Van Halen III released 11 years ago today
Van Halen III was released 11 years ago today, on March 17th, 1998.
The album is considered to be the only disappointing Van Halen album ever made, but the tour was another story.
The 1998 tour was the second Van Halen tour when Eddie was clean and sober. While many fans didn’t think Gary Cherone was a good fit for Van Halen, most fans who caught a concert that year loved it. The tour was known for a couple things. Eddie’s playing was flawless on that tour, due to his sobriety and also his overall happiness. That showed itself during the live show as he was completely on top of his game, and jumped around throughout the show with his patented “Flying Eddie” scissor-kick jumps.
While Cherone was not fully embraced by the Van Halen fan base, he was appreciated for resurrecting many David Lee Roth-era gems that had remained buried during the Sammy Hagar years. Fans were treated to many songs that had gone unplayed throughout Hagar’s tenure with the band, including guitar showcases such as “Mean Street”, “Romeo Delight”, “Dance the Night Away” and “Feel Your Love Tonight”. The band even performed “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” with Michael Anthony on lead vocals - a move that was so well received that it remained part of the setlist when Hagar returned for the 2004 tour. Indeed, Cherone’s greatest achievement with Van Halen might have been his decision to play many of the old VH classics. The entire Van Halen catalog has never been as well represented as it was on the Van Halen III tour. It really is the best mix of the Hagar and Roth years that has ever been performed, and of course, it was the only tour to feature material from the III album.
Here’s three rare treats from 1998:
“That’s Why I Love You” (UNRELEASED demo put to rare footage) by Sphen5150:
“Fire In The Hole” (LIVE audio put to rare footage) by Sphen5150:
“This is taken from the broadcast of MTV’s live at the 10 Spot, recorded by my self back in 1998 off of television. It is mixed with amateur and other various footage. I have re mastered the audio as well. I hope you enjoy.
“Dance The Night Away/Feel Your Love Tonight” (LIVE) by 5150EVH5150: Forgive me for the bad audio-video match, but to match Gary Cherone era clips to classic Roth is tough. This is from the VHIII Tour, and despite most opinions about Gary, he kicked ass on this one.
Filed under: Gary Cherone, Van Halen
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March 18th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Whilst officially on the 3 tour Ed was sober, unofficially that wasn’t coffee in his mug when he was doing those press releases, I am sorry to say.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:50 am
Underrated record, not bad to me.
I think this record is a lot of good ideas badly executed in some cases. Eddie’s work is the most amazing in III at some points but is overshadowed but some terrible tones…
Despite this I listen to it often.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:55 am
I agree with Gonzalo! I think VH3 is quite good album!
March 18th, 2009 at 4:04 am
VH3 is one of my absolute fav albums of all times. I really dig it. Some of the vocals sounds a little rushed and the overall sound of the album could have been better. But the songs gives a much broader picture of what VH is about. Maybe not classic radio music and that’s mayb why I never get bored with this album, it so versatile. I would have loved to hear more albums with Gary…
March 18th, 2009 at 4:44 am
The tour was hot, saw it front row in Orlando at the HOB, highlighs were of course, ” A year to the day” with Ed jamming on his Wolf special with the sustainer. Other cool licks from the album were the ending of “fire in the hole” and the bridge to “one I want”, although poorly mixed, it’s not that bad, except for Ed trying to sing lead…ugggg. Anyone know details on why Gary left, I mean they were recording the second album and then the “musical differences” came out, I suspect the old Earth Guide Only (EGO) was a factor.
March 18th, 2009 at 5:33 am
All Right!!
Van Halen with Cherone, unfortunelly, not works…But, he is part of Van Halen history too!
Finally, something about Gary Cherone(!!???)…
Congratulations vhnd!!
(And he have no problems with play the DLR-era songs!!)
“Cherone’s greatest achievement with Van Halen might have been his decision to play many of the old VH classics. The entire Van Halen catalog has never been as well represented as it was on the Van Halen III tour. It really is the best mix of the Hagar and Roth years…”
It´s a good character, a humble guy , a good person. A Van Halen/David Lee Roth fan, like us.
Van Halen III was a disaster, but i wish all the lucky and success for him.
