You may be cool, but you're not "Michael Anthony's granddaughter recognizing 'Papa' in the JUMP video" cool! However your day is going, it's about to get better. In a video posted by Michael Anthony yesterday, Michael's adorable granddaughter Nina watches Van Halen's classic "Jump" video. Guess who she recognizes? Along with the video on Instagram, Michael added, "My … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2018
Eddie Trunk Frustrated Over Lack of News on 40th Anniversary of Van Halen’s Debut Album
When the 40th anniversary of Van Halen's debut album rolled around last week, rock historian Eddie Trunk could not hide his frustration over the fact that the band didn't do anything, or at least give some indication about future plans. (Although, the next day, on the actual anniversary, both Michael Anthony and Eddie acknowledged the anniversary on social media). Listen to … [Read more...]
‘Atomic Punk’ Play Through
Watch the video above for a killer cover of Van Halen's "Atomic Punk"! "40 years ago in 1978, Van Halen released their first album and it shook the Rock World to it's core. The first song they cut in the studio for the record was Atomic Punk. A couple of years ago I covered this song with a kooky little fun video. "There are no words to explain that impact on my musical … [Read more...]
Famous Guitarists on the Astonishing Impact of Van Halen’s First Album
"The first time I heard Eddie Van Halen, I was absolutely floored," says former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. "I was also petrified." TeamRock.com has put together an impressive collection of new quotes from guitar players talking about Van Halen's first album: When the debut album by Van Halen was released in early 1978, it was a bolt from the blue. For the older … [Read more...]
Watch Millennial Hip Hop Fan React to Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’ Solo
It's always interesting to see how people react to Eddie Van Halen for the first time. Even more interesting when it's a millennial who's preferred music genre of choice is hip hop. Like in this video, posted by Hectic Reacts, the first edition of the channel's Shreddin' Saturday. Hectic says Eddie's 13-minute Eruption solo was "By far, the most requested solo I'm supposed to … [Read more...]
Original Warner Bros. Press Kit Bio (1978)
Here's a little gem from our archives here at the news desk. It's the original bio introducing Van Halen to the masses. This was part of the press kit, provided by Warner Bros. Records, hyping the band's debut album. While press kits and bios are highly common, these pages were typically trashed soon after they were received, whether or not a story was written. Some … [Read more...]
Remember Your First Time?
Good or bad, there's always something memorable about your first time, isn't there? Whether or not there were other people around. Maybe what you were doing. Whether it was in your bedroom or the back seat of a car. If you were in a car, did you just jam it in, or did you take your time, unwrapping it slow? We're talking about your Vhginity, of course. LP or cassette? Or, … [Read more...]
40 Reasons Van Halen’s Debut Is The Greatest Hard Rock Album Of All Time
Forty years later and we’re still livin’ life like there’s no tomorrow. On February 10th, 1978 Van Halen released their debut album. Rock and Roll would never be the same again. With Jaw-dropping guitar riffs, mind-bending solos, undeniable hooks and fist-pumping choruses the album delivered on an all-out assault on the ears. Four decades later the album remains the favorite … [Read more...]
Interview: Michael Anthony on the Early Days of Van Halen
"40 years ago today, four guys set out to rock the world!! I want to thank all of you for rocking and supporting us all these years!" — Micheal Anthony, on his Facebook and Instagram today Also, here's a new interview with Michael on the early days of Van Halen: Van Halen exploded onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 1978, which turns 40 today! Jesse … [Read more...]
40 Years Ago: Van Halen Erupts Onto the Scene With Thunderous Debut Album
It's 1978. Jimmy Carter is president, Leonid Brezhnev is the Russian premier and the Cold War is still raging. Disco is dominant, Saturday Night Fever is still raking in millions at the box office as Christmas fades, and the radio industry has a hard-on for Stevie Nicks bordering on priapism as Rumours continues to top the charts. In late January, though, things begin … [Read more...]
Is Van Halen’s First Album Their Best?
The good folks at Ultimate Classic Rock have put together an excellent roundtable discussion on Van Halen's debut album. We'll put the beginning of their article right here, so you can get started, and then be sure to read the rest at UCR! —VHND From Ultimate Classic Rock: To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Van Halen's debut, we asked our writers to tackle five burning … [Read more...]
Van Halen 40th Anniversary: ‘In The Studio’ Interviews
One of the greatest debut albums in rock history turns forty and Redbeard at InTheStudio interviewed the original band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Michael Anthony to recall those halcyon days marauding like Vandal hordes from Pasadena to Hollywood's Sunset Strip forty years ago, resulting in Van Halen containing "Runnin' With the Devil","Ain't … [Read more...]