MR

Is it because Gary Cherone was too Extreme?

The album is not bad. In fact, it has several really good tracks. The tour's live shows that I saw were very good.

So, what's the deal?

What's your favorite/least favorite track?

Is there a bad song on this album? And, if so, why?

I didn't mind the album overall....I thought Cherone tried (or maybe was told?) to sound like Hagar a little too much sometimes.

Not sure about a favourite track, but the worst/least favourite is 'How many say I' - easily the worst song VH ever recorded.

I agree that the live show was really good - I thought Cherone did a really good job, even if some of his stage 'moves' were a little odd!!

DIRTY WATER DOG is the best track. The rest is terrible. I cringe when I hear Gary's voice. It sounds out of place, and not easy to listen to. Sonically, it's okay... production is no frills, and all. The songwriting is varied and lacking cohesion. The lyrics are beyond the pale... they make me cringe. In the writing, it seems to me that Eddie VH is pushing one way, Gary is trying to do something different (maybe trying to add a Queen vibe), but it doesn't work. You can't sing along with the songs. It doesn't have any repeat value. A lot of the songs are "pondering" and "searching" instead of being "definitive" and "clearly rocking." I mean, compare III to FAIR WARNING. Big damn difference, ain't it? One is fun to listen to, the other is not fun at all.

Gary sounds a lot like Sammy Hagar in many parts, and quite frankly Sammy does Sammy the best. I say this, and I am a BIG Cherone fan... Extreme is one of my favorite bands, I have all of their releases. Oh well, they tried something different and failed.... it would be better if we had had 3-4 releases since then... but oh well.

Like Kenny said...How Many Say I is a disgrace.

Fave song is probably 'Without You' or 'Josephina'

The Ballot or the Bullet has a cool riff but a really crappy chorus...really crappy.

Kenny, please tell me why you think "How Many Say I" is the worst track VH ever recorded. Be specific, please - lyrically, musically, arrangement-wise, etc.

Fernando, does Gary's voice sound out of place only because you're comparing it to previous VH albums? And, why can't this album be considered on a level different than what was presented with 'Fair Warning?' As far as the lyrics, "Ballot or the Bullet" and "Josephina" seem pretty solid to me, and I have just sung along with the lyrics to both of them. Please expound!

Thanks!

Taliwakker, I'd like to ask you to please elaborate on why you think "Ballot or the Bullet" has a crappy chorus.

I like the verse, "sword or the pen can be held by the same hand."

I just think that the chorus seems tacked onto the song...i don't like the melody or the harmonies....it makes me cringe and it kills the groove it has going on in the verses.....when i first heard that song i was thinking 'fuck yeah....this rocks' then the chorus undid all that good work.....lyrically it doesn't bother me.

101, you really need me to explain why HMSI sucks???

I wouldn't have thought that was necessary!!

In my opinion, there's nothing so bad about III. Still maybe my #2 VH behind FUCK.

Best: Dirty Water Dog.
Worst and needs no elaboration, is How Many Say I?

It's up there with Brandon on Motley Crue's Generation Swine. Self indulgent force feeding of a bad song on the audience.

Red13JoePa wrote:

In my opinion, there's nothing so bad about III. Still maybe my #2 VH behind FUCK.

Surprised there's no VH I or 1984 there man....in the top two or three I mean.

It's up there with Brandon on Motley Crue's Generation Swine. Self indulgent force feeding of a bad song on the audience.

Couldn't agree more on this - what a crock of shit that was.

Well,my #1 Dave-fronted effort is Diver Down, and you're right. Room needs to be made at the top for those years and I have to put DD ahead of III also. You put Happy Trails on the end of a record as a lark and it's cooler than shit. You put HMSI on the end of another one as another lark and look what happens. Nearly single handedly torpedoes the album.

Again, couldn't agree more.....I was literally horrified when I heard 'How many say I'......conversely, 'Happy Trails' was obviously a good lark, and lots of fun.
It's like night and day.

I like 'Diver Down' as well, gee it's hard to fit 'em all in the top three!!!

BOMP-A DEE-DA, BOMP-A DEE-DA...