March 18th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Not sure about the whole album but I love the first song. The guitar is so ‘live’. You can hear his amp buzzing away in the background during the solo. It’s a small thing but it tells you a lot about VH. Most bands would have engineered out the buzzing amp but I bet Ed said “Nah, are you kidding, leave it in!”
But on another note: How the hell did Gary ever become a lead singer? Could never understand why Nuno put up with him for so long (Christ! He even got back with him!) and then he managed to sell his meagre talents to VH. Hats off to the guy!
March 18th, 2009 at 5:56 am
To this day I think “Without You” is a great Van Halen song (one of my favorites) and I really wish Sammy or Dave had performed it in subsequent tours. It fits really well with the Sammy material in particular. I always thought it had a “Balance” vibe to it.
I think it would be a real shame if they never play it again.
By the way, the “III” tour was the first time I saw Van Halen, and they blew me away. Cherone may not be the finest songwriter, but certainly was more than competent on stage.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I’ll agree with Ian. This totally fits in with the Sammy material.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:11 am
I agree VH3 has good and bad. I like the album and the tour. The tone of his guitar was not quite what I was expecting. Did not care for it, but his playing was great. Gary is not a bad frontman and I think he did a good job singing songs from both eras. It was great hearing those old Dave songs. I think at the time I was happy ther were actually doing something. I wish we could get another album out of them soon.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:13 am
11 years since VH dropped this turd in the bowl?! Sheesh, I’m getting old.
Naw, I still crank Fire In The Hole at maximum volume to the dismay of my neighbors. Ed’s project album has some interesting moments to it but lacks the musical vision of their earlier efforts. It’s like he had only bits and pieces to put together rather than (mostly) completed songs to record. I know a lot of the finishing touches are developed in the studio, but this album doesn’t “feel” like it had any framework to it from the get go.
I skipped this tour but have seen enough boots to agree that Ed’s playing was very tight. He probably wasn’t 100% dried out but his guitar was focused, crisp and very toney. Didn’t like the excessive wallowing in Sustainer feedback (which reached critical mass during the ‘04 tour). Very glad he ditched that altogether for the last tour.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Just wanted to add Gary was much better than velvet revolvers attempt on Ain;t talkin bout love. sorry, but that was sad.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Has anyone attempted to figure out any songs on guitar off of III? Good luck.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Huge fan. Tried and tried to like vh3 for a long time and never could get into it. I often think who would have been a better fit. My answer Robert Plant
March 18th, 2009 at 6:30 am
I think Gary is a great singer but I just have never liked his sort of screaming on the high registers. In other words, I like the angel more than the elephant with balls approach by him. So a lot of his singing on III kinda irked me.
That said, Eddie once talked about the CD being pressed as opposed to the “tone” from the analog (or cassette) version. The songs very may well have sounded much better in the studio than what was pressed for CD.
Overall, III had many great ideas as opposed to some of the previous albums with Sammy. It was a step forward, whether you liked it or not.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:34 am
I totally agree it fits Sammy Material. In fact, I read an interview where Hagar says that ‘III’ contains some discarded songs from the ‘Balance’ album…
March 18th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I was just happy that Van Halen with Gary in the band discovered again the classic Roth/Van Halen songs that were brushed aside and almost forgotten when Sammy joined. So I got respect for Gary on that. It’s hard what to think of VH 3? I wasn’t happy with Alex’s drum sound (drums sounded like buckets!) but Eddie was on fire!! His playing and songwriting went up another level, he is the man!!! I just hope the new album with Roth can pick up from ‘Me Wise Magic’ and some little gems that are on the VH 3 album. VH 3 album, not the best, but it does grow on you over time.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Ah, when I listen to VHIII I listen to a singer and an album that never really got a chance from day 1. It certainly isn’t my favorite VH album, but it’s absurd to think what many people want others to believe, namely that the album is terrible. If you talk about a giant leap in quality the first thing that pops into my mind is the follow-up of DLR’s A Little Ain’t Enough cd, Your Filthy Little Mouth. Then we’re talking about an album that deserved the crap VHIII had to get.
But fact is that hardcore David Lee Roth fans were disappointed VH asked Gary and Sam Hagar fans were disappointed Sam was out so unless VH would come up with the most wicked stuff ever, the album was doomed to fail in terms of sales. Unfortunately, VH wasn’t able to come up with a classic, super-high quality album.
