Recalling the time he first encountered Eddie Van Halen's "phenomenal" performance in 1978 as the opening act for Black Sabbath, Brian May shared his experience in a new video. In the clip above, May details how he had the opportunity to meet Eddie through Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. As a lead-up to the July 14th reissue of the three-song EP collection "Brian May … [Read more...]
Van Halen 1978 Archive
Audio: Van Halen Live in Ipswich, England, May 28, 1978
On this day in 1978, Van Halen performed at the Gaumont Theatre in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Luckily for us, an excellent-sounding audio recording exists! (Listen below) This was during Van Halen's first world tour. They were thrilled to be opening for the legendary Black Sabbath. "The Sabs," as they called them, were part of their musical youth. To share the stage with … [Read more...]
The History Of Rock & Roll Radio, More Early Van Halen Stories In Latest Roth Show Episode
From AM to FM, it's a trip around the dial and through radio history in the latest episode of The Roth Show. David Lee Roth returns with a new episode of his podcast and this time he shares his love of radio with a history of the medium from its early days through to the birth of FM rock radio in the late 60s. Along the way are vintage radio clips from various radio stations … [Read more...]
The Kinks’ Mick Avory Talks Van Halen’s Cover Of ‘You Really Got Me’
We've heard Dave and Ray Davies comment on Van Halen's cover of "You Really Got Me" but what about Kinks' drummer Mick Avory? Rock journalist Greg Prato recently interviewed Avory for Allmusic and asked him about the song originally recorded by the Kinks in 1964 (the year Avory joined The Kinks) and what he thought of Van Halen's 1978 version. Avory gave credit to Eddie and … [Read more...]
More Van Halen Road Stories In Latest Episode Of The Roth Show
When Van Halen shot up a Florida hotel pool with Japanese pellet rifles. That's what's on David Lee Roth's mind in episode six of The Roth Show. Dave takes us back to the time Van Halen stopped in Florida while on tour in 1978. After the show [which included Dave's 95-year old grandmother at the show], they checked into a Holiday Inn. While there, Dave, Eddie, Alex and Mike … [Read more...]
‘In The Studio’ Celebrates 45th Anniversary Of Van Halen’s Debut Album (Audio)
The syndicated radio show 'In The Studio' celebrates the 45th anniversary of Van Halen's debut album! In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Van Halen's classic debut album, 'In The Studio' has shared an episode devoted entirely to the album released on February 10th, 1978. Below is some of what host Redbeard had to say about Van Halen's debut.: The list of the … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s Debut Turns 45: What’s The Best Track? [POLL]
Credit: Neil Zlozower Van Halen's iconic debut album was released 45 years ago today! Released on February 10th, 1978, Van Halen was a huge commercial success and would go on to influence countless bands in the years that followed. The album peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and has gone on to sell more than 10 million copies in the United … [Read more...]
Rock Journalist Jas Obrecht Releases Complete 1978 Audio Interview With Eddie Van Halen
It was July 23rd, 1978 when rock journalist Jas Obrecht was assigned to cover the Day on the Green Concert in Oakland, California. Just a month before, Jas had his mind blown when his editor dropped the needle on a brand-new revolutionary instrumental track called "Eruption". On this day in the summer of '78, Jas would get to meet the man behind that jaw-dropping sound he heard … [Read more...]
Unseen Footage Of Van Halen In ’78 Surfaces [WITH AUDIO]
Amazing unseen Super 8 footage of Van Halen performing live back in 1978 has surfaced! The video below of Van Halen performing at the Niagara Falls Convention Center in Niagara Falls, New York on September 8th, 1978 was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Speedy". The channel was launched as a tribute to Jim Kelly aka "Speedy", who passed away in January of 2021. Kelly worked … [Read more...]
Dave & Eddie Under The McDonald’s Arch Photo Returns To Original Location
Photo Credit: (c) Richard Upper/rockandrollgallery.com The classic black and white photo of David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen under the McDonald's arch has returned to its original location close to 45 years after it was originally taken. The photo was taken at the McDonald's in Crestwood, Missouri by Richer Upper in the winter of 1978. Soon after it was taken, however, … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Honors 45th Anniversary Of ‘Eruption’
Forty-five years ago today, Eddie Van Halen recorded his iconic solo "Eruption". Wolfgang shared a video on social media today to commemorate the anniversary. Below is the tweet Wolf sent out today: In honor of Eruption being recorded 45 years ago today, here’s me playing part of it on the guitar it was recorded on in 2015 while tracking some guitars for the first … [Read more...]
Ted Nugent On Eddie’s Musical Genius & Achieving Sobriety
Ted Nugent reflected on his friendship with Eddie Van Halen during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" today (August 11). "What a great man he was," Nugent told host Eddie Trunk. "What a force to reckon with, how he enriched our lives with his musical genius." Nugent also took the opportunity to clear the air regarding claims that Nugent was envious of Eddie. … [Read more...]