Pick each members personal best on record

[unchainedguitars]

I'm not saying to pick your favorite album or song, but to choose
which album best represents each individual band member.

Which album is Eddie's tour de force?
Which record features big Al's best work?

You get the idea...

Edward Van Halen: Fair Warning

(FW represents new ideas mixed with Ed's already stunning array of techniques
featured on previous records.
To my ears, at least technically & tone-wise & creatively, Edward peaked on this one)

Alex Van Halen: Diver Down

(Technically, i'd point to WACF, but stylistically this album features THE AVH sound.
The splash, the crash, the drum tone....It's got aggression - hang 'em high- and it's
got sensuality - Little guitars - and "four on the floor" boogie -Full Bug.
Al sounds like Summer, and this album reflects that)

David Lee Roth: WACF

(II was runner up, but WACF is Diamond shining at his brightest.
Great lyrics, Great delivery of said lyrics, insane ad-libbing & off the cuff Roth
vocal athletics. Supremely confident & completely embodied persona, from
the stage straight to this album).

Michael Anthony: WACF

(Mike's harmonies alone on the glorious "Simple Rhyme," earn him a platinum star
rating on this album.
Not to mention some great bass runs on the frenetic "Romeo Delight" - love that final note!
"Fools" is another signature Mike moment, "Livin' on a play-groooooooouuuuuunnnnnd!")

[Guitarfreak]

Man, that's a tough call. Each member of the band evolved as time went by, just in different spurts...

Eddie, I'd have to agree and say Fair Warning. Got a uniquely dark vibe compared to the rest of the six pack, and so many crazy, innovative, out-of-left field parts to it. Be it the tapping intro to Mean Street, the solo in Push Comes To Shove, how for the first minute of Dirty Movies you never quite know where he's gonna take the song, and then it swerves into that cool riff... Especially on the first few listens, the album kept me guessing, in the best sense of the term. Really inspired. I actually like his tone on Diver Down a bit better than on FW, but it's still his peak.

Alex, my vote goes to Van Halen II. The first song I associate with him is s still Light Up The Sky, one of my favourites in the catalogue. Outta Love Again is another one of my favourites for drums in a Van Halen song. You could probably argue that he changed it up a bit more on the records that followed, but those are the AVH tunes that stick with me.

David Lee Roth, I want to say Van Halen I. The way he lets loose with his screams on On Fire, Atomic Punk, I'm The One... Sure, there were a lot of squealers in the 1970s -- Ian Gillan and Robert Plant come to mind -- but none of them had the same energy or rasp that Dave did on the debut album. A close runner-up for DLR though, is 1984. Jump wouldn't have been as big a hit without his vocals, and he got to touch on a variety of songs with I'll Wait and Girl Gone Bad.

Michael Anthony, I'm leaning toward Diver Down. I can't imagine Where Have All The Good Times Gone? or Hang 'Em High without Mike's bass and backing vocals.

[i1sum2!]

Hmm, that's kind of difficult to pinpoint with so many great moments between them.

Ed: The funk/slap intro to Mean Street has always impressed me. I've still never seen anyone else do that, before or since. To Eruption, which left everyone with their jaws on the floor wondering how he did it. To the swing of Romeo Delight or the fast and ferociousness of I'm The One. Spanish Fly was done with nylon strings I've read. To Cathedral, which made me speculate just how he was making those sounds until I finally got to witness it sitting in the third row directly in front of him. Intruder is another great intro from him. I always hated that radio stations deliberately clipped that off and only played Pretty Woman. That's like only hearing Zep's "Living Loving Maid" but without Heartbreaker in front of it imo.

Al: I'd have to say VH II is the album where he shines the most. Like GF has said, he stands out on LUTS and OLA. I like the way his drums were recorded on that one too. Moreso than the others. Then you would definitely have to include the intro to HFT on 1984. Just phenomenal. Like a herd of horses stampeding and headed straight for you.

Mike: Got to go with his backing harmonies on WACF. Perfect blending. One Foot Out the Door for his bass.

DLR: the screams and yelps on the first album electrified just about everybody back when that came out. I like his singing best on WACF though. The Full Bug and Big Bad Bill are two more favorites for me. Hang 'Em High too.

[unchainedguitars]

You guys are right.

I'm loving the drums on VHII.

[Achilleslastand]

Ive always loved this............

"Does it seem cold in here to you? Ah man
What's there to do tonight? Anything?
Give me another cigarette over here
Is there anything left in that bottle?
Yeah, give it here man, over here"

[1234over]

I'm not saying to pick your favorite album or song, but to choose
which album best represents each individual band member.