A classic example of an ok album at the wrong time made for an audience that wasn’t really open for it. Sad.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I never heard anything from VHIII, but I guess it can’t be more boring then Van Hagar.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Erick just proved my point. Thank you Erick.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:27 am
vh3 is a good album- if youve never given it a fair listen– do it–
its van halen– and gary is good-
reccomendations:
without you
dirty water dog
once
how many say i– ( ed on vocals )
March 18th, 2009 at 8:31 am
As much as Gary didn’t fit in Van Halen as much as Eddie and whoever else held his audition could have forseen, I really appreciate his work with Van Halen. “Without You”, “One I Want” and “Dirty Water Dog” are some really great tracks! Eddie’s tone was very cool, Al’s drums sounded big as ever, and Gary (as much as he didn’t fit the “Van Halen timbre”) did some intense vocal work. Actually, my biggest problem with Van Halen III was the fact the Mikey was only allowed to play on three of the tracks. The tour was great though. Eddie’s live tone was kind of funky, but his playing was spot-on.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I got free passes for this tour and got to meet the band. Eddie and Mike were SO NICE and SO OUTGOING! Alex I think was ready to start the show and Gary looked lost in the shuffle of people. Mike & Ed acted like I was their long lost cousin, which was very cool (the pic I have is me with the band in a big bear hug..no lie). We had great seats and the energy was great. The new songs were not good, but the classic VH stuff was so good to hear. They did not use tapes as much as F.U.C.K which was the only other tour I had seen (at that point)
Overall and important part of their touring history, if not an LP highlight
March 18th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Cherone was a clown on stage.
Like a ballerina on crack.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Album just had a really bad mix. That’s the worse Al’s drums ever sounded. I think their next album would of been better because they were on fire on that tour, but Warner Brothers stepped in and pulled the plug. You never Cherone or Van Halen bad mouth one another.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I agree Erick Cherone is better than Sammy ! Anyone is!!!!
March 18th, 2009 at 10:08 am
ed on the end of ‘once’ is one for the highlight reels.
agree sounds like a project album. i re-assert that to make something great again it might be best to give the guys one sound setup and 2 weeks in an unfamiliar studio- that’s all ya got. like the old days. guarantee you won’t get any helicopter samples.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am
“Once” is probably my favorite song on this album - great melody - the album didn’t quite come together the way it should have, but it shows that Eddie’s ability to come up with good tunes was still intact.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Cool guys! It’s great to hear some love and respect for Cherone. When they announced he was in the band, I was excited and thought it was a great choice. VHIII turned out to be just okay, but it had it’s moments. “Ballot or the Bullet” and “Dirty Water Dog” are favorites for me. The truth is, on tour, Cherone sang DLR era songs better than Dave probably ever did. His voice didn’t seem to fit the Hagar era tunes at times. I agree with Big J and think the next album would have been much better after getting to tour together and feel each other out.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Just like every VH Album since “82” I purchased III the day it hit the stores. Unlike the other albums I wanted to toss it in the trash. I was so disgusted with the “Lead Singer Saga” and Ed statements “Gary’s my musical soul mate” crap, that I had enough. I didn’t even go see them live for the first time since “81”. That disk sat on my shelf for years until I played it again about two years ago.
In all fairness it is better than I remembered and “Without You” is the best song on the disk. But there is some major Crapolla too! “How many say I” is the worst song VH has ever done and I remember that being the reason I wanted to toss III out the window of my car. I have all the respect in the world for Gary stepping into that situation and singing some Classic VH but Howard Stern was right when he asked Cherone on his show if he had signed the VH contract in disappearing ink. Obviously Stern was right.
March 18th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I saw VH twice on the III tour. Once in Denver, CO, and once in NJ. Eddie was for sure sober for the Denver show. We had good seats for both. In Denver Valerie and Wolfie were on the side of the stage, so he was on his best behavior. In NJ it was just him, and you cud tell he was for sure in party mode with the infamous red “party” cup as I like to call it nearby. Both shows were great!!
