Two Van Halen Fans Set Out To Redeem “Van Halen III”

Two dedicated Van Halen fans have reimagined the band’s 1998 album Van Halen III, aiming to demonstrate the album’s true potential. Musicians Kevin Brown and podcaster Scott Monroe have condensed the original 12-track, 65-minute album into a streamlined 10-track, 41-minute version, focusing on what they believe to be the album’s strongest elements.

The duo emphasized that their project was not intended as a slight against Eddie Van Halen’s original work, which faced challenges from non-musical influences, including the guitarist’s struggles with addiction at the time. “Van Halen III was an album I dismissed for years,” Brown shared via Van Halen News Desk. “When Scott asked me if I’d be interested in trying to edit the songs to tighten them up, I was intrigued.” Brown’s involvement led him to develop “a much, much deeper appreciation for an album that is daring, eclectic, and unlike anything Eddie had tried before.”

Monroe, a newspaper editor, approached the project with a journalistic eye, always feeling the album was underrated. “How could we edit the album to something more tightly focused on its strengths?” he pondered. He meticulously reviewed each track, identifying parts he felt were unnecessary or counterproductive. For instance, he suggested that some pre-choruses or all vocals in tracks like “How Many Say I” could be omitted to enhance the overall flow.

The revamped version will serve as the foundation for a series titled Regarding Van Halen III, where Monroe and Brown will discuss one track per episode, featuring guest speakers to delve deeper into the album’s reimagined form.

Monroe stressed that their project was born out of admiration, not criticism. He said:

“This in no way is intended to criticize Eddie or suggest we know better.
“I came at this from a place of love. This exercise is about re-imagining how the music could have been further molded and perhaps made more accessible to the Van Halen fanbase.”

Here’s the tracklist of the Van Halen III Fan Remake:

1. “Without You”
2. “One I Want”
3. “Fire in The Hole”
4. “Neworld”
5. “Josephina”
6. “Dirty Water Dog”
7. “Ballot or the Bullet”
8. “From Afar”
9. How Many Say I”
10, “Year to the Day”