5 Thoughts about Van Halen’s new single

Driving into the day job this morning, I caught the debut of Van Halen’s new single on 97.7 HTZ-FM’s Biggs & Barr show.

Was the tune any good?  I’ll get to that in a minute.

The song, called “Tattoo,” is now available for purchase on iTunes and will also be available on A Different Kind of Truth, the band’s first album of new material with singer David Lee Roth since 1984.  Look for that on February 7th.

The latest incarnation of Van Halen – featuring drummer Alex Van Halen, guitarist Eddie and bassist/son Wolfgang alongside Diamond Dave – hits the road for a tour on February 18th.  Seven stops in Canada are currently scheduled, including Montreal’s Bell Centre (March 15th), Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (March 17th) and Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place (March 21st).  Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 12 PM Eastern.

Curious about the song?  Here’s the video, with my thoughts below.

1) The visuals above make Van Halen look like an aging cover band that has taken over the set of the “Jump” video.

2) It’s a mid-tempo rocker with a decent solo from Eddie, but wouldn’t it have been nice to have something a little harder and faster?

3) David Lee Roth looks more and more like Canada’s Kim Mitchell every time I see him.

4) What’s missing? The fun-loving presence and vocal harmonies of Michael Anthony.  Eddie, you screwed that up.

5) With a title like “Tattoo,” it’s sad the tune isn’t about Hervé Villechaize.

What say you?  Are you excited for a fresh serving of VH or disappointed that this new song proves that everyone gets old?