WORST VAN HALEN ALBUM

I never really got Fair Warning back in the day. It was always my least fave of the Roth era for some reason. The only 2 songs I enjoyed off it were Unchained and Mean Street. However over the years the other songs just started clicking for me and I now think it 's one of their better records
.

My top 3:

5150
Van Halen II
1984


Bottom 3:

Van Halen III
Diver Down
A Different Kind of Truth


Still, I would take Van Halen's worst album over plenty of bands' best albums.

10 years ago, if someone asked me if I liked Roth-era or Hagar-era better, it would've been Roth without question. I've grown quite fond of the Hagar records in recent years, and would now probably say I like that stuff better.

I do like Diver Down - while not as good as what came before, still a fun album. I remember reading interviews with Eddie that he felt Diver Down was an FU to Ed from the label for Fair Warning (which didn't sell as well as the previous 3 and the record label blamed it on Eddie being Eddie) Easily the "weakest" of the DLR albums, but still enjoyable in my book.

Hager era - OU812 is the weakest, with F.U.C.K. being the strongest. Balance is pretty darn good too. And for the record I do like 5150.

I think the Hagar era is every bit as strong as the Roth era. They're different bands really but both are incredible, I think.

007 wrote:

I think the Hagar era is every bit as strong as the Roth era. They're different bands really but both are incredible, I think.

Yes!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

007 wrote:

I think the Hagar era is every bit as strong as the Roth era. They're different bands really but both are incredible, I think.

Yes!

Agreed. I got into them with the Best of vol. 1, so I was introduced to both eras side by side.

everythin after 1st release.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Everybody wants to shit on 'III' when, in fact, it's a strong musical record. It never had a chance since A- the whole world saw DLR come out w/ VH on MTV and made everyone want that and B- much of it didn't sound like then-recent VH. It's a deep record musically and lyrically, filled w/ some of Eddie's and Alex's best playing ever. A couple of the songs were a little weird ("Once" and "How Many Say I") but IMO that speaks to the diversity within Eddie's musical arsenal. Should Eddie have attempted to sing? Probably not. Were a couple of the songs a little long? Yeah. But 'III' is far from a throw away record.

I agree. Sure, 'How Many Say I' blows goats but I like the rest of the album except the "I Dream Of Genie" theme getting ripped of in 'Ballot Or The Bullet'.

This is taken from Mitch Malloy's brief stint in the band. The song later became 'That's Why I Love You' which was recorded for III and left off most releases other than the Japanese release of III.

^^Ahhh yes. The Pepsi song.

corplhicks wrote:

^^Ahhh yes. The Pepsi song.

I don't get it...

akeldama wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

^^Ahhh yes. The Pepsi song.

I don't get it...

I've always thought this would make for the ideal Pepsi commercial theme over Right Now, especially with Mitch's voice.   

They are all pretty bad after 1984, which wasn't terrific itself.

mc666 wrote:

They are all pretty bad after 1984, which wasn't terrific itself.

Exactly how I feel.

akeldama wrote:

This is taken from Mitch Malloy's brief stint in the band. The song later became 'That's Why I Love You' which was recorded for III and left off most releases other than the Japanese release of III.

I like this. Can only wonder how it would have turned out if Mitch did an album with them.

journeyman wrote:

akeldama wrote:

This is taken from Mitch Malloy's brief stint in the band. The song later became 'That's Why I Love You' which was recorded for III and left off most releases other than the Japanese release of III.

I like this. Can only wonder how it would have turned out if Mitch did an album with them.

VH appearing on MTV w/ DLR eliminated ANY chance of them succeeding with any other singer at that point...if they were not planning on bringing him back, they never should have done that.

Who's Mitch Malloy again? And when was he in the band?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Who's Mitch Malloy again? And when was he in the band?

Exactly! Aliens must have abducted me when he was in the band.

metalinmyveins wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Who's Mitch Malloy again? And when was he in the band?

Exactly! Aliens must have abducted me when he was in the band.

Yeah, I used to be a massive VH fan over a decade ago and read everything I could about them. Never remember hearing about this guy.  

MetallicSeminarian wrote:

metalinmyveins wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Who's Mitch Malloy again? And when was he in the band?

Exactly! Aliens must have abducted me when he was in the band.

Yeah, I used to be a massive VH fan over a decade ago and read everything I could about them. Never remember hearing about this guy.  

Mitch was tried out and "hired" prior to VH appearing w/ DLR on the MTV awards when Best Of Vol1 came out. If you believe the story, he went out, stayed a few days, and they made him official...he was "in" the band. Then the MTV thing happened. Mitch knew he stood no chance, so after he went back to Nashville, he wrote them a letter and withdrew from the position.

What's funny is, Gary Cherone tells the same story about him being "in" the band when he saw them w/ DLR on MTV...so there's TWO guys who both think they're "IN" the band when that happened...someone somewhere isn't quite "remembering" things correctly.

I've never heard of him, but he's apparently got a few solo albums out. Wikipedia sums up his brief stint in VH thusly...

Quote :

In the summer of 1996, Mitch Malloy, on the recommendation of Desmond Child, auditioned for Van Halen by recording a few tracks at 5150 Studios with the band. On day three of his audition, Malloy recounted that Eddie said, "well, you are an amazing singer, you look great and you are one of the nicest guys I have ever met, we just talked it over and congratulations, you are in the band." However Van Halen manager Ray Danniels was unable to sign Malloy to a management contract (Malloy already had a manager), and Danniels encouraged the band to pass over Malloy in favor of a singer he already had under contract, Gary Cherone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Malloy

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I've never heard of him, but he's apparently got a few solo albums out. Wikipedia sums up his brief stint in VH thusly...

Quote :

In the summer of 1996, Mitch Malloy, on the recommendation of Desmond Child, auditioned for Van Halen by recording a few tracks at 5150 Studios with the band. On day three of his audition, Malloy recounted that Eddie said, "well, you are an amazing singer, you look great and you are one of the nicest guys I have ever met, we just talked it over and congratulations, you are in the band." However Van Halen manager Ray Danniels was unable to sign Malloy to a management contract (Malloy already had a manager), and Danniels encouraged the band to pass over Malloy in favor of a singer he already had under contract, Gary Cherone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Malloy

Which adds another wrinkle...Malloy says HE turned THEM down. Add that to the timeline where both he AND Cherone got the same speech "great singer, nicest guy ever, blah blah blah" and BOTH say they were IN the band at the same time, and the whole thing is just weird.

I've heard that story before and it's odd. He couldn't get signed to VH because he already had a manager? Fire his butt and sign up. Mitch has made a living talking about being the ghost VH singer though.

I know that if EDDIE FREAKIN' VAN HALEN wanted ME in HIS band, I'd fire whomever I had to in order to make it happen....critics be damned! LOL!