Best Van Halen interlude instrumental that isn't Eruption

great poll.

Cathedral

"Spanish Fly" - An Eruption of rococo nylon strings. Probably the most widely-bought appearance of speedy solo flamenco on a rock album since the start of "Bungalow Bill" no? And you can actually hear it this time.

"Tora! Tora!" - Spooky ripples of freeform tape noise (like a metal take on the start of Lieutenant Pigeon's "Opus 300", or the second half of Crocheted Doughnut Ring's "Nice") give way to doomy Sab riffola and screaming that make me expect "Disturbing the Priest". Play the reversed part backwards and it still resembles corrugated steel.

"Sunday Afternoon in the Park" - goffic weirdo synth-rock hurrah(!), going all start-stop once each cycle of the rumbling Electro-Harmonix drone has finished puking up whatever's left in its stomach. I'm vaguely aware that it was around this time that Eddie got into Peter Gabriel, and I feel like it kinda shows here.

"Cathedral" - Which came first, the idea that this sounds like a church organ or the fact it sounds like it was recorded on damp tape? For a guitar solo it's neat how it reminds me of several afar things - firstly the intro of King Crimson's "Sartori in Tangier", then the 12" of Simple Minds' "Someone Somewhere (in Summertime)" once the arpeggio makes itself known, then British Electric Foundation's similarly muffled "The Old at Rest" once it starts sounding like a synth at about 0:45.

"Intruder" - This one totally rules. Eddie scribbling painfully with all the dissonances, discordances and straight-up noise in his arsenal over stern a post-punk drone (which, if removed, might make this sound like parts of Chicago's "Free Form Guitar"). Five tracks in and already this is the third one that could probably do battle with many an industrial rock band.

"Little Guitars (Intro)" - Maybe having a moment of Spanish guitar quietude was a statement on Van Halen II. On Diver Down, its part and parcel of the record's elfin spirit (accordingly it is my favourite VH album).

"1984" - I expect this could win because people love 1984 and this is how it begins. But while this Steve Hillage swirl sets up "Jump" perfectly, it actually (along with Sabbath's "Stonehenge") reminds me of ambient trance from at a decade-and-a-half's distance, not least with those dolorous chord changes. It could all so easily segue into Michael Woods' remix of "Cafe del Mar".

"316" - I guess one of the big ideas of Van Hagar was to do away with the interludes, but CD bloat allowed them to resurface a few years later. There's nothing but acoustic guitar and yet the sound of it, shiny and gently reverbed, dates it to 1991. Switch then to "More Than Words" by his future singer come nemesis.

"Strung Out" - Is this the most unusual of the lot? Sounds like straight up prepared piano free improv, apparently achieved by sticking random objects between the strings and then plink-plonking near-arbitrarily against the backdrop of a shrill horror movie drone. I've seen people call this EAI, but in rock album terms - or more specifically 1981 art-punk album terms - it makes me think of This Heat's "Radio Prague" reimagined with the sounds of PiL's "Phenagen". Something tells me Eddie never skipped Sabbath's "FX" once in his life.

"Doin' Time" - Ostensibly a percussion solo but it's initially built around this lovely incongruent electronic marimba sound that makes me feel like I'm listening to some dodgy 80s MIDI quasi-fourth world ambient music, in the best way possible. I saw Chuck Klosterman compared it to something weird off Vitalogy. But if it reminds me of anything Pearl Jam it's "[red dot]" off Yield (right down to the sudden tempo switchup and faint air of exotica).

"Neworld" - the fourth acoustic solo but, despite there also being piano on this one, it's probably the one which comes closest to Genesis' "Horizons", a tune I've tried to avoid mentioning til now. A promising, if still ultimately pointless, intro for what's to follow, right?

"Primary" - This is his best guitar interlude since "Intruder", if only because whatever effect he is using (I am far from a guitar nerd) makes this sound pseudo-sitar in a way that probably lots of other guitarists looking for that Indian top-up do not achieve.

I'd rank the three Diver Down tracks even above "Eruption". I'm voting "Intruder", since it sounds most like a fully thought-out musical expression rather than a jeu d'esprit.

don't know most of them, but Sunday Afternoon in the Park is amazing

"1984" really needs to have "Jump" as it's resolution and can't really exist without it. Like how Boston's "Foreplay / Long Time" go together.

