On this day in rock history, Van Halen performed for 65,000 sweaty heavy metal fans at the "Monsters of Rock" Festival at Donington Park in Castle, Donington, Leicestershire, England. This show was the first "Monsters of Rock" show out of five the band played to wrap up the 1984 tour. This was also Van Halen’s first U.K. appearance since 1980. The bill for this day included … [Read more...]
Latest Bill McClintock/Van Halen Mashup Has Cheatin’ Hearts Jumpin’
Ow, oh! Hey you! Who said that?! It's Wild Bill McClintock and he's back in town with another Van Halen mashup! McClintock has a popular YouTube channel featuring several of his own personally crafted mashups from a slew of classic rock artists including a handful from Van Halen. His most recent may be his most unusual yet. He matched up David Lee Roth's original vocal … [Read more...]
Brian May On Planned ‘Star Fleet’ Reissue, Unheard Eddie Van Halen Solos
There may be some unheard Eddie Van Halen recordings in our future, according to Queen's Brian May. During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw, May revealed that he plans on reissuing his 1983 EP Star Fleet Project featuring Eddie on guitar. Among the recording session tapes are never-before-heard solos from Eddie. "I haven’t gone back in there … [Read more...]
Van Halen Author Greg Renoff Interview At Sunset Sound Recorders
Author/Van Halen historian Greg Renoff sat down for in-depth interview at the site of Van Halen's classic early recordings - Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Renoff, the author of Van Halen Rising: How A Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music, had plenty of stories to tell regarding Van Halen's … [Read more...]
Car Engineer Claudio Zampolli, The Man Who Led Sammy Hagar To Van Halen in ’85, Has Died
Italian car engineer Claudio Zampolli, the man who facilitated the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen, died yesterday (July 7th) at the age of 82. No cause of death has been given. Zampoli is best known to car fans as the creator of the Cizeta V16T Supercar, but Van Halen fans will remember him as the man who gave Eddie Van Halen Hagar's phone number back in 1985. At the time, … [Read more...]
The ‘Hot For Teacher’ Mom Reprises Role For New Video
No, we still don't what became of Waldo but we do know what his mom is up to. Actress Ruth Silveira played the unforgettable role of the mom in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" music video back in 1984. She recently reprised the role for a new music video collaboration titled "This Rap Makes No Sense". Comedian Joe Hernández-Kolski wrote and performed the lyrics and musicians … [Read more...]
‘The Van Halen Story – The Early Years’ Now Available on DVD
The Van Halen Story - The Early Years has been released again on DVD! This DVD documentary chronicles the rise of four young musicians from their formative years to their transformation into a worldwide phenomenon. Witness the group's gripping tale told by the people who were there when it began - the childhood friends, fellow musicians, roadies, bodyguards, producers, and … [Read more...]
Professor Of Rock Breaks Down Game Changing Van Halen Album ‘1984’ [VIDEO]
The Professor of Rock is back with a two-part episode on Van Halen, this time he takes us back to the year and album '1984'. Part 1: "It was a pivotal crossroads for America’s favorite party band to make the jump to becoming the world’s biggest rock band," said The Professor. "We break down Van Halen '1984' song by song including a great story about Eddie Van Halen from his … [Read more...]
‘Hot For Teacher’ Among The 10 Hardest Drumming Songs In Hard Rock
The website WhatCulture has come up with a list of the ten hardest drumming songs in hard rock and Alex Van Halen's performance on Van Halen's classic 1984 track "Hot For Teacher" placed tenth. Tim Coffman set up his list by saying the drummers that made his list "are much more than just the pulse of the song...they're the heart." "In addition to just adding in the casual … [Read more...]
Richie Kotzen Discovered Eddie Van Halen From ‘Beat It’ Solo
Guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen said he discovered Eddie Van Halen thanks to Michael Jackson's "Beat It". In a new interview with RockSverige, Kotzen (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, Poison) recalled the time he first heard the sound of Eddie playing guitar. "I will never forget the first time I heard him, and this is how out of touch I was," said Kotzen. "We were driving … [Read more...]
Autograph Guitarist Steve Lynch Talks Touring With Van Halen In 1984
What's a "T-Shirt Band" and why was Autograph called one? Did Van Halen really tell Autograph's guitarist Steve Lynch he wasn't allowed to finger tap? Lynch had the answers to those questions and more during a recent interview. Lynch was a guest on Waste Some Time with Jason Green and shared stories of the time his band Autograph opened for Van Halen in 1984. Autograph … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ Hits #1 On This Week In 1984
Thirty seven years ago this week Van Halen’s "Jump" knocked Culture Club’s "Karma Chameleon" off the top of the charts and started a five week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Jump" was released a single on December 21st, 1983 and began its ascent atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart beginning on February 25th, 1984. It stayed there until the week of March 24th, … [Read more...]