#ted templeman

[musicmags]

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, June 14: Van Halen, "On Fire"

R.I.P. Edward Van Halen (1955-2020)

Van Halen’s first record was one of the select few in recorded history that functioned as a ready-made greatest hits album: after a solid four years of backyard gigs and ruling the Sunset Strip, Van Halen was the sound of four locked-in dudes who knew exactly what they were aiming for and were fully formed as an entity.  There was not a single wasted moment, and Ted Templeman’s production was full-on lightning in a bottle magic- these songs didn’t so much play as burst out of speakers, so much so that even a presumable throwaway like “On Fire” roared with the lifeforce of 3,000 parties.  David Lee Roth caterwauled more than sang, but his antics were in full lockstep with Eddie Van Halen’s monumental riffing, shredding and squealing- over 45 years later, there is still something shocking about all of this.  And while Alex Van Halen would get more adventurous as a drummer soon enough, he was in perfect sync with his brother and Michael Anthony’s steady bass.  There was way too much life in here to be contained, which likely explained why “On Fire” was less a song and more of an explosion.

[fuckyeahvanhalen86-95]

The original lineup of Van Halen was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest acts in America in the early 1980s. After establishing themselves as hard rock gods at the tail end of the 1970s, the band was gaining more mainstream recognition and continued to incorporate more modern production into their sound. They were also working at a dangerous pace, having released one album every year while touring virtually non-stop.

1982’s Diver Down is a clear sign of burnout. Five covers, three instrumentals, and no true classic tracks among the bunch. Originally, Eddie Van Halen wanted to put out a cover song to satiate the public’s desire for more Van Halen music, but when that went over well with the record company, the idea for a full album was just around the corner.

“I said, ‘Look, if you want to do a cover tune, why don’t we do ‘Pretty Woman’? It took one day,” Van Halen recalled to Guitar Player magazine in 1982. “We went to Sunset Sound in L.A., recorded it, and it came out right after the first of the year. It started climbing the charts, so all of a sudden Warner Bros is going, ‘You got a hit single on your hands. We gotta have that record.’ We said, ‘Wait a minute, we just did that to keep us out there, so that people know we’re still alive.’ But they just kept pressuring, so we jumped right back in without any rest or time to recuperate from the tour, and started recording.”

Roy Orbison’s ‘(Oh) Pretty Woman’ wound up being the choice, but David Lee Roth had a different song in mind. “Dave came up with the idea of, ‘Hey, why don’t we start off the new year with just putting out a single?’ He wanted to do ‘Dancing in the Street.’ He gave me the original Martha Reeves & the Vandellas tape, and I listened to it and said, ‘I can’t get a handle on anything out of this song.’ I couldn’t figure out a riff, and you know the way I like to play: I always like to do a riff, as opposed to just hitting barre chords and strumming.”

Van Halen came up with a suitable riff, but only by taking a work in progress and attaching it to what Roth and producer Ted Templeman wanted, which was a cover of ‘Dancing in the Street’. “I was working on a great song with this riff that I envisioned being more like a Peter Gabriel song, but when Ted [Templeman] heard it, he decided it would be great for ‘Dancing in the Street.’ Ted and Dave were happy, but I wasn’t. The riff was my original idea, and I didn’t get any writing credits for it.”

That conflict would later become emblematic of the compromises Van Halen felt he had to make on the album. “In some ways, I think Diver Down happened that way because Ted wanted more control,” Van Halen later recalled. “There was always an inner struggle between Ted and me. But with Diver Down, it was like I was being asked to turn back. After we made that album, I wanted to make sure that never happened again.”

[randgugotur-6]

THAT was an UNCOMFORTABLE Question

[mitjalovse]

How to continue after achieving your biggest success? For instance, The Doobie Brothers reconfigured themselves so often they were a different band by the time they released One Step Closer, the follow up to their blockbuster Minute By Minute. We need to say – Michael McDonald transformed the group into an entity that could function within the 80's, but the band seemed tired by then. Still, the tune on the link presented a possibility of a continuation, i.e. a version of a collective, where Cornelius Bumpus serves as a frontman. I think that development would've fit the way Michael McDonald showed, while one can also observe a potential in an even more soulful direction. Sadly, the collective disbanded afterwards, delegating the composition as a glimpse into what-could-have-been.

[jedivoodoochile]

[stoneoferech]

Private Life is a 1980's Los Angeles quintet formed by guitarist Danny Johnson and keyboard player Jennifer Blakeman.

Private Life is their self-titled debut, released in 1990.

Tracklist: Touch Me (4:35) Domino (3:08) Fallin' Apart (3:38) Communication (3:39) Night All Night (2:52) Nothin' To Lose (4:21) Give It Up (3:44) Holiday (4:27) Cure For Love (3:54) Produced by Edward Van Halen & Ted Templeman.

[a-wonderful-use-of-server-space]

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - "Low Yo-Yo Stuff" Reprise single b-side, Oct. 1972

[bayareabadboy]

Sammy Hagar recalls,"When I was 25 I knocked on Ronnie Montrose’s door and asked if he wanted to start a band with me.

