Guitar World magazine's Sept 2010 issue listed the 30 coolest guitarists of all time, in no particular order. They featured a classic photo by Neil Zlozower of Eddie showing off his rarely seen Snake/Dragon guitar. Here's what Guitar World said about Eddie: EDDIE VAN HALEN BORN: January 26, 1955 BAND: Van Halen ICONIC GUITAR: Homemade "Frankenstein" Strat COOLEST RIFF: … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Gary Cherone on Hurtsmile, Extreme, and Van Halen’s “Vaults Of Music”
Gary Cherone recently talked to Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles about his new band Hurtsmile (which has a record out and available at iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy, etc), Extreme's future, and Van Halen's "vaults of music" and what he thought of their last two tours with Sammy and Dave. The Van Halen segment is below. For the full interview, check out Bravewords.com. Cherone … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein on cover of Guitar Legends “Most Iconic guitars” issue
Besides making into the Smithsonian, Edward Van Halen's homemade Frankenstein guitar made it onto the cover of the latest Guitar Legends issue, "100 Of The World's Most Iconic Guitars." Here's an small excerpt from the extensive article: Should Edward Van Halen ever decide to auction off his original Frankenstein guitar, conservative estimates are that it will set an … [Read more...]
National Museum of American History Receives Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstein Replica” Guitar
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has recently acquired the Van Halen "Frank 2" guitar played and made famous by Eddie Van Halen through a partnership donation with Fender Musical Instruments. The guitar was made in 2006 as part of a joint venture between the artist and Fender to produce a limited edition number of guitars for the EVH brand. Known as the … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony “Excited to Hear” News of Van Halen Recording
From ABC News Radio: Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony says he's "excited" that his former band are releasing new material. Producer John Shanks recently tweeted the message "Here we go kids...VH," signifying that the band is finally starting to record a new album. Anthony said, "I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll do," adding that he has "no hard feelings" … [Read more...]
The story behind the classic 1980 David Lee Roth poster by Helmut Newton
When Van Halen's Women And Children First was released on March 26th, 1980, a three-foot black and white poster of David Lee Roth, bound to a chain-link fence, was included in the first million pressings. The photograph was taken by famed fashion photographer Helmut Newton. It was used for shock value. Many fans are unaware of the story behind this very rare, classic … [Read more...]
Mashup: Lady Gaga vs. Van Halen
Mash-up by Jonny Dex / Art Dust Productions: Lady Van HaGaga performing "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Poker" (Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" & Lady Gaga's "Poker Face") … [Read more...]
Summer Lovin’: The Top 10 Songs to Cure the Winter Blues
From Gibson.com: Some of us are freezing in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere. For those readers, here are some songs to warm you up with thoughts of sunshine. For those of us partying by the pool in the southern hemisphere, here’s your summer soundtrack. 10. "Kokomo" - The Beach Boys 9. "Sunshine Superman" - Donovan 8. "Summer in the City" - The Lovin' … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Eddie Van Halen!
Edward Van Halen turns 56 today. Ed has given the world a gift, three decades of musical genius. His approach to the guitar has given birth to an entire generation of guitar players who look at the guitar as an instrument with unlimited possibilities. He introduced a myriad of new styles and sounds that will be scrutinized for decades. It all started in Amsterdam, … [Read more...]
Classic Van Halen footage from “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”
Rock music promoter and producer Don Kirshner died last week of heart failure in Boca Raton, Florida, at the age of 76. Don was one of the people that helped put Van Halen on the map. His syndicated series,"Don Kirshner's Rock Concert," featured live performances of Van Halen from their 1979 and 1981 tours, which is the earliest professionally filmed live footage of Van Halen … [Read more...]
Producer John Shanks Confirms Working With Van Halen
The Van Halen News Desk was the first to report last December that Van Halen were to record a new studio album with Grammy Award winning producer John Shanks in January, 2011. Shanks confirmed this with a tweet late Thursday night, "here we go kids.....vh" followed by tweeting this photo he took from the studio: Last week, Shanks tweeted the hint: "going back to … [Read more...]
Reissue Review: Van Halen II, Women and Children First, 1984 — 180 Gram Rhino Vinyl
From myvinylreview.blogspot.com: Rhino continues their Van Halen vinyl reissue program with the release of three more titles: Van Halen II, Women and Children First, and 1984. Their 2009 vinyl reissue of the self-titled debut, Van Halen on 180 gram vinyl, proved superb--and turned out to be a re-pressing of the now out-of-print DCC vinyl reissue, mastered by Steve … [Read more...]