Van Halen rumors of new album!!!

I haven't really posted anything on this because rumors aren't usually worth anyone's time but if anyone's been keeping up with VH then you know they have some secret project in the works. Of course everyone--including a 'reliable source'--has been certain this would be a new album. Now we pretty know for sure this isn't the case (how could it be any more obvious in the first place??). But it sounds like this 'project' will be wrapped up by this weekend. I'm hoping for a box set brimming with unreleased material, and the writer of the following article thinks it will be an archival live release (apparently there was a 2008 concert at Madison Square Garden that was filmed). So it's Xmas wishes at this point, but I'll post it here as soon as it's unveiled unless someone beats me too it, of course.

http://www.melodicrock.com/articles/news-feed/2014/11/21/van-halen-no-new-album-you-can-have

This seems a bit strange. Why a secret. I missed the tour, so it'll be cool to see the dvd.

I think it would be great if the band released some stuff from the early days. I've heard that they recorded quite a few concerts over the years.

new album....it hasn't been quite 10 years since the last, so we still have some time.

I find it incredibly ironic that one of the greatest live bands of hard rock and metal does not have an official live recording, whether audio or video, outside of a fairly recent and somewhat poor example with Hagar. And no one talks about it. Nor does anyone complain about the lack of bonus tracks, whether it be rarities, live tracks, b-sides, alternate mixes, or original demos, on official releases. Pisses me off to no end. Of course, anyone who knows the band's history and fiasco over publishing rights knows why this has been the case. I suppose it's still a mess.

These guys are secretive dudes, I am sure they have been recording, but a Van Halen fansite, that claims to all know and see all regarding Van Halen are usually wrong.

I hope its live DVD, it will save money on the bootleg DVD's I keep buying

I hope they do another album soon. They're not young enough to keep waiting several years between albums anymore.

A new album would be nice as well as a live dvd. But to make it even better get Michael Anthony back in the band!

Always ready for some new Van Halen. Last album was great. Had a blast when I saw them live on that tour.

Oh man, this is going to be hard to take for me. I was a massive, massive fan of their music in the 80s. I've grown into a different person, so, they don't hold the same meaning. Alas, fixing up your house and holding down a job is as far away from the non-stop party I used to enjoy. Damn this modern living!

corplhicks wrote:

I find it incredibly ironic that one of the greatest live bands of hard rock and metal does not have an official live recording, whether audio or video, outside of a fairly recent and somewhat poor example with Hagar. And no one talks about it.

I remember way back in the day, during the Hagar years and pre-interwebs, the long standing rumor was that the VH brothers didn't like any of Dave's live vocals and weren't interested in re-visiting that past. He was more interested in jumping around the stage and flirting with chicks than, ya know, actual singing.

Now, there are plenty of bootlegs floating around that prove otherwise, and surely they could sweeten things in the studio these days if they weren't happy, but as to why they haven't released anything from the DLR-era remains a mystery.

During the Hagar era, they seemed to want to write DLR years off their history, only performing a handful of songs from that era and like MG said, they were always telling the press that DLR rarely sang live.

Now that they have kissed and made up, I am surprised they have not released but then they may not be able to, since Michael Anthony is no longer in the band, may they need his permission to release any vintage concerts that feature him in the line up

manny wrote:

Now that they have kissed and made up, I am surprised they have not released but then they may not be able to, since Michael Anthony is no longer in the band,  may they need his permission to release any vintage concerts that feature him in the line up

That would make sense. During the Hagar-era, they couldn't (or wouldn't) release DLR stuff without his permission or worse yet, have to give him a piece of the pie. Now that the VH brothers have refocused their sights on Michael Anthony, the same thing applies.

I'm sure Eddie's sitting on tons of old material that he refuses to release for one reason or another. Maybe someday he'll open the vaults, but I'm not holding my breath for any vintage material to surface, other than re-purposing old demos for new material like they did on the last album.

I think they will release a live album from the last tour with a few new songs as bonus tracks.

They don't need Michael's permission for anything. When he and Sammy came on in 2004 for that tour, the stipulation was Michael had to sign away any and all rights to his stake in VH. That's why they photoshopped him out of the artwork and all back when Wolfie joined. Michael agreed to it thinking it would be the last tour.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

They don't need Michael's permission for anything. When he and Sammy came on in 2004 for that tour, the stipulation was Michael had to sign away any and all rights to his stake in VH.

So what you're saying is that since they have no financial ties to Michael, the reason they won't release vintage, live materiel is just because Eddie's a dick?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

They don't need Michael's permission for anything. When he and Sammy came on in 2004 for that tour, the stipulation was Michael had to sign away any and all rights to his stake in VH.

