Van Halen and the rock and roll hall of fame

mrwalkerb · January 2007

PissBottleMan wrote:

I like music that challenges me, but I'm a sucker for a power ballad or a sugary pop song. I embrace all types of music...good or bad.

PBM

Don't get me wrong I'm all about good times but I can't do it with rock music as much because for me Nickelback is more offensive than boy bands because with 98 degrees they never tried to be anything more than what they were, Nickelback actually think they are good and people who don't know any better listen to them instead of say screaming trees or something that's what gets me.

norm · January 2007

Once an era has run it's course there will always be crap bands continuing along. Poison, Warrant, Cinderella suck. That's why they died a glorious death in 1991. But VH was one of the founders of the 80's metal movement. Don't disparage VH because of Brett Michaels.;)

Sathogwa · January 2007

They deserve to get in, even if it is for only their first album--which is a monster. Eddie Van Halen is a fucking amazing guitarist! The world of guitar playing changed completely because of EVH. The scope of what one could do with the electric guitar expanded in incocievably vast amounts after Eddie. Not only lead guitar, but his rythm is incredible also. And what is amazing about him, is that as good as he is, you can tell he still holds back! Their debut was pure rock n' roll. Which anymore is a rare and precious thing when you do encounter it. And David Lee Roth was as good of a rock n' roll frontman as you can get. You really can't ask for more.

Anyone who would question why VH should get into the Rock n' Roll hall of fame is either too young, or has very biased tastes. You don't have to be a fan of the band, or even that style of music, to understand why they should get in.

PissBottleMan · January 2007

cutback wrote:

Once an era has run it's course there will always be crap bands continuing along. Poison, Warrant, Cinderella suck. That's why they died a glorious death in 1991. But VH was one of the founders of the 80's metal movement. Don't disparage VH because of Brett Michaels.;)

It's funny because there are a lot of hard rock fans that think the same thing about the period between 1991-1994.

PBM

norm · January 2007

PissBottleMan wrote:

It's funny because there are a lot of hard rock fans that think the same thing about the period between 1991-1994.

PBM

Yeah but they're brain dead from listening to that crap.:D

Pearl Jam and toast · January 2007

I think they're a scurge on music's history but they deserve to get in based on popularity and influence.

Kind of like how the Nazis are an important part of history.

norm · January 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

I think they're a scurge on music's history but they deserve to get in based on popularity and influence.

Kind of like how the Nazis are an important part of history.

Wow. Now I know EVH is a little tyrant but . . .

:D

mrwalkerb · January 2007

it seems that everyone who wants them to get in pretty much only say that EVH is awesome, some say david lee roth was a great frontman but I still think he's a wanker. The influence of the band is never mentioned as much as much as the influence of EVH himself. The thing is and the reason I started this thread is that when you stack them up against other people in the hall, The Clash, Velvet Underground etc. just seem to be more important in teh grand scheme of things than VH who are just figureheads of a scene that PJ&T so aptly described as a "monstrosity that nearly killed rock music". Should that be rewarded?

Pearl Jam and toast · January 2007

mrwalkerb wrote:

it seems that everyone who wants them to get in pretty much only say that EVH is awesome, some say david lee roth was a great frontman but I still think he's a wanker. The influence of the band is never mentioned as much as much as the influence of EVH himself. The thing is and the reason I started this thread is that when you stack them up against other people in the hall, The Clash, Velvet Underground etc. just seem to be more important in teh grand scheme of things than VH who are just figureheads of a scene that PJ&T so aptly described as a "monstrosity that nearly killed rock music". Should that be rewarded?

No it shouldn't be rewarded, but no one said the rock and roll hall of fame was about positively influencing rock music.. or if they did no one said the people deciding this semantic bullshit deserved that right.

I shouldn't have said 'influence', I should've said 'impact'. Like an asteroid hitting the earth...

iluvcats · January 2007

I loved the back street boys.

I hope they make it in 2018

PissBottleMan · January 2007

iluvcats wrote:

I loved the back street boys.

I don't necessarily love them, but as a former Top-40 DJ, I Want It That Way, Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and Larger Than Life are solid tracks.

See, I have a soft spot for pop tunes.

PBM

mrwalkerb · January 2007

PissBottleMan wrote:

I don't necessarily love them, but as a former Top-40 DJ, I Want It That Way, Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and Larger Than Life are solid tracks.

See, I have a soft spot for pop tunes.

