The author of Van Halen Rising has unearthed yet another never heard recording! Listen to a very young Van Halen covering "All The Way" by KISS, live at Pasadena High School on April 25, 1975! Listen to the recording, embedded above. Eddie Van Halen — the youngest member of the band — was only 20 years old! For the full, untold story of VH’s rise to fame, check out the … [Read more...]
Van Halen Covers The Kinks: “All Day and All of the Night” (Unearthed SOUNDBOARD)!
This is fantastic! Listen to a 1976 Soundboard recording of Van Halen covering The Kinks' showing off their cover band chops this mega-rare, newly unearthed recording, live at the Pasadena Civic on November 19, 1976. Van Halen's cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" is so epic that we've always wanted to hear them cover another Kinks song — especially “All Day and All … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Van Halen’s Cover of The Beatles’ “Drive My Car”
Listen to Van Halen showing off their cover band chops this mega-rare, newly unearthed recording, live on the Sunset Strip circa 1976, at Gazzarri's. We thought we'd never hear Van Halen covering The Beatles' "Drive My Car!" For the full, untold story of VH's rise to fame, check out the forthcoming book Van Halen Rising. The book's author, Greg Renoff, has uploaded … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Van Halen’s Live Cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Tomorrow’s Dream’
Leave it to the author of 'Van Halen Rising' to dig up a never heard cool moment in VH's sonic history. Think you've already heard all VH's club days recordings? Not this one. "To say thank you for all of the pre-orders of author-signed copies of Van Halen Rising from the Van Halen Store, I have a special surprise for everyone on this VIP list: a super-rare Van Halen live … [Read more...]
‘VAN HALEN RISING’: The VHND Review
Greg Renoff’s Forthcoming Book on Van Halen's Formative Years a Mammoth Achievement Let us guess — you're one of those people who thinks they know everything about Van Halen, right? You don't. At least not until you've read "Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal," the forthcoming book by historian and self-proclaimed Van Halen … [Read more...]
The ‘VAN HALEN RISING’ Manifesto
This never before published photo of a 19-year-old Edward Van Halen was was taken by Elizabeth Wiley in her garage on Maiden Lane in Altadena around the spring of 1974. This is Van Halen pre-Michael Anthony. Mark Stone was still the bassist. VH was now a quartet, as their keyboard player had just left band. This photo captures the young band rehearsing, as they did four hours … [Read more...]
‘VAN HALEN RISING’ is Coming!
Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal is a new book coming this October that solely focuses on Van Halen’s incredible rise during the ‘70s. We have an advance copy, and trust us — this book is absolutely loaded with wild and interesting details on Van Halen’s beginnings that even the most knowledgeable fans have never heard. It's … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Shares his Musical Journey at Smithsonian Event (Video)
Eight years ago today, the legendary Edward Van Halen appeared at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., headlining an event that was part of the national “What It Means to Be American” program. The three-year initiative is aimed at engaging leading public thinkers and Americans in all walks of life to explore how the nation has become what it … [Read more...]
Van Halen: A Musical And Visual Tsunami
Pete Angelus, Van Halen's lighting director and creative consultant from 1977-1985, shares his story of meeting the band at the Whisky a Go Go, and riding the wave of The Mighty Van Halen... In the Beginning... It was approximately 1977 when I first met Van Halen at the Whisky a Go Go. This was before they had a record deal or any actual fans other than the … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s Early Days at Gazzarri’s—As Told by The Band, Bill Gazzarri, Rodney Bingenheimer, and Childhood Friends
In April of 1974, Van Halen hit the Sunset Strip, playing their first shows at Gazzarri's! MUST-READ: Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Bill Gazzarri, Rodney Bingenheimer, and childhood friends discuss Van Halen's formative years playing Gazzarri's on the infamous Sunset Strip (1974-1976). .Bill Gazzarri: Van Halen was the best band that ever … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Rehearsals, 1974
Van Halen practicing in 1974, soon after Michael Anthony joined the band, and not long after they scored their first gig on the Sunset Strip. “All Access” Photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we feature a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many are never-seen-before exclusives. Tune in every weekend for more! … [Read more...]
Exclusive: David Lee Roth on Van Halen’s “College of Musical Knowledge” (Audio)
David Lee Roth was inspired by our article 40 Years Ago Today – Van Halen Hits the Sunset Strip! so much so that he sent us an exclusive audio describing how important it was for Van Halen to spend years playing Gazzarris in the mid seventies. He calls it their "college of musical knowledge." Listen to Dave's 5-minute recording above. Big thanks to Diamond Dave for sharing … [Read more...]