Trevor Rabin says he could have produced a Van Halen album in the 80s but declined the offer due to commitments with his band Yes. In a recent episode of the Paltrocast, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was asked by host Darren Paltrowitz if he has ever worked with a member of Van Halen. "They asked me to produce them years ago when Sammy [Hagar] was in the band," … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen
David Lee Roth Opens Up In Candid 2019 Interview
The Tapes Archive channel has just made available a 2019 interview featuring a candid look inside the enigmatic mind of David Lee Roth. From The Tapes Archive: Last week, we released an interview with David Lee Roth from 1984. This week, we are releasing another Roth interview, but 35 years later. We go from the height of Roth’s Van Halen career to his twilight … [Read more...]
Van Halen Remastered Boxed Sets Now Shipping!
Sammy & Mike are enjoying the new Van Halen Boxed Sets. Van Halen Store is finished shipping the Boxed Sets to all the people who pre-ordered, and now they're shipping them to all the NEW orders! So order yours RIGHT NOW! They'll ship it immediately, and you'll be among the first to own them. (The official release date is this Friday, Oct. 6th). And just a heads … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar & Michael Anthony On The “Deepest” Van Halen Deep Track: ‘Crossing Over’ [VIDEO]
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...]
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
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 interview posted to the Tape Op … [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...]