I just received the new Van Halen and gave it a spin. Hu...I don't know what to think of it. Disappointing to say the least.

A bit, but don't you think Dave's voice has gotten more interesting? I still want Dave's lyrics with Sammy's voice. Now that Michael Anthony's slot has fallen to another Van Halen (lil' Wolfie, son of Hisself and part-time fatso, Bertinelli), let's see how long they let Dave stay this time.

Gawd, three Van Halens and a "Singer to be named later."

That's because it's all of the songs that they thought were crap back when they were "rocking", revisited.

I heard they are already fighting.

I grew up listening to Van Halen through the smoke... Jamie's crying... David singing was just part of it, then Sammy took over over and I never could get on board. I was pretty jazzed about the new one, but doubt if there's two songs I actually like. The last Scorpion's was way-mo-better. But, Eddie can still play.

No level of damage control can bring back VH. Time and the VanHagar experiment did that. Although, Van Halen's first LP did change how my neighbors appreciated metal. Or known as rock back then.

Albert King ... 'Lovingest Woman In Town'

I do love listening to some Albert King from time to time, that's good stuff.

Michael Kawanuka, kind of like a 60's version of Jack Johnson.

Otis Taylor - 'Double V'... http://www.amazon.com/Double-V-Otis-Taylor/dp/B0001XAJTI

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits

I bought a few Deep Purple remasters over the last couple of weeks.

Been listening to all of them over and over---Machine Head, Burn, Who Do We Think We Are?, et al. I'd forgotten how many deep cuts were always among my faves. Never cared if it was Gillan or Coverdale. Like Gillan better, but I'm cool with Dave. They were one of the early bands to kick ass consistently. Ballads written for Top 40 chick hits??--don't think so.

Re: Everyone's VH disappointment

And speaking of making 80's chick hits...
The reason why the new VH isn't that great is because the next great VH album was made in 2008 by Extreme. Stumbled across it and bought it with trepidation. Didn't know it even existed. 4th and "final" in the mid-90's was forced by contractual agreements and it sucked. Nuno's solo efforts after that were kinda feeble. This record has 13 tracks; only 2 are ballads. It has tons of surprises and it is BTTW all the way. How it got by me, I'm not sure. It was $3.99 at the record store. I like Nuno better than Eddie, then and now. He's a cleaner player and more versatile. This album brought me the smiles I had hoped I'd get from Dave and Eddie, though they did provide a couple. Still love Dave's lyrical take on the world.

New 'Shins' was worth the 4-year wait! Was not thrilled by James Mercer's collab with Danger Mouse (Broken Bells) from 2010. Was worried they'd be carried over. They weren't. For 2 listens, it's almost as good as "Wincing the Night Away."