Tempted to vote "Tora! Tora!" as I like the instrumentals that are more than just Eddie, but listening to these right now I have to go with "Sunday Afternoon in the Park." I never thought of Van Halen sounding like Heldon, but out of context like this...

I was reading Roth’s Wikipedia page today and was very surprised to come away with the impression that Fair Warning was the album *Eddie* wanted to make — the darkness and anger were his idea, and Roth wanted to keep the party vibe going.

why would that surprise you? i’m not deep into VH lore but that tracks with what i’d expect

anyway, intruder. although as ET said of 1984/jump, it kinda needs that very first hit of ‘pretty woman’ too

(but not more; that cover is otherwise pointless)

Sunday Afternoon in the Park sounds like toxic waste

why would that surprise you? i’m not deep into VH lore but that tracks with what i’d expect

I just never thought of Eddie as a particularly "dark" musician; he's not Tony Iommi in my mind. He's the guitarist in a particularly virtuosic party-rock band. Roth is the one who has, like, thoughts about stuff, even if he disguises it with his Jim Dandy-meets-Jimmy Durante persona.

"Intruder" is great, it sounds like No Wave with beefier drums. Easy pick for me.

Had never heard "Strung Out" before, that one's pretty wild (recorded in 1983 sez YouTube commenter).

It's just occurred to me that I could have included "Growth", the 20-second hidden instrumental on Women and Children First that has nothing to do with "In a Simple Rhyme".

I don't really know why it's there. And it begins to fade out the moment the guitar comes in, except on CD/digital (you know how the first Austin Powers has those flutey jingles between certain scenes? The CD version makes me think of a Spinal Tap version of that).

Had never heard "Strung Out" before, that one's pretty wild

"Strung Out" appeared in a medley with "Not Enough" on their 2004 compilation Best of Both Worlds, the only instrumental other than "Eruption" to do so, suggesting Eddie was both proud of it and eager to disseminate it more widely.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I love the idea of an alternate Van Halen where David Lee Roth quit and they just did instrumentals after that.

makes this sound pseudo-sitar in a way that probably lots of other guitarists looking for that Indian top-up do not achieve.

So yesterday I found out why: it's an actual electric sitar

enjoyed the rundown above, YCSMFWWH. cheers.

Thank you!

yes excellent thread
voted Sunday Afternoon

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

what is that sick Saturday park sound anyway, a mutron? some kind of ring modulation?

I really wish there was a whole Neu Halen album like ‘Intruder.

Trans Am kinda had some tracks like that were kinda Neu Halen.

Maybe on Earth 2, somehow Edward and Alex met John Carpenter and did a soundtrack together.

Valerie and Andrienne meet and get friendly at a morning talk show taping. They all later meet up for wine and Italian food. John and Ed hit it off and after dinner John gets on the Oberheim and jams with Al and Ed. Inspired Carpenter sells a a movie inspired by the meeting where the soundtrack was born.

You know, in all of this I still forgot to vote myself in the end, because I couldn't decide between Intruder and Sunday Afternoon but was leaning towards the former.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHvo7rHf-74

"Trans Am kinda had some tracks like that were kinda Neu Halen."

its funny that you say Neu Halen because this track is called "Motr". i remember bringing this record home and hearing this and thinking, wait, does this remind me of....

ironically for this thread, you have to get past the intro first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyP-oTickBI

Yep, I really dug their first couple records. I need to give them a spin as it has been a good while since I gave those Trans Am albums a listen. I listened to them a bunch when they were new.

There is some stuff on ‘Law of Ruins’ by Six Finger Satillite that has that fat 80s synth with big rock guitars and beats.

Obviously they don’t have the crazy guitar technique like Ed but there is some textural similarities.

what is that sick Saturday park sound anyway, a mutron? some kind of ring modulation?

It's an EHX mini synth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOQqCB1RIWc

Is he just tapping the case with his right hand ?

re: Intruder, via YT

@daviddoyle9555
5 years ago
this should go on for like 8 minutes minimum and get more sinister all the way to the end.

otmfm

Was involved in a poll elsewhere where I had to work out what my favourite Van Halen track is. And I think it really is "Intruder".