While Chickenfoot’s Sammy Hagar continues to bash away at his former band, Van Halen (see here and here for some of Sam’s comments), bassist Michael Anthony continues to take the high road.
Anthony was dismissed from VH following their ill-fated 2004 reunion tour with Hagar, and eventually replaced by Eddie’s son, Wolfgang.
During Chickenfoot’s recent week-long series of shows in Europe, the mild-mannered Anthony spoke with Planet Rock about looking forward to hearing the new VH album.
"They [Van Halen] played a show in New York the other week," says the bassist. "There was [a] song they played called 'She's The Woman', which is actually a song that was, basically, written before I even joined Van Halen."
The bulk of VH’s “A Different Kind Of Truth” is based on material written and/or demoed during the 70s and early 80s, when Michael was a key part of the lineup.
But don’t look for Anthony to go after his former bandmates for songwriting credit on the reworked compositions, despite their original policy of crediting all members equally.
"I don't want to do anything," said Michael. "I just let it be. And, hey, it'll be nice to hear some of those old songs again that I haven't played in a long time."
The first VH single, “Tattoo,” has its roots in the band’s unreleased mid-1970’s song, “Down in Flames,” as the two share the chugging riff and verse parts, with fresh lyrics added by Roth.
Tattoo - Single - Van Halen
Van Halen – Tattoo
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