March 18th, 2009 at 11:19 am
VH III was outstanding. An excellent guitar playing record that rivals Fair Warning in terms of playing. III would have been a huge success if “Dirty Water Dogs” was released first without the long intro. It is an excellent pop/rock tune. Cherone, cleary is a talented singer who was forced out due to big business. I listen to VH III often and the show at MSG was A++
March 18th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
By far Eddie was playing better than ever!!! Especially Live…I have seen every tour since Diver Down and his playing during III was the best I have witnessed…there was such a buzz during the VHIII tour about Eddies playing and how fast and clean it was…anyways we all have our thoughts, but they still remain the greatest band ever!!!
March 18th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Puke, hurl and whatever. VH3 was total crap. I’ve heard bar bands that sound better. Cherone sounded like a Sammy wanna be. Only VH disc I don’t own. Let’s hope that when Ed gets tired of Dave, they don’t get Britney in the band!
March 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I can’t believe no one else has mentioned “From Afar.” That’s always been my favorite song on this album.
March 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
CHERONE AND SAM ARE BOTH DAVE WANNABEES.SORRY BOYS, YOU CANT COMPETE WITH THE BEST.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Hell Yaaaa! Diamond Dave Forever!!!!!!!
March 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I’m glad some people like this album. I remember sitting down at Sound Warehouse the day this came out and listening to it start to finished. Needless to say, I didn’t put down $12.99 for it. Well, I listened to it again about a year ago and still didn’t care for it. I can’t speak as to whether Ed’s playing was great or not because the songs are so uninspired to my ears.
I’m not a fan of the Hagar years, but at least there are a handful of tracks I love (Inside, 5150, Get Up). Unfortunately, there are zero tracks on VHIII that are redeeming.
I’m with Iwannaberr, I know guys in bands (that opened for VH in 2004) that write better songs than this, and sing better.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Van Halen III was a great disappointment to me. Unlike many people who were booing it before it was ever released, I was looking forward to it. Like many other people, I think there were some pretty good ideas there as well. I bought it on the day it was released and listened to it about 3 times back to back on a long road trip that day. All that time I was waiting to be impressed…it didn’t happen. But I think the reason that this album simply just doesn’t measure up is not Gary Cherone, it was WEAK SONGWRITING! To me, it seemed like the guys just put some stuff together without much foresight or planning. Perhaps they thought that anything with a VH logo on it would simply be great. I think Gary Cherone actually did a very good job with what he had to work with, but the songs just failed to engage or move me in almost any way. One thing I really hate is when a band takes some political stance on something, but “Ballot or the Bullet” was a vague attempt at this at best anyways. I really liked “Without You”, it has a nice groove to it(the only song I have on my ipod from this album). It just seems like the album spiralled into oblivion after the first track. Worst of all is “How Many Say I?”…………
Well, I have always thought that Eddie should shy away from so much keyboards, but DAMN!…he needs to stay away from the mic as well.
Cherone gracefully bowed out after the album, but I think had the songwriting simply been better, it could have been a great success with him on board.
I think maybe they were trying to do something arty-farty and it just backfired.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Oh yeah, Eddie should stay away from funky stocking caps too!
March 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
This album was pretty good. It definitely is worthy of the VH catalogue. Without You should have been a big hit. It really should have. It’s underrated like Me Wise Magic with Roth (another one that should have been big hit material). There were other songs from VHIII that would have done well if edited and given a chance on the radio. What held it back? You have to remember the time when Best Of Volume 1 and VHIII were released. The radio stations and the music industry in general were trying to move away from classic rock bands. Alternative was at it’s peak (which alternative would soon be on a downward slide after this time, making way for nu-metal). Those songs never got a chance on the mainstream rock stations. They were only played on the classic rock stations. If you called a mainstream rock station and asked the DJ why they were not playing the new VH material you got some answer like “They are an old band, they play that on the classic rock station, it fits better there.” If VH would have released something shortly after this last tour it would have done great. The Best of Both Worlds discs did great in sales and airplay. The music industry and radio welcomes the old guys again cause everything is bogged down by cookie cutter metal now. The other reason why Best Of Volume One and VHIII bombed was the fact that VH was becoming a media circus with it’s revolving door of singers. That era is when there were the most VH jokes on TV. The DLR thing blew up immediately and people were not ready for a new Van Halen with a new singer playing experimental material. In my oppinion, this is why VH didn’t even have a chance to sell us on some pretty good material. P.S. I still get goosebumps when I hear Me Wise Magic and Without You. Those songs are THAT good.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Does anybody know who the other finalist was to sing lead besides Gary Cherone? Who else did he beat out to get the gig? I read that one of the people was a guy named Mitch Mitchell. If Eddie wasn’t going to stick with Sammy or return to Dave, there could have been a lot of different choices besides Gary. Especially since there were a ton of defunked hair bands at the time. The former lead singers for the Bullet Boys, White Lion, or Sebasian Bach of Skid Row would have made interesting choices. I remember a reporter asking Alex who else they considered and he shot back that, that would not be revealed because it would be insulting to the person/people who didn’t get picked.
