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jstarr2000 · Joined: 2001-11-11 Posts: 402

Van Halen Angers Fans With Anthony Snubs

08/20/07
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(antiMusic) Van Halen fans were ecstatic when the band announced that they will be returning to the stage this fall with their original frontman David Lee Roth. Some fans were disappointed that original bassist Michael Anthony will not be a part of the reunion with Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang taking his place. That disappointment turned into anger when Anthony's image was replaced with Wolfgang on album artwork posted on the band's website. Although, the original images were quickly reinstated, now fans are angry that Anthony is being written out of the band's songwriting history.

A fan wrote us on Saturday with the following: "On every single Van Halen song (with exception to the three new songs on the Best of Both Worlds compilation, ) credits have always gone to Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and the lead singer who is featured on the song (Roth/Hagar/Cherone). However, during the credits of the film 'Superbad', which features the song 'Panama', the song is only credited to the two Van Halens and Roth! Anthony continues to get snubbed by his former band as they attempt to erase him from the history of the band."

We looked a little further into this and discovered that Anthony has been removed from the credits for all of the songs from the band's Diamond Award winning album 1984 in the ASCAP database. The All Music Guide credits for the songs on the album include Anthony, Eddie, Alex, and Roth. However, Michael McDonald is missing from the credits for the track "I'll Wait". A check of other Van Halen releases still list Anthony as a co-writer.

Anthony was reportedly forced to sign a reduced royalty contract in order to take part in the 2004 reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. His Wikipedia entry states" For the band's reunion in 2004, Anthony was not allowed to write/record the three new songs for The Best of Both Worlds. This time however, he was [correctly] not credited for songwriting involvement. The album's credits don't mention his non-involvement in the actual performance however. On a separate reduced royalties contract he performed on the tour however, at Sammy Hagar's insistence. The contract drawn up was for the duration of the tour only, with his role within the band resting in the hands of the Van Halen brothers there after. Throughout this time, and during the Van Halen III period, the public was unaware that Anthony's status within the band was fading over time."

http://www.antimusic.com/news/07/aug/2017.shtml

thechefs2003 · Joined: 2005-04-25 Posts: 90

jstarr2000 wrote:

However, Michael McDonald is missing from the credits for the track "I'll Wait".

Michael McDonald was a writer on "I'll Wait."???

Ford Fairlane · Joined: 2006-11-21 Posts: 523 Location: North Carolina

thechefs2003 wrote: jstarr2000 wrote:

However, Michael McDonald is missing from the credits for the track "I'll Wait".

Michael McDonald was a writer on "I'll Wait."???

The writer at antimusic must have been listening to The Doobie Bros while typing :uhoh:

Reddutchie · Joined: 2004-10-25 Posts: 369 Location: The Netherlands

Now I wonder even more what has happened during the years when we heard or saw nothing from the VH camp........

Vince G. · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject:

I don't see anywhere how this article can be defined as "Mikey Bashing".

If anything, it's the writer who's venting his frustrations at an incomplete reunion, and, at the same time, schooling many others on how Mike was fucked out of Van Halen.

thereadog · Joined: 2006-02-23 Posts: 743 Location: NJ

Vince G. wrote: I don't see anywhere how this article can be defined as "Mikey Bashing".

If anything, it's the writer who's venting his frustrations at an incomplete reunion, and, at the same time, schooling many others on how Mike was fucked out of Van Halen.

Agree with Vince here....this isn't Mikey bashing but just showing what happened to him with the band over the years.

I would love to know the whole story behind this. I'm sure it has very little to do with just hot sauce.

VHDrummer · Joined: 2005-06-21 Posts: 964 Location: Royal Oak, MI

Time for MA to write a NY Times Bestseller.

VOODOO · Joined: 2002-05-09 Posts: 273 Location: Michigan

thereadog wrote: Agree with Vince here....this isn't Mikey bashing but just showing what happened to him with the band over the years.

I would love to know the whole story behind this. I'm sure it has very little to do with just hot sauce.

Eddie has always felt Mike didn't "pull his weight" in the band. It's evident in the '81 and '82 interviews when he would say that Mike didn't really contribute much to the music, that he didn't really have any input or opinions, that Mike has bought Porsche's off his music and "anyone can sing falsetto back-up harmonies". I think that pretty much sums up Eddie's opinion of Mike and this was when Van Halen was still Ed, Al, Mike, Dave. Now, think about it: Dave left, Sam joined. Sam left and Mike went and played with Sam as a solo act billing themselves as "The Other Half". Eddie resented Mike from the early days. When Mike shows an allegiance to Sammy when Sammy leaves the band that was all it would take for Eddie to say, "Go play with Hagar. We don't need you here."