PBM

I want it that way is one of the best pop songs of the nineties and better than anything Van Halen every wrote-I'm being completly serious here

reversedarwinism · January 2007

mrwalkerb wrote:

it seems that everyone who wants them to get in pretty much only say that EVH is awesome, some say david lee roth was a great frontman but I still think he's a wanker. The influence of the band is never mentioned as much as much as the influence of EVH himself. The thing is and the reason I started this thread is that when you stack them up against other people in the hall, The Clash, Velvet Underground etc. just seem to be more important in teh grand scheme of things than VH who are just figureheads of a scene that PJ&T so aptly described as a "monstrosity that nearly killed rock music". Should that be rewarded?

some people just don't like hair-metal, just like a lot of people don't like grunge. Van Halen in the hall is a NO BRAINER, like some said. it's just goofy music, pearl jam is serious music. what are led zeppelin? some of both. VH are the best and originators of that particualr sub-genre. they deserve to be rewarded. possibly motley crue does, as well.

mwachsman · January 2007

Van Halen fucking rocks. That is all.

reversedarwinism · January 2007

mrwalkerb wrote:

I want it that way is one of the best pop songs of the nineties and better than anything Van Halen every wrote-I'm being completly serious here

if you think "i want it that way" is a better pop song than "jump" or even compares to "unchained" and "ain't talking bout love", you should check to see if you still have a pair. j/k to each thier own, but i've heard that song plenty and to hear it put over VH is (shaking head).......wow

mrwalkerb · January 2007

reversedarwinism wrote:

if you think "i want it that way" is a better pop song than "jump" or even compares to "unchained" and "ain't talking bout love", you should check to see if you still have a pair. j/k to each thier own, but i've heard that song plenty and to hear it put over VH is (shaking head).......wow

well Jump might be close because I rock it out at kareoke but I want it that way is designed to be mass marketed, not sure if VH stuff was

Poncier · January 2007

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

Van Halen was the leader of the monstrosity that nearly killed rock music called "Hair Metal".

So if you discount Van Halen's contributions to rock because of less talented imitators such as Poison and Warrant, don't you also have to discount Pearl Jam's contributions because of less talented imitators such as Creed and Nickelback?

Can't have your cake and eat it too my friend.

Poncier · January 2007

mrwalkerb wrote:

The thing is and the reason I started this thread is that when you stack them up against other people in the hall, The Clash, Velvet Underground etc. just seem to be more important in teh grand scheme of things than VH

And here are a few others besides the Clash and Velvet Underground who are currently inducted as performers:

Big Joe Turner
Hank Ballard
Jimmy Reed
The Impressions
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Ruth Brown
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
Little Willie John
The (Young) Rascals
Lloyd Price
The Staple Singers
The Moonglows
Solomon Burke
The Flamingos
The Dells

I dare say its fairly clear that Van Halen (and several other as of this moment still overlooked bands like Rush, Genesis, Yes and others) was of more importance and greater influence in the history of Rock and Roll than these and some others.

Its easy to say VH doesn't belong cause they aren't as influential as the Beatles, Elvis or Bob Dylan, but that philosophy would leave you with a HoF with about 14 members, and we wouldn't need the big fancy I.M. Pei building in Cleveland for that now would we.

Just because you don't like a band for particular style of rock doesn't mean its not worthy of recognition.

PissBottleMan · January 2007

Poncier wrote:

And here are a few others besides the Clash and Velvet Underground who are currently inducted as performers

In that same respect, The Bee Gees are in the Hall. Don't get me wrong, I'm a mark for "I Started A Joke", but if they're in, then VH has a secure spot.

PBM

edwho · January 2007

locked wrote:

they were at their best with "Fair Warning"..

That guitar opening to "mean streets" is the balls..

having stated that, VH remains the worst concert I ever attended..

I saw them in 1980 at the Cape Cod Collesium during their "women and children first" tour..

They played 50 (count 'em) 50 minutes as the headliner and were awful..
just awfull..

Roth didn't even attempt to sing the words on cue and laughed through most on the songs..

the sound mix was so bad, you couldn;t tell when one song ended and another began..

Thanks for that, I thought I must have seen their two worst concerts back in 1980 and ’82. Short concerts with drum solo, base solo, guitar solo and sloppy drunk, every one of them. Final straw was in ’82 when DLR came out in chaps (backless leather pants) and shook his ass for a few songs. My friend and I looked at each other as the house lights came on at shows end and agreed never again. Second chance came with Sammy because I was a fan since Montrose. Those first couple of tours with Sammy Hagar were great he played second guitar most of the show and they performed more of his solo hits. That was fun.
_____________

Van Halen concerts ~ 2/23/80 ~ 8/19/82 ~ 11/1/86 ~ 9/14/91 ~ 10/14/95

“I don’t know if you picked up by the atmosphere, at least on stage tonight, its like sort of a high point of the whole tour to be back here, maybe after 6 nights it might not be so easy to say that, but at the moment we’d like to, we give you this song” Robert Plant before Stairway To Heaven LA 1977

Van Halen and the rock and roll hall of fame

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