The Van Halen Women and Children First photo shoot that started a war

It was a devastating blow to me when Dave left as I was only 14 and they were my favorite band. Hearing Sammy Hagar was his replacement was another blow. I remember clearly when they fist played their new single on the radio "Why Can't This Be Love?" and heard Sammy Hagar scat. It was my worst fears realized, just horrible.

 

Why? Roth was an insanely good looking man in 1980. What photographer doesn't want to take pictures of beautiful people?

 

Good point.
But I think there was some deeper resentment, perhaps.
I keep thinking back to when the VH brothers were trashing Michael Anthony by using his real name in a real condescending away, and their angry take on the disasterous MTV appearance that many speculated that would lead to a reunion, "Dave said this was HIS night, and not to **** it up for him", and threating to punch DLR in the nuts.

Eddie isn't the most stable guy, for sure, but with his brother behind him, he seems to get to a dark and angry place a lot faster, than when Alex isn't around, imo.
I think I've only read one relatively short piece, but I sure would like to read any Alex Van Halen interviews if someone could point me in the right direction.
For a guy right in the middle of all that, he's the one guy that has completely gone under my radar when it comes to speaking out, or maybe I've just completely missed it.

 

The sweeping, chugging opening is indeed Eddie's guitar run through a bunch of effects, especially a flanger. The Wurlitzer organ is pretty far back in the track and when you break down the 16 track multi's and isolate Eddie's guitar and the organ track, they appear to be overdubs from multiple takes patched together. But listening in this format, you can easily tell which is the Wurlitzer and which is Eddie's guitar. It's an early example of the band apparently putting the song together from several not-quite live in the studio takes and overdubs, unlike much of how their first two albums were recorded.

 

Heard this song for 35 years and now, playing the LP again I'm just realizing that the wurlitzer really is the bouncing "rhythm guitar" part. And yes, it's not surprising that there is real guitar mixed in to get that sound as well. A pretty incredible mix and the original LP sounds amazing.

I don't recall how they did it back in the 80s when I saw them but I noticed on Youtube that they just pipe in the flanged intro and the wurli rhythm part when they play live and Eddie doesn't even pretend to play it.

 

I've always had this image in my mind of Alex Van Halen being Eddie's darker, more resentful, more paranoid brother. Dunno where that comes from. Probably from the fact that he doesn't seem to do many interviews.

 

I'm not surprised the rest of the band might not have been happy with Roth hijacking the band's art budget to do an expensive solo shoot that was never intended to promote the band.

I also don't fault 1980 Roth for pursuing the opportunity to work with Newton at the time.

And I am also looking forward to the release of the book. Great article!

 

I dunno, I think the article makes it clear that Newton wasn't averse to shooting bands - the Stones, at least - and that the photo session was supposed to be a band session but the others couldn't be bothered to show up on time.

No doubt Dave was looking to burnish his own image a tad from the get-go, but I think dkmonroe nails what probably happened: Roth wanted to get the luxe photog who worked with the Stones and all those babes to be involved with the art materials surrounding the next VH album. Newton takes a meeting with him and gets enamoured with Dave as a subject, and takes the job as a band assignment. Roth tells the others what he's been lining up; they just sulk about it. And on that front:

Which I think is nuts. I mean, I don't get why they didn't engage a bit, like: "OK, so who's this Helmut character anyway? Oh, so he's pretty rich and famous himself. And he took all these kinky pix and shot all these Playboy babes? And he worked with the Stones? And this high-flyer doesn't take assignments with bands, except for the Stones and us? Wow, we've arrived! Maybe he can make us look super-cool and introduce us to some babes."

 

That poster disturbed me initially. In those days, I'm pretty sure Van Halen had more boy fans than girls. Those early albums fairly dripped with testosterone. I remember when we saw that frickin' poster, it was like 'What are they thinking?'. I'm betting Dave was already getting plenty of action so he didn't need to make a statement about what a sexy beast he was, and certainly not for a bunch of adolescent boys who just wanted to hear the windows shake.

