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Hussalonia is a pop-music cult and this is the founder's blog.

The Pleonastic Hussalonian is a place for the Hussalonia founder to share his love for songs. Should you decide to leave a comment, please behave yourself.

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    [Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

    Could This Be Magic?: Van Halen (1980)

    Let me come right out and say it. I love Roth-era Van Halen. There! I feel lighter already.

    If it seems incongruent with other things I post on this site, let me reassure you. I like all the normal things there are to like about Roth-era Van Halen: Eddie’s mind-blowing guitar solos; Alex’s wash of cymbals; Michael Anthony’s high harmonies; Roth’s charismatic (and wholly original) vocals; the punctuating howls; the general fist-pumping, head-banging, kick-assness of the tunes. But what I really like is the campiness, the occasional old-timey vaudevillian touch which repeatedly occurs throughout the Roth-era canon. That guy was a real ham. (See: Dave TV)

    This song exemplifies the side of Van Halen that doesn’t immediately come to mind when we’re talking about one of the most successful hard rock bands of the Seventies. At the end of the day, it’s sea shanty. It’s loose. It’s playful. It’s corny. Just before the guitar solo, hear Dave say, “Edward?” Edward obliges. Dave thanks him. How great!

    Added bonus:
    This MP3 comes from my well-worn vinyl copy. Inherited from my (still) longhaired dad!

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