I think it sucks that they couldn't put all of this bickering and bullshit behind them for one tour. I also have no intentions of going to any of these shows. I'll wait for the bootlegs to surface. I'm sure there will be plenty of them. I'm just not as excited as I thought I would be.

VHDrummer · Joined: 2005-06-21 Posts: 964 Location: Royal Oak, MI

VOODOO wrote: I think it sucks that they couldn't put all of this bickering and bullshit behind them for one tour.

They already did, not even the signed contracts could stop the bullshit, sadly.

radikal · Joined: 2005-04-06 Posts: 2721 Location: Floater

Would be nice to have all members on Larry King :D
Whether solo or group that may answer some of our questions and then we can call in ask ED about Oakland,Largo 80 shows :)

jstarr2000 · Joined: 2001-11-11 Posts: 402

It is just sad and disappointing that the guy who has always been the nice guy/mediator in the band(even with Sammy) is the one who gets left out of this huge reunion tour. I know it sounds hokey, but it will probably come back to haunt the brothers down the road.

Dr. Mark · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:14 am Post subject:

VOODOO wrote: thereadog wrote: Agree with Vince here....this isn't Mikey bashing but just showing what happened to him with the band over the years.

I would love to know the whole story behind this. I'm sure it has very little to do with just hot sauce.

Eddie has always felt Mike didn't "pull his weight" in the band. It's evident in the '81 and '82 interviews when he would say that Mike didn't really contribute much to the music, that he didn't really have any input or opinions, that Mike has bought Porsche's off his music and "anyone can sing falsetto back-up harmonies". I think that pretty much sums up Eddie's opinion of Mike and this was when Van Halen was still Ed, Al, Mike, Dave. Now, think about it: Dave left, Sam joined. Sam left and Mike went and played with Sam as a solo act billing themselves as "The Other Half". Eddie resented Mike from the early days. When Mike shows an allegiance to Sammy when Sammy leaves the band that was all it would take for Eddie to say, "Go play with Hagar. We don't need you here."

I think it sucks that they couldn't put all of this bickering and bullshit behind them for one tour. I also have no intentions of going to any of these shows. I'll wait for the bootlegs to surface. I'm sure there will be plenty of them. I'm just not as excited as I thought I would be.

Was Ed really saying that back in 1981/1982? I'd be very surprised if those comments were being made at the height of the Dave era.

Iron Mike · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:20 am Post subject:

Michael McDonald? Maybe Eddie was really into Yacht Rock during the '84 sessions!!

Well, the fact remains that Michael Anthony is a stand up guy who's always been a team player within VH. Too bad he's not a part of this tour because he belongs there more than Wolfgang will ever know.

Warno · Joined: 2001-05-02 Posts: 317 Location: Schaumburg, IL

VOODOO wrote: Eddie has always felt Mike didn't "pull his weight" in the band. It's evident in the '81 and '82 interviews when he would say that Mike didn't really contribute much to the music, that he didn't really have any input or opinions, that Mike has bought Porsche's off his music and "anyone can sing falsetto back-up harmonies". I think that pretty much sums up Eddie's opinion of Mike and this was when Van Halen was still Ed, Al, Mike, Dave.

Which begs the question...if that's the case, why did Ed keep Mike in the band for another 20+ years? Something just doesn't add up here.

voxwah0 · Joined: 2004-01-16 Posts: 1417 Location: Canada

Warno wrote: VOODOO wrote: Eddie has always felt Mike didn't "pull his weight" in the band. It's evident in the '81 and '82 interviews when he would say that Mike didn't really contribute much to the music, that he didn't really have any input or opinions, that Mike has bought Porsche's off his music and "anyone can sing falsetto back-up harmonies". I think that pretty much sums up Eddie's opinion of Mike and this was when Van Halen was still Ed, Al, Mike, Dave.

Which begs the question...if that's the case, why did Ed keep Mike in the band for another 20+ years? Something just doesn't add up here.

If you bring in a guy with more talent you might have to give him artistic input and Ed might want to have full artistic input.

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