Hi everyone,
Issue 7 goes to the printing company in two days, and as the final layout is wrapping up, we’re extremely excited!! This is going to be our absolute best issue ever!! As a matter of fact, we’re actually a little nervous that we won’t be able to top it! Naturally, we’ll push ourselves to the limit to make each and every issue the best it can be; we’re just so proud of the upcoming seventh issue.
Here’s a preview of the next issue, which we expect to begin shipping in mid-January:
Exclusive in-depth interviews with rock’s ultimate power trio - Ed, Al, AND Mike!! We interviewed Ed at the 5150 studio, where he played us 7 new songs. We’re especially excited about this interview because we’ve edited out all the information found in other magazine’s interviews. So, it’s loaded with questions and info not seen anywhere else!
We interviewed Al and Mike separately over the telephone and some of the things they had to say are going to open some eyes! Probably the most interesting information we learned from Mike concerns the infamous Greg Stafford - has the mystery been solved? We think so..read on now in this online scoop regarding Greg Stafford and Van Halen.
In our interview with Mike, we mentioned Greg Stafford and explained the rumors of him possibly fronting Van Halen prior to Dave and recording at least 3 songs which circulate amongst bootleg collectors. We feel most fans agree that these three songs (Black Star, Sleepless Nights and All that I Need) were recorded by Van Halen, possibly in their Mammoth days (or earlier) and that according to legend, Greg Stafford (whoever he is) was responsible for lead vocals.
Mike: (after hearing a short sample of Black Star): "No. It doesn’t sound like us. We had a thing called Dark Star that we worked on and never really finished. That doesn’t sound like it though."
Mike: (after hearing samples of both Sleepless Nights and All That I Need): "No. That doesn’t sound like Ed’s early playing to me. I’m really sorry to be shooting these down."
The Inside: Is there any chance these were recorded before you joined the band?
Mike: "Possibly, but I don’t think so. It doesn’t sound like the style of music they were writing at the time."
Mike then agreed that if we sent him full length copies of the songs, he would listen to them again and show them to both Ed to see what he had to say.
Mike: (after receiving the CD and listening to all three songs in their entirety): "It’s not Van Halen. At least not when I was in the band."
As promised, Mike then gave the CD to Eddie and Alex, and here’s what Ed had to say (from a couple of phone calls we had with him roughly one week ago):
Phone Call #1
Ed: "I'm holding 'Van Halen Rarest Covers & Demos.' I'm
going to run up to the studio right now and listen to it because Mike told me that you wanted
to see what is really us and what isn't."
The Inside: The songs in question are tracks 9, 10 and 11. No one knows if they're Van Halen or who's singing. People think it's either you, a young DLR, or some other guy - Greg Stafford.
Ed: "Never heard of him. Sang for us???"
The Inside: Yeah, that's a long standing rumor.
Ed: "No, no. The only people that ever sang for this band were me, Dave, Sam, and Gary."
The Inside: Maybe's it's Mammoth?
Ed: "Well, some of the titles....'All That I Need?' 'Sleepless Nights?' I don't know what the fuck...."
The Inside: 'Black Star?'
Ed: "There was a 'Dark Star' [he then sings a really cool, never heard before guitar-riff that sounds nothing at all like 'Black Star.']
Phone call #2 (after listening to the CD)
Ed: "No, these three are not us. (Referring to
'Black Star,' 'All That I Need,' and 'Sleepless Nights'). And I don't know who this Greg
character is, but he was never in our band! It doesn't sound like Mike or me."
So there you have it folks! As far as Ed and Mike are concerned, those tracks were never Van Halen and Greg Stafford is nothing more than a rumor....
Naturally, some people will always believe in the mystery that is Greg Stafford, but hopefully the questions have now all been answered. Is this the last we'll hear about Greg Stafford and those three songs? Who knows.......??
It's up to you to decide.....
For free information about the Inside Magazine - the Unofficial International Van Halen Magazine, contact us at one of the following and we'll rush it to you immediately:
The Inside Magazine 784 N. 114th St. Suite 200 Omaha NE 68154 Phone: (402)496-7710 Fax: (402)496-7718 email: inside@sonic.net WWW: http://www.vhinside.com/vhinside/
Our full-color catalog is the most extensive collection of official Van Halen merchandise available anywhere!