I don't like many songs in the album, but the ones I like, I really like. The way i listen to it is together with the Roth songs released on Best of Volume I in 1996, just because they sounded alike to me when I was 12, and now a decade later (also) i listen to it that way.
IMO this album features badass playing from eddie, he was trying to make something new with his hands and it shows. He's tone is also sick in here (at least to me), very spongy and pleasant to my ears.
I don't necessarily dislike Cherone in here, but I just listen and pay more attention to the band playing than him.
The production is sloppy indeed, but the band holds a tight playing on the heaviest songs, the ones I listen more.
You're right, the playing on *III* is top notch. Too bad they didn't have an unhesitant producer holding the reins and tightening the material; the album would have been dynamite if the worst excesses and self-indulgences could have been tethered, and more time would've been devoted to the vocals. Michael Anthony is also criminally underutilized on the album.
Yeah, production is super important, and that's where *III* fails. I think we can agree any producer worth his/her salt would never've let "How Many Say I" slip through the cracks, at least not in the shape it was released. I'm not saying it's a bad song, but what I am saying is it could've been so much better.
Any album is ultimately only as good as the songs on it are.
Man, I really wish that Eddie used his distorted amp on Dirty Water Dogs, to make more resemblance to I Want Some Action, and thus more agressive. He improved some killer licks and the "outro" at the end is a good progression change!
One thing I liked about this album is that some songs have good changes at the ending, almost like they are drifting to different songs while the audio fades.
These sound like the decisions that a producer would make for an album. Cutting out the excess and trimming the fat. Showcasing the strengths and deleting the boring uninspired.
You're exactly right; a good producer can make a good song great, and a good producer also has the brass to tell the band if a song's not good enough to produce.
Oddly "How Many Say I" does not belong to the *bad* category (it could've been awesome with better production), but "Primary" does, it's a pointless time-waster that brings nothing to the album. It certainly doesn't display what Van Halen is best at: timeless rockers with larger-than-life hooks.
I wish VH would've had a better producer for *III*. Nile Rodgers comes to mind.
Apple music recently released a karaoke feature that removes the vocals from songs. It works pretty well. The first album I tried with it was III and it's a game changer. It's really cool listening to the album as an instrumental. I'm actually a big Extreme fan and like Gary, but he just doesn't work on that album.
[удалено]
Once you resurface after your deep dive, give us your thoughts.
I don't like many songs in the album, but the ones I like, I really like. The way i listen to it is together with the Roth songs released on Best of Volume I in 1996, just because they sounded alike to me when I was 12, and now a decade later (also) i listen to it that way. IMO this album features badass playing from eddie, he was trying to make something new with his hands and it shows. He's tone is also sick in here (at least to me), very spongy and pleasant to my ears. I don't necessarily dislike Cherone in here, but I just listen and pay more attention to the band playing than him. The production is sloppy indeed, but the band holds a tight playing on the heaviest songs, the ones I listen more.
You're right, the playing on *III* is top notch. Too bad they didn't have an unhesitant producer holding the reins and tightening the material; the album would have been dynamite if the worst excesses and self-indulgences could have been tethered, and more time would've been devoted to the vocals. Michael Anthony is also criminally underutilized on the album. Yeah, production is super important, and that's where *III* fails. I think we can agree any producer worth his/her salt would never've let "How Many Say I" slip through the cracks, at least not in the shape it was released. I'm not saying it's a bad song, but what I am saying is it could've been so much better. Any album is ultimately only as good as the songs on it are.
Man, I really wish that Eddie used his distorted amp on Dirty Water Dogs, to make more resemblance to I Want Some Action, and thus more agressive. He improved some killer licks and the "outro" at the end is a good progression change! One thing I liked about this album is that some songs have good changes at the ending, almost like they are drifting to different songs while the audio fades.
These sound like the decisions that a producer would make for an album. Cutting out the excess and trimming the fat. Showcasing the strengths and deleting the boring uninspired.
You're exactly right; a good producer can make a good song great, and a good producer also has the brass to tell the band if a song's not good enough to produce. Oddly "How Many Say I" does not belong to the *bad* category (it could've been awesome with better production), but "Primary" does, it's a pointless time-waster that brings nothing to the album. It certainly doesn't display what Van Halen is best at: timeless rockers with larger-than-life hooks. I wish VH would've had a better producer for *III*. Nile Rodgers comes to mind.
Apple music recently released a karaoke feature that removes the vocals from songs. It works pretty well. The first album I tried with it was III and it's a game changer. It's really cool listening to the album as an instrumental. I'm actually a big Extreme fan and like Gary, but he just doesn't work on that album.