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Alex Van Halen’s 1980 Drumkit at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

October 11, 2011 138 Comments

From RockHall.com:

Van Halen’s Seat Of Power

Posted by Howard Kramer

Van Halen burst on the rock scene in 1978 like a larger-than-life, hard rocking, non-stop party, and channeled that energy into a seminal debut. Ostensibly, the band had two frontmen: leonine lead vocalist David Lee Roth and volcanic guitarist Edward Van Halen. Both possessed the charisma and talent to be the focal point of a solid rock band, but together, they created an undeniable dynamic that quickly captivated legions of loyal fans. Anchoring the unit was the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen, Eddie’s brother. By the time Van Halen arrived in the studio to record their debut, they had honed their skills honestly, playing nightclubs, parties and high school gymnasiums across Southern California. It was during those formative years of touring that the band learned the value of showmanship – and how to win audiences all over the world with it.

As Van Halen grew in popularity, the production quality of their stage show followed suit as an increasingly flamboyant rock and roll spectacle. Alex Van Halen used the drum kit not only as a percussion instrument, but also as a visual art form. Working with various drum manufacturers, Alex custom designed enormous and elaborate drum kits that reflected the group’s musical sensibility and provided Alex the platform to shine.

After many years of planning, we are finally bringing one of Alex Van Halen’s historic drum kits to be exhibited in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The kit pictured above was used on Van Halen’s 1980 world Invasion Tour in support of the Women and Children First album, joining Alex as the band performed more than 100 shows. The white Ludwig kit features two custom articulated bass drums, each more than five feet long, in addition to an impressive array of floor toms, tom-toms, a gong and myriad cymbals. This kit is a sight to behold and is exhibited on the Museum’s lower level.

Many thanks to Alex Van Halen and his drum tech John Douglas for all their help and dedication in bringing this tremendous item to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Filed Under: Alex Van Halen, Van Halen
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  • Dooley

    Halen High:
    your comment

    “That is one of the great rock n’ roll stories. I met the Def Lep guys in ’08 – very down-to-earth and happy to chat with the fans…”

    Yeah, they’re terrific. We already know about Roth’s reputation as a great frontman. Joe Elliott’s not bad either. Saw their show Sept. 14 in Vancouver WA (USA not Canada) w/Heart as an opening act. Great show. I was always impressed with Dep Lep’s catchy tunes and outstanding backing vocal harmonies by Phil Collen, Rick Savage & Vivian Campbell. And Rick Allen, wow. Losing his left arm didn’t stop him from doing a fine job on the drums. Good stuff.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1d8BVvY-I&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active 5150

    @ 3hater

    Confirmation below…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbJ5D0d7xtA

  • =VH=Rob

    @freddiegirl, I agree with your assessment on Moon and Bonham. With all this talk about drum solos I was listening to the ’93 live album and Al’s solo. Then I made my way to their cover of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, which I hadn’t listened to in a long time, and man, Al does Moon justice and then some. That’s gotta be one of my all time favorite VH covers, Eddie covering the keyboard part on the ax, Al laying down the thunder. If only Sam would have stopped talking and just sang.

  • SPANKED

    Roth Leaps is just a troll.

    It does not matter what the topic is, his obsession with Sammy Hagar gets the best of him.

    Multiple people have stated the facts that AVH had used those drums since 1982 but he ignores those posts.

  • patric

    There are some video outtakes of the Panama video where alex is in his drum room with all his previous drum sets. Apparently he does save all his kits. I still have the poster of alex playing his 1981 drum kit when he started using 6 bass drums(2 sets tied together) and 2 on either end. I saw 2 shows of the FW tour and his kit was massive!! Macfarlane toys should have a figure made(like kiss/crue) of alex and his drum kit!!!

  • jaaphalen

    @ Dirty Duck-duly noted wasn’t trying to preach.

  • Halen High

    Benny says:
    “If Alex can’t make the hall of fame induction then his drum kit should not be there either. Same goes for Ed and any of his guitars. Sam and Mike are always welcome there.”

    Actually, I believe Sammy was not welcome. He was not invited as the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame only wanted to induct Classic Van Halen. He then complained, insisted on being there and received an invite.