March 18th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Wasn’t a huge fan of the III album until I saw it played live (and LOUD) at Van Halens only tour to Australia in Sydney (yes - the MTV one, yes - my boof head is in the front row).
“Without You” and a couple of others were great tracks - but too many fillers and indulgent crap like Josephine.
The concert was awesome - I was right in front of Mikey and he blew me away. Was actually impressed with Gary’s singing - the dude is so “clear” and “unstrained” when he really belts it out.
Thankfully I did get to see Diamond Dave before he became Botox Dave on his solo tour here. One of the best entertaining nights I’ve seen.
March 18th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I agree with Rich on The Robert Plant Singing for Van Halen. Robert Plant would kick Dave, Sammy and Gary’s Ass. As for Van Halen III it was not bad but not exciting either. It had about 6 good songs but it lacked the intensity compared to Roth and Hagar. Gary was not the right fit but at least he get’s credit for not having an ego problem.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Hahaha, I totally forgot, but now that I read the name of that one-dimensional Sebastian Bach as the then-possible new lead singer of VH and later a whole bunch of names including (from the top of my head) David Coverdale and Eric Martin and even Billy Sheehan on bass, I recall this particular rumor people started….about van Halen being in the studio with a different David, turning the band from (vintage) Van Halen to Van Hagar to…
…. Van Hasselhoff. You gotta love sarcasm.
I do miss the rumor mill btw. More exciting than the “Wolfie is finishing school, I am getting married, we’re all so happy now, I write 20 songs a day, look at the guitar I am designing” news we have to digest nowadays.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Kenny, I see what you are saying, and it makes some sense to a degree. I don’t think radio stations necessarily thought ‘this belongs at this station and not here’. Stations are going to play whatever people will listen to (within the format). The classic Van Halen albums were so popular is because their sound fit the times. VH 1 was a natural progression after Led Zeppelin.
VH3 wanted to be modern and mainstream, but just wasn’t in any way shape or form. The people rejected it, so there’s no way it was going to get much airplay. I suspect this is part of Ed’s fear of recording again. The VH fans will eat it up (if it’s good), but “the kids” will care less unless the sound matches the modern sound to some degree. Look at someone like Primus. Those guys wrote weird stuff, but it still fit into the alternative category. Why does U2 keep selling a jillion records EVERY time? Because their sound keeps changing. I think it’s getting worse, but it’s just a matter of taste. They’re doing something right.
I agree with Maelstrom too. I hate when bands try to get political. It totally killed the last Megadeth record for me. Just too preachy when I just want to rock.
Say something funny, SCAR. I’ve gotten too serious. AHHH>
March 18th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Mike Post ruined VHIII. He wasn’t qualified to produce any major label act, let alone VH. He (and Ed) had a talented Gary over-sing everything.
The tour had energy, was tight, and allowed M.A. to come front and center for the first time. I really enjoyed them live.
This story actually sums up the tour very well IMHO.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I like Van Halen III. I have a concert on DVD filmed in Australia from that tour with Gary…… Great Show !!
I did get a concert t-shirt, here on VHND Website for my VH collection !!