So what you're saying is that since they have no financial ties to Michael, the reason they won't release vintage, live materiel is just because Eddie's a dick?

Probably...or he thinks it sucks. He's a weirdo. He seems to be the epitome of the super-critical, touchy musician. If he doesn't like it, he won't want anyone else to hear it.

I have Van Halen's Ipswitch '78 bootleg and it sounds great, IMO

Yea, I'd agree that Eddie's a bit of an eccentric. That's putting it nicely.

I've watched enough bootlegs on YouTube to know that they sound good enough to me. I'd buy up a live cd from the old days in a heartbeat.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

They don't need Michael's permission for anything. When he and Sammy came on in 2004 for that tour, the stipulation was Michael had to sign away any and all rights to his stake in VH. That's why they photoshopped him out of the artwork and all back when Wolfie joined. Michael agreed to it thinking it would be the last tour.

I had forgotten about that, I believe he brought that up on That Metal Show, that was a huge mistake on his part IMO

manny wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

They don't need Michael's permission for anything. When he and Sammy came on in 2004 for that tour, the stipulation was Michael had to sign away any and all rights to his stake in VH. That's why they photoshopped him out of the artwork and all back when Wolfie joined. Michael agreed to it thinking it would be the last tour.

I had forgotten about that, I believe he brought that up on That Metal Show, that was a huge mistake on his part IMO

Well, he seems like a decent guy and he probably figured he already has enough money anyway. If he thought it was the final tour and he wanted to be a part of what he helped establish one last time, I can see it.

Glad to see people are talking about this.

MANY of the available bootlegs sound incredible, and even Gene's demo (Zero) sounds pretty cool (DAT VERSION OF HOUSE OF PAAAAIN). Yes, there are a few of the 1984 tour that shows Dave was pretty much on his way out in a drunken, coke-glazed mess, but the majority of the ones I've heard/seen are pretty fantastic--including of course the US Festival (can't be sure but that seems to be a rights issue?). I won't be incredibly happy with an '08 show, but it still would be a fun watch. I saw them the year before here in Fresno and it was pretty (and unexpectedly) awesome.

I've always thought Ed has clinical OCD. Like he's the Howard Hughes of hard rock.

When you're a musician as influential as EVH you have earned the right to be as eccentric as you want to be.

S.D. wrote:

When you're a musician as influential as EVH you have earned the right to be as eccentric as you want to be.  

Yeah and besides, it adds dimension to his public profile haha. There's a video of him on youtube making an appearance at NAMM when he was with Peavey--disheveled, very drunk, somewhat non sequitur, and certainly not representing the Peavey name in a very honorable light--and he was fairly vilified for that appearance. When I saw it, I shrugged and thought, "that's Ed all right. Just the way we've always known him."

There is reportedly a live set being released in March entitled "Live At The Tokyo Dome" recorded during the Different Kind Of Truth tour. 2 CDs or 4LPs.

Track list:
‘Unchained’
‘Runnin’ With the Devil’
‘She’s the Woman’
‘I’m the One’
‘Tattoo’
‘Everybody Wants Some’
‘Somebody Get Me a Doctor’
‘China Town’
‘Hear About It Later’
‘Oh, Pretty Woman’
‘You Really Got Me’
‘Dance the Night Away’
‘I’ll Wait’
‘And the Cradle Will Rock…’
‘Hot for Teacher’
‘Women in Love’
‘Romeo Delight’
‘Mean Street’
‘Beautiful Girls’
‘Ice Cream Man’
‘Panama’
‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’
‘Jump’

S.D. wrote:

There is reportedly a live set being released in March entitled "Live At The Tokyo Dome" recorded during the Different Kind Of Truth tour.  2 CDs or 4LPs.

Track list:
‘Unchained’
‘Runnin’ With the Devil’
‘She’s the Woman’
‘I’m the One’
‘Tattoo’
‘Everybody Wants Some’
‘Somebody Get Me a Doctor’
‘China Town’
‘Hear About It Later’
‘Oh, Pretty Woman’
‘You Really Got Me’
‘Dance the Night Away’
‘I’ll Wait’
‘And the Cradle Will Rock…’
‘Hot for Teacher’
‘Women in Love’
‘Romeo Delight’
‘Mean Street’
‘Beautiful Girls’
‘Ice Cream Man’
‘Panama’
‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’
‘Jump’

I shall be purchasing that album

Okay, that sound pretty promising. I would've been a tad happier with a Blu Ray package, but this will do. Wondering how much doctoring has been applied here tho.

Great setlist with Romeo Delight and I'm the One in there. Wish The Full Bug and Little Guitars would have made an appearance.