    Anyway, who cares about the RRHOF? It’s just a giant corporate wank. I think it’s cool that Eddie, Alex and Dave didn’t show up.

  • jaaphalen

    @=VH=Rob-I think you were spot on with your Neal and Al styles. I saw Rush on their Signals tour. I could not take my eyes off Neal. Neal and Ed dominate. Did you see the 07 tour? I thought Al was the best I had ever heard him play of all the tours I had seen of VH from day 1. PS-another drummer who I saw and appreciate in an understated way is Cheap Trick drummer Bum E. Carlos.

  • rsh

    Alex has dabbled with tama snare drums and Zildjian 15″ hi hats and the octobans were Pearl! Other than that it’s all Ludwig and paiste! 82-87 simmons were included in the kits! 88-92 he used one simmons pad for the end to his solo! Thank god after that it was all acoustic drums from then on except for some trigger pads on the last 4 tours! “Yamaha drums” Not ever for AVH! Next to Bonham, alex is the face of ludwig drums for the last 35yrs

  • Lemon Scented Pledge–Ahhh

    WOW!!! What an incredible piece of rock history. I have always been partial to the FW tour kit mainly because its sheer size–and the black & whiteness of it. This WACF kit is so awesome in its awesomeness though. I never realized that the bass drums on this were articulated.

  • JasonBourne

    Dirty Ducky … just chill out

  • hikerman

    Get Up off of 5150 has some killer double bass stuff going on, great song to

  • http://www.ievolvedintothis.com Ken A

    Sparks: you state your opinion, I state mine. That’s how these comment threads work.

    I can’t fathom why somebody would prefer the sound of processed digital drum pads over the sublime tone of Alex’s acoustic kits, but everybody has different ears. And Alex himself must have heard something he liked in them or he wouldn’t have used them on 5150. To each his own.

  • Johnnyh

    I think Alex used a Yamaha snare for some reason but always a Ludwig kit.

  • Sparks

    Ken A: My post clearly states my preference for the natural sounding drums over the electronic ones. I also felt there was a positive in Al’s experimintation with them. Apologies for my harshness.

  • http://none Dirty Duck

    I’m always chill brother…..

  • http://none Dirty Duck

    jaaphalen:

    Hey brother….didnt mean to come off like a jerk. I’ve just always had a problem with religion and politics mixed in with music discussion. My own personal hang up. Nothing personal towards you. Keep on rockin!

  • http://octobersons.com Kurt

    RSH has it right. Simmons were incorporated into his live set-up in 1982. He had 3 sds-5 pads off to the side and he can be clearly seen using them at the US festival. Every set up until F.U.C.K. had simmons pades in one way or another.

    Ken A, 1984 had plenty of simmons on it. The bass drums were simmons as well as the floor toms. The upper toms were roto toms and the snare was a rosewood Tama. The 1984 tour set was mostly simmons based and the set was augmented by octabans and such.

    The 5150 set was pretty much the same simmons set up as 1984 it just had different outer drums. I think Alex triggered a real bass drum or had the simmons mounted inside a real bass drum. Either way the bass drum sound for 1984 and 5150 album and tour were simmons. Obviously Sammy had nothing to do with it and it was just Alex experimenting with other sounds.

    I personally like the sounds allthough the way he got the sound on the album 5150 could have been better IMO. The drums are so adjustable that you can change the sounds infinately. The OU812 set had only one pad and it was utilizing the same sound source as the previous kits but unfortunately the sound source on the F.U.C.K. tour was different and it sounded horrible. The pad was still simmons but I don’t know where the sound came from. If you watch the RHRN video and see the end of the solo, all the attack and clarity from the simmons is gone. It just sounds like much to me.

    While I love Alex’s acoustic drum sound I still have a little appreciation for the simmons. 5150 was my first tour and the sound of those drums blew me away! I bought a simmons set in 1987 for this reason and I still have it! I was a sophmore in high school and it took a while to save up that cash! Thanks Alex! :)

  • jaaphalen

    @ Dirty Duck-no harm no foul! I understand your feelings about mixing politics, religion, anything. I am also a passionate VH fan. Honestly, I enjoy this site to get away from the worlds issues and visit and read about a band that I and many here (no matter what age) feel a connection to. I’m not a ‘spinster old prude’ nor will I preach or inflict my world view on this pluralistic society. But I do and always will hold some things sacred. Thanks for putting up with me.

