Has this site forgotten Michael Anthony? This is ClassicVanHalen.com is it not?

[DLR 1973]

I realise that from the recent interviews that one of the current driving forces in Van Halen is Eddie's son Wolfgang.

But even Wolfgang must appreciate the solid contribution from Michael Anthony to the Van Halen sound and background vocals.

And for all the bullshit that Mr Anthony had to put up with while Eddie was a drunk, forget giving him a medal, I think a statue outside Pasadena City Hall is required.



Regardless of all the positive reviews for ADKOT and the live shows, the media keeps on mentioning that the Classic Van Halen line up is missing Michael Anthony. This fact will continue to be stated until he rejoins the band.

Now that Eddie is sober maybe Van Halen should invite Micheal Anthony over to hang out and jam with them.

This is not meant to be a negative towards Wolfgang. He's proven himself to be a excellent professional musician and a real part of the current Van Halen. But sometime in the future he will most probably want to start his own group and the return of Michael Anthony would be the most natural progression for Van Halen.

Its what the fans, the media and western culture want. So if they are reading this. Stop pissing about, ring Mike and get him over.

Back to my main point:

Classic Van Halen is Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth & Micheal Anthony.

van_halen_unchained.jpg

[vhfanjack]

Right now, there's no Van Halen without Wolfie. He controls everything, he motivated Ed to do it and is probably the reason for Ed making amends with Dave. Mike is perfectly happy (supposedly) playing in Chickenfoot, and has personally said that he wouldn't want to be caught up in the drama of being in Van Halen again.

As for Mike not being mentioned much, must of the threads are about the current carnation of the band. Back when there was no album and no new stuff to talk about, he was mentioned aplenty and was the subject of a few civil war like arguments in some threads.

[DLR 1973]

Right now, there's no Van Halen without Wolfie. He controls everything, he motivated Ed to do it and is probably the reason for Ed making amends with Dave. Mike is perfectly happy (supposedly) playing in Chickenfoot, and has personally said that he wouldn't want to be caught up in the drama of being in Van Halen again.

As for Mike not being mentioned much, must of the threads are about the current carnation of the band. Back when there was no album and no new stuff to talk about, he was mentioned aplenty and was the subject of a few civil war like arguments in some threads.

This thread isn't a pop at Wolfgang.

It's about the fact that since the release of ADKOT, Michael Anthony's absence is constantly noted by critics and the media, yet at ClassicVanHalen.com the subject appears to have fallen off the radar.

You say most of the threads are about the current incarnation of the band. Then should the site be renamed CurrentVanHalen.com?

Maybe Wolfgang is more grounded as a person than people give him credit for. He certainly has surprised a lot of Van Halen fans with how much he is behind this Van Halen revival. If your right and he was the reason why Ed made amends with Dave, then Ed making amends with Mike would be like a stroll in the park by comparison.

[Incomudro]

Right now, there's no Van Halen without Wolfie. He controls everything, he motivated Ed to do it and is probably the reason for Ed making amends with Dave. Mike is perfectly happy (supposedly) playing in Chickenfoot, and has personally said that he wouldn't want to be caught up in the drama of being in Van Halen again.

As for Mike not being mentioned much, must of the threads are about the current carnation of the band. Back when there was no album and no new stuff to talk about, he was mentioned aplenty and was the subject of a few civil war like arguments in some threads.

^^^What VHfanjack said^^^
I happen to like Michael Anthonys contribution a lot.
I always liked his bass playing on the early albums, you can hear it - and i like Mikes little bass bits sprinkled in songs.
Those backing vocals and harmonies are a huge part of the VH sound.
One of the many elements that made VH not just another hard rock band.

But, there would be no VH right now - no ADKoT recording or tour were it not for Wolgang.
It was tossed around on this board a lot, that Wolfie was probably the reason that Ed got back out there.
Probably the reason Ed got his act together at all really.
If there was any doubt after that, than the recent interviews with Ed in Esquire, and Guitar World laid it to rest.
Wolfgang is the reason we have a Van Halen today.
Ed is out there playing with and for his son, playing with his brother Al, and realized what Roth brought to the band courtesy of Eds sobriety, and Wolfgangs enthusiasm.
This is the only way it is going to be.

[i1sum2!]

Unfortunately, the dopes around here love to put down Michael Anthony. I have been his most outspoken person at cvh throughout all of the turmoil to no avail. They would rather disavow Mike in order to come to grips with accepting Wolfgang. They constantly diminish anything Mike ever did in Van Halen too. Yet they always give brother Alex a free pass just because he carries the same last name as Ed, yet never wrote a lick. They don't care that Ed gave Mike the shaft because all they wanted was another album and they didn't care who was at the helm as long as they got it. True story.

They think all Mike did was play eighth notes all day long. To that, I say go listen to "Judgement Day." Of course, that being from the Van Hagar era, they won't do it. Nor will they bother listening to Mike's most recent contributions with Chickenfoot due to the fact it has the enemy fronting it. Mike can play any John Entwhistle or John Paul Jones stuff as well. I've heard it and yeah, he CAN play. Those two bassists aren't easy to replicate either. They won't acknowledge that fact though.



What's really missing in current VH is the swagger they once had with Mike. It's long gone now. The atmosphere, the presence he had. It's sad that Ed let his feelings get in the way of a good thing too. By that I mean a proper final reunion of the original lineup. As one of the first wave fans of the group, I feel cheated by that. Angered, that Ed allowed this to happen. What you're seeing now is a watered down version of a once great band.

