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Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth
Do some popular music statements come out of a time warp or do they create their own? Case in point, how do you know you miss something when you’ve almost completely forgotten about it? It needs to return to remind you what you’ve been missing and if it’s good enough it might even create its own time and place.
Few if any heavy guitar bands had the sense of humour that Van Halen Mk 1 had and fans of six string shenanigans haven’t really been vocal about that absence. The later versions of VH had the guitar statements but lacked the bravado and over the top presence of David Lee Roth and now that he’s back in the fold, the question becomes, is it relevant?
It must be stated that without original bass player Michael Anthony and his stellar backing vocals, this line up can’t be claimed as version original but even with Wolfie on bass, the band sounds rejuvenated. Roth also seems to be embracing the second chance brass ring with gusto. It’s not a stretch either to state that he knows this chance might be fleeting as all things in the Van Halen universe revolve around Eddie and his whims.
In the current crop of press photos Ed looks better than he has in years but is still showing the signs of a lot of hard living. But if the guitar pyrotechnics on display on A Different Kind Of Truth claim any kind of revelation, it’s that the guitar maestro is far from a spent force. His playing is as unique and forceful as ever and with the sea of copycats he inspired, that is really saying something.
If the new work came along right after the swan song album of the Roth era, 1984, it would have probably been considered a more minor work but seen in today’s rather bland top forty terms, it stands out as a lot of fun and a welcome return of something we didn’t even know we were missing in the first place.
Rob Hudson
www.van-halen.com
Van Halen - Tattoo from Van Halen on Vimeo.
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