By the year 1984, the synth era of rock music had reached its peak. Bands would at the very least incorporate the instrument to complement a song or two. More often than not, it paid off with commercial success. When it came to Van Halen's 1984 album, it was clear with the singles "Jump" and "I'll Wait" that Edward Van Halen was looking to do much more than add a touch of … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar: Alex Van Halen Ignoring The Second Era Of Van Halen Is ‘Blasphemy’ To Brother Edward’s Legacy
Sammy Hagar believes Alex Van Halen is not giving his brother Edward's musical legacy the justice it deserves by ignoring the Hagar era of Van Halen. Hagar's comments came after he posted a picture of himself and Edward from 1991 on Instagram. One fan posted: “My dad always said the Roth days were about the party; the Sammy days were about the music.” Another follower wrote: … [Read more...]
The Sammy Hagar Solo Track That Almost Made It To Van Halen’s ‘OU812’ Album
Sammy Hagar's solo song "Eagles Fly" could have ended up on Van Halen's 1988 album OU812 but it was voted down by Alex Van Halen. In a recent episode of his Storytime YouTube series, Hagar recalled how the song was initially introduced to the Van Halen brothers. “I’m at the studio,” Hagar explained. “I’m playing it for Ed, and Alex is … [Read more...]
John 5 On Van Halen’s ’78 Debut: ‘Without These Four Guys, It Wouldn’t Be The Same’
John 5 recently recalled the "shock" of hearing Van Halen's 1978 debut album for the first time. "I bought [Van Halen I] from the cover alone, because it said 'Gene Simmons', and he worked on the record," said the Mötley Crüe guitarist during a recent appearance on AXS TV's Vinyl Obsession podcast. "And I remember putting this on, and I think maybe this record was the one … [Read more...]
System Of A Down Drummer John Dolmayan: ‘Van Halen Was Kind Of Like A Merging Of AC/DC & Led Zeppelin’
System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan says Van Halen was one of the few bands who could be inspired by Led Zeppelin yet still create their own sound. "I wanted to play drums before I knew who Van Halen was but Van Halen introduced a different style," Dolmayan said during a recent appearance on The Paltrocast. "I guess you could say some of the drumming was derivative of … [Read more...]