Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth

jstate wrote:

My Walmart had the tshirt bundle but it appears to be just the CD version and not the deluxe edition with the dvd. I'll probably hold off for the deluxe version elsewhere.

T-shirt bundle is sold out online. Where did they have it? I went to the new release CD section and only saw the regular/deluxe editions. They didn't even have those two in the regular CD section.

Listening on Spotify now..."Tattoo" still comes off sorta contrived on the lyrical side..."She's The Woman" was pretty good..."You And Your Blues" just starting...

"Y&YB" is not bad..."China Town" rocks...EVH sounds killer so far..."Tattoo" is the weakest song...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Listening on Spotify now..."Tattoo" still comes off sorta contrived on the lyrical side..."She's The Woman" was pretty good..."You And Your Blues" just starting...

My favorites at this point....

1. Big River
2. Outta Space
3. Honeysweetiebabydoll
4. Blood And Fire
5. As Is

"Blood And Fire" is very Van Halen...reminds me of Diver Down..."Bullethead" rocks...this is starting to sound like a Van Halen album...will I end up eating my words?

"Honeybabysweetiedoll"...wow...what the hell were they thinking putting out "Tattoo"???? I gotta buy this..."Tatoo" is still lame...but every song after has been cool...

"Tattoo" isn't a bad song. It's kinda fun, but it's horrible choice for a "comeback" single. "Big River" is a fantastic tune, classic-sounding VH, as is "She's The Woman. Both would have served much better as singles.

My least favorite track is "Honeybabysweetiedoll." It's a bit of a mess, in my opinion.

Big River is such a KILLER song I'm amazed they hadn't recorded it earlier in their career (it's been around since their demo as Big Trouble).

If Honeybabysweetiedoll is a mess then it's the kind of mess I really enjoy, kickass tune.

Ah, indeed. I actually downloaded that demo a few months ago. And I see "Outta Space" is "Let's Get Rockin'."

"Tattoo" is a Track 8 or 9...not a lead single.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

"Tattoo" is a Track 8 or 9...not a lead single.

Agree - that would have worked much better!!! Maybe they wanted everyone's expectations lowered so they release Tattoo as the first single so when we heard the rest of the album we would be blown away. If that was the case, it worked!

I am really enjoying the album - the best way to describe it I can think of is Fair Warning meets Van Halen II

Got it last night. I'm liking what I hear so far.

Quote :

If Honeybabysweetiedoll is a mess then it's the kind of mess I really enjoy, kickass tune.

It sorta reminds me of 'Loss of Control'. Just random noises and noodling from Ed and Dave rambling. But it somehow works.

Okay, I'm officially saying this is a great album. Full of awesome fun rock 'n' roll. Great summer album.

While "Tattoo" is not indicative of the rest of the album, it's the most accessible, I think. Very light and rock/pop so I can kind of see the justification in making that the single to try to appeal to the mainstream audience. Still, they had to know the hardcore fans were going to tear it apart since it's such a laid back song and people wanted their first taste of new VH to be a cannon blast. I definitely wouldn't have opened the album with it though, should've gone with "She's the Woman".

S.D. wrote:

Big River is such a KILLER song I'm amazed they hadn't recorded it earlier in their career (it's been around since their demo as Big Trouble).

If Honeybabysweetiedoll is a mess then it's the kind of mess I really enjoy, kickass tune.

"Big River" is definitely the most old school sounding on the whole disc, I think. Great track.

I love "Honeybabysweetiedoll". It's a bruiser, different and is slightly modern. I'd be very interested in hearing an entire album in this vein.

I've been streaming on Spotify but I'm definitely going to pick up a CD copy later this week so I can have something to tote around with me. I hope lyrics are with it.

I got on Spotify last night and listened to the album. I think the VH guys have hit a grand slam with this effort! I will be picking this up today on my visit to Best Buy and probably grab the Metallica E.P as well. Hopefully I will be able to get enough listens to where I can give a list of my favorite tracks in order. Like many others on here, I still can't believe that the band released "Tattoo" as the lead single, which as of right now, if it's not the worst song on the album, then it's at least the second worst song on the album.

I'm not as sold as you guys, yet, but after some listens i'm pleasantly surprised. Didn't think they had anything left.

I think "Stay Frosty" is easily the worst song, but it's not terrible.

Metal Misfit wrote:

I think "Stay Frosty" is easily the worst song, but it's not terrible.

That's funny, because that was the second song that I had in mind for worst track on the album. Kind of ironic that the two worst songs on the album are the lead single and one of the officially released 90 second previews of a track by the band. Who the hell is telling the band that these were the songs that should be previewed by the public first?

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'm not as sold as you guys, yet, but after some listens i'm pleasantly surprised. Didn't think they had anything left.

Fanboys will never agree, some will go as far as "You got to have years of experience from listening to vinyls and shyt in order to appreciate the greatness of this album "

I mean, Nostalgia is one thing, right?


I am a Fan of their first 3 albums only, coz it's good music, and thank God I wasn't blinded by extreme fanaticism ///PEACE

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Got it last night. I'm liking what I hear so far.

