STRYPER’S MICHAEL SWEET SAYS HE COULD HELP VAN HALEN CREATE THE “BEST ALBUM SINCE ‘WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST’
Stryper frontman/guitarist Michael Sweet says that he would love to help Van Halen make another classic album along the lines of their first three releases.
“Chances are in this lifetime it’ll never happen, but if it ever did, and we co-produced [the LP] together, and I was able, as a fan, a singer, a guitar player, a writer, to pull that out of them, I guarantee you it would be the best Van Halen album since [Van Halen, II and [Women And Children First],” he told 10 Questions With The Musical Mind (transcription courtesy of blabbermouth.net) . “I can say that without even any hesitation at all, because, in a perfect world again, if they agreed to it, and we all worked together and went for that, I guarantee you it would happen and the world would be going, ‘What the eff just happened?'”
According to Sweet, the ideal Van Halen album should remain true to the band’s classic sound without attempting to incorporate any of the newer sonical influences which could dilute the group’s original songwriting magic.
“We don’t wanna hear Van Halen doing a modern song with no guitar solos,” Michael said. “You wanna hear Van Halen like you heard it on Van Halen and II and Women And Children First. That’s the Van Halen we all know and love, and that was the fire — a burning, ignited, raging fire.”
Back in 2015, Sweet said that Van Halen’s latest studio album, 2012’s A Different Kind Of Truth, was one of the most disappointing records he has heard in the last few years.
“I’m a huge Van Halen fan — about as big as they come — and I’ve always loved the band and everything,” he said. “And I just feel like the last album… You know when you feel like a band is just going through the motions and they’re just not giving it their best? That’s what I felt with that album. It got some really good reviews — people were saying, ‘This is great. This is great’ — and I’m just kind of sitting there reading them, thinking, ‘Okay, I’m hearing something completely different than these people are hearing, apparently.’ And I have absolutely no clue what I am talking about, because I just didn’t get it. I didn’t get it. There’s qualities there that you’ve come to expect that are still there that you love — you know, Eddie’s [Van Halen] playing… Eddie could play two notes and cause chins to drop, ’cause he’s Eddie. But… I don’t know, man.”
Stryper will be starting their History Tour – Greatest Hits & Covers That Influenced Our Generation on May 10th in Greenville, SC. To view the entire tour itinerary, please click here.
Listen to Michael Sweet’s interview below.
What I want to know is if Michael Sweet will wear his classic ’80s bumblebee suit while he’s sitting behind the board producing this great Van Halen album.
But I understand what he means. I mean, if Led Zeppelin let me produce an album, I’m sure it would be better than all their albums put together. It’s true….
A pretty bold statement about him producing it, but I do agree a fresh batch of undiluted VH songs, with actual guitar solos (imagine that) maybe with Ted Templeman in the mix could be nice, but that’s one big “IF”. Ted was right there in the thick of creating those unforgettable first three albums.
He never wrote a great timeless tune with his band and he had plenty of chances – he’s a good musician I’ll give him that but he should probably worry about his own career –
That’s interesting considering that Fair Warning is better than WACF…