Which album is Eddie's tour de force?
Which record features big Al's best work?

You get the idea...

Edward Van Halen: Fair Warning

(FW represents new ideas mixed with Ed's already stunning array of techniques
featured on previous records.
To my ears, at least technically & tone-wise & creatively, Edward peaked on this one)

Alex Van Halen: Diver Down

(Technically, i'd point to WACF, but stylistically this album features THE AVH sound.
The splash, the crash, the drum tone....It's got aggression - hang 'em high- and it's
got sensuality - Little guitars - and "four on the floor" boogie -Full Bug.
Al sounds like Summer, and this album reflects that)

David Lee Roth: WACF

(II was runner up, but WACF is Diamond shining at his brightest.
Great lyrics, Great delivery of said lyrics, insane ad-libbing & off the cuff Roth
vocal athletics. Supremely confident & completely embodied persona, from
the stage straight to this album).

Michael Anthony: WACF

(Mike's harmonies alone on the glorious "Simple Rhyme," earn him a platinum star
rating on this album.
Not to mention some great bass runs on the frenetic "Romeo Delight" - love that final note!
"Fools" is another signature Mike moment, "Livin' on a play-groooooooouuuuuunnnnnd!")

I agree that Alex's high was Diver Down. Oddly enough, though the overall mix isn't their best, the drum sound is great, and really distinctive. "Little Guitars" has the quintessential Alex VH drum sound.

With EVH, I think his tone is best on WACF, with the perfect amount of rawness and immediacy. "Fools", the intro right through, is just the best tone I have ever heard from an electric guitar. But I think his playing was best on FW, with the widest variety of tones, and techniques.

Roth, again WACF. Coming off their first headlining tour, he had the perfect balance of youth and confidence. Tarzan screams, leering raps, juvenile delinquent poetry.

Mike is more difficult, but I might pick VH II, because of "You're No Good, and his tone is the most distinctive on that record I think. It's kind of soft on the edges, and full, closer to a Doobie Brothers record than a Black Sabbath tone. Plus, I'm confident that he played all the bass parts on that one.

[unchainedguitars]

I agree that Alex's high was Diver Down. Oddly enough, though the overall mix isn't their best, the drum sound is great, and really distinctive. "Little Guitars" has the quintessential Alex VH drum sound.

With EVH, I think his tone is best on WACF, with the perfect amount of rawness and immediacy. "Fools", the intro right through, is just the best tone I have ever heard from an electric guitar. But I think his playing was best on FW, with the widest variety of tones, and techniques.

Roth, again WACF. Coming off their first headlining tour, he had the perfect balance of youth and confidence. Tarzan screams, leering raps, juvenile delinquent poetry.

Mike is more difficult, but I might pick VH II, because of "You're No Good, and his tone is the most distinctive on that record I think. It's kind of soft on the edges, and full, closer to a Doobie Brothers record than a Black Sabbath tone. Plus, I'm confident that he played all the bass parts on that one.

"Doobie Brothers!"

I gotta agree, actually.
It does have that sound to it.

I'm gonna change my response on Mike, and say "VHII."

I prefer WACF to FW (by a hair), but i also agree that WACF is the epitome of Ed's "Brown.'
The guitar tone sounds almost elastic & shaped, like a voice.
It's like the guy can shape the tone WITHIN THE SAME SONG!

FW is like a brighter version of WACF, guitar-wise.
Actually, II had darker tone elements, more comparable to WACF.
Dammit, WACF is the perfect balance between the two! LOL.

[Nick AVH fan]

Roth - I would definitely have to say WACF. He has a perfect blend of smoothness and rasp screams in there. "Everybody wants some" and "Romeo Delight" are probably some of his best vocal work.

Eddie - I want to say either FW or II. I could put WACF for every answer to be frank, but I feel like some members shine more on others. FW, like 1984 I'd argue, is where Eddie put a lot of creativity into his guitarwork. II just seems so energized and amped that he changes up what he did on the debut a bit.

Al - II is almost a definite answer with his drums exploding everywhere into mini solos and damn outta no where type fills. I prefer the WACF drum sound for the most part but damn Al really pounds on this album. "Outta Love," "Light up the Sky," "DOA" are some great drum tracks.

Mike - WACF, his background vocals and bass really stands out on this album. II is probably his other best work instrumentally, DD vocally.

[Simon Ribeiro]

Edward - Fair Warning. The man put his incredible and exceptional capacity in every single note. And the way he plays those bass lines is unbelievable!!!!

Alex - II and that's it. You can hear Alex all the way over II and notice what a kick ass drummer HE IS!

Dave - Diver Down and W&CF!

[RyFi]

Thread over UG nailed it