They've bought into the ridiculous notion that Wolfgang "saved" the band, which is exactly what they were hoping for with their little PR spin. LMAO!

Uh........no.........he did not.

Unless Ed ever gets over himself and decides to finally admit to the fans that he made a mistake by not asking Mike back, then we'll be stuck with the current incarnation and no reunion. At the very least, he owes Mike an apology.

[Incomudro]

I agree with some of what you said here Sum.
As when any musician goes, the style changes.
Mike had a different kind of feel, I always found him to be a more than competent bass player - there are only three instruments in Van Halen after all.
No reason to put the man down at all.

Wolgang has matured into more of a Billy Sheehan (not quite but...) type of player.
His playing is giving VH a sound similar in many ways to Roths' Eat e'm and Smile recording.
Tight, fast, sychncopated playing.

As far as any reunion with Mike, farewell tour - or anything like that - well...
That'd never happen as far as I cna tell.
You'll admit as readilly as I will Sum, that Ed was a mess.
A nasty, drunken, ugly friggin' mess!
A nightmare to work with, abusive to himself and others, selfish beyond belief, cnacer stricken and divorced.
He was on a direct course to dieing.
He's alive, apparently very happy, and holding onto his own and onto his sobriety and life because he somehow pulled it together for his son.
Ed's a very fragile guy in a myriad of ways, it's pretty apparent to me that Wolgang is Eds higher power as the AA zombies put it.
I don't believe that Ed could pull it together for or with anyone else.
It's wolfie or no one.
He'd probably start drinking again if he went out there with Mike.

[DLR 1973]

Right now, there's no Van Halen without Wolfie.

But, there would be no VH right now - no ADKoT recording or tour were it not for Wolgang.......This is the only way it is going to be.

They've bought into the ridiculous notion that Wolfgang "saved" the band, which is exactly what they were hoping for with their little PR spin. LMAO!

Uh........no.........he did not.

I see your point sum.

The idea that Wolfgang saved the band seems to have changed this forum.

I wonder how quick the majority of fans that have deserted the Classic Van Halen cause would change their viewpoint again if Van Halen announced Michael Anthony's return to the band?

Is there a list of 'deserters'?

Is there a split in the age range of those who want to see Michael Anthony return?
To put it another way, are the fans that want to see Mike return, old enough to remember seeing the real classic Van Halen first time round? And conversely, those who change with their opinions at a drop of a hat, too young to have seen them and/or be a part of the original scene?

[cowboydan]

I see your point sum.

The idea that Wolfgang saved the band seems to have changed this forum.

I wonder how quick the majority of fans that have deserted the Classic Van Halen cause would change their viewpoint again if Van Halen announced Michael Anthony's return to the band?

Is there a list of 'deserters'?

Is there a split in the age range of those who want to see Michael Anthony return?
To put it another way, are the fans that want to see Mike return, old enough to remember seeing the real classic Van Halen first time round? And conversely, those who change with their opinions at a drop of a hat, too young to have seen them and/or be a part of the original scene?

Attachment 42321

Believe it or not, there's actually people on here who think that Michael Anthony would not return to VH if given the opportunity. Don't ask me why, but that's what they think.

Personally, I have no issue with MA.

[Incomudro]

I see your point sum.

The idea that Wolfgang saved the band seems to have changed this forum.

I wonder how quick the majority of fans that have deserted the Classic Van Halen cause would change their viewpoint again if Van Halen announced Michael Anthony's return to the band?

Is there a list of 'deserters'?

Is there a split in the age range of those who want to see Michael Anthony return?
To put it another way, are the fans that want to see Mike return, old enough to remember seeing the real classic Van Halen first time round? And conversely, those who change with their opinions at a drop of a hat, too young to have seen them and/or be a part of the original scene?

Attachment 42321

I'll be 49 in September.
I think it would be great if we could have VH with Mike in it.
That's the original line up isn't it?
I literally believe however, that a line up with Mike is impossible for Ed.
He's (Ed has) made it quite clear.

They certainly aren't the first band of this mileage to be out there for whatever reasons without the original members.
There's no Bill Wyman in the Stones, no Steve Perry in Journey, no Clive Burr or Paul Di'Anno in Maiden, no Herman Rarebell, Uli Roth, Michael Shenker or Francis - however the hell you spell his last name in Scorpions.
No Bill Ward in Sabbath.
No Richie Blackmore in Deep Purple, we're not getting John Lord back either.
No KK Downing in Judas Priest, and there was a Judas Priest without Rob Halford.
There's a Foreigner with no original members, a Styx without Dennis DeYoung, (minus an original drummer and bass player too) there are two Great Whites out there - and only one of them has the original singer, there is a Guns n Roses that features only it's original singer... Floyd went on for years without Roger Waters, and Waters performs The Wall without Gilmore and Mason.
This is just off the top of my head, this is how it goes.

[punkatomic]

Mike isn't coming back.

Wolf is the new bass player for Van Halen. Call it spin or whatever, but if Wolf wanted to go to college and pursue a career in fashion apparel they would be no Van Halen today.

Mike has burned his bridge. He thought that Van Halen was over 2004. I don't blame him. He CHOICE to leave and form a so called supergroup with Sammy. Van Halen for him is over. I think he's ok with that.

Yes, It's shame it had to come to this, but it has. Life goes on.


Thanks Mike

Thanks Wolf