Among the rarities included on the upcoming box set covering the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen is an emotionally powerful song Hagar calls a "deep track on every level" - "Crossing Over". In the video above, Michael Anthony and Hagar talk about the song, initially written and demoed by Eddie Van Halen in 1983 under the title "David's Tune". He was honoring a friend who had … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen
Hear Diamond Dave Like Never Before In December 1984 Interview
Photo Credit: Neil Zlozower A never-published interview with Diamond David Lee Roth has arrived courtesy of the Tapes Archive! At the time of this interview in December 1984, Roth was just months away from being out of Van Halen. In the interview, Roth talks about the future of Van Halen, his need for attention, whether he’s a bad role model, and what he wants on his … [Read more...]
Former Van Halen Drum Tech Says Band Filmed Shows With Multi-Cameras [VIDEO]
On The Jeremy White Show, John Douglas - former Alex Van Halen drum tech and current drummer of Aerosmith - revealed that Van Halen did, in fact, record video of several shows with multiple cameras during his time with the band from 1997 to 2015. Douglas referred to the multi-cam pro-shot videos, along with accompanying multitrack audio, as a "treasure trove" of material. When … [Read more...]
Donn Landee Takes Us ‘Behind the Boards’ of Van Halen’s Legendary First Album Recording
Photo Credit: Warner Music Group Van Halen engineer Donn Landee's first interview in decades! Renowned engineer Donn Landee recently shared some "behind the boards" stories about the recording of Van Halen's classic first album at Hollywood's Sunset Sound Studios in 1978, in a conversation with author Greg Renoff. Below is an excerpt from part one of Renoff's two-part … [Read more...]
‘Unchained’ Fan-Made Video Remix Re-Ignites The Fire Of Van Halen Classic
Just in case rock fans need a reminder that Van Halen's "Unchained" is among rock's red-hot classics, this video should light a fire under their collective asses. The folks at The Tapes Archive put together the video above by sourcing four separate videos of Van Halen performing "Unchained". Below is what they posted along with the remix video: This Van Halen fan-made … [Read more...]
Joe Perry Pays Tribute: Eddie Van Halen Among The Guitarists Who Influenced His Sound
Credit: Neil Zlozower Joe Perry named Eddie Van Halen among the eight guitarists who helped shape his sound. The Aerosmith guitarist recently shared his list of influences with Guitar World and had this to say about Eddie: If you listen to Eddie's playing, it's just so inspiring, you know? When Van Halen's first album [Van Halen] came out, Eddie really opened things … [Read more...]
Van Halen Dominates Charts In Five U.S. States, Claims Top Spot As Most Popular Band
Credit: Neil Zlozower Have you Googled Van Halen lately? You're not alone. Van Halen is the most searched-for classic rock band in five U.S. states, according to recent data study. The life insurance company Sell Easy analyzed Google Trends search data of 70 iconic rock bands at their peak pre-1990 to determine the most popular classic rock band in every … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Opens Up In Candid Post-Van Halen Interview From 1997 [AUDIO]
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...]
‘Van Halen Breaks Up’ – The Fan-Made 1984 Documentary Episode 5
The final episode of 'The Van Halen Fan-Made 1984 Documentary' has arrived! After six albums and millions of concert tickets, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen split. Did David Lee Roth quit? Was he fired, or neither? The original Van Halen lineup ended, and the band underwent significant changes with Hagar's arrival, signifying a new chapter in their music career. (This … [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...]