Quote :

If Honeybabysweetiedoll is a mess then it's the kind of mess I really enjoy, kickass tune.

It sorta reminds me of 'Loss of Control'. Just random noises and noodling from Ed and Dave rambling. But it somehow works.

I LOVE that song!!!!!!! I'm gonna have to get this album... today. I'll be out and about.

EmoElmo wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'm not as sold as you guys, yet, but after some listens i'm pleasantly surprised. Didn't think they had anything left.

Fanboys will never agree, some will go as far as "You got to have years of experience from listening to vinyls and shyt in order to appreciate the greatness of this album "

I mean, Nostalgia is one thing, right?


I am a Fan of their first 3 albums only, coz it's good music, and thank God I wasn't blinded by extreme fanaticism ///PEACE

I've always enjoyed them, but they've never been a favorite of mine. They've made some fantastic albums, but I can't really indulge myself in them. They're a "small doses" kind of band.

So there's no "extreme fanaticism" behind my saying that this is a really good album.

Eyesore wrote:

EmoElmo wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'm not as sold as you guys, yet, but after some listens i'm pleasantly surprised. Didn't think they had anything left.

Fanboys will never agree, some will go as far as "You got to have years of experience from listening to vinyls and shyt in order to appreciate the greatness of this album "

I mean, Nostalgia is one thing, right?


I am a Fan of their first 3 albums only, coz it's good music, and thank God I wasn't blinded by extreme fanaticism ///PEACE

I've always enjoyed them, but they've never been a favorite of mine. They've made some fantastic albums, but I can't really indulge myself in them. They're a "small doses" kind of band.

So there's no "extreme fanaticism" behind my saying that this is a really good album.

FUCKINGBINGO!!!! This is exactly why I didn't have any issues taking pot shots at the single, and some of the previews. Yet, in the same juncture, I stated that I would reserve final judgment until I had listened to the whole album. I am in NO way shape or form a fan boy of Van Halen! I know some VH fans probably couldn't wait to get the circle jerk ready to go on Tuesday, but sorry folks I was not going to be one of those. I appreciate their contribution to music, but when it is all said and done, I more or less loathe Eddie Van Halen as a human being, and I think Alex is nothing more than his lap dog. The Michael Anthony thing is a total embarrassment and yadda, yadda, yadda the list could go on. With that being said, this album at first listen seems pretty damn good! So, kudos to Van Halen...

I am a huge Van Halen fanboy and I am glad to see, even casual Van Halen fans are giving this album a thumbs up.

The last three post have nailed it - "extreme fanaticism" has NOTHING to do with people liking the album. I have seen (via FB posts and talking to people about it outside of HoM) that the general consensus is that A Different Kind Of Truth is a GREAT album. That's coming from VH fan boys, casual fans, fans of rock music in general, people that gave up on VH after Roth left and expected the album to suck, people that hated or thought Tattoo was weak, etc, etc.

Don't like it? Well, don't listen to it!!!! Want to post you don't like it? Go for it, just don't be a jerk about it. It's like when you are in a room and one person is not happy, so they decide to be a douche bag and make everyone else around them unhappy too. No need for it!!!!!

I picked up my copy at Best Buy on my way to work yesterday afternoon. Of course, the CD opens with Tattoo. You can say what you want, but this song was in my head all night last night and this morning. It's a good song with clever lyrics and obviously a great hook.

Next up, She's The Woman. By chorus time I was head banging (mildly) and thinking to myself that this is the Van Halen I love. The song would easily fit on Van Halen II.

I was only able to make it as far as track four before arriving at work, but was reminded of tunes from Fair Warning and thinking this is gonna be killer.

After work I listened to the whole CD from beginning to end, lyrics in hand, and have come to the conclusion that "A Different Kind Of Truth" is worthy of the highest praise. If this album had been released in 1986 it would be considered a classic today. I guarantee it. Big River, She's The Woman, As Is, Honeybabysweetiedoll... Classic!

Plus, "The Trouble With Never" works much better within the context of the whole album. Kind of like "Revolution" from Angel of Retribution worked better for me in context than it did as a single.

thejokeriv wrote:

The last three post have nailed it - "extreme fanaticism" has NOTHING to do with people liking the album. I have seen (via FB posts and talking to people about it outside of HoM) that the general consensus is that A Different Kind Of Truth is a GREAT album. That's coming from VH fan boys, casual fans, fans of rock music in general, people that gave up on VH after Roth left and expected the album to suck, people that hated or thought Tattoo was weak, etc, etc.

Don't like it? Well, don't listen to it!!!! Want to post you don't like it? Go for it, just don't be a jerk about it. It's like when you are in a room and one person is not happy, so they decide to be a douche bag and make everyone else around them unhappy too. No need for it!!!!!

Hey, if someone doesn't like it, at least explain your reasons for not liking the album. I probably won't agree with their assessment for not liking the album, but I will at least respect them for a constructing a cogent argument for why this album does not live up to the Van Halen name...