Homework was never quite as cool as this. It's a crash course in "Frankenstrat 101". A recent video produced by the YouTube channel Secrets of Rock traced the history of Eddie Van Halen's iconic homemade guitar from its inception in the mid 70s to the 90s as it went through many modifications. Included are soundbites from Eddie himself along with plenty of EVH photos. They … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar To Play All Of Van Halen ‘OU812’ Album During Las Vegas Residency
Sammy Hagar said he'll be playing Van Halen's 1988 album OU812 in its entirety during his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Hagar revealed the news to Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw. "The idea is to start doing things like playing a whole album," Hagar said. "Like, we’re going to play the Montrose record for the first half of the show. Things like that. We’re … [Read more...]
On This Night In 1988: Van Halen Headlines Giants Stadium During ‘Monsters Of Rock’ Tour
Thirty three years ago tonight Van Halen's "Monsters of Rock" tour invaded Giants stadium in New Jersey for the first of two concerts. Van Halen was just about midway through the 23 city, 29-date tour when they arrived in New Jersey. It kicked off on May 23rd at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin and ended on July 30th in at Mile High Stadium in Denver, … [Read more...]
32 Years Ago Van Halen Finishes Two-Night Stand In Tokyo, Japan
On February 2nd, 1989 Van Halen played the second of two consecutive shows at the Superdome in Tokyo, Japan as they were winding down their highly successful 'OU812' tour. The lineup of Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony were coming off of their second straight #1 album with 'OU812', which topped the charts on June 25th, 1988. It's since gone … [Read more...]
WatchMojo Pays Tribute To Eddie Van Halen [VIDEO]
The YouTube channel WatchMojo paid tribute to Eddie Van Halen by highlighting his best career moments. In the video above WatchMojo takes a look at the accomplishments of Eddie by counting down his past appearances on: Top 10 Songs That Make You Want to Jump, Top 10 Iconic Guitars of All Time, Top 10 Musical Siblings, Top 10 Coolest Rock Vocal-Guitar Duos, Top 10 Most Insane … [Read more...]
Loudersound Ranks Van Halen’s Greatest Cover Songs
The music detectives at Loudersound have just returned from what we can assume was a very entertaining undercover mission: To come up with the ten greatest Van Halen cover songs of all time. As fans know it was Van Halen's 1978 cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" that helped launch the band's career. But there are plenty more masterful Van Halen-ized cover songs the band … [Read more...]
Loudersound Picks Out The Best Of Van Halen Album Catalogue
The staff at Loudersound has gone through their Van Halen album collection to highlight the ones they say are most worthy of a needle drop. "Van Halen albums have it all: One of the most innovative guitarists of all time, your choice of rock star frontmen, and some great tunes," writes Paul Elliott. "If ever a back catalogue epitomized the American Dream, it's the albums of … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Talks Eddie Van Halen, The Would-Be VH Reunion, 5150 Vaults
Sammy Hagar appeared on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation to talk about his friend and former bandmate Eddie Van Halen but said he's still coming to terms with his death. "To talk about someone like Eddie Van Halen, the greatness of him and to try to explain it to people or try to tell old stories, it's still not time. I don't feel comfortable with it yet," Hagar told host Eddie … [Read more...]
Video: Van Halen ‘Monsters of Rock’ Buffalo NY, June 19th, 1988
32 years ago today, Van Halen's "The Monsters of Rock" summer stadium tour came to Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York. This year, a good-quality audience-filmed bootleg surfaced on YouTube. Watch Van Halen's full set, embedded above. Setlist:A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)Summer NightsThere's Only One Way to RockPanamaBass SoloRunnin' With the DevilWhy Can't This Be LoveMine All … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Answers The Critics Regarding Keyboards In Van Halen
Sammy Hagar has heard it many times over the years. He’s the guy who wanted more keyboards and less guitar in Van Halen. Well, the former Van Halen frontman finally set the record straight on the topic and he had a rock-solid witness to back him up – Michael Anthony. “I didn’t do any of that. That’s what Eddie did,” Hagar said during yesterday’s interview on Sirius/XM’s … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Shreds And Pays Tribute To Les Paul
A historic Van Halen event occurred during this month in 1988 which we never featured on the Van Halen News Desk until now… After a break following Van Halen’s Monsters of Rock tour, Edward Van Halen paid tribute to the great guitarist, performer and inventor Les Paul, along with some other musical big wigs. Ed and Les had by now formed a genuine friendship. Les was 73 years … [Read more...]
Oh, You Ate 5150 Too! – Van Halen Mashup
Kick off your weekend with a KILLER new Van Halen mashup! Here's a new, unique Van Halen medley from guitarist Charlie Stinchcombe (aka “Liquid Charlie”) that cleverly combines classic riffs from Van Halen's 5150 and OU812 albums. Yet another great one from Charlie! Keep up with Liquid Charlie: Follow him on Instagram and Facebook. And Check out his YouTube Channel, … [Read more...]