The BumbaDidas are fucking awesome. How about Dave's babbling right before it: Blllaaaahhhbbbllllrrrrbnbbbbbbbbbmmmmaaaaaa...........Bumba Dida......too cool.


NIG, what's up not piling on III today? The topic of this thread was lobbed right into your wheelhouse like a grapefruit. Thought you'd pull the Raffy Palmeiro and park it.

Red13JoePa wrote:The BumbaDidas are fucking awesome. How about Dave's babbling right before it: Blllaaaahhhbbbllllrrrrbnbbbbbbbbbmmmmaaaaaa...........Bumba Dida......too cool.


NIG, what's up not piling on III today? The topic of this thread was lobbed right into your wheelhouse like a grapefruit. Thought you'd pull the Raffy Palmeiro and park it.

LOL! I don't remember enough details about it, just that I hate it. There is one song I ALMOST like on it. Can you gues which one?

OOOooooooo I think I caught you here.

Without You?

Red13JoePa wrote:OOOooooooo I think I caught you here.

Without You?

Nope.

Once.

OK. I was laying a trap cuz you said you never heard it on radio.


How about that Fire In The Hole off the Lethal Weapon 4 soundtrack?

I agree with Kenny..........

Ya know, I never bought VHIII. I am not sure why.
I LOVE Extreme/Gary, I LOVE VH.
Most of the fan response I read is either it sucks, or its ok. Nothing exciting there. But it does seem a majority of people lay the blame on the material itself. The songs were just not there, from what I have read.
I have always intended to pick this CD up to give it a shot, I still plan to.
One thing I DID NOT like was the video representaion of the band. I do not know what they were going for but seeing Eddie in that stupid hat... The band looked like it was 'trying something new' everywhere, sound, sight, whatever. Maybe it was all too much change at once.
I remember that the band openly "admitted" to writing 5150 as commercial as possible to make it easier to transition with Sammy. It worked. Did they try that with VHIII?

I gave it a listen the other day,again. It isn't all bad, just was'nt the funny R&R as always. I think Ed had something in his head he wanted out so he was in total control. I dont think it made Gary look bad at all, he just could'nt be himself. It would have been a good record for a different band, not the great V.H..

VH III sucked!

So, maybe Van Halen songs should be about women, love, sex, booze, breaking the law, and unabashed partying? Or at least pertain to one of those subjects, as long as it doesn't get too philosophical and Eddie doesn't try to sing lead?

Eddie should definitely not sing lead, no.
I can never remember VH saying they wrote '5150' as 'commercial' as possible - I mean, you can't get much more commercial than 'Jump' can you?

Anyway, I believe that certainly wasn't the case with III.....it seemed to be an attempt to get a bit more serious and 'deep' in some ways. I still don't mind it, though it's never gonna be one of top three VH albums. .

I also don't mind VHIII at all. I liked Without You, Fire In The Hole, and you're going to laugh, but I liked Once. Not so much of Cherone singing Once, but just the song in general.

"Once sown....can't ever be not reaped."

Great tune off III Greggie.

Ya know, having had another couple of listens to this thing, there are a few good songs on it....I really enjoyed 'Wothout you', 'Dirty water dog', 'Once', 'Josephina' and 'Fire in the hole'.......I just think that everyone expected something else from VH on this album??

But it's pretty good, ya know?

"Without You" and "Fire In The Hole" was played quite a bit around my neck of the woods. Another song I liked off of III was "The One I Want." I loved the verses in the songs.....good stuff!

Kenny - glad to see you gave it another chance! Maybe if they omitted HMSI and tacked on a "Happy Trails"-like tune it would've been better!

VH101 wrote:Kenny - glad to see you gave it another chance! Maybe if they omitted HMSI and tacked on a "Happy Trails"-like tune it would've been better!

I never really DISliked the album as such - I guess it wasn't quite what I had expected.....but yeah, I guess when you go back and listen to it after a while your expectations aren't that high, and as a consequence, one is pleasantly surprised!

Certainly, the album wouldn't have suffered without HMSI though....