Van Halen has made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let the battle begin.
The list of inductees for the 2007 class is impressive : R.E.M., Patti Smith, Van Halen, The Ronettes, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
There are some great names in that list, and some timeless recordings from them. Van Halen, on multiple levels, is the most fun. I bet VH-1 is kicking themselves for allowing this year to be the year their contract to televise the ceremony lapses . The spectacle that could ensue, when three of the most runaway egos in the history of rock collide, could be a thing of legends.
For those of you who don't know the story, Van Halen became one of the premier hard rock bands of the '80s mostly due to the showmanship of frontman David Lee Roth and the guitar acrobatics of Eddie Van Halen. After several successful albums and tours, culminating in the landmark 1984, David Lee Roth left the band and was replaced by Sammy Hagar. Much silly squabbling, name-calling, and acrimony followed — and that was just among the legions of Van Halen fans who debated the merits of the respective lineups ad nauseum.
Of course, there was a lot of sniping between the two camps. Sam and Ed took numerous shots at Dave, and Dave frequently fired back. In fact, legend has it Van Halen named their album OU812 (Oh, you ate one, too) in response to Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile. Classy.
Sammy's run in Van Halen was likely every bit as commercially successful, despite some fan bitching, and perhaps exceeded Dave's run in the minds of some critics. Everything seemed hunky dory in Camp Van Halen during the Hagar regime until it all came crashing down and Sammy either quit or was fired. Not to be outdone, Sammy and Eddie made sure the bickering that had gone on when Roth left the band was nothing compared to the infantile nonsense that occurred following Sam's ouster.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jerry B
The only way Van Halen should be inducted into the hall of fame is with the original members. All the others were talented, but the original members set the stage. They made Van Halen what it is.
From a long time listener, totally influenced
2 - El Bicho
"Hell, it is tradition for the inducted bands to perform"
While some do mend fences for a cordial evening, when CCR was inducted John Fogerty didn't allow the rest of the band to join him.
DLR's return for a concert tour rumor appears to be picking up steam again. I hope they don't screw it up again.
3 - Mark Saleski
at this point, who eally cares about Van Halen. it was pretty clear to me during most of the Sammy years that Eddie had nothing left to say with his guitar.
maybe that's changed, but i'm not counting on it.
4 - DJRadiohead
Even though I enjoyed F.U.C.K., I knew Eddie was empty when he reached for that drill on "Poundcake."
I don't think anyone expects a new album of anything interesting. They are now, if they want to be, a nostalgia act and maybe just maybe they can credibly replicate their past glories on a stage. At one point, I would have done anything to see Dave and the band. Now? It'd probably be pretty fucking silly. I'd still be curious, though.
And it is true about not all fences being mended at these things. Blondie had some issues last year as did CCR before it. Not everyone observes the tradition.
5 - El Bicho
I saw the recent Van Hagar tour (a pal got free 9th row tickets). While I wasn't awed by anything new, I was definitely impressed at how well they recreated their classics. I didn't get to see Roth-era VH, so I will be going to the reunion with no expectations other than having a good time. And maybe I'm one of the few, but I liked the new Roth songs on the best-of.
I remember Blondie from last year. It would have been funnier if it hadn't been pathetic. That's fine if the band broke up and only some of the band is out touring, but to see the old guys asking to sit-in on the night the band was being honored made the whole event pathetic.
And WTF is Blondie doing the Hall anyway?!
6 - DJRadiohead
El B, I am with you on those two new Roth/VH songs on that best of. I liked them both. Still, that was 10 years ago.
I think Dave would embarrass himself. I would love to have seen a real Roth/VH show. I think that ship has sailed.
7 - Mark Saleski
i didn't know that dave was capable of being embarrassed.
8 - DJRadiohead
OK, Dave would be an embarrassment. Good point.
9 - Vern Halen
REM's Automatic for the People - one of the greatest sleeper albums of all time. I hated it for the fist 2 or 3 listenings, and after that, it just got better & better.
Maybe Van Halen will jam with REM - that would be cool. Right - as much a chance of that as them letting their distant relative in with his accordion.
10 - Lono
Oh, this Van Halen thing is going to be too good to miss. It has all the hallmarks of a classic trainwreck. Technically, they are all invited. What will be interesting is Eddie has fired everyone except his brother.
Roth is a total ass, but he is a big chunk of Van Halen. I think it is going to be like the Blondie Hall of Fame incident. Remember? The band wanted to play and she said "no, you guys tried to sue me". It was awesome.
