The entire 45 minute "Song To Soul" Van Halen Japan TV Special that aired yesterday on on BS-TBS can be viewed below. It contains exclusive interviews with David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, Ted Templeman (producer of the first six Van Halen albums), Brad Tolinski (Guitar World Editor in Chief) and Margo Nahas (creator of 1984 album cover). The interview with … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
The Art and Science of the World’s Most Legendary Electric Guitar Innovator
Guitar Center's new interview with EVH: Eddie Van Halen The art and science of the world's most legendary electric guitar innovator Van Halen burst onto the scene in 1978. Bombastic, high-energy and over-the-top, they were the ideal group to take hard rock from the late-seventies into the early-eighties and beyond. With radio-friendly hooks and harmonies, they merged … [Read more...]
Top Summertime Van Halen Songs
There's no time like the Summertime, and there's no music like Van Halen. The two go together like an ice cold Corona and a slice of lime. We think of Van Halen as kind of an American Led Zeppelin, but with an an added dose of humor and attitude. Another unique attribute which sets them apart from other rock bands is their almost Beach Boys-esque backing vocals, which helped … [Read more...]
1982 – The Year In Van Halen History
An Analysis of the Diver Down album and "Hide Your Sheep" Tour By Scott Essman This year marks the 30th anniversary of Diver Down, Van Halen's fifth album. Some are quick to criticize the album because it contains several covers. However, Diver Down had moments that matched the brilliance of nearly anything the band has released, and 1982 was one of the most spectacular … [Read more...]
Upcoming Japanese Van Halen TV Special to Contain New Interviews
We have some exclusive details about the upcoming Van Halen Japanese TV Special airing next week. Here's everything we know: *It will be broadcast in Japan, Tuesday, August 7th on BS-TBS. It is part of the SONG TO SOUL series. The entire show focuses on Van Halen's #1 hit, "Jump." *The show is nearly one hour long - much longer than other "Song to Soul" episodes. *All … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Talks Bass
Yesterday we featured an excerpt from Guitar World's recent interview with Wolfgang Van Halen (August 2012 issue) where he describes the birth of the new Van Halen album, "A Different Kind Of Truth." The following is another excerpt where Wolfgang talks bass, influences, and more. Interview by Chris Gill. The current version of Van Halen is to music what a street rod is to … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Describes the Birth of “A Different Kind of Truth”
The following is an excerpt from Guitar World’s recent interview with Wolfgang Van Halen. The full interview can be found in the August issue. As impressive as Wolfgang's playing and singing is, what's even more extraordinary is how his addition to the band has given Van Halen a new vitality. While it seems like a miracle that "A Different Kind Of Truth" was even made, what … [Read more...]
Van Halen Retrospective 1978-2012 Fan-Made Video
This Van Halen video is a retrospective of their entire career, made by lennonfan101((*J*)). Don't let the words "fan-made" turn you off... he did a great job and it's worth watching! Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s “Jump” Voted Most Popular Sporting Song
From NME.com: Van Halen's "Jump" has been voted as the most popular sporting song in a new poll. PRS for Music, the organization which collects royalties on behalf of 90,000 songwriters and performers, polled its members to find out what the most popular sporting song was in the run up to the Olympics. The Top 20 also includes "The Winner Takes It All" by ABBA, "Eye of the … [Read more...]
Van Halen “Unchained” 1982 Lip-Sync
Here's a rare treat. A little-known clip of Van Halen lip-syncing "Unchained" for Spanish TV which aired in 1982. Keep in mind that seeing Van Halen on TV was something that almost never happened back then. And when you did actually get to see a great rock band on TV, it was often a lip-sync performance, which was standard practice, since the TV studios usually didn’t have … [Read more...]
Watch Van Halen’s First Unplugged Performance from This Day in 1993
Updated 11/6/2016: We've just updated this article with professionally filmed video of this complete performance On this day in 1993 (Nov. 6th), Sammy Hagar and Edward Van Halen performed together at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit concert in California. Professionally shot footage of the five-song performance can be viewed below. Here's the recap we wrote way back … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa’s Ongoing Tribute To Van Halen
When Dweezil Zappa's "Zappa Plays Zappa" tour hit Raleigh, NC, Earlier this month, Zappa shared the story of how he met Eddie Van Halen, much like when he shared the story during his tour three years ago. This time he played "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" as well as "Eruption". From Raleighmusic.com: There was a musical aside when Dweezil grabbed a black guitar with yellow … [Read more...]