Mike d: June 2017

Yes. music is very important. at least for me. This importance came from my father albums with bands like Supertramp, my uncle who listening Scorpions and Whitesnake (i have today, one or two albums from him) and my cousin with new have groups like Duran Duran. The initial work was done, because after, bands like Europe or Bon Jovi, were enought for a 14 year old boy to star listening hard rock (and then heavy metal music, thanks to my class mates from 10th year). So the records in this list make the music love grow and became more strong, not only to righ about this staff but also to "eat" videos and investigade who sing and play the bass, drums and guitar. Now music is just no only for listening, but is a "way of life" (amadour, of course, because in Portugal profissionel of this area, much of the times, nead a miracle).
From Zepplin to Metallica, passing by Tull, Love/Hate, The Scream or Guns, all have a significant. If "Slave to the Grind" was probably the album that i listening most, Metallica was on of the best that i had. Power Station was my ticket from pop to rock and "Live after Death" the introduction to live video albums, made by this masterpiece. The Scream and AC/DC a total blast, and Apetite for Destruction a fresh view of ugly and raw hard rock, folow by Tull and Love/Hate, who give us the certain that the end of the 80's and the first years of the 90's were the golden age of rock.
Todd, make the presentation, because who make this list "it's not you it´s me".

10 - Led Zepplin - Celebration

9 - Jetro Tull - Catfish Rising

8 - Love/Hate - Wasted in America

7 - Guns and Roses - Apettite for Destruction

6 - The Scream - Let it Scream

5 - Ac/Dc - Highway to Hell

4 - Iron Maiden - Live after Death

3 - Power Station - Power Station

2 - Skid Row - Slave to the Grind

1 - Metallica - Metallica (or Black Album)

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For me Van Halen, still is a good band today. I like this formation, cause Dave is the right front man for the group, of this familly band were 3 of the 4 members are relatives, and were Anthony and Hagar were not bad but nothing compare what they do with Chickenfoot. Of course this is a band of sucess in is two versions ("Extreme" fase was te exception..lol), but the right staff is now, with other side exelent projects. A reunion, with two vocals, original base player and the best of diferent times is interesting but not a blast. Again, a band is a business and since the final 70's to now there are to much conflits about image, music, write and the royalties money. Change again, is probably a step to much more confusion, and if in Wall Of Fame only one part of the group was present, i only see in future things beeing worse. Leave them as it is, please.

Dave Lee Roth, the Van Hallen Brothers and Anthony were the best formation of the band. With Hagar or today with W. Van Hallen they were also good, with the only exception in Gary Cherone periode, were a great voice and musician from Extreme, was not a good choise by the halen brothers to is band. But the best group period was the first, with sucess music like "Hot for the Teacher" or "Panama", and the Sammy time was also a sucess and interesting but not so good in music and tours.

Hagar and Roth have also excelent performance in solo or with other bands like Chickenfoot or The Circle. Dave albuns in the 80's and the beggining of the 90's only being possible to be play live by the group in time, were Billy Shean and Steve Vai were also the main atractions, because of their end of Van Halen participation. About Van Halen today, silence. The band members doesn't say what are thinking, if a tour or a new album, a reunion with Hagar and Anthony or any other stuff.

Last Van Halen album was nice but not great, and some live performance were not so good. I don't know if the problem is age, to much live performance or lack of "mojo" with separete hotel rooms and "air dressers". but again i don't care, because for me the band's can make a tour of 6 years with a concert by moth and one album in a decade. Normal, with age, conflits, money and contrats, but positive is that they are active, with a medium quality work.

I don't know if it is more difficult the lack of response about the band future or the constant rumor about a reunion with this and that participation, with one or two vocals and bass player's, etc, etc. For me is a new album, a tour with the actual band, and Anthony with Sammy. continue the good work in The Circle and Chickenfoot. And Hagar again in Van Halen? why not, but with an album or a tour, were the place for Dave was in another tour with is fine solo albuns and bands, for exemple 1988 "Skyscraper" or 1991 "A Little aint Enough".

We are talking about a band make by a family, with lot's of sucess and were money, music and lyric rights are very complex, with three diferent front man's, two bass players and a ego war between almost everybody. True that all band members don't need to get along, but the last return of Hagar was not make with a blasted album, and the verbal fight after, was like the one make by Dave and Eddie, and that last amost 20 years.

Much better the Dave Lee Roth return in the band with a good record and a cool tour. And i don´t see many diferences in the bass and drum section, but the fan's are since first Roth depatured, in a "war" with Hagar fan's, and now also Anthony admires, about who is better and what is the best time, albums and live performance from since the 70's first gigs, and of course sucess with hits like "Jump" or "Panama". The "word war" between then and now members only make things worse, and media do the rest.

Like all the profissional bands, credits, rights, royalties and money, are the bigger problems, with members and specially old ones. And much more of the disputes came from legal and intelectual problems in music, image and suveniers that the group made. Again there's also the edictors, distribution and financial or management group with lots of lawers in the midle. But the fans, ignore all this facts and go with the personal view of one or another side.

So, in a ultra famous band like this, problems aren't only personel, with all the crapp associated, and as i said, i don't know what contrats are sign, with the actual band, past members and Dave or Sammy in their returned to Van Halen. Song rights, lyrical, past and future albuns, credits, etc, all is subjet to lawyers and contrat signatures, for regulation of past, present and future material maybe is or not, covered (most of times are, with also financial statement in each case).

Complicated? yes, a lot! And when there's a war between members, or with the group label company, etc, most of times are business stuff, not only personal, and i said "i don't know the agreement with label, members or publiciter, so i have no site. For words and attitudes, with rock stars? Man, from egos to bullshit, everything is on the role (of course there's exeptions), and control of name or actions in court for this an that, are the order of the day. At least, with Van Halen aren't that kind of shif (as far as i know).

Back to Van Halen reality, and what for me the main problem is: Besides egos, i think there´s a name registations and financial percentage, diferent from van halen brothers to the rest of the group. They were the beggining of the band, so probably the name and part of legacy are there property. What Hagar and Dave made to chance that? I don't know. Maybe yes or no, or the problems are at least one of the options. Again Sammy and Anthony in Van Halen, will certain altered that.

Not a problem for me, but maybe for the band or his past and actual members would be, again. Could be a blast future tour but also another crapp war. with no chance even to be in the same room (like in The Rock All of Fame), what is bad to the music. A blast will be a Chickenfoot / Van Halen tour or at least a The Circle / Dave Lee Roth, not half Sammy/Roth in the Van Halen stage. And there´s also the Anthony /Wolfgang thing, what maybe also a problem because the second his family. Not atractive another Sammy / Halen reunion, cause his better right now. Cheers.