A never-published interview with Sammy Hagar from 1997 has been posted by The Tapes Archive. This wasn't the best of times in Van Halen history. Hagar had a well-publicized falling out with Eddie and Alex Van Halen the year before; this after a decade fronting Van Halen. In this interview, he candidly gave his side of the story regarding the breakup, how he still looked … [Read more...]
Desmond Child Reveals How David Lee Roth Blocked Him From Writing Songs For Van Halen
Photo by Neil Zlozower For nearly three decades, songwriter/producer Desmond Child has reigned as one of music's most successful hitmakers for the biggest bands like Bon Jovi, KISS, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Ratt, and Joan Jett. According to Child, Van Halen could have been another band on his resume, but David Lee Roth prevented that from happening. Child, a recent guest … [Read more...]
Unearthed Treasure: Van Halen Brothers Cover Of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ From 1972 [AUDIO]
In a new recording with surfaced on YouTube, listeners can hear Eddie and Alex Van Halen alongside bassist Mark Stone performing Black Sabbath's iconic track, "War Pigs", way back in 1972. 17-year-old Eddie Van Halen, brother Alex, and Mark Stone cover Black Sabbath's classic War Pigs, aka Walpurgis. Possibly recorded at the club Gas Company in Pasadena, California, in 1972. … [Read more...]
How Wolfgang Van Halen Is Honoring Late Dad Eddie on New Album [VIDEO]
Wolfgang Van Halen recently appeared on “Extra" to promote the latest Mammoth WVH album Mammoth II, which includes the track "Take A Bow". As Wolfgang explains in the video above, it has a special connection to his late dad Eddie. Wolfgang also talks about his appearance on the soundtrack to the hit film Barbie, his current tour, and his upcoming wedding. … [Read more...]
What If Van Halen Didn’t Implode At The ’96 VMAs?
In late February of 1996, the original four members of KISS officially reunited at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. It was to be the biggest story in music that year. But there could have been one just as big. Maybe bigger: The reunion of Van Halen's original four. As Van Halen fans know, the reunion of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and … [Read more...]
Unearthed 1995 Interview With Alex Van Halen Offers Insight Into Van Halen Past, Present & Future Expectations [AUDIO]
The Tapes Archives channel has unearthed another hidden gem - an exclusive audio interview with Alex Van Halen from 1995. The interview (above) was conducted by Canadian music journalist and author Steve Newton as Van Halen was preparing to perform in British Columbia, Canada. Alex talks about growing up and playing with his brother Eddie, the drummers he was a fan of early … [Read more...]
Dave Grohl, Gregg Bissonette & Chevy Metal Pay Homage with Electric Cover of Van Halen’s ‘Jamie’s Cryin’ [VIDEO]
Dave Grohl and David Lee Roth drummer Gregg Bissonette paid tribute to Van Halen at Rock & Roll Pizza in Simi Valley, California recently. Check out the video above featuring Grohl, and Bisonnette joining the band Chevy Metal performing "Jamie's Cryin'". Chevy Metal was formed by Grohl's long-time Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins in 2013. Hawkins would routinely gig … [Read more...]
Andy Summers On Eddie Van Halen’s Unmatched Genius: ‘Nobody Did It Better Than Him’
Police guitarist Andy Summers says Eddie Van Halen was heavily copied but never duplicated. "I do think Eddie Van Halen was a great player. Wonderful. So musical. An absolutely one-off," Summers said during a recent appearance on Johnny Beane TV. "I never saw [Van Halen perform] but, of course, I was aware of [Eddie's] playing as they surfaced early on. Summers … [Read more...]
Diamond Dave Shines Bright: David Lee Roth Makes Billboard’s List Of 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers
Credit: Neil Zlozower David Lee Roth soared his way to number 20 on Billboard's recent rankings of the 50 greatest rock lead singers of all time. Here's what Billboard's Thom Duffy had to say about Diamond Dave: Before he launched his solo career as a clown prince of rock in 1985 with his campy cover of "California Girls," Roth wailed above the power chords of … [Read more...]
Mammoth WVH Strikes Twice: ‘Mammoth II’ Beats Debut Album’s First-Week Sales
So much for the sophomore slump. Wolfgang Van Halen's second Mammoth WVH album has surpassed the success of the debut. According to a post by Wolfgang on social media, Mammoth II is No. 1 as of this week on Billboard's Independent Current Albums, Rock Albums, Hard Rock Albums and Digital Albums charts. It also placed number four on the Album Sales, Vinyl Albums and Current … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Names His Favorite Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solo
Wolfgang Van Halen has a personal favorite Eddie Van Halen guitar solo and it's one you probably wouldn't have predicted. During a recent appearance on Talk Is Jericho with Chris Jericho, Wolfgang was given the difficult task of having to choose the best of all solos his dad recorded. “I like all of it, so take this with a grain of salt,” he said. “A solo I think is … [Read more...]
A Glenn Hughes-Fronted Van Halen? Hughes Says It Almost Happened
Glenn Hughes (from YouTube) Glenn Hughes says he almost became the lead singer of Van Halen. Hughes, who sang and played bass in Deep Purple from 1973-76, confirmed in a recent episode of The Classic Rock Podcast that Eddie Van Halen was seriously interested in hiring him as the new lead singer of Van Halen after the departure of David Lee Roth in … [Read more...]