A Different Kind of Underdog

Put em up, starfuckers!

My last post helped me to land on a prevailing theme to at least loosely (but in a tight leather) skirt on FullKicks - The Championing of the Rock n Roll Underdog. So that's what we do here. That doesn't mean just blogging about the obscure shit you need to hear to be cool - you can get that from any music blog. It's about bands that did and/or do quality shit that is wrongly ignored or just plain misunderstood. It's a vital service I provide for free and you're welcome. I won't apologize for being cool, and don't feel you need to remind me of the fact. It's like when you have a hot barista - you don't tell them they are beautiful, just share a smile & love the hell out of that latte.

A curveball to start this week: Van Halen. How can the most hugestest, arena-rockin, high-flyin circus act of the 80's be an underdog? 

Easily: they have just released their first album "A Different Kind of Truth" in 28 years (non-DLR era omitted) and people will:  a) say it sucks and won't listen to it, or b) say that they wanted to like it/it's a good effort, but it still kinda sucks after giving it one or two spins. 

3 out of 4 cock rockers prefer 
sansbelt stage pants 

Okay, first off it doesn't suck. The vibe is vintage I & II era. No ballads, no songs with love in the title. The band sounds massive as ever. Brothers VH signature traits - monster drumming and mind blowing stunt guitar work - make aDKoT worth a seriously loud listen on their own. But the playing and sound were never this outfit's challenge. They founded 80s metal pop and were never surpassed. The part they fucked up was underestimating David Lee Roth's weight in the appeal of Van Halen. Jealousy killed the band first time around. VH bros were serious musicians who resented the showboat front man who stole the spotlight, the A-level chicks, and built a solo career on the backs of their songs, their music and their hard work. They fucked with the formula and it cost them.

In a weird way, Diamond Dave's performance on the new album is a great example of his VH value. His voice has aged. His over the top screams are a little too far beyond the top for him now and he does the creepy talking a little more often than in the past. A lot of the "have you seen junior's grades?" type stuff. But his spirit brings their technique and song structures to the people. And there are some killer songs: "Blood and Fire" would fit in on any golden era album; it has a "Little Guitars" feel, with thunderous basslines and Eddie channels Townsend through a Who-like outro. "Outta Space" is a burner - a catchy Montrose space rock riff with DLR pushing his voice to the max and (mostly) keeping up throughout. "She's the Woman" sounds like vintage VH boogie metal (and really because it is, more on that in a line or two) complete with eerily Michael Anthonyesque backing vocals. "You and Your Blues" effectively brings the melody into Dave's vocal range and "Stay Frosty" is a fun revisit with the "Ice Cream Man". There is more killer than filler here and that's an accomplishment considering the fact that they could just show up for the gigs and never have to actually speak to each other in order to hammer Van Halen cheques for years to come. Some bands are happy to do just that. Some reviewers are making a big deal about the fact that many of these songs were blown up from demos and instrumentals written in the 70s, but I honestly don't see why they should be criticized for that. It's their music. They can put it out whenever they please. It's not like an album of standards or covers. It's a band revisiting their most prolific period, repurposing some sketches and delivering new music. Van Halen still has something to offer and 28 years later, I'll drink to that.

Note: The next blog will be sooner than later, I finally have the time and have so much to write about, including next week's new album from Heartless Bastards and an unearthed 1983 live album (pink vinyl for the geeks!) from the super divine The Plimsouls!