March 18th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I thought Van Halen 3 was awful, plain and simple. I am actually amazed that it has a following after reading the previous posts. I sometimes think you just have to remove yourself from being a “Huge VH fan” to be objective in regards to this album. I am from Boston and wanted Cherone to be succesful, the album is uncomfortable. That said, I will say that the concerts were decent, they got better as the tour progressed and it was cool to hear vintage VH tunes (lacking in the Hagar years). Cherone did DLR songs much better than Hagar. I am not a huge Hagar fan but do not dislike him, that said Cherone could not belt out Hagar as well as he did the DLR songs. Looking back I wish they did the album with Sebastian Bach, he is a good singer and more in the vein of DLR. His bad boy element would have been interesting. I think Eddie does his best work when is is not in total control, I am sure Sebastian Bach would have made him a bit on edge.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
My all time favorite VH album. Yes, really. Put on a good set of headphones and crank it. Plus Ed is on record that this was his happiest time and favorite singer . Know your facts pals.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Please get this junk off the VHND website.
I put this disaster behind me years ago. I though this was forgotten. I threw out the album. This was not VH.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
What a treat! great footage! Good Sound! All three videos.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Reading these comments, I would rank in order of popularity:
1. CLASSIC VAN HALEN
2. VHIII
3. Van Hagar
March 19th, 2009 at 4:25 am
Van Halen III the album was a disappointment. There were about three songs that I liked, Without You, Once, Fire in the Hole. It just felt like rather than use Gary’s voice as Sammy’s but at a higher octave. He shouted most of the album. Most of the songs could have used better focus.
Van Halen III the tour was great. They sounded great and the song selection was great. My experience was memorable as they allowed a guy to propose to his girlfriend on stage. Wonder what they would have played if she had said no?
March 19th, 2009 at 4:29 am
I would add that part of the reason VHIII failed was that it was such a radical departure. If VH had come out with an album with Gary that was in the same progression as Balance they would have been fine. But to make such a dramatic departure with songs like Josephine (yeah delaying the album a month for that song was worth it) and How Many Say I just didn’t work. They were trying to be a different band than what people expected to hear.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Why all the comments always end up denigrating Sammy Hagar?
March 19th, 2009 at 6:44 am
This was my first concert (ever not just vh) and I couldn’t have been happier. All members were exelent. The sound in Madison Square Garden was awesome. The album isn’t that bad (musically) and I still listen to it. I think III is one of those guilty pleasures for VH fans..sshhhhh
March 19th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I thought the live show was great. Gary did look kind of strange prancing around in his black suit looking like Freddy Mercury. However musically it rocked. I truly beleive Warner Bros. put the ax to the Cherone era. The only songs I like on that CD are Without U, One I Want, and Fire in the Hole. That tune was the only song on the CD that replicated the true VH sound. The production quality sucked. Eddie’s gtr was way too loud in the mix, and Alex’s drums sounded like he was hitting cardboard boxes. That CD was the closest thing to an EVH solo album that we’ll see, cuz that’s what it felt like.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:45 am
The only VH album I don’t own. . . .’Nuff said!
March 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I heard at one point that they were actually looking at Sass Jordan to replace Sammy before Cherone.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I did see a bootleg(Philly I think) where a wedding proposal was made onstage and after she accepted,Gary shook her hand and kissed him on cheek.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
The VH3 album is ok. Possibly it was a bit too ‘Extreme’? But importantly for us down here in OZ the Aussie tour was hugely anticipated. It was great to finally see VH down under. Gary Cherone has copped a lot of unfair criticism. He was very obviously a fan of the band and he appeared to ignite enthusiasm in the other guys to re-visit the classic era songs that the VH fans wanted to hear. He was great onstage and looked like he was putting in 100%. Who knows what the collaboration could’ve produced if it had been given a fair go over 2 or 3 albums?
March 19th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I agree with Bo-sox and I must add the last show on the US tour at the Hard Rock in Vegas was one of the best VH shows I have seen. I am glad Gary is gone….he was a bit of fruit.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Gary Cherone SUCKS. Some of the worst singing I’ve ever heard is from when he was with Van Halen…
March 20th, 2009 at 2:10 am
I think the reason VHIII didn’t do better, was simply the fans not giving VH a chance to try something new. As stated in a comment already, the two DLR songs (and I am not a big DLR fan) from Best Of Volume 1 were something new with a different sound and musicianship to them. VHIII was a also a different approach, showing what VH can grow up to be. Also tha Van hagar days had a “growing up”-phase, with a lot of cool and interesting music, next to the usual party rock. People sometimes like to turn conservative and only want to hear what they have been hearing for the past thirty years. Listen to Kiss or AC/DC then - they sure haven’t changed. Might be successful, but good music? I tend to differ.
