Counting Down the First Dave Era Van Halen Tracks 50-41

I'm counting down my the first Dave era Van Halen tracks. The first part can be found here.  If you're all caught up let's not waste anymore time. 

50. "Spanish Fly" from Van Halen II. This little acoustic tapping showcase came about after Eddie picked up an old acoustic at producer Ted Templeman's home. Templeman was surprised at how well Eddie's technique applied to an acoustic. Eddie would incorporate the instrumental into his electric guitar solo spot when on tour. 

49. "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" from Fair Warning. Wickedly mean sounding synth instrumental perfectly in line with the darker tone of Fair Warning. 

48. "Could This Be Magic?" from Women and Children First. I probably should rate this higher, but we're already entering hallowed ground. Everything from this point on is so great. This tune is the result of Ted Templeman handing Eddie Van Halen a bottleneck and asking him to play slide guitar. Dave accompanied Eddie on acoustic guitar, Nicolette Larson provided harmony after the guitar break, and the sound of rain falling could be heard as the studio doors were opened. "I see lonely ships upon the water...better save the women and children first." It's funny and evocative, and, dare I say, almost poignant. 

47. "You're No Good" from Van Halen II. The slow boil opener of Van Halen's second album was a cover suggested to them by Ted Templeman. They had done it live back in their club days, but Eddie had forgotten it. Templeman hummed the main riff and Eddie took it from there. Linda Ronstadt had a smash hit with her version in 1975, but the Van Halen version is its own little thing. I really enjoy Dave's screams on it. 

46. "Little Dreamer" from Van Halen. Similar to "You're No Good", but a Van Halen original song. This mid-tempo tune shows off Dave's singing chops. Dude had swagger for days and even had pipes back then. 

45. "(Oh) Pretty Woman" from Diver Down. This cover of the old Roy Orbison chestnut was supposed to buy them some time in 1982. When it turned into their biggest hit at the time peaking at number 12, they were asked to provide a full album and Diver Down was born. "Happy Trails" was the b-side of the single which was initially released without the (Oh) in the a-side's title. Dave had wanted to record "Dancing in the Street", but Eddie chose "(Oh) Pretty Woman" instead. The seeds of destruction of my favorite group were taking root. Can't fault the music though. Despite Dave forgetting whole lines this was so glorious to hear coming over the airwaves.

44. "Top Jimmy" from 1984. This ode to local Los Angeles cult band Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs rocks like a mofo. Eddie played a Ripley stereo guitar which allowed for all of the strings to be panned individually. Put your headphones and you can really pick up on the weirdness. 

43. "The Full Bug" from Diver Down. The acoustic intro and the harmonica are courtesy of Dave. Some feel this is the best song ever by Van Halen. It's a great stomping bluesy rocker. 

42. "Push Comes to Shove" from Fair Warning. Dave wanted to cash in on the reggae sound, but instead we get this very intriguing ballad. Eddie's guitar line in the verses does have that reggae saunter, but Michael Anthony's bass is more funk with Alex's insistent drumbeat matching that vibe. I absolutely love Eddie's hornlike solo bits. I've heard that those parts are very Allan Holdsworth like. 

41. Sinner's Swing from Fair Warning. Overt F-bomb! Insistent chugging rhythm. An unhinged Eddie first take solo. This song is a blast. Amazing to think I can find 40 more tracks from the original Dave era of Van Halen I like more. They were just so amazing. Stay tuned for 40-31 up in a few days. 

Counting Down the First Dave Era Van Halen Tracks 60-51

I am still compiling my list of movies that played the Martin and Cinema theatres in Murfreesboro, so I decided in the meantime to provide a few blog posts for you on the first David Lee Roth era Van Halen. If I count "Little Guitars (Intro)" with "Little Guitars" and also include the unlisted instrumental "Growth" I come up with 60 tracks total. So I'm going to do a countdown of all of them until we reach my favorite one. You're welcome to disagree as long as you're polite about it. Music is subjective after all. This list itself is not set in stone. I will probably change my mind as I am writing. Today we'll cover 60-51. 