  • jaaphalen

    @ Dooley-You guys in Vancouver, Wa are getting all the good shows at Clark County. I wish Rush would come a little further south to Portland. I have heard that its a great place to go for a show.

  • dodgerman5150

    As for the 5150 album, I can’t imagine “Dreams” being played any other way than on the Simmons set. And as for the RNR HOF I think they should have an entire wing dedicated to Van Halen with all the drum kits on display, get them out of storage, what good are they doing there? And let’s get the band out of storage too!

  • http://none Dirty Duck

    Man, I can watch that “Unchained” oakland video over and over again. And usually when I’ve had a few, I do. The end still gives me goosebumps to this day. Once the song comes to its end…. all the lights going crazy…..dave with that really cool stance….and then boom! The fire is lit….the gong goes up in flames….and there’s alex banging the gong over and over…..he sits down, drum sticks up in the air….hits the skins…..camera pans back…dave is laughing at something and the whole place is going fuckin’ crazy….

    Some things are just perfect when it comes to a rock and roll show, and the sad part is we’ll all probley never see anything like that again. Thats why they call it classic baby!

  • R A 812

    Damn…I went to RRHOF back in August. Why didnt they have it out then!!! I only saw Mike’ sJack Daniels Bass and some of Sammys written lyrics to I think “about time”

  • =VH=Rob

    @jaaphalen – haven’t seen Rush live since the mid-90′s, but have seen a couple shows on the satellite since then. I agree, Neil is the guy you’re drawn to, and the different camera angles for the televised shows really give you a cool perspective on him doing work. I wish we had something from Van Halen that gave us the same perspective.

    Yes, I saw the ’07 tour and Al was on his game and looked to be having a great time. Tried to do some quick research without results, but it looked like his kit was a version of the Centennial Ludwig series. Not sure about that. However, while doing research, I ran across an article with him talking about his studio kit. With all the talk about our favorite kits and his monstrous creations, he says he likes to only use a kick, snare, hi-hat, ride and maybe a tom. Says he’s the most creative the less drums he has. Sort of mind boggling, knowing what he tours with, huh?

  • http://www.ievolvedintothis.com Ken A

    Kurt:

    I don’t mind electronic triggers. They can be very useful, particularly in studio situations when total control is needed. My objection is to the character of synthesized drum sounds, which–in their occasional moments on 1984–stick out like a sore thumb. The end of “Girl Gone Bad,” for example, when the bottom-heavy sound of the low tom just overtakes everything.. It’s okay in small doses, but 5150 is slathered in those processed sounds.

    It doesn’t help that 5150′s production across the board isn’t great, which probably magnifies any issues that would have been resolved in the 1984 sessions. Perhaps with better production, his increased use of the electronic sounds packed in with the Simmons kit wouldn’t bug me as much.

  • Myron T. Philpot

    @ Hillbilly Jim (and others)

    After a bit more Googlin’, yeah, I do see the Simmons toms hidden behind the large row of acoustic toms in his 1984 kit. (Probably why he had such an expanded set up compared to his older kits.) The definitive shot for me was a Ludwig ad from that era where you can clearly see the hex pads peaking out from behind the toms. I also see that the Simmons was not completely banished from his OU812 or FUCK kits.

    I stand corrected! Like I said, not a drummer so I should stick with my guitars. Ed used Randall amps, right?! ;)

  • 3hater

    Thanks dan and 5150 – I knew my memory would serve me better than all of my drugged out friends!

  • BrownSound101

    Sweet kit! Alex still has the chops & tore up a killer solo on the 07/08 reunion tour!!

    Dirty Duck says:
    Some things are just perfect when it comes to a rock and roll show, and the sad part is we’ll all probley never see anything like that again. Thats why they call it classic baby!

