On this day in 1978, a very young Van Halen was filmed during an interview in London for the Australian TV show, Countdown. This is the earliest Van Halen video interview that has ever surfaced online, and it's an ABSOLUTE GEM! Enjoy! Watch the interview, embedded above. … [Read more...]
Van Halen 1978 Archive
Ted Templeman: ‘If I’d Tried to Put Sammy Hagar in Van Halen in 1977, I’d Have Made the Biggest Mistake in Rock History’
One of the biggest misconceptions some people have about Van Halen's early history is that they believe the band's original producer, Ted Templeman, wanted to replace singer David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar before recording their first album. This isn't true. Or, at least, it wasn't true for more than a moment of time. To set the record straight, here's a short excerpt … [Read more...]
Van Halen Plays Amsterdam As Hometown Heroes, 1978 (Photos & Audio)
On this day in 1978, Van Halen played the Amsterdam Paradiso, their third European show of their first world tour, after playing Poperinge (Belgium) and Delft (Holland). At this show a lot of the brothers' Dutch family were present. It was the first and only time their parents returned to Holland after their emigration in 1962. Below, enjoy photos and an audio recording … [Read more...]
Discover The Stories Behind Van Halen’s Debut Album (Podcast)
The Van Halen News Desk’s Eric Senich is going back to the classic Van Halen catalog once more for the latest episode of his classic rock podcast DISCovery. Just recently he revisited the ten-million plus selling ‘1984’ album. this time he’s digging deep into another diamond-selling album, the one that started it all – their iconic self-titled debut from 1978. “You cannot … [Read more...]
Fan Poll Results: ‘Van Halen’ Songs Ranked
Yesterday, on the 42nd anniversary on Van Halen's debut album, we conducted a fan poll asking everyone to rank all the songs on the album. The poll, which is now closed, allowed people to drag-and-drop the song titles into their own personal order of how they ranked. The poll would not allow anyone to vote more than once (unless they used a different computer). There were … [Read more...]
RANK THE SONGS on Van Halen’s Debut Album
Updated Feb 11th: HERE ARE THE RESULTS! Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Van Halen's first album! Today only, WE WANT YOU to RANK THE SONGS on Van Halen's ultra-popular debut album! Taste, especially in art and music, is subjective. Music critics rank songs based on performance and originality, while diehard fans go more by how the song made them feel when they … [Read more...]
Unearthed Van Halen! ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’ ALTERNATE Vocal & Solo!
This is amazing! Just leaked less than an hour ago... listen to an ALTERNATE TAKE of Van Halen's absolute classic, "Runnin' with the Devil"! This alternate track was taken from the original 24-track recording session. Hear an alternate Diamond David Lee Roth lead vocal track for this Van Halen classic. Enjoy an extended guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen, as well! Listen … [Read more...]
Warner Bros. Promo Men Reveal Stories Behind The Rise Of Van Halen (Podcast)
We discovered a really cool podcast that interviewed former Warner Bros. promo guys talking about Van Halen's early days and how they promoted the first album. They shared some fun stories from Van Halen's first year on tour, and some later VH stories, as well. Enjoy. It’s the winter of 1978. Disco music has invaded the music charts. Is there no end in sight? Can rock and … [Read more...]
‘Van Halen: The Japanese Singles 1978-1984’ Vinyl Box Set Coming Soon – Exclusive Contest
Warner Records is releasing a new Van Halen vinyl box set comprised of 13 singles the band released in Japan between 1978 and 1984. 'The Japanese Singles 1978-1984' will be made up of thirteen 7” vinyls, complete with replicas of the original sleeve artwork. The release date is Nov. 1, 2019. WIN A TEST PRESSING: Van Halen Store has a very cool EXCLUSIVE CONTEST for this … [Read more...]
Anniversary of Amazing Footage: Van Halen in Fresno, 1978!
Screen capture from the 1978 footage, embedded below Van Halen's first world tour absolutely STUNNED unsuspecting audiences around the world. Watch INCREDIBLE audience-filmed footage from that tour below! On September 22nd, 1978, Van Halen performed at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. On this special night, Van Halen owned the stage. Thanks to a very clever … [Read more...]
Watch ‘IN YOUR FACE – The Neil Zlozower Story’ – For FREE
Watch the ENTIRE film here, for free! The award winning documentary, "IN YOUR FACE - The Neil Zlozower Story" is finally available to be seen for FREE. (It was formerly available on various platforms for paid viewing, but now it's for FREE, exclusively on YouTube. Watch the entire film above. It's a MUST-SEE for everyone who loves rock ’n’ roll, and particularly rock … [Read more...]
Groupies Disguised As Maids & The Legendary Disco Ball Broken Nose Concert: More Van Halen Stories On ‘The Roth Show’
Pretty maids all in a row, go on and set ‘em up. Wait a second…you’re not really maids? David Lee Roth shared a few more stories from his days of rock ‘n’ roll excess with Van Halen during two recent episodes of his podcast this week. The first was all about a moment on the band’s first tour, in 1978. Prior to the tour, Roth said the band’s manager, Noel Monk, warned the … [Read more...]