I think they will all want to jam, but Ed will insist his son be the only bassist. He (Eddie) freaked out and fired Michael Anthony. When a reported asked about him, Eddie said something like "I don't care what ________ is doing". He had named Michael Anthony by his birth name, which no one had ever heard before. I don't even remember it now.
I used to be a fan of Eddie, but he keeps firing folks and claiming its them. It reminds me of my brother who goes through a new job every 4 months but always blames everyone else.
Eddie wil have this chance to rise above all of this and jam with them all. I'll bet he won't. He seems bent out of shape about Michael Anthony jamming with Sammy, which is stupid. Since Van Halen releases an album about every 10 years, one can expect them to do other things.
11 - Bob Wilbat
Patti Smith is the star of these inductees, for you to say I am sure they are all deserving on one level or another is a joke. She was the beginning of punk rock. Listen to some of work and you will agree she is way overdue to be inducted.
12 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Lono pretty much hit the nail on the head with Van Halen!
All I have to say is what about Iron Maiden?!?
Criteria:
-25 years after the release of their first record. Check
-Influence and significance of the artist contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. F*cking Check!
Hell, they would kick everyone's ass in a live performance on that show!!
13 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! A link to this article now appears on our Myspace Profile page.
14 - DJRadiohead
Many thanks, Connie. I can't believe it took me so long to get a story on this news posted.
Mr. Bob, while I admit to not being thoroughly familiar with Smith, I don't think of her as the star of this nor do I think she deserves full credit for the birth of punk. She's an influential figure in music and has a cult following, but "star" might not be the word I'd use for her.
R.E.M., meanwhile, has a lot of artistic credibility and integrity while also having had some strong commercial success. They, to me, are the real stars of this proceeding.
15 - MikeyMIke
The Old School R.E.M. deserves to be recelebrated. I remember going to what amounted to their first commercially successful tour, the Green Tour. When they would introduce songs from older albums a woman next to me would say "I didnt know they had other albums". Reckoning was fun. Document was amazing. Life's Rich Pageant was awesome. Fables was significant and Murmur is an exceptional debut. I hope that R.E.M. goes old school with their performance and brings their old stuff to a new audience. I hope they play Talk About the Passion or Pretty Persuasion and...perhaps something wicked from Letter Office, like Ages of You or Crazy.
16 - DJRadiohead
MikeyMike, I agree there were a lot of great songs from those early days but a HoF induction is about recognizing the totality of a career. I think it would be unfortunate if they chose to put too much weight on either the early or the latter period.
17 - El Bicho
"Technically, they are all invited."
Lono, taking any wagers on Gary Cherone getting invited?
Brian is right about IM. If Grandmaster Flash and the Ronettes get in, Maiden should be there as well. My overlooked inductee is The Cure. They meet the criteria.
18 - DJRadiohead
ElB, The Cure most certainly deserves induction and with all due speed. It's a crime they're not there now.
Of course, it's at this point I get snarky and snippy about the whole RRHoF. Well, I guess I started that in the post proper. I'm sorry, but Jann Wenner and his cronies running this thing have had some peculiar admissions/omissions.
19 - El Bicho
DJ, much like any award group, it's who the judges are and I'm sure most don't know The Cure. Plus, the definition of Rock and Roll gets looser with each year that passes.
As far as admissions, I don't get why they are sticking every Motown group in. Some were certainly deserving, but how many girl groups do we need? They all didn't push the limits.
And Billy Joel? Talented songwriter certainly, but he's a pop artist. Nothing wrong with that, but I have yet to see his influence or effect.
20 - DJRadiohead
The Lovin' Spoonful? They had a couple of memorable songs, but please. And I am with you on the whole overemphasizing of the Motown crowd. First, I'm not sure how R&R some of them are (R&B, more like) and some of them were not distinguishable from their peers to begin with.
21 - Christopher Rose
What I don't get is how artists like Grandmaster Flash or the Motown acts, wonderful as they are, get anywhere near even being considered Rock'n'Roll?
22 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I'm also with Mr. Bicho about The Cure...
Granted, I'm not a huge fan but you can't listen to The Killers or any of that over-exposed "Indie" crap without hearing some sort of rip on The Cure.
Honestly, if we wanna heavily focus on their criteria you would have to add these bands as inductees as well:
RUSH
Yes
23 - mark stout
Despite his extensive contributions to the Four Seasons, Joe Long remains the only member of the group's “definitive line up” not inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
24 - chicken
hi people
25 - Ccleary
When is this event going to be televised.
Later