“It’s the Right Time” to Listen to a Previously Unreleased Demo of Van Halen with Mitch Malloy on Vocals

In 1996, after the first tiem they parted ways with Sammy Hagar but before the second time they reunited with David Lee Roth, Van Halen nearly hired Mitch Malloy to be their new singer, thereby ensuring that for decades to come some people would at least kinda sorta know who the hell Mitch Malloy is.

Although audio of Malloy singing “Panama” with the band has been available for a years now, Malloy has only just released a demo of a song called “It’s the Right Time,” which would have eventually turned into a Van Mallen song (had Van Mallen ever come to pass). And it sounds… well, exactly like the most boring possible version of Van Hagar. In other words, it does not suggest that Van Mallen would have been any better than what we eventually got, which was, of course, Van Chalen. Malloy, like Gary Cherone, even sounds like a Hagar clone.

One thing the demo does have going for it: Michael Anthony. Not that his presence alone makes it a good song or anything (it doesn’t), but, y’know, it’s just nice to hear Van Halen with their actual bassist is all.

Listen to “It’s the Right Time” below, then debate the possible pros and cons of a Van Mallen in the comments section.