Van Halen’s 1981 album Fair Warning remains the darkest and downright meanest sounding of any record in the band’s catalog. No toes in the sand with a drink in hand. Dance the night away? Not on this dead-end street. With the absence of a good-time party rock single, Fair Warning was the slowest-selling album of the original David Lee Roth era. Despite that, the album went on … [Read more...]
Jas Obrecht’s Latest Audio Release: The Complete 1981 Interview With Michael Anthony
Credit: Neil Zlozower Jas Obrecht has released another classic Van Halen interview! This time the veteran rock journalist shares his complete interview with Michael Anthony from 1981. Jas shared the audio with the VHND and also released the interview via his YouTube channel "Talking Guitar: Jas Obrecht's Music Magazine". Here is what Jas had to say about Mike along … [Read more...]
Dutch Abstract Art, Pasadena Hot Rods & Punk Rock Guitars: The Origins Of Eddie’s Striped ‘Frankenstrat’ Design
Credit: Bill O'Leary Eddie Van Halen's classic red, black and white striped guitar affectionally named "Frankenstrat" may be the most recognizable instrument in music history. Rock journalist and author Greg Prato has shared an article he wrote for AllMusic with the Van Halen News Desk that digs deep into the origins of the guitar design. By Greg … [Read more...]
What Are The Ten Best Van Halen Deep Cuts?
Credit: Neil Zlozower Just how deep will you go when it comes to your Van Halen fix? Of the 131 songs in Van Halen's catalogue, 56 of them were released as singles. That leaves another 75 songs that can be referred to as "album tracks" or "deep cuts". Just recently, Metal Injection's Andrew Kapper posted his own ten best Van Halen deep cut list, which included the … [Read more...]
The Eddie Van Halen-Inspired Hairdos On ‘Stranger Things 4’
Ah yes, the good ole 1980s. Remember those hairdos? The people behind the making of Stranger Things certainly do, specifically Eddie Van Halen's rockin' "do"s from that decade. So much so they decided to pay homage to a few of them in the latest season of the hit Netflix series. Stranger Things' lead hairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul shared the inspiration behind the wigs used to … [Read more...]
Guitarist Craig Parker Adams On Following In Eddie Van Halen’s Footsteps…Literally [VIDEO]
Credit: Neil Zlozower Many guitarists have studied the lightning-fast fingers of Eddie Van Halen in a quest to capture just a fraction of his musical magic. Craig Parker Adams, however, found himself drawn to more than just his fingers. "I didn't go after Ed the way most people go after Ed," Adams said during a recent appearance on the podcast Johnny Beane TV. "I had … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story’ Author Paul Brannigan Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with author Paul Brannigan to talk about his book Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story! Here's a rundown of the topics covered in the interview: Eddie's guitar and recorder always by his sideThe influence parents Jan and Eugenia had on EddieForget the Fab Four, Eddie's fire was lit by The Dave Clark Five!Eric Clapton was the Cream of the … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Names The 11 Albums That Changed His Life, Includes Two From Van Halen
Credit: Neil Zlozower Wolfgang Van Halen has come up with 11 albums that have changed his life and two of them come from Van Halen. In a recent interview with Louder's Dave Everley, Wolfgang picked a list of albums (in no particular order, according to Wolfgang) that have shaped his musical path so far and included 1981's Fair Warning and 1995's Balance. Here's … [Read more...]
Deconstructing Classic Van Halen: Isolated Tracks
Wanna hear "Hear About It Later" in a way you've never heard it before? Want just that tribal beat of "Everybody Wants Some!!"? Are ya hot for Eddie's guitar licks only on "Hot For Teacher"? Then you gotta check out these videos! The YouTube channel Isolated Tracks is created by musician, sound technician and DJ Fatih Günes. He's just released eight classic Van Halen tracks … [Read more...]
A Video Tour Of Alex Van Halen’s Drum Sets Through The Years
Credit: Neil Zlozower The YouTube channel 65 Drums has gone back through the legendary career of Alex Van Halen to highlight each and every drum set he used from his early pre-fame days right through to 2012's A Different Kind of Truth! Here's the complete video with a chapter breakdown below: CHAPTERS Early Years :44Bands Leading To Van Halen 1:41Early 70s … [Read more...]
The ‘Unchained’ Sessions, Donn Landee & More Covered In Latest Sunset Sound Van Halen Roundtable [VIDEO]
Credit: Neil Zlozower Guitarist/producer Doug Messenger returned to Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles to reveal more behind-the-scenes stories on Van Halen! Messenger first caught Van Halen perform in February of 1977 and quickly made a call to Warner Bros., urging them to check out this guitar hero named Eddie Van Halen. Soon after, the former Van Morrison … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen’ Authors Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen authors Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill for an exclusive, in-depth discussion of Eddie Van Halen's legendary career! Throughout the interview Tolinski and Gill give their insight and opinions on a wide range of EVH topics including: Eddie's childhood days overcoming his shynessHis relationship … [Read more...]