Van Halen: Women and Children First (1980) Song by Song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by GodShifter, Nov 30, 2017.

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  1. swandown

    swandown Under Assistant West Coast Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Thanks for that. I wonder if Dave changed the lyrics when he sang them? That lyric sheet has a couple words that were eventually changed (e.g., "big disgrace" to "darn disgrace").
     
  2. Cooks420

    Cooks420 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    People can’t discount “Judgement Day” - it destroys. That being said, I guess I’m a bigger fan of the Sammy days than I initially realized - I love the cheese rock sounds of “Top of the World,” “Dream is Over” (not “Dreams” - that blows ass), “Amsterdam,” “Spanked,” “Mine All Mine,” “AFU” and their quasi-cover of “One Way to Rock.”

    But yes, they definitely devolved into dad rock once Red hit the scene. Oh well.
     
  3. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    yeah Judgement Day does own all - just great all the way through, especially love the little melody that Eddie bookends his solo with.

    Johns did a great job of capturing a fat sound on Carnal Knowledge - only Fairbarn's soundstage on 1995's Balance even comes close -- 5150 and oU812 so tinny and brittle/trebly
     
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  4. Cooks420

    Cooks420 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    As well as Anthony's amazing backing vocals at the end of the song. Best voice in VH strikes again!!
     
  5. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    The Roth years
     
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  6. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    And Anthony brought it LIVE - every time I saw them (4 times on the Balance tour, once on the VHIII tour)
     
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  7. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    It's said in the past tense...and I don't think it hurt her feeling's any!
     
  8. Cooks420

    Cooks420 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY
    I’m sure. I promised myself I’d only see VH live if MA was back in the band, if even for a few songs. Wolfgang is exceptional, but, he’s not MA.
     
  9. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    Sounds kinda like me, other than the fact that I haven't heard ADKOT. I enjoyed 5150 for what it was (arena- and radio-friendly rock; not great but an enjoyable summer album), and bought OU812 when it was released. I only listened to it 2 or 3 times, and put it away for good. Haven't heard a VH album since. I must admit, with the passage of time I'm curious to hear Van Halen III. I didn't really care about it at the time.
     
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  10. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I curious about III too but I’ve heard it was terrible and, honestly, I don’t have the time or inclination to waste precious time on music that doesn’t interest me much.

    I heard ADKOT once on a drive from New Mexico to Texas and it was kind of in one ear and out the other. I don’t remember much of it.

    5150 has its charms in terms of nostalgia but I don’t care to hear it ever again.
     
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  11. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    I personally would be down for any of them! The two you have listed would probably be the top 2, I suppose. When I looked at the track listings for all of their albums a little while ago, I realized I am way more familiar with 1984 than I remembered. There were only 2 tracks that I wasn't familiar with by title. That album was so ubiquitous when it was new there was no getting away from it. I still remember (nearly) all of those songs! It was a mainstay of the college dorms I was living in at the time. Without having heard the entirety of the first 6 albums, I'd be surprised if 1984 wasn't my least favorite of the bunch, based on my memories of it.
     
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  12. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    I remember hearing and reading both good and bad about III. I think the naysayers greatly outnumber those who champion it, but I knew a huge VH fan back then who felt it was underappreciated. (Whatever that's worth).
     
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  13. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    You should at least try the title track one of these days - that has some serious, serious rhythm guitar playing on it.
     
  14. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I don’t have great recall of 1984 outside of the popular songs. I didn’t like it that much, but if I listened to it now I might.

    Let’s do II.

    I think I’m also going to do either a Saxon or Venom song by song album. Anyone have interest in that? Maybe Motörhead or Thin Lizzy?

    Is this thing on?
     
  15. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Fair Warning
     
  16. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Yeah, that’d be a good one. We’ll do that or II. FW might be more interesting.

    Thinking...
     
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  17. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Why not do both, one at a time of course
     
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  18. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    Pretty much every note that Eddie plays on 5150 (title track) gives me them good goosefleshes!
     
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  19. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    You And Your Blues (AKDOT) is a helluva tune - fantastic build up to the chorus and DLR is in his zone vocally.

    not much on the rest of the album really hit me, and to be fair I only gave AKDOT about 5 listens. Too much damn music in my collection, always pushes out stuff that should get more listens.
     
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  20. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    I like that song more than anything on 1984!
     
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  21. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans
    I think it's got to be Fair Warning. It's normally the one record that people dare to put above the first album.
     
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  22. 131east23

    131east23 Person of Interest

    Location:
    gone
    II would be fun. I don't know if I am remembering this right but I think even as early as II DLR and the band were grating on each other. Seems to me that the original mix on that album has DLR on one side and Eddie's guitar on the other, separated left and right, because Eddie didn't want Dave's voice smack in the middle and floating over all his notes.

    Also, Thin Lizzy would be fun.
     
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  23. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    fully agreed.
     
  24. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    Lizzy would be wonderful for me, as I've finally purchased the first 2 and last 2 Lizzy studio records (and love all 4 of them)
     
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  25. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    it reached a flashpoint during the photo shoots for Women And Children First

    The Private Photo Shoot that Sparked a War Inside Van Halen
     
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