The Toy Box

Retro Spins: Van Halen - Fair Warning

Amsterdam natives Eddie and Alex Van Halen moved to Pasadena, California with their family in 1962. It was after this move that Eddie began learning classical music by ear on the piano and started playing music with his brother. While Eddie would play the drums, and Alex the guitar, while working to pay for his drums, brother Alex would secretly be getting proficient with them. The two would ultimately switch rolls, with Eddie taking up the strings, and Alex taking the sticks.

They'd for their first group, Broken Combs in 1964, gaining popularity around their local area by playing parties, and school functions. From there, they'd see multiple name changes, starting with Trojan Rubber Co., then Genesis. However, when they learned there was already a band by that name, they switched to Mammoth. Eddie was featured on both vocals and guitars, his brother on drums, and friend, Mark Stone on bass.

While they rented a sound-system from local, David Lee Roth, who was also in a band, they felt it would help them save money by inviting the singer to join them. At first, the styles of Roth and Eddie clashed, but ultimately the change allowed the guitarist to focus more on song composition. They'd adopt the name, Van Halen in 1973. Continuing to play at local clubs, festivals, backyard events, and anywhere else they could book, the band often found themselves drawing attention from the authorities over noise complaints. Despite this, they tenaciously self-promoted themselves, which in turn garnered them a solid following of fans.

By 1974, Stone was unsure about his future in rock music. As a result, he was replaced by Michael Anthony Sobolewski after an all-night jam session with the band. It was also around this time that the band booked themselves a long-term gig at the Sunset Strip club Gazzarri's.

Radio DJ, Rodney Bingenheimer, would catch a show of Van Halen, and being so impressed would contact Gene Simmons of Kiss, convincing him to come see the band. Also taken aback by their show, Simmons would bring the band into the studio, and produce a twenty-nine-track demo, entitled Zero. While the Kiss bassist wanted to see them go further, his hands were tied when his manager informed him that Van Halen had no chance of making it.

Van Morrison's band leader guitarist, Doug Messenger knew that producer Ted Templeton was looking for a guitar hero act, and remembering Van Halen, pointed him towards the band. Warner Bros. executive Mo Ostin and producer Ted Templeman would go see Van Halen perform at the Starwood in Hollywood, providing them a letter of intent written on a napkin.

The band was to meet the two at a diner the following day to sign a contract, but on the way there, would have issues with their vehicle breaking down. Rather than risk meeting the meeting, the boys would literally run the rest of the way, arriving just a bit later than expected. From there, they released their debut, and for more on that, check out yesterday's post, where I already covered a bit on both it and their follow-up.

As for today, we come to 1981's Fair Warning.

For its release, Eddie desired a darker and more complex songs. While this clashed with Roth's more pop style, he, and producer Templeton, acquiesced to the change.

Upon its release, Fair Warning stumbled, proving to be less popular than prior albums. However, it would eventually reach a platinum status. It's biggest selling point would be the single, Unchained. Unfortunately, unlike prior singles, it would fail to hit the Billboard Hot 100.

Playing through it, that staple Van Halen sound is there. Heavy rock, with great guitar work from Eddie as his fingers flame across the strings. You definitely get what you expect, and mind you, that's the good with the bad.

The bad being that again there are minimal hits here. A good album. Sure. But songs I want to hear over and over again? No.

Like my previous listening session of Women And Children First, I bought this album for one track, and well, here we are again. That's really all I'm getting from it - The aforementioned single.

Mind you, again, it's not a bad alum. It's just not one that has songs on it that I need to personally hear again. I wouldn't hate it if I did, but I'm also not going to actively look to do so.

Van Halen followed up Fair Warning with what I will forever call their biggest misstep, 1982's Diver Down. I'll get into more on that tomorrow, but let's just say I don't respect the band for what they did. Cliffhanger ending!

