Tribute to Van Halen: Various Artists: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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1. Unchained

2. I'm the one

3. Dance the night away

4. Light up the sky

5. Panama

6. Hot for teacher

7. Running with the devil

8. Pretty woman

9. Atomic punk

10. So this is love

11. Little guitars

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

First of all, it must be noted that any real tribute to Van Halen seems incomplete without a version of "Jump", from their early-80s crossover masterpiece 1984. That said, Tribute To Van Halen is a fairly faithful reinterpretation of some of this seminal rock band's finest moments. Actually, "reinterpretation" is a bit of a strong word: for the most part, these versions sound remarkably like straight-ahead cover versions. This is probably due to the fact that these songs weren't actually recorded by different bands, but a loose assembly of musicians from such bands as Black Sabbath, Kiss, WASP, Poison, Motley Crue and Rainbow--but considering that the most recognisable individual playing on the album is Dweezil Zappa (on "Unchained"), that's not really saying much. Still, it's never a bad thing to hear songs like "Panama", "Running With The Devil" and "Hot For Teacher". Would have been better if it had a version of "Jump", though. --Robert Burrow

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If THIS is your idea of what Van Halen is, I'm sorry., 10 Jul 2000

By A Customer

The thought of a Van Halen tribute is a nice one; in fact, it's been long overdue. The most remarkable characteristic of Van Halen is that a legitimate virtuoso resides within, yet communicates his soul to the masses via a popular song format. The uninformed only hear it as hard rock and heavy metal, whereas I hear it as much, much more. I am not complaining about the performances or the artists on the CD; instead, I am bothered by the fact that they are basically a 'metal' bunch, interpreting Van Halen as nothing more than another metal band. Van Halen's musical shadow is far taller than the band itself-their influence goes much further than just typical heavy metal. A much better choice would have been to have a wider variety of genres represented. For instance, how would Yo-Yo Ma approach 'Cathedral' or 'Spanish Fly'? How would Thomas Dolby approach 'Light Up The Sky'? Or how would Shania Twain handle 'Dance the Night Away'? We KNOW of VH's influence on rock and metal, and none of their disciples hold a candle to the original. We should be hearing how artists of other styles have been affected, or even offended, by Van Halen. Not to mention--there are zero Sammy-era tunes here, yet they wrote more 'classic' songs with him. The players on the CD obviously can't handle Van Halen's musicianship, so they try and cop the chops. This isn't Monday Night Football-we don't need an instant replay. It sounds to me like a bunch of bad bar bands covering songs, and NOT anyone paying tribute. They're simply cashing in on someone else's songs, and they didn't even choose the best of Van Halen. So, to sum it up-if you really WANT to hear a bunch of metalers meddling with powers beyond them, this IS for you, and will make you smile. If you want to PAY TRIBUTE to Van Halen, then look at yourself in the mirror, smiling while you listen to them-now THAT'S the real tribute. Thank you.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing could seem cooler than.., 9 Aug 2000

By	M. L. Robertson "Hotdog" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nothing could seem cooler than a host of showy players covering Eddies tunes but unfortunately it ends up not sounding that cool with a mish mash of players divorced from various other bands trying to better near perfect rock. Its worth a listen as a VH fan but I am sure even sure even Eddie Van Halen would say 'hey why didnt you go a little more wild man,after all it is a cover tune?'

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4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome VH-DLR-era tribute CD!, 10 Jul 2000

By	T. Mitchell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thought this CD was an excellent compilation of classic VH tunes done by musicians who were all influenced greatly by the DLR-VH years. Some of the best tunes were "So This Is Love" and "Unchained". The only weak tracks were "Pretty Woman" (why a cover of a cover?) and "Runnin With the Devil".

This CD is a must-have for any true VH fan who cant get enough of the classic DLR years! Can't wait for Tribute 2001...