A Different Kind of Truth (Deluxe Edition)

It was a long road getting Edward and Dave’s musical partnership up and running again, but once it finally happened, it was ON. While it’s incredibly sad we’ve lost Edward Van Halen, please know that his final album with Dave is every bit as good as anything they ever created, given the circumstances. What circumstances? Well...Edward was battling health issues, Dave’s voice, while never what many would consider “stellar”, was very worn. And personnel changes left bassist Michael Anthony out and Edward’s son Wolfgang in. Lastly, the commercial tides had changed considerably and rock no longer ruled the charts or public interest. In classic VH fashion, just as they did when they first began and disco ruled supreme, they threw their middle fingers up high and got to work. The results are stunning. Casual VH listeners have commented that many of the songs on this albums are just rehashed versions of classic era unreleased material. Here’s the deal...YES, many of these songs previously existed. But they were in demo form, and never recorded properly. Dave worked hard to reimagine the lyrics and in many cases, changed them completely. His voice is at times strained but he’s giving a thousand percent and it works. The arrangements are at times different, refreshing perspective on older material. And, Edward’s son Wolfgang brings it on bass, with aggressive and creative bass lines. And the sound? Listen to the 70s demo version of “She’s The Woman” and then listen to this album version. This version RULES. No comparison. Let’s remember, VH wrote most of their greatest material before they even released their debut. Take for example, one of the greatest breaks in hard rock, Edward’s guitar strutting on 1981’s “Mean Streets”. It was from an older unreleased VH song “Voodoo Queen.” VH did this ALL the time. There are fresh cuts as well. “Stay Frosty” is an instant classic. Dave, an incredibly underrated guitar player, does the bluest acoustic intro, just as he had done with the VH classic “Ice Cream Man” and more. It adds character and swagger. The wordplay is vintage Roth and Edward’s songwriting makes you thankful these two guys buried the hatchet and aimed for the fences one last glorious time. And so, an era ends. But, we’ve still got the music. And when you listen to this album, you’ll agree: Van Halen’s STILL got it. Then. Now. Forever. Rock on...

This is the VH of old! So much better than the Van Hagar era!!! DLR attitude and poetry is what made VH great. The Hagar sappy love song era had its place, but this is the sound that made VH living legends! Miss Michael Anthony though...

Dude can’t pull it anymore. Can’t hold a note or sustain his tone. Don’t embarrass the VH name! Hang it up Dave.

Eddie had so much left in him and this record proves it. David is being David. The guitar work by king Ed carries him. A lot of great songs and a lot of fun. Eddie is having fun here and you can hear it. A must buy.

But pretty bad. Surprised DLR can still hold a tune and Eddie will forever be one of the greatest guitarist of all times. Still, I’m not buying any of these songs even if just for posterity sake.

Only a true Van Halen fan will appreciate the music of this album! Thank you Eddie you were truly an inspiration to many others !!!

So I love VH with Dave. Their might be 2 songs too many. Though I really enjoy listening to it, but I don’t care much for 1984 or the last 3 Sammy albums. So that is where I lean towards. And I have no great expectations for Dave’s voice. If he was not a good showman it would be different

RIP EVH

VH has gone from bad to worse with bad behind the scenes decisions. DLR is not relevant. It’s a bummer seeing VH going from rock kings to peasants that no one will buy tickets to anymore.

The only saving grace is the guitar solos. DLR’s voice is really shot, although it was never good to begin with.