"I had some songs – Bad Motor Scooter, One Thing on My Mind, I Don’t Want It and Make It Last - and Ronnie put guitar riffs in I Don’t Want It and One Thing On My Mind which were better than what I had, so they became co-writes. We had nine songs when we were going in to make the first Montrose record with [producer] Ted Templeman, and he said, ‘Have you guys got anything else?’

"It was our last day of rehearsals – we were basically ready to tear the equipment down and go to LA to make the record - and we were in this little room and Ted was sitting there making notes. We had two songs that I thought were stinkers, one was called Shoot Us Down and the other was called You’re Out Of Time, but all of a sudden Denny Carmassi started playing that iconic drum beat, Ronnie joined in and we all fell into it, and we wrote Rock Candy right there, on the spot.

[rockteeuk]

The Making of 'Van Halen' Debut Album | Van Halen Documentary #vanhalen #eddievanhalen #rock #classicrock Join us as we dive into the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of the Van Halen debut album! From the intense recording sessions at Sunset Sound Recorders to the innovative techniques of Eddie Van Halen, we explore the making of a rock masterpiece. Discover how "Eruption" almost didn't make it onto the Van Halen debut album, the creative tensions that fueled the band's magic, and the unique elements that set Van Halen apart. Featuring quotes from Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and insights from producer Ted Templeman, this Van Halen Documentary is a must-watch for every rock music fan! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more legendary rock stories! Like and subcribe to our channel --- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-R4m-4Cmt5NA2n9gCpLvA Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen, Ted Templeman, Sunset Sound Recorders, Eruption, Runnin' with the Devil, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, You Really Got Me, 1978 rock albums, classic rock, rock history, behind the scenes, guitar techniques, Frankenstrat, brown sound, Gene Simmons, Van Halen debut album, rock legends, music documentary, rock band stories, music production, album recording, iconic albums, rock music analysis, guitar solos, rock vocals, music trivia, rock interviews, Van Halen live, rock and roll history, van halen documentary

[keefsteef]

Imagine how powerful it would've been if they'd of stuck Ted Templeman on the chair 😩😩😩

No but jokes aside this was such a moment I wonder what this lady's up to these days 🤩

[astronomicalthingz]

Song of the day:

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers

(On their Album "Minute by Minute")

A song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers (with McDonald singing lead vocals) for their 1978 album Minute by Minute.

This song is about two lovers from long ago meeting again. One of them, the man, is still hoping there is some flame in the relationship, but the other, the woman, is only meeting up to be nice. In the meeting, he thinks there is still something there, but she just indulges him with a meeting and leaves, forever.

Apparently as a joke, Michael Jackson claimed in a videotaped phone conversation with Elizabeth Taylor in 2003 that he contributed at least one backing track to the original Doobie Brothers recording, but was not credited for having done so. Entertainment Tonight broadcast this claim with viewers being unaware that Jackson was joking. The band later denied his participation.

Patrick Simmons – guitar, backing vocals Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar Michael McDonald – lead and backing vocals, piano, Oberheim 8-Voice synthesizers Tiran Porter – bass guitar, backing vocals Keith Knudsen – drums, backing vocals Additional players

Ted Templeman – drums Bill Payne – Oberheim 8-Voice synthesizer (with Michael McDonald) Bobby LaKind – congas, backing vocals

[metalsongoftheday]

Monday, July 29: David Lee Roth, "Shyboy"

Billy Sheehan wrote “Shyboy” for Talas a few years before joining David Lee Roth’s band, but as the second track on Eat ‘Em and Smile it successfully worked alongside the opening “Yankee Rose” in establishing the template and sound of Diamond Dave’s first post-Van Halen outfit.  In other words, the tune was a full-on freakout that emulated Van Halen to some extent but went way over the top in defining this group as more shred than song, since Eddie and Alex never overplayed like this.  To be sure, Ted Templeman’s production, with its perfect mix of precision and space, gave everyone room to jump out of the speakers, and no doubt this was a total barnburner on stage, especially since Dave didn’t bother attempting to sing actual verses or a chorus.  And of course Steve Vai, Gregg Bissonette and Sheehan were master players who individually and collectively came pretty close to outdoing the Van Halen brothers with their coked-out ridiculousness.  The sheer ludicrousness of “Shyboy” was arguably the platonic ideal for David Lee Roth’s solo career, though it was also clear this group could barely make to the end of the song, let alone sustain themselves for more than a couple albums.

[fuckyeahvanhalen86-95]

Engineer Donn Landee looked back on working with Van Halen on the iconic band's 1978 self-titled debut album, noting how the band's members were initially disappointed in its sound.

Even though it would go on to redefine rock music for a whole generation, 1978's "Van Halen" got off to somewhat of a rocky start. Right after the release, the album was greeted with some less than complimentary early reviews — for one example, Rolling Stone wrote: "In three years, Van Halen is going to be fat and self-indulgent and disgusting ... follow[ing] Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin right into the toilet. In the meantime, they are likely to be a big deal."

