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

Hmmmm... mine just came tucked in the poster. Was the inner sleeve anything special? I bought mine day of release?

 

Mine is just a regular white jacket, nothing special (i.e. pictures or lyrics)

 

This was the album that came with a poster of David Lee Roth chained to fence. It was taken by Helmut Newton. I don't recall that the sleeve itself was anything special.



Here it is and an article about the shoot:http://www.vhnd.com/2011/02/01/the-...-1980-david-lee-roth-poster-by-helmut-newton/

 

I, too, survived an invasion when I was only 16. In fact, I was on the front lines, against the stage:

(Sorry for quality, photo of a photo in my album.)

 

Definitely. It's funny how ignorant people that bash Eddie as some kind of shredding monster don't take that into account or that most Van Halen solo's are quite short/succinct and fit perfectly in the flow of the song.

 

So, WACF is my favorite VH album, even though I love the first two. It's because every song has at least 3 songs in it, each bound together effortlessly. I also love the more intentional driving pace of this album vs the frenetic first one and the all over the map second one. It's the one I play the most, hands down.

Cradle: most of what I love have already been mentioned. The guitar fills during the verses, the crazy phased intro, Dave's performance, the "fireworks finale" (first) solo (in how it just keeps expanding and sparking), the lyrical references (...you coulda at least FAKED it, boy...), and Dave's ad lib.

I don't see the trade offs during the ad lib as mistakes. I've always seen them as intimate and/or comedic timing. Either way, they are captured magic on the tape. I love the usual high pitched backing on the chorus.

Everybody Wants Some: yes, yes they do. It's kind of funny to hear the elements broken down in the live version, it makes it more comprehensible vs hearing Eddie on the album version. I love the whammy work on this. The mighty VH is replete with "heavy humor" and this is no exception. It's just this side of something heavy, like Miles Davis X-rated (almost), but veers back into 3-stooges kind of reality repeatedly. Are you gonna get killed or are you gonna get spritzered? It's a gift...

(Edit: meant to add that WACF also has that keep-your-tongue-against-the-roof-of-your-mouth wonderful brown tone throughout like no other VH album (imo, of course))

 

Gosh, I miss that shirt! Mine was white with black baseball sleeves. I wish someone would redo it. I've looked at the hack copies, but just not right. It was the most comfortable tee I ever owned.

 

Yeah count me in too as loving the Dave ad lib parts-they always sound so natural and not like some forced rock cliche. Well actually it kind of is but Dave seems to always make it work!

 

The pic you posted isn't the shot used for the poster, not in the UK at least. We got the first pic in the link you posted.

 

"Fair Warning" is my favorite VH album. The debut is second but "Women and Children First" is a very strong 3rd. I enjoy every song it. Just like"Fair Warning", WACF has a cohesive album feel to it. The first 2 tracks are pure rock anthems. I've been listening to them for 3/4's of my life and they never get old. I never turn them off if I hear them on the radio. The rest is uncompromising hard rock but still great melodies and instrumentation. I think the thing I like best about this album is the guitar riff after "Love in a Simple Rhyme. Very unexpected and it just lets you know they are going to be back to kick your a** again.

 

I had that shirt!!! 1980 - Hampton Coliseum. My god, that was LOUD!

 

Milwaukee 1980.



My dad saw this tour. Not sure if it was Milwaukee or Chicago. I'll have to ask him

 

UK 1980



Despite a muffled audience tape. You can discern Mike playing the keyboards on ...And The Cradle Will Rock.

 

FOOLS 1980 (E. Van Halen, A. Van Halen, Anthony, Roth) (5:58)

“Fools” which is the third track on Women and Children First is actually the longest track on the album and a song that dates back to the band’s club days circa 1977. Originally called “I Live With Fools” the title was shortened and the band decided to include it for WACF.

Roth describes the song as a “heavy broadway shuffle” and “it sounds like the city streets at night” (whatever that means). He has stated the lyrics are very personal to him and “come from the heart or some other part of the body”. For myself, I got a lot of them wrong such as the "my teacher's all gave up on me, no what they say I dis-agree" (I always thought it was a weird pronunciation of disobey (dis-obee).