Love Helmut and nothing wrong with taking the pictures, just the use of THAT picture as marketing material for a METAL album was a little weird at the time. Just didn't really make sense to my teenage mind. Definitely not something I was about to tack on the wall of my bedroom.

 

I thought it was pretty clear that Roth wanted to be a hot subject and that Newton wanted to shoot the hot subject. Any shots of the band, if they happened, would a polite and conciliatory gesture, if not an experimental foray for Newton. But he was there to shoot Roth.

 

And dumbing it down...sex sells. Dave knew and recognized that.

 

Thinking about that poster, several years ago, I snagged some sealed VH vinyl and amazingly, none of it was warped

VH I...palm tree label...warm, smooth, lots of power
VH II...off white, w/warner shield...
WACF...had the poster...vinyl is dead quiet.
Fair Warning...white, w/warner shield...monster bass.
1984...white, w/warner shield...clear as a bell.

I'm not 100% if these were all 1st pressings but they kill any cd version, except for DCC.

 

Perhaps the poster or something from the photo shoot had to be used to justify the expense to the label's CFO and acct. dept.
Maybe Roth also saw VH as something more than a metal band. Aladdin Sane indeed.

 

Well I agree with you about Dave as well. He also comes across as piece of work and I'm sure he's difficult as hell to deal with but the brothers let it be known to anyone and everyone that they were the victims of Dave's for years. They also played out the same martyr crap when Sam left and I hardly buy that as well. At least Dave doesn't act like a victim, not that I'm aware of. Sammy is also similar to Ed and Al in that he also bitches and moans publicly about how badly he was treated. All of them deserve each other, except Mike who doesn't seem play games.

 

Quoth the Big Lebowski: 'Buncha Assholes'...

 

Can someone point me to any Alex Van Halen interviews where he's not talking about equipment or drumming style? I can't recall reading one.

To me, Alex has always been a background guy who, while supporting his brother musically and in business, keeps his nose out of most disputes, but that's just my impression. He could be totally different than that.

 

Prior to reuniting with Roth in 2007, they only played it live during the 1980 tour supporting the WACF album. When I saw them that tour, it was very tough to tell from my vantage point (21st row floor) if the sweeping intro was played by Eddie or a triggered pre-recorded sample. It *was* very easy to distinguish Mike playing the Wurlitzer organ (which was housed in Eddie's old WWII bomb that he used to keep his effects rack in prior to 1978) and Eddie's guitar. On the studio track, Mike is playing bass, live he played the Wurlitzer.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I saw that tour also (The Cats opened) and I remember Michael playing keyboards during the song (in the bomb casing as you described), but I can't remember how they started the song.

 

BTW, here's 4 out-takes from the Seef photo session, scanned from the last issue of the VH fan magazine The Inside:

 

I like how you casually state your opinion as fact. While I have no doubt that there are those who agree with your statement, I seriously doubt that there is anything remotely resembling a consensus among hardcore Van Halen fans that the first album and Fair Warning(?) are their best work. I know a number of relatively hardcore fans -- and none would make that statement.

 

My exact experience. I was in partial denial though. I bought 5150 on cassette and played it with my friends twice before I could admit the situation was hopeless.

 

I don't remember being so disappointed as just unsure as to how it would work. I could not fathom Van Halen without Roth; it just seemed so foreign to me.

I remember listening to 5150 and being dissatisfied with it. Not because it didn't have Roth, but because it sounded like a totally different (neutered) band. The end of an era.

 

Can you tell me what would be my interest in "stating my opinion as fact", mate? I've got nothing to sell.

 

VH was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

My thinking is:

Get over yourselves.

Work 'together'. Get OFF the ego trips. Make GREAT rock music as a band, and cash in on it in the process! Then make more great music 'together'.

It's simply amazing how all these GREAT rock bands implode on themselves and break up. It makes no sense. But, that's musicians I guess. Never have understood it myself. I'm sure drugs had something to do with it, usually always does.

Who cares who did what, in the end it's all for the band and the folks. Keep it together man. Egos always make 'everything fall apart'. Ego is spelled: disaster.

As they say: "There is no 'I' in Team".