Wolfgang Van Halen has posted this emotional tribute to his dad Eddie Van Halen on his 66th birthday: The Van Halen News Desk's thoughts are with the Van Halen family today. Happy Birthday Edward. You are missed... … [Read more...]
Archives for 2021
When Van Halen Conquered The World: The Early Days
Writer Steven Rosen has taken fans back to the early days of Van Halen when the then unknown began their quest to conquer the world. Rosen compiled stories as told by the band members themselves along with those who watched Van Halen's rise to fame. Here is an excerpt from Rosen's article titled Backyard Parties and Unbridled Genius: The Story of Van Halen's Early … [Read more...]
The Ten Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Riffs
When Eddie Van Halen was once asked to describe his band’s music he responded by saying it sounds like “Godzilla waking up.” Get ready. Godzilla is about to wake up. In celebration of the man who was born 66 years ago today, here are Eddie's ten greatest guitar riffs. 10. "5150" (1986) The 1986 Van Halen album ‘5150’ is led by hit singles like “Why Can’t … [Read more...]
Jawa Plays ‘Eruption’: A Stop Motion Tribute to the Great Edward Van Halen
The recent death of the legendary Eddie Van Halen sent shockwaves through the galaxy, and even our favorite little scavengers on the Star Wars planet of Tattooine were affected by the passing of their favorite guitarist. YouTuber Thomas J. Yagodinski has made his own fun tribute to Eddie Van Halen by using classic stop-motion animation to create Star Wars JAWA playing Eddie … [Read more...]
Tool’s Adam Jones: Hearing Van Halen For The First Time Was Like ‘The Clouds Parting’
Tool guitarist Adam Jones told Guitar World that when he first heard Van Halen it was as if the clouds parted and an alien had just landed in the form of a guitarist named Eddie Van Halen. "The first time I heard Van Halen, a friend’s babysitter played the first album for me," Jones told Guitar World's Richard Bienstock. "It was like the clouds parting, or like aliens had … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Balance’ Released On This Day In 1995
Balance is Van Halen's fourth and final album with vocalist Sammy Hagar Released January 24th, 1995, Balance became Van Halen's fourth consecutive number 1 studio album. It quickly went double platinum— just two months after it's release—proving that this hard rock outfit could do just fine, thank you, during the new grunge era. It was later certified triple … [Read more...]
Watch: Parrot Sings Along To Van Halen
All the bills are paid, I got it made in the shade an' all I n-n-need is Tico the singing parrot to kick off the weekend! Meet Tico, the parrot who's recently made internet headlines thanks to a series of videos uploaded by his owner Frank Maglio. The videos feature Tico singing along to various classic rock songs performed by Maglio on the guitar. Maglio launched his … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Unchained’: The Greatest Guitar Riff Of All Time?
Could Eddie Van Halen's guitar riff to "Unchained" be the greatest of all time? Dweezil Zappa and Nuno Bettencourt make the argument that it may very well be. "'Unchained' really is possibly the greatest guitar riff of all time," said Zappa in a recently released clip of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil, which you can hear above. "It can fire you up like nothing else. … [Read more...]
New Alex Van Halen Book
Nice to see the GREAT Alex Van Halen get recognized! Modern Drummer has put together a special book that is entirely devoted to Alex Van Halen! Modern Drummer Legends: Alex Van Halen is the second installment in the 'Modern Drummer Legends' series, and is the one and only Alex Van Halen drum book! Includes Alex’s 1983, 1993, and 2008 Modern Drummer cover stories. … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar On The Healing Power Of Van Halen’s ‘Right Now’
In 1991 Sammy Hagar's lyrics to Van Halen's "Right Now" were inspired by a moment of solace amid a time of marital difficulties. Over 30 years later it offers the same solace, only this time amid a time of grieving. Hagar recently spoke with The Oakland Press about the day he performed "Right Now" with his band The Circle, which includes former Van Halen bassist Michael … [Read more...]
Nancy Wilson’s New Album To Include Eddie Van Halen Tribute Song
Heart's Nancy Wilson will include a song dedicated to Eddie Van Halen on her upcoming solo album. "I have an instrumental song on this album called '4 Edward', which is dedicated to Eddie Van Halen," Wilson told Hawaii Public Radio. Wilson said the song was inspired by a story that took place when Heart toured alongside Van Halen. “When we were touring with those guys … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony On Eddie Van Halen: ‘He Was A Very Humble Guy’
Michael Anthony remembered Eddie Van Halen as a "very humble guy" during a recent interview. "He never let the fame or stardom or all the accolades that he acquired playing guitar go to his head," Anthony told Portland, Oregon's 105.9 The Brew. "He always just considered himself a guy who played guitar, and that was really special about him." Anthony also offered his … [Read more...]