Listen to Van Halen showing off their cover band chops this mega-rare, newly unearthed recording, live on the Sunset Strip circa 1976, at Gazzarri’s. We thought we’d never hear Van Halen covering The Beatles’ “Drive My Car!”
For the full, untold story of VH’s rise to fame, check out the forthcoming book Van Halen Rising. The book’s author, Greg Renoff, has uploaded this never heard cover “To say thank you for all of the pre-orders of author-signed copies of Van Halen Rising from the Van Halen Store.”
“Back in 1976, Van Halen used to play five 45-minute sets of cover songs at the Gazzarri’s nightclub on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip. Most of this material consisted of Top-40 tunes, things you’d hear on AM radio, with a few ZZ Top and Queen tunes thrown in for good measure.”
The other rare cover from Gazzarri’s is Van Halen playing a Black Sabbath’s “Tomorrow’s Dream,” which can be heard here.
More about Van Halen’s days at Gazzarri’s:
- Van Halen Hits the Sunset Strip!
- Van Halen’s Early Days at Gazzarri’s—As Told by The Band, Bill Gazzarri, Rodney Bingenheimer, and Childhood Friends
- Exclusive: Roth on Van Halen’s “College of Musical Knowledge” (Audio)
More about ‘Van Halen Rising’:
- ‘VAN HALEN RISING’ is Coming! [Book description]
- The ‘VAN HALEN RISING’ Manifesto [The author’s promise to readers]
- Van Halen Rising: The VHND Review