Meanwhile in 1982, Eddie Van Halen takes a break from relentless touring to get a tractor ride in. Thankfully, a roadie took this picture and shared it with VHND. Never seen before! “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Kramer Factory…
The pictures were taken at the Kramer factory circa November 1982. Photo Credit: Official Floyd Rose (Facebook) “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Ready to hit the Stage!
This week's photo is a never-before-seen candid taken backstage by a roadie in 1982. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune in every … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Eddie Backstage ’82
This week's photo is from Van Halen’s "Hide Your Sheep" 1982 tour. Check out the rare guitars! “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune … [Read more...]
The Summer of Van Halen
By Kevin Dodds, author of Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography Chances are you heard someone say it during the past few months: “It’s the Summer of Van Halen again!” The summer of 2012 was one of only a few true 'Summers of Van Halen' in the band’s history. I’ll explain that statement...but first, let’s take a look back at the band’s history. The summer of 1982 was … [Read more...]
1982 – The Year In Van Halen History
An Analysis of the Diver Down album and "Hide Your Sheep" Tour By Scott Essman This year marks the 30th anniversary of Diver Down, Van Halen's fifth album. Some are quick to criticize the album because it contains several covers. However, Diver Down had moments that matched the brilliance of nearly anything the band has released, and 1982 was one of the most spectacular … [Read more...]
Van Halen “Unchained” 1982 Lip-Sync
Here's a rare treat. A little-known clip of Van Halen lip-syncing "Unchained" for Spanish TV which aired in 1982. Keep in mind that seeing Van Halen on TV was something that almost never happened back then. And when you did actually get to see a great rock band on TV, it was often a lip-sync performance, which was standard practice, since the TV studios usually didn’t have … [Read more...]
Classic Van Halen Interviews Featured on “In The Studio”
While the quintessential American hard rock band Van Halen is on the road once again, this time supporting their new album, “A Different Kind Of Truth,” the syndicated radio series "In The Studio" felt it's a good time to examine the early years of the band. Van Halen’s 1978 debut quickly became a benchmark for every hard rock band ever since , and six years later they even … [Read more...]
“79th And Sunset”
Here's a blast from the past: David Lee Roth playing acoustic guitar! This is an excerpt from the now famous Jim Ladd interview with David Lee Roth & Alex Van Halen that appeared on syndicated radio and also as a segment on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1982. This is the source of David's version of the Humble Pie tune "79th And Sunset," which is found on many bootleg … [Read more...]
When the King of Pop met the King of Rock Guitar
Eddie Van Halen appeared on Michael Jackson's Thriller album for the song, "Beat It". Eddie reflects on his experience working with award-winning producer/songwriter Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, in the later half of 1982: "I used to have this old phone system in the studio. Phone rang, I picked it up and there's this voice saying, 'Yo, Eddie? That Eddie?' There was … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s Legendary M&M’s Rider
From The Smoking Gun: Van Halen's Legendary M&M's Rider DECEMBER 11--Behold the Holy Grail. Since we began publishing backstage concert riders about 10 years ago, TSG has been searching for the most famous rider of them all, the one in which Van Halen famously stipulated that brown M&M's were to be banished from the band's dressing room. Well, as seen below, the … [Read more...]