    AMEN!!! Nothing, & I mean NOTHING, VH did with Sam will EVER touch that electrifying moment of Van Halen…PRIME!!

  • jaaphalen

    @ =VH= Rob-less is more, yeah that is mind blowing! I agree about Rush’s video recordings. I have their 30 year b-day dvd tapped in Germany. Just great stuff. My idea of an r and roll fantasy team-Eddie on guitar and Neal on drums.

  • Mike De Lara

    @Dirty Duck…. I feel your enthusiasm! All 3 videos give me chills! Theyre perfectly “produced” and shows why Van Halen was always the greatest live show back in the day… The dark, smoke filled arenas with the sweet smell of ditch weed and cheap perfume! And while the bass and drums pounded against your chest and the high pitched assult of Eddies guitar and Daves banshee screams deafining your ears, we were always wanting more and more!! That is something we should never forget! When I watch the Oakland videos it takes me back that time of “who the fuck cares!” attitude that all teenagers STILL feel nowadays. Like Dave use to say, (loosely interpretated) Van Halen was the soundtrack to my youth! Long Live The Mighty Van Halen!!! =\//-/= Van Halen fans are the best in the world!!

  • hikerman

    I just watched the videos fro Oakland 1981 tour, that’s my favorite drum set by far, the set is huge, loved the black and white stripes, and the olds songs were great as well

  • McQuestion

    What an awesome sight. Not my favourite kit (not enough rototoms lol), but still awesome.

    So is this what VH is now… a museum attraction?

  • Dooley

    @jaaphalen:

    The Clark County Amphitheater in Vancouver has finally gotten its act together. When they opened up, they didn’t even have sound deadening stuff up on the block walls inside the covered area. So, unless you had prime seats, it sounded muddy. I was so ticked off at an Aerosmith concert years ago about that. But it’s better now. I hope you can make it up to a show there. Maybe we could pound down a beer.

  • jaaphalen

    @ Dooley- that would be great!

  • VAN FAN

    I saw it briefly mentioned above, but the kit Al used for the US Festival in ’83 was not the same kit he used on the DD tour that ended a few months before the US gig. The US kit’s drum shells had a “woman’s lips” design all over them, unlike the DD tour kit’s solid navy blue design. The gear for both kits was very similar, but the setup configurations were slightly different. Al indeed had a Simmons electronic pad on the DD tour and may have added a couple more for the US kit. The 1984 tour kit was dominated by Simmons, as was his 5150 kit. I’m sure Ludwig wasn’t too happy about that, but he had enough of their acoustic drums around the Simmons to keep them happy. It was good to see him go back to a nearly all-acoustic kit on the OU812 album and tour, whose kit’s setup and design was extremely similar to the WACF kit. Although it’s far from my favorite album or tour, Al’s kit for OU812 may be my favorite of all of his sets… Would love to see all of Al’s kits at least from 1978-1988 in the RRHOF one day, along with all of Ed’s signature guitars, or at least the ones he didn’t giveaway during his “hazy days” a few years ago, lol)… After OU812, Al began to chop his kits way down and actually went to a single bass drum setup (with a double kick pedal) at one point in the 90s. It was good to see him beef back up for the 2004 Sam tour and then with Dave in ’07.

  • Dooley

    jaaphalen:

    Cool, this year’s season is over, but if I go to a show there starting next spring, I’ll drop you a line here on VHND, and if you’re going too, we’ll have a mini VH/CF fan confab. I’m in.

  • Wayne

    Alex is one of the greatest rock drummers of all time with few equals. He might be overshadowed by his more famous brother but his drumming is the reason VH are legends as well.

  • Pants987987

    I stopped by the Hall of Fame in 2008 while on a road trip. I walked all around that place. Some of the stuff there was interesting, but the people who work there were kinda weird and kinda mean. A too-cool-for-you attitude.

    Anyway, I couldn’t find any Van Halen stuff so I walked up to a woman who worked there and asked if there was a Van Halen exhibit and she goes, “nope…” and I go, “nothing at all?” and she goes, “nope…” and I go “not even a used ticket stub?” and she goes, “nope…”

    Plenty of Michael Jackson stuff, though. Whoop-dee-friggin-doo…

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