And while Eddie or his band members never got "fat" or went sewage-diving, they definitely became a "big deal" pretty quick.

Some members of the band, however, clung to their misgivings with the original album's sound for a bit longer, with Alex Van Halen reportedly saying that it didn't sound as imagined. Asked in a recent interview with "Tape Op" whether members of Van Halen voiced their concerns during the recording process, engineer Donn Landee said:

"They were extremely quiet. We didn't hear anything about [the sound of the album] until well after Van Halen was out. They were disappointed; it's not what they had in their mind when they came in to do the record. But Al told me we got it [right] later on. What we got on tape for '1984' was much more to his liking."

Asked to comment on bassist Michael Anthony's remarks how Van Halen wanted to sound like Montrose and how they were happy for the opportunity to work with Landee and Ted Templeman because of it, he said:

"The Montrose and Van Halen debuts sound really very different. With Montrose, we did overdubs. We would do two or three [tracks] of Ronnie’s guitars. With Van Halen, they played it and we were done. That's the way most of that first album [was recorded]. There are some songs that have some [guitar] overdubs, but not many. We did the Van Halen albums on 24-track, but we could have done them on 16-track. I don't think we ever filled up the tracks. That’s the reason why when we built 5150 for [recording] 1984, I did not buy a 24-track. We went with a 16-track machine."

Donn Landee would go on to form a special bond with the band, and even eventually helped Eddie Van Halen build his legendary 5150 home studio, where he used a mixing desk nearly identical to the one from Sunset Sound Recorders, where "Van Halen" was made.

Asked if it was true that his fellow engineer Kent Nebergall specially decorated Sunset 2's control room for the occasion of recording "Van Halen", Landee said:

"He had a Star Wars X-wing toy. He brought it in, hung it up, and said, 'This belongs here, believe me, because these are two greatest things I've ever experienced: Van Halen and Star Wars!' It was hanging from the ceiling, right between the two monitors in Studio 2, for all the time we recorded Van Halen. I loved working with Kent."

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 10.24

Beer Birthdays

Elias Daniel Barnitz (1715)

John L. Hoerber (1821)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Caprice Bouret; model (1971)

Bob Kane; comic book artist, Batman creator (1915)

Kevin Kline; actor (1947)

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek; Dutch biologist (1632)

Leonard "Bones" McCoy, M.D.; Star Trek character (2227)

Famous Birthdays

F. Murray Abraham; actor (1939)

Karen Austin; actress (1950)

Gilbert Bécaud; French singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (1927)

Caprice Bourret; model and actress (1971)

John G. Cramer; physicist (1934)

George Crumb; composer (1929)

Alexandra David-Néel; Belgian-French explorer (1868)

Jimmy Dawkins; blues guitarist (1936)

Andrea della Robbia; Italian artist (1435)

Emma Donoghue; Irish-Canadian author (1960)

Drake; Canadian rapper and actor (1986)

Jerry Edmonton; Canadian drummer (1946)

Al Feldstein; author and illustrator (1925)

Glen Glenn; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1934)

Debbie Googe; English bass player and songwriter (1962)

Steven Greenberg; singer-songwriter (1950)

Dale Griffin; English rock drummer (1948)

Sarah Josepha Hale; writer, feminist (1788)

Moss Hart; writer (1904)

Mary Lee; actress and singer (1924)

Denise Levertov; poet (1923)

Lorenzo Magalotti; Italian philosopher (1637)

Adrian Mitchell; English author, poet, and playwright (1932)

Robert Mundell; Canadian economist (1932)

David Nelson; actor (1936)

Mindy Newell; comic book writer (1953)

Marianne North; English biologist and painter (1830)

Jean-Claude Pascal; French actor and singer (1927)

Alice Perry; Irish engineer and poet (1885)

Odean Pope; saxophonist (1938)

Stephen Resnick; economist (1938)

J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson; rock singer (1930)

Barbara Robinson; author and poet (1927)

B.A. Rolfe; bandleader (1879)

Hendrik Roozeboom; Dutch chemist (1854)

Barry & Paul Ryan, English singer-songwriters (1948)

Gabriella Sica; Italian poet and author (1950)

Bettye Swann; singer-songwriter (1944)

Annie Edson Taylor; stuntwoman (1838)

Ted Templeman; singer and guitarist (1944)

Tila Tequila; model (1981)

Sonny Terry; jazz harmonica player (1904)

Sybil Thorndike; English actress (1882)

Y.A. Tittle; New York Giants QB (1926)

Doreen Tovey; English author (1918)

Dorothea von Schlegel; German author (1763)

David Weber; writer (1952)

BD Wong; American actor (1960)

David Wright; English keyboard player and songwriter (1953)

Bill Wyman; rock musician (1936)

[rockmusicassoc]

Happy Birthday to superstar megaproducer Ted Templeman, worked with Montrose, Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, Clapton, Aerosmith, Van Morrison and more, born 10/24/1944. #TedTempleman #RockHonorRoll