The song itself is a variation of a heavy blues based jam that opens with one of Eddie’s signature wild guitar runs after the huge power chords that open it (a lot of it reminds me of a kind of a play on “Spanish Fly” but with an electric guitar). After the open, Ed pulls off some hammer ons and the band enters with a high picking line from Michael Anthony and we’re off with the mid tempo cruncher than runs off about a three chord main riff.

“Fools” is one of the few songs on Women and Children First which features Van Halen’s signature backing vocals as they reinforce the chorus throughout the tune. It’s also one of the heavier, more basic tunes Van Halen did up to this time. It’s a simple, powerful stomper.

The star of the show for this one is David Lee Roth. Diamond Dave interjects his version of scat singing at the beginning and during various parts of the song does a bit of Louis Armstrong as well interjecting various commentary to compliment his teenage rebellion crafted lyrics. No doubt Roth was a total ham (on and off record), but his personality was absolutely vital to the band and a huge part of what made the band so unique. Definitely one of the best frontmen in rock for a time.

“Fools” probably isn’t one of Van Halen’s shining compositions, but it’s an interesting song due to Roth’s vamping and, because the rhythm is a fairly basic and the song relatively open, Anthony is afforded the opportunity to interject a lot of neat fills and runs into the structure of tune. Like a lot of the songs on the first two albums, Eddie’s solo is only on one channel with no rhythm guitar supporting it so Anthony’s bass stands out even more.

 

You're correct. It was the photo from the link I provided. My mistake.

 

In 1981, at 13 in a very rural town in Massachusetts (read: unsophisticated) the variant of this that was the poster in the album convinced my circle of friends that DLR was gay... it made us even more squeasmish than Jagger's lemon yellow football pants ensemble from the Tattoo You tour...

 

I saw this tour as well, but I guess I missed out on getting that t-shirt. I usually always bought shirts at shows (it was a big part of why I went to so many concerts), but not for this one apparently.

 

Well, not to get off on a tangent or some forbidden topic, but I think Dave's sexuality is still pretty much a mystery to this day. He's never been married or ever linked to any woman that I know of. Who knows?

 

Fools-IMHO just one of the sludgiest riffs from Eddie-just so simple and primal. It's like he was playing those blues licks and just didn't care when he came pounding in with the main riff, if it was in time or in tune. Usually the song doesn't necessarily keep me interested to hear the whole thing but still quite good. It's more about introducing the riff for me and after that I lose just a bit of interest.

Edit: It's almost the riff of someone who just picked up the guitar for the first time and was trying to play a guitar riff. It's that primitive sounding. I love it.

 

Learning guitar in 81, I would put this on full blast at the 1:00 mark and hope to fool my next door neighbor into thinking it was me... he was a year older and a great player... hoped he thought it was me with my mid-60s yardsale Sears Silvertone axe and Silverone amp... still have the VH LP but wish to gawd I still had those Silvertones (upgraded to a Fender the moment I could - still have that 73 Tele Deluxe; just got it refretted, she's a champ - those WR Seth Lover bucks still trip my trigger 34 years later)...

 

I love Everybody Wants Some!! One of their best. I always crank it up when it comes on the radio in the car. Great song.

 

This!!!! Read my post above

 

Fools: more precise looseness! Some may disagree (likely not on this thread), but how does Eddie have so much going on and yet not fall into the blizzard of notes thing? Mastery. That's how. The drums are pretty incredible too. The pace of the first side is a rather nice build. VH sounds large and in charge here and the song reminds me the most of the album back cover photo of the band. How does Dave get away with his corniness? I don't know but it just seems to work. Also (as @GodShifter will appreciate), I give the fade on this one high marks.

 

"Don't want no class reunion, the circus just left town" - I LOVE that line...

 

As do I. That sums up my feelings about ever going to a high school class reunion. My 25 year is in 2019...you couldn't pay me to go back and see those people.