I am glad that Gary found a a new/old home at Extreme. Saw them last year. That was awesome! Not simply a “retro-tour”, but new material, new fresh sounds - very unlike the DLR return.
Hope that we can expect some of the old, but also some of the new with DLR back in the band. Too many retro acts going around - give us something new!
March 20th, 2009 at 5:03 am
“That’s Why I Love You” is such a great song!!! I would have replaced some of the VHIII Record for that one!!!
March 20th, 2009 at 8:36 am
A real shocker on VHND is that there were almost double the comments about III as there were to the 81 Oakland shows. Another shocker is that the number of positive comments either about III, the tour, or Gary Cherone. I like so many of you bought III as soon as it came out. I enjoyed it and was really disappointed that Eddie did not retain Gary and release the second album that they recorded. I think that, that album and tour would have done better than the III album and tour.
It was interesting that VH released a limited edition cd of III with pictures, a pink pick etc… I don’t recall any other VH album getting that kind of special treatment. I saw the two concerts from the III tour. The first from the second row at Hersey Park, Pa. and the second time at the Nissan Pavilion, in Bristow, Va.. Both shows were realy awesome! Eddie’s playing was perfect and it really was great to hear the classic Dave stuff. A guy told me that seeing Gary front Van Halen seemed really weird because he had short hair instead of the blond, flowing locks that Sammy and Dave both had. I read that there was a promotional picture of him taken for the second album where he had let his hair grow long and bleached it. Finally, in my opinion III has one of Van Halen’s coolest album covers. That would actually be a good thread to rank the best VH album covers.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:39 am
Look I am the biggest Van Halem fan And Extreme fan even a Sammy fan but I can`t listen to any of this Van halen III stuff it just sounds strange out of sync or somthing they just did`nt gel . I think Nuno Bettencourt sayed in an interview somwere they rushed the album and thats what it sounds like to me unfinished .
March 21st, 2009 at 2:50 am
“3″ was rushed and terrible. The one bootleg ( That’s Why I Love You) I have from that album is probably one of the better songs from that session, but of course it’s not on 3. I recall someone commenting all those years ago that it sounds more like “The Eddie Van Halen Experience.” I’d have to agree. A decent listen, but nothing memorable.
I was optimistic about Gary and Ed’s partnership, but ultimately Ed turned up full of shit about his new “brother.” Too many changes too soon, and with all the backlash and fallout from Dave’s NON-reunion, the band just seemed to alienate even more of its fans. Gary didn’t stand a chance.
The only decent thing to come out of it was the tour. I got shivers when Ed opened up that MTV 10 Spot gig (Australia, I believe) with Mean Street. The show was amazing. I paid less than $10 for lawn seats to see them in the Bay Area.
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
bad production and the fact that people were upset this ment dave roth would attempt more solo albums really doomed this album but since this is their last studio album may as well keep in the collection.
April 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Van Halen III was my first and only time I saw VH in my life my buddy won tickets of 98 Rock in Baltimore and I will say it was a good show and a great mix of both eras of van halen.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Van Halen 3 is musically and vocally an awesome album.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I think that Cherone just had some big shoes to fill. If VHIII was released on its own without anyone knowing who VH was and “Without You” was kept in constant rotation on MTV, the critics wouldn’t have been so hard on it - or Gary for that matter. Listen to it now and compare it to the crap that is being marketed today. In that light, it does hold up. Trust me, in 11 years there will be no Jonas Brothers News Desk. Or maybe even in 11 months, God willing.
I don’t subscribe to the whole Dave-is-the-best/Van-Hagar-sucks train of thought that makes people pick sides like Van Halen is some kind of political race. And God forbid if you like Gary! I don’t limit myself and I don’t limit Van Halen. I like all of the lead singers and every one of VH’s albums have a song or two I don’t like. My favorite Van Halen lead singer: the one they’re playing with when any one of their CD’s starts to spin.
In short, anything Van Halen is good.
