that we won't see any more Van Hagar reunions....

Rich:
Totally agree with everything you said. I'm also considering the show. I'm a big Sammy fan... and I have to say I believed what he was saying. I mean, I read his book RED and thought that Van Halen had lost it. He couldn't have been more wrong!

Well, you guys talked me into it. I got it last week and I've been through it about 4 times. I really like it, too. The bad reviews I have read are mainly concerned with 'not breaking any new ground' and 're-recorded demos', but I think it's really what the fans wanted all along and I'm not disappointed. I loved the solo on 'Tattoo', but gotta agree with the others here - Ed's playing is fiery on the entire album. Dave's wordplay is also kind of fun at times (knight in shining pickup truck, mousewife to momshell, etc.).