In 1996 Van Halen parted ways with long time singer Sammy Hagar. That being said, the group had to find a replacement if they were going to manage to stay afloat. Before settling on Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone, they tried working with another singer: Mitch Malloy.
Before Van Halen's manager decided to go with someone else to be singer, Eddie Van Halen sent over an instrumental demo to Malloy to turn into a song. The result was a positive upbeat tune called It's the Right Time. Unfortunately, before it could be handed over and used for anything, Malloy was canned. It has remained unheard until now.
In an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Malloy says:
"After an amazing time in LA, which included Ed saying, 'Congratulations, you’re in the band,' I'm leaving and he hands me a tape of an instrumental of the band and says, 'Turn this into a song. Well, I did write that song, but never shared it with anyone out of respect for the band. But, 20 long years later, I decided that with the challenging times the world is having, It’s the Right Time to share that uplifting song. Fans have wondered what I would sound like with Van Halen, now you will know. I hope you dig it."
It's the Right Time isn't exactly the most spectacular Van Halen track I've ever heard, but it is by no means anywhere close to bad. It sounds a lot like what you would expect an early/mid-90's Van Halen to sound like, but with a different singer than Hagar. It is bright, glossy, upbeat, and has positive lyrics. It reminds me a bit of Top of the World. I think Malloy would have made a good replacement for Hagar, though I can see why they didn't go with him. Malloy is talented, but he wouldn't have taken the band in any fresh kind of direction.
If you would like to hear It's the Right Time, click the YouTube link below.
No comments:
Post a Comment