Strummin' With The Devil: Bluegrass Tribute to Van Halen

David Lee Roth (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cmh Records
• ASIN: B000CEV4RM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,873 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the get-go, Van Halen proved breathtaking and ballsy in equal measure. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Strummin’ with the Devil works so well. In its own hard-pickin’ way, this collection offers a similar sense of musical discovery. Here are those same still-sharp rock gems we know and love retooled using a different sort of metal. Come to think about it, bluegrass and Van Halen have much in common—including an emphasis on exceptional instrumental prowess and timeless tales of everyday drama played out in great songs of haunting and enduring power. Having David Lee Roth, the Man himself, kick off this party celebrating the timeless music of which he was such an essential part is more than just thrilling—it’s downright moving. Could this be magic? Definitely.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, April 4, 2007

By 

Grunt Hog (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strummin' With The Devil: Bluegrass Tribute to Van Halen (Audio CD)

I just don't understand the negative reviews of this disc. If you loathe bluegrass music, then of course you're going to hate this album. If you're so fanatically devoted to Van Halen that you can't stand to hear their songs reinterpreted in a different genre, then of course you're going to hate this album. You have no one but yourselves to blame for running out and buying this when you should have known better, so quit whining and moaning about it.

As a casual fan of classic Van Halen (and a listener who's generally indifferent to bluegrass), I thought this disc was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing familiar songs taken in new directions, and hearing Diamond Dave sing on a couple of them was a nice bonus. I was also very impressed with the excellent musicianship of the artists that contributed to this album: the arrangements and execution were great, and the players really captured the essence of many of these songs, breathing new life into them while reinventing them. It probably won't convert me to bluegrass, but this disc is definitely a keeper. Just maintain an open mind and there is much enjoyment to be had with this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta have an open mind!, June 3, 2007

By 

B. Whitt "btgw" (Columbus, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strummin' With The Devil: Bluegrass Tribute to Van Halen (Audio CD)

Just so you know my perspective going into this review... I am a forty-something who looooved Van Halen back in my teens and twenties, and I still enjoy them. I have several CDs of bluegrass covers of rock songs and really like them. I listen to bluegrass and newgrass but not country music, and I think the banjo is a complex and unique instrument (just ask Bela Fleck) that has gotten a bad rap.

Regarding this album... unlike, for example, the Led Zeppelin bluegrass tribute ("Whole Lotta Bluegrass"), most of these Van Halen songs don't sound as if they could have originally been bluegrass tunes; it's not a very smooth transition. But it is still an enjoyable collection because of the musical talent and lively arrangements. The banjo solo on "Eruption" is magnificent. My least favorite tunes on this collection are the ones sung by DLR; his rock voice stuck in a bluegrass arrangement is like a deuce in the punchbowl. However, he always seems to have had a sense of humor and I guess his participation in this album shows that.

These songs are fun, respectful, and musically respectable arrangements of the originals. Any fan of rock songs who listens to bluegrass renditions of them needs to have a open mind and sense of humor to start with or you'll be offended.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some Good Moments, but mostly forgettable, June 14, 2006

By 

T. Scott (Morehead, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strummin' With The Devil: Bluegrass Tribute to Van Halen (Audio CD)

This album would be a much better product if it wasn't for David Lee Roth's presence on it. He can't sing bluegrass. Some of the other tracks feel kind of forced as well. However this is the rare disc of "bluegrass covers" that actually features some quality Progressive Bluegrass acts contributing, not just session players putting "twang" in their voices.

Blue Highway and Mountain Heart do excellent jobs reinterperting "I'll Wait" and "Dance The Night Away". The John Cowan Band also shines on "Runnin' With the Devil". And David Grisman turns "Hot for Teacher" into a jazz swing instrumental that's on par with all his work.

This album could have been better.