April 14th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
The Van Halen III album wasn’t as bad as most people made it out to be. It is definately my least favorite VH album but musically it had some really great ideas on it. Dirty Water Dog, Fire In The Hole, Without You and Year To The Day are great tracks! I agree with some of the posters on here though, the drums do sound like shit on a lot of the tracks and some of the songs feel rushed. I think Van Halen III got slammed even harder because people were so bummed that the Roth/Halen reunion fell apart and they weren’t recording a new album. Poor Gary didn’t stand a chance at all! I did catch the VH III Tour live in Australia on MTV and they sounded AWESOME on that tour!
April 17th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
One thing I will add to my previous post is that even though some like to blame Gary Cherone for the commercial failure of VHIII, it should be noted that nothing gets by Eddie Van Halen without approval. Therefore, blaming only Cherone for III maked him a scapegoat and that is just not right. III was an experimental stage for VH and could only come about with a new lead. Sammy wouldn’t have done it and doing an experimental album with Dave would have tainted the VH legend if it turned out badly. Mitch Malloy (Google him) was also a consideration before Cherone came into the mix and he declined to be in the band. Still, I don’t think VHIII was all that bad. Cherone did carry on some tunes with his band Tribe of Judah. Google that one, too. Like I said before, any Van Halen is good Van Halen no matter who is at the mic.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
There were only 2 VH-worthy songs on VH3: “Year to the Day” and “Fire in the Hole.” The rest of the album felt like it was picked up off the cutting room floor. It seemed like, “Crap, Sammy just came out with an album. Well, we’ll show him! Quick, throw something together. Anybody know a lead vocalist without a band?”
As for better fits, here are a few bands whose vocalists and styles matched Van Halen’s needs: Y&T, Whitesnake, Jackal, Ugly Kid Joe (yes, even that vocalist would have beat Cherone), White Lion…
Actually, Cherone’s voice isn’t bad for VH, but his lyrics have always kind of sucked. “With a word to the wisdom tooth; To tell or not the truth; Well open up, say Amen; Rinse cup, then spit again…” What the hell?
Plus, on VH3, Gary was flat during a number of songs, the lyrical rhythm didn’t fit the music, and Eddie trying to do Nino was crap. Eddie needs to be himself.
Now, if they’d taken a year, ironed out some decent lyrics, and polished things up better, hell, Gary might still be part of the band. The whole episode was just a rush job gone wrong, if you ask me.
I’m anxious to hear the new album. Will the harmonies still sound sweet without Mikey?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
This is one of my most frequently visited VH albums (along with VH2, Fair Warning and FUCK) and weirdly I appreciate the fact that this is an underdog record. I really wish this had gotten popular…Gary had the chops and could’ve had a real chance if he did a few more albums.
I think, judging by this record, we all know what an EVH solo album would be like.
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Ed’ playing great,no chemistry and missed Mikes participation dureing recording
June 24th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I just downloaded VH3 on ITunes today after not hearing it in a couple of years. I think its great! There are parts where it seems a bit rushed and messy, but overall Its a good album, and Eddies playing is just incredible! I would have loved to see how Gary would have worked out if they had made a few more albums with him!
July 9th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Well I remember 11 years ago it was just great that VH finially put an album out. Admittedly Gary may have not been the ideal singer for VH, but it was great to hear those old DLR classics again. I saw them live in Melbourne Australia and enjoyed the show very much. Gary is very talented, and it is great to see him back with Extreme.
It may be a while if we ever hear anything in the near future from VH. I really hope I am wrong.
Thank GOD for Chickenfoot!
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 am
VH III was an album that i really wanted to like. there was some good stuff on there, but overall it was a disappointment, like they just hadn’t worked hard enough on it to make it sound good. some of the songs were poorly written and that song that ed sings on should have been left off. the worst part of the record was the guitar tone.
having said that, it’s still 100x better than chickenfoot.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:56 am
The second Van Halen album with Gary Cherone should have been released in 2000 and we should have got one more tour out of it and than they could have parted ways if it didn’t do well. I don’t know if Gary left on his own terms or what, but “3″ was just a tease and Gary really only left his mark with Van Halen at the live shows. Now that Gary is back with Extreme again we will probably never experience Gary at the mic in Van Halen again. “3″ is a pretty solid album, the mix could be better but it’s not the pile of trash people say it is, some solid rock tracks to be found.