VAN HALEN NEWS DESK

Rare Eddie Van Halen instrumental; “Donut City”

September 28, 2010 81 Comments

Last week, the VHND featured an unreleased instrumental written by Edward Van Halen entitled “Ripley” that was written for the 1984 movie, “The Wild Life.” The movie’s soundtrack contained just one song by Eddie Van Halen, “Donut City”:

Filed Under: Eddie Van Halen

Chris Michaud

@anythingleftinthatbottle:

Here here!
alexandre

I can’t believe i’ll say this for the first time about one Eddie’s song: boring!!
Fear of a Sparkless Horizon

All (current) members of VH have at one time or another, sighted AC/DC as an influence. I say they pick a “Bon era” song to cover on that new cd set for…let’s see, 7 to 8 months minus 1 month equals…
http://twitter.com/andyzoric andy

I have that song on my iPod. It’s a lot of fun. I found it on Napster 10 years ago!
Tom

A pretty lame song…its no wonder Ed doesnt like when the soundtrack is brought up.Sounds like he wrote a melody then soloed over it and said here…use it or wipe your ass with it.This is what you get.And i’m not sure when Turn me Loose came out,but they could have possibly ripped off this song.They were obviously no talent hacks who at best could only sound like Van Halen at their worst
Matt ( from Mass )

All this memory lane stuff is cool. It does make one more desperate for some new stuff.
VH Dude

Wow Tom. You sound like an all around fun guy to hang out with.
Outta Love Again

My favorite Ed riff from a movie is when Michael J. Fox puts the headphones on McFly and says he says he’s Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan; that is really Ed. And it does say Edward Van Halen on the cassette in the walkman.
Mark

In response to Tom’s question, Turn Me Loose was released by Loveryboy in 1980, so it would be Ed ripping them off, not the other way around.
Mark

EDIT:

But obviously, it is just a coincidence. I think Ed would rather be dead than rip off Loverboy!
Panama Red

I like it. I like it for what it is, like what VH Dude and freddiegirl were saying. An unreleased piece of music Eddie did for a long lost, but not completely forgotten, teen 80′s movie.
It sounds like exactly what it is. A short background instrumental for an 80′s movie.
For some reason it makes me think of the adult cartoon movie “Heavy Metal.” I don’t know why, it just seems like it would’ve mixed in well somewhere in that movie.
Fear of a Sparkless Horizon

To those who have wasted more of their time trash talking… Has it ever occured to you that the small piece of music is doing exactly what the movie director asked it to do? “hey Ed, gimme something low key, dirty and a little mean but no so in your face mean”. And another thing- when you look at art in a museum, what do you admire most? The frame?! Some things in all forms of art are meant only to accentuate, not over power. This little snippet of music is the background noise to a punk kid slinking around a bowling alley and it’s parking lot for crying out loud! Well done Ed. As per usual. Look forward to the new stuff (and hopefully more old stuff as well!)
Tom

Maybe Ed did discover this song sounds like Loverboy and thats why he refuses to let them to re-release the movie lol.I’m sorry,but Loverboy sucks.The name alone gurantees they will never get into in to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame unless they are tour guides or can make a toilet shine
Robert

I think Ed nailed this tune because it serves its purpose well. He was writing an instrumental for a movie and he hit the target. It’s background music for a scene or two in a teen flick. And it works well at that. Sure, Ed has written better songs. But this isn’t a song; it’s track to a throw-away movie. Take it for what it’s worth, but don’t compare it to other VH efforts.
Nick

That song…is not good. Wow.
J-Dub

I like this track, has a good beat and the guitar solo is pretty cool. I’ve had this one on my mp3 player for awhile now, gotta replace the version I have though because it cut out at 3:24. Ripley was a pretty sweet little tune I could see fitting perfectly on Diver Down, really catchy. VHND should post links to the collaborations Eddie did with Thomas Dolby back in the 80′s (Eastern Bloc, Close But No Cigar) and Rich Wyman in 1996 (Blinded By Pain, The Little Things, The Water Sings, Even The Dog Knows). Even throw in the track from Steve Lukather’s self-titled album…I’m pretty sure it was called Twist The Knife? EVH played bass while Lukather played the opening licks from I Want Some Action. “Damn good” stuff. Don’t forget the Twister/Sacred Sin instrumentals, either. I hope whatever Van Halen brings us in 2011 includes a good instrumental – I loved the tight work on Baluchitherium, but I’m not sure how well that fits DLR. Bring back Act Like It Hurts!
J-Dub

Hell, throw in an official link to That’s Why I Love You. Like it or not, VHIII was a part of Van Halen’s history, and TWILY WAS a pretty decent track more fans deserve to hear. Gary’s style fits it perfectly, aside from the flat chorus.
Lee v Halen

can someone please tell why in back to the future in the scene where marty scares his dad the van halen song is called donut city, cos this sound nothing like it,,,
Wychwood

