There aren’t many songs by Van Halen that are easy enough for guitarists to learn. While some aspiring musicians may be able to master the fretwork to an extreme degree or attempt to mimic Eddie’s effortless style, very few possess his signature licks. They seem to come from another planet. Eddie Van Halen acknowledged that ‘Chinatown‘ had a lick that even he couldn’t match when the group returned from a protracted hiatus. There were still boundaries to the extent that Eddie could take his technique.
However, A Different Kind of Truth featured a very different Van Halen than the one that was featured on their debut album. Even though David Lee Roth had been in and out of the band more times than most could remember. Releasing a new album in 2012 was more of an attempt to cap off their career than a major artistic endeavor.
Wolfgang Van Halen, serving as bass player since Roth returned, is the sole reason the record exists. Wolfgang had been perusing the Van Halen archives of various songs. He was even pressuring his father to complete a few of them for a future Van Halen release.
Even though the resulting album was a little bit longer than most Van Halen endeavors, “Chinatown” remains one of the group’s heaviest releases. Although, unfortunately, Roth can’t quite reach the high notes the way he could back in the early 1980s. This is arguably the best use of his abilities. It usually involves him showcasing the swagger in his voice and receiving assistance from the band’s harmonies.
Eddie Van Halen, who is still regarded as one of the greatest guitarists the world has ever seen, expressed more admiration for his son’s bass playing on the song “Eruption“. He stated, “He uses both a pick and his fingers.” That youngster is a picker! I am not even able to do that in the solo on “Chinatown.” I may be a fan, but he’s more than that. Many bassists despise pick players, but that’s only because 99 percent of them aren’t proficient pick players.
That could be because Wolfgang came from a different musical family than his father, one where guitar players rule. While Eddie grew up listening to heavy Black Sabbath records as he was beginning his career, Wolfgang grew up with bands like Metallica. This meant you had to train your forearm to match their powerful downstrokes.
However, it’s not like Wolfgang didn’t receive some instruction from his grandfather. Ultimately, he helped Wolfgang learn to put together his first licks while performing. Occasionally, he took him out on stage to play rhythm guitar. This happened in the song “316” during multiple reunion tours.
Although Wolfgang may carry on with the kind of music he began in Mammoth WVH with his father. Eddie was likely referring to his original work when he spoke of it. Everyone should pay attention to the guitar virtuoso, Wolfgang Van Halen. However, even though leaving Michael Anthony behind must have stung the fans. Listening to Wolfgang perform on record during his solo years gives us a nice glimpse of what he had kept hidden. When he wasn’t performing “Hot for Teacher” every night.
