Written by General Jabbo
Earlier this decade, when the chances of reuniting with Van Halen seemed remote at best, Sammy Hagar put together a supergroup consisting of himself, former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, and Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo from Journey. The group was called Planet Us and made a few appearances, even jamming with guitar legend Joe Satriani. Then, in 2004, the Van Halen reunion happened and Planet Us was put on the backburner. History tells us Hagar’s second go-around with Van Halen ended worse than the first one and he was back to being a solo artist. With Schon and Castronovo back with Journey full time, Hagar once again called upon Anthony and Satriani and, on drums, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers — a friend of Hagar’s and frequent guest at his Cabo Wabo Cantina. The band wrote some songs and decided to go into the studio, but they needed a name. As a joke, the name Chickenfoot was thrown out with the intention of a “better” name being picked later. Well, Chickenfoot stuck and the supergroup has unleashed their self-titled debut on the world.
Any band with two former Van Halen members and Eddie Van Halen-disciple Satriani on guitar will naturally draw comparisons to them, and sure enough, there are some Van Halen-sounding cuts on the album. “Soap on a Rope” could easily fit on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge or Balance with its sleazy riff, big chorus, and innuendo-laden lyrics. “Runnin’ Out” has a bluesy groove not unlike “Finish What Ya Started,” while “Down the Drain” sounds like Roth-era VH, something the band often shied away from when Hagar fronted them.
It’s not all Van Halen imitation going on here. The opening cut, “Avenida Revolution” features a menacing Satriani riff and the driving rhythm section of Anthony and Smith. Smith’s funk chops are all over the disc and Anthony really gets to shine now that he is out of Eddie’s shadow (Anthony played little to no bass on the last several Van Halen releases) as the drum/bass breakdown on “Avenida Revolution” shows.
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Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
As a long, long, long time Satriani devotee, I've been curious about what this record might be like. I'm glad to hear someone has heard it and dug it. I'm going to have to check it out.
2 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Yea, it's funny how someone might expect a total Van Halen influenced sound but they actually come across,sometimes, sounding like RHCP. I guess I was just hoping for a more distinct fusion of their signature styles instead of the bluesy-hard rock. BUT, the result very good! It's nice to hear some solid straight forward power with some nice hooks...
3 - El Bicho
I heard their tracks at their MySpace page and liked them a lot. Was sorry I missed their club show.
4 - Josh Hathaway
I'm still hoping to catch them live when they announce broader U.S. dates if I enjoy the record. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
5 - Oh Yeah
FYI-Amazon has the MP3 album on sale today for $3.99
6 - Rock Fan
Planet Us, which continued on as the supergroup SoulSirkus (with Jeff Soto replacing Hagar), was a much better debut effort. Really dissapointed in Chickenfoot. Maybe 3 good songs tops.
7 - chickenfoot
Uh, stop trying to compare Chickenfoot with every other band in the world - they stand on their own merit. The reviewers of this record haven't heard anything like this in so long, they have no relevant frame of reference. I love the group, a great debut record. Buy It if you like hard rock. BTW, Satch stands on his own too. He is not a VH "Disciple" - that was a retarded comment. You know nothing about hard rock / metal guitar playing.
8 - Satch Fan
I agree with the above poster.. Since when would anyone call Satch a VH Disciple? Go look at the long long list of students he has taught. I like Eddie but Satch can hold his own with anybody and he has his own sound. Stupid stupid comment.
9 - The Foot
I have to agree, who in their right mind would call the Satch a disciple of EVH has no clue ! As for the Foot these boys stand on their own, compare if you must but you ain't heard nothin yet till you hear Soap on a Rope !
10 - Roger
Its great to see this group bringing back some much needed great music they remind me of the Montrose years.
11 - John Frings
Initially when I bought this CD it was more out of curiosity then anything else. At first I did not like the mix and i know who mixed it, one of the premier people in the business.
Here I am down the road a few weeks and i have listened to it many times. I am liking it better every time, so much in fact I have advanced ordered their new one coming out next week. This album is a breath of fresh air. It has a gritty mean ass rock spirit to it something so lacking in the namby pamby tripe on the air these days. I'm loving it. More please!