60. "Happy Trails" from Diver Down. It's a throwaway. It's fun, but it's one of the very few first Dave era Van Halen tunes that wouldn't have been missed if never recorded. It was the b-side of the "(Oh) Pretty Woman" single. If that single had flopped, it may never have made it on an album.

59. "I'll Wait" from 1984. This is probably the first controversial one on this list, but I can't stand this song. If not for the fact that the band made a real effort on it, I would have placed it at 60 instead. Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers was brought in to help with the lyrics, but then got left off the credits. If I was him I would have wanted it to stay that way. The lyrics were inspired by a Calvin Klein print ad of a woman wearing men's underwear and the lyrics are terrible  (Dave should never be singing about "heartbreak in overdrive") and I don't enjoy the strident synth tones on this one. Eddie's guitar solo is the best part and I do like the chugging bass synth notes, but even those good points can't save it for me. It was the second single from 1984 and somehow made it up to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Apparently Dave and producer Ted Templeman didn't like the song and wanted it dropped, but Eddie and engineer Donn Landee fought for its inclusion. 

58. "1984" from 1984. The first of many instrumentals that are near the bottom of the 60 tracks. Just because it's 58 doesn't mean it's bad. In this case it just means it's boring noodling. It's just Eddie whetting the appetite letting you know there will be keyboards on the album. 

57. "Growth" from Women and Children First. "Growth" is not listed, but it comes after the last song "In a Simple Rhyme" ends. It fades out on the vinyl and cassette versions, but the full 15 seconds are heard on the compact disc. The intent was to possibly begin the next album with this instrumental, but that didn't happen. It was played in concert and a full length version was done live with Sammy Hagar in 1986. It's not much, but it was a neat way to end a record and intrigued the hell out of my friends and I way back in our high school days. 

56. "Cathedral" from Diver Down. This was a great lead in to the next song "Secrets" on Diver Down and was an interesting innovative instrumental from Edward. Manipulation of the volume control combined with tapping with some echo and chorus effects make for a nice slice of classical style sounds. I dig it, but there's better solo Eddie to come. 

55. "Intruder" from Diver Down. This instrumental was one of necessity. The music video for "(Oh) Pretty Woman" turned out to be longer than the song so the band came up with "Intruder", or well Dave claims he sat down at the synthesizer and came up with it. It's cool. The little stutter step repeated riff right before "(Oh) Pretty Woman" begins is killer.

54. "Tora! Tora!" from Women and Children First. This ominous sounding lead in to "Loss of Control" evokes Black Sabbath and features some tape reversed whammy bar abuse from Eddie while Dave screams like a banshee. 

53. "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) from Diver Down. Dave said he heard this Big Bill Broonzy song on the radio one night and thought it would be a fun cover song. Eddie's and Alex's father Jan Van Halen was brought in to lay down some clarinet and a good time was had by all. It's in the vein of "Ice Cream Man" so it fits. Dave really hams it up on the vocals too. 

52. "One Foot Out the Door" from Fair Warning. I probably should consider "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" and "One Foot Out the Door" as one track, but I'm not. The same synth line from "Sunday Afternoon..." picks up speed and runs through "One Foot...", but let's consider "One Foot..." a stand alone tune. Dave ranting about how he's got to leave quick because the woman's husband is coming home is funny. Eddie's guitar solo is a masterpiece of technical chops. My only real complaint is the brevity of the song, but, then again, that may be the point. Dave's got to get out quick. No time for sticking around. 

51. "Ice Cream Man" from Van Halen. Yes, that is Diamond Dave playing the acoustic guitar on this cover of John Brim's "Ice Cream Man". Open E tuning I believe. It's a fun and goofy tune of double entendres which somehow just seems to fit perfectly on the debut album. Van Halen is often referred to as a party rock band and moments like "Ice Cream Man" illustrate this well. 

That's all for today. Stay tuned for my rankings for 50-41 soon. If you can't wait a few days you can always visit the Van Halen News Desk which had been indispensable help in compiling my list with all of the extra factoids I might have forgotten or missed. 

Timeless

 Use your web browser to see embedded video. 

Bill Ward is a maniac on the drums. Geezer Butler rock solid. Tony Iommi laying down riffage worthy of the Gods. Ozzy Osbourne preaching truth. Timeless as ever.