Unchained
I recently stumbled across 6 Songs of Me and have since been struggling to select my six. The first–first song you ever bought–is easy as it is objective. My first was a cassette and it was awesome. No one has ever made Just a Gigolo with as much panache as did David Lee Roth. Diamond Dave is the consummate performer, but to truly appreciate him one must move backwards from the solo work and into one of the greatest bands of all time: Van Halen.
The kicks, the pants, the bandanas, the nonsensical lyrics, the guitars, the drums — these are the trees of life. Stand upon their branches and unleash your potential. Forget the ’90s, that’s why you’re a depressed ass loser. Stop moping about that time your dad forgot to pick you up from football practice and become radical. To the max.
Maybe I’m just on a Van Halen kick because I downloaded Best Of Vol. 1 yesterday and almost crashed my car on the way home because I was rocking so hard. Or maybe I’ve discovered an existential secret.
Van Halen’s debut album, released in 1978, presaged the glory of the go-go ’80s. Recently, the real Van Halen reunited. Is this a sign and portent of coming gnarliness? I am wearing a madras shirt and boat shoes. . .
With that in mind, I decided, just now, to compile the all-Van Halen 6 of me salvation mix. I suggest you do the same. Otherwise, you’re admitting you hate America.
First song: Just a Gigolo
What song always gets you dancing? Beautiful Girls
What song takes you back to childhood? Everybody Wants Some!!
What is the perfect love song? Drop Dead Legs
What song do you want played at your funeral? Jump
What song makes you, you? Unchained
Re-discovered? LOL the first 6 Van Halen albums have been in my regular rotation since I was 17 years old. Then again, I’m a guitarist, and Eddie is one of the Guitar Gods, right up there with Hendrix, Clapton and Page.
Never did get into Van Hagar…although I do like Sammy Hagar’s solo work, and am now digging Chickenfoot.
To say Van Halen “reformed?” Not quite. Eddie’s son Wolfgang is now playing bass. Calling that “reforming” is bullshit, because a huge part of the original Van Halen sound was original bassist Michael Anthony’s backing vocals.
Here’s my pick 6:
First song: Eruption – You Really Got Me – You can’t separate these two. It’s the very first Van Halen I ever heard on the radio, and Eruption burned a hole in my brain and was one of the inspirations for picking up the 6 string axe myself.
What song always gets you dancing?: Dance the Night Away – I don’t dance, but if I did, this song would be it.
What song takes you back to childhood?: Can’t decide between Panama or Hot for Teacher – I was raised on MTV in the 80′s, and Panama was my fav song, but Hot for Teacher was my fav vid
.
What is the perfect love song?: ‘Aint Talkin Bout Love – The intro riff is my favorite Van Halen riff of all time…but Unchained is a close second.
What song do you want played at your funeral?: Take Your Whiskey Home -I plan on dying from liver failure.
What song makes you, you?: And the Cradle Will Rock… – I grew up in a house of devout Churchianity, and Rock and Roll music was not allowed. I had to hide all my cassettes, listen to my walkman while hiding out in my room, wait til my parents went to bed to watch MTV, and basically become a young rocker in rebellion. My folks were overjoyed.
Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be cranking Fair Warning and Women And Children First when I do my yard work today.
I also play guitar, but I was just the wrong age when grunge hit and I stopped listening to some of the greats. I got over that years ago, I just never replaced my old cassettes. I had a few tracks that I’d downloaded. Now, though, I’m getting serious about replacing some of those lost classics.
Every song you listed is also fantastic and I agree about Van Hagar and Wolfgang.
Heh. Well, when Grunge hit, I was just outta high school and working for a music store, so I ended up amassing a huge CD collection due to the huge discounts I received. I sometimes spent an entire paycheck to buy things like the entire Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath catalogs. When Grunge hit, I simply added Seattle’s finest to my collection. I know what you mean…at it’s peak, I listened to nothing else for awhile.
I was particularly obsessed with Alice in Chains.
I like both line-ups of Van Halen, but I much, much prefer the original.
Can’t really say for those six criteria, but let me just say, in addition to the songs both Ulysses and Keoni have mentioned, from the original line-up, I particularly like I’ll Wait, a great song about obsession, Ice Cream Man, a great naughty song showcasing both Eddie’s guitar work and David’s vocals, and I also love Eddie’s acoustic guitar work in Spanish Fly.
And as a manospherian, have to add the hypergamy-has-consequences mocking-dumb-girls-who-love-bad-boys anthem, Janie’s Crying.
And I liked their cover of Pretty Woman.
But everything the original Van Halen did was great.
I’ll sneak in a shout-out for 3:16, which is from the Hagar era, but is a solo, so that doesn’t matter; the live version is especially great, as it’s almost 12 minutes long of pure guitar goodness, and incorporates Spanish Fly and Eruption into it:
Oops, Jamie’s Crying.
So yeah, I guess those are my six songs, in addition to those already mentioned.
I’ll Wait is of course, about the dangers of obsession with porn; a bit more of an edge than J. Geils’ Band’s ‘Centerfold’, which is much more tame by comparison, ditto Def Leppard’s ‘Photograph’, which isn’t necessarily about porn, mind you.
I love Eddie’s version of Eruption
and of course, poundcake. that is the first trackon that live album you shared, will. When my friend`s uncle died he left alot of his cds, that van halen live was one of them. Good thing I was there to take them for free, they are about to throw them away, so I got home with a bunch of cds in a bag
OK, you idiots, let’s get a few things straight:
Love Song: Little Guitars, and the intro has gifted me a lifelong love of Spanish Classical Guitar
Dance the Night Away, OK, best of their dance tunes
Takes me back to childhood? Where have all the good times gone?
Perfect Love Song/Anti-Love Song: ICe Cream Man/Jamie’s Crying (thanks, Will)
(Perfect Beta love song: Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now)
Played at my funeral? Cathedral/Secrets
Make me, Me: Tough call with VH, there. Fruhlingsmorgen, by Mahler