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Comics Corner: Web Of Spider-Man 7

Title:Web Of Spider-Man
Issue Number: 7
Release Date: October 1985

Highlights

Apparent death of Nightmare
It's obviously a dream from the start when Peter arrives to work at the Bugle in his birthday suit
As the Hulk rampages through the Bugle, Spider-Man changes from panel to panel from his classic red and blue suit to his black costume
Peter wakes up, or does he? He continues to switch from suit to suit with each panel as the story progresses
Spider-Man follows a cry for help, only to end up back at home where the Burglar guns down not only Uncle Ben, but Aunt May, Gwen Stacy, Captain Stacy, Mary Jane, and Betty
Spider-Man gives chase, but when he captures the killer, it's Peter Parker, concluding that he's responsible death and tragedies that befall those he loves
Spider-Man finds the voice crying for help - It's Nightmare, and he pleads with Spider-Man to help stop the Hulk, who is ravaging through his realm
Reference is made to The Incredible Hulk 299
Nightmare explains that the Hulk being there is because of Doctor Strange, and that he used the last of his strength to summon Spider-Man for help
Spider-Man defeats the Hulk by pushing him into the realm of madness and insanity
After winning, Spider-Man asks Nightmare to return him home, but is told by the villain that he won't do it - He wishes to keep Spider-Man there forever as his defender
The Hulk reaches through a rip in the realm, grabbing Nightmare, and pulling him in with him
Peter awakens, surrounded by his landlady, neighbors, and the police, who responded to Mr. Muggins saying that he was shouting so loud that she thought someone was being murdered
As reality sets in, Peter's dream drifts from his mind, being forgotten, as dreams usually do

Low Points

None

Oddities

None

Rating (based on a 1 through 5 Stans grading system)

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Retro Spins: Van Halen - Women And Children First

Do you want to know a secret? I don't think Van Halen was ever a "good" band. I think they got lucky with the look, and right sound, at the right moment in an MTV era with their album, 1984. I don't believe that if they hadn't made the drastic change to their music, ala adopting synthesizers, and a mainstream sound, that anyone would be talking about them today.

I say all of that knowing it's all a bunch of bull.

There's no doubt that Van Halen wanted to be stars. I mean, have you heard of any other band who were enroute to meet with their perspective label, only to have their car break down, and literally run down the road to get there? They were hungry, and eager for the chance.

Unfortunately, their deal for two album was heavily in the label's favor, leaving the band a million dollars in debt after touring for their 1978 self-titled debut album. At the time, it was highly regarded as one of the most successful debuts of all time, reaching number nineteen on the Billboard pop music charts.

In the midst of touring, Van Halen returned to the studio for a mere two weeks to complete the tracks for the follow-up, 1979's Van Halen II. It would produce the single, Dance the Night Away, which peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band was a touring machine, never taking more than a two-week break to return to the studio to record more material. There third album, 1980's Women and Children First, continued their trend of platinum selling albums for their label. With it came two more singles, And The Cradle Will Rock..., and Everybody Wants Some!!

Here we pause to dive into that record...er, CD.

And The Cradle Will Rock... kicks things off, delivering pretty much the only tune I knew from the album, and the reason I ended up adding it to my collection.

It's definitely a hard rocking recording, and the sound I pretty much expected from post synth Van Halen. I mean, while I haven't listened to the album from start to finish, I'm no stranger to their music.

With that said, the only other track from the whole thing that grabbed my attention was the unique, I guess we can even call it odd, ditty, Could This Be Magic? In the grand scheme of things, it's way out of place among the other louder tracks. It kind of reminds me of that cooky style than Roth was known for.

Not a bad album overall, but definitely not many hits to get excited about. Despite my sarcastic opener to this post, I can understand why Van Halen quickly boomed into popularity in such a short period. While they're not my favorite of all time, I respect what they contributed to the 70's, 80's, and early 90's. Personally, I checked out after For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. So, I can't attest to what they've done since.

But we're far from there. Our next stop is 1981's Fair Warning.

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