I remember buying The Wild Life soundtrack album just to hear this song back in 80′s. It’ funny. I don’t know how I missed it but this does sound eerily like Loverboy’s Turn Me Loose. The irony is this track was chicken scraps for me between the time 1984 and 5150 came out. 25+ years later it is chicken scraps for a whole new slew of fans while waiting for the band to come out with music in how many years? I’ve had this on my computer for eons and liked it for what it is. Just a goofy throw away snippet of music for long forgotten 80′s teen movie. People shouldn’t be comparing this to anything on Van Halen records. The solo near end was pretty cool, though. By the way, somebody mentioned the movie starred oscar winning Chris Penn. I’m pretty sure that Chris Penn never won an Oscar. Me thinks you meant his brother, Sean Penn who of course wasn’t in The Wild Life.
MN5150

Uh, yeah… That bass riff is very common, especially late ’70s and early ’80s (like every disco song ever). Loverboy just happened to have a hit song with it, and yes, I agree, I thought of it too. That said, are we going to start ripping on Loverboy? Maybe this should be called the “I hate everything except DLR news desk”. Sheeeeeeezzzzz, you guys are rough.

If you don’t like the song, cool, but are any of you critics capable of writing/playing anything that we’d listen to? Doubtful. I think the real reason we haven’t had any new Halen is Ed doesn’t want to damage his legacy. Heaven forbid that EVH puts out a song that isn’t an all-time classic.
Dooley

MN5150…your comment:

“I think the real reason we haven’t had any new Halen is Ed doesn’t want to damage his legacy. Heaven forbid that EVH puts out a song that isn’t an all-time classic…”

Nahh, that ain’t it. His ex-band mates in Chickenfoot are doing quite well nowadays without putting out an all-time classic. New VH material just has to be good-to-very-good, that’s all. If it’s better than that, then that’s a bonus. Meanwhile, Dave’s 7-8 month countdown continues, on track for April-May 2011. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, it just means they can’t do it anymore.
Tom

Respect the wind is an awesome track.Humans Being also has to be one of the best tracks they did with Sammy,definately one of the best,hardest riffs he’s witten since Fair Warning.I just feel that Donut City was recorded fast to meet a deadline and he knew it was throwaway music.And i dont think Ed worries about his legacy….he just knows that if it doesnt sound like “classic VH”,it wont sell.Why bother if nobody will listen to it?Van Halen was and is not a band to release new material that sounds reminicesant of old stuff.And as he has said,maybe not all the band memebers like the songs he has ready to record.Isnt that one of the reasons why Dave left in the first place?There is too much to consider when making an album,if you can even call it that in the digital era.the band knows they have to blow us away,and be happy enough with the songs to do them every night(unlike the Sammy era,where Ed hated some of his lyrics and song titles).Factor in a record label and how to get it into our hands,and they have alot to deal with.VH and Dave will not rip us off or be ripped off themselves.But I personally feel that new music will be heard soon and they will be back on stage leveling audiences like no other band today can.
EJ

I think this sounds badass. Listen to just the bass line especially towards the end. There is some serious funk going on. :0)
wooten

Wish he’d get that tone again! And play some of that “outside” lead stuff, too. Eddie can just make a noise and it sounds cool.
joes5150

It sounds like a little disco Kiss influence, ie “I Was Made for Loving you” at the beginning. I wonder if Ed played on that demo when Kiss wanted to hire him. I also wonder if this is called Ripley due to him maybe using the Steve Ripley stereo Kramer guitar that could pan each string right or left.
Fan

Ed can’t play anything anymore. Plus his new bride is going to take up all his time. If there even is a new album with DLR on it, I have a feeling it’s going to be all DLR’s songs or someone else’s songs and not VH. The record company that comes in to take charge will be in charge of what is recorded and put on disc not VH.

They better pull something better then Balance out of their hats to get me to buy another album or go to another concert. Sammy was the best song writer for VH hands down!.
DavesSouthernBelle

Love the sound…but a few Dave ‘screams’ thrown in here and there would have made it even better!
omer the dave halen

i wish ed would release an intrumental album
Joe

Ok this is a total ripoff of Loverboy’s ‘Turn Me Loose.’ Very sad Eddie had to go bite another artist’s stuff
Joe

Um, how could a lover of rock and roll say “Loverboy sucks” ?
SANDY

TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!! YOU ARE THE MOST WONDERFUL ARTIST, ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME…I WISH YOU WOULD PERFORM THIS TUNE IN CONCERT. I ALSO WISH THAT YOU WOULD PUT OUT A NEW ALBUM, AND TOUR AGAIN REAL SOON. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME. I”M GLAD THAT YOU GOT MARRIED AGAIN, AND WISH YOU AND JANIE GOOD LUCK!