   #copyright

Van Halen

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Performers and composers

               Van Halen
        Background information
   Origin       Pasadena, California, USA
   Genre(s)     Hard rock
   Years active 1974—present
   Label(s)     Warner Bros.
   Website      Official VH Website
                Members
   Edward Van Halen
   Wolfgang Van Halen
   Alex Van Halen
            Former members
   David Lee Roth
   Sammy Hagar
   Gary Cherone
   Michael Anthony

   Van Halen is an American hard rock band. The band's first studio album,
   Van Halen, released in 1978 is commonly regarded as a milestone in rock
   music. With this first release, the band established itself as a leader
   in the emerging and commercially successful U.S. hard rock and heavy
   metal genres of the 1980s. In particular, the band's guitarist, Eddie
   Van Halen, quickly gained widespread fame for his technical prowess and
   musical sensibility. Almost overnight, he was touted as one of the most
   innovative and influential American rock and roll guitarists.

   From 1978 to 1998 the band released 11 studio albums (all of which
   broke the Top 20 spot of the Billboard 200 music charts). The band has
   sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and has received several
   Grammy nominations. Van Halen is listed in the Guinness Book of World
   Records with the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock
   List. According to the Recording Industry Association of America Van
   Halen is #19 on the list of Top Selling Artists of all time (having
   sold more than 56 million albums in the U.S.). Van Halen is one of
   seven rock groups that have had two albums sell more than 10 million
   copies in the U.S. (the others being: Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Pink Floyd,
   Metallica, Def Leppard, and The Beatles).

   In addition to being recognized for their artistic contributions,
   commercial success and popularity, the band is known for drama
   surrounding the lead singer spot. Although the core instrumentalists
   and backing vocals have remained constant ( Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van
   Halen and Michael Anthony), the band has recorded studio albums with
   three different lead vocalists: David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary
   Cherone. Each vocalist has departed (at least once) under cloudy
   circumstances. Following their 2004 concert tour the band was on hiatus
   until September 2006 when on the Howard Stern Show, Edward Van Halen
   confirmed that his son, Wolfgang was in the band and that they were
   recording new material. Michael Anthony has also stated that as of
   November 6, 2006, he was not invited to participate in any reunion
   activity.

Members

Current Line-Up

     * Edward Van Halen - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
     * Alex Van Halen - drums, percussion
     * Wolfgang Van Halen - bass, backing vocals
     * David Lee Roth - lead vocals

Past Members

     * Michael Anthony - bass, backing vocals
     * Sammy Hagar - lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1985-1996, 2004-2006)
     * Gary Cherone - lead vocals (1997-1999)

Band Line-ups

    (1974-1985)
                   * David Lee Roth - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Michael Anthony - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

   (1985 - 1996)
                   * Sammy Hagar - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Michael Anthony - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

   (1996 - 1997)
                   * David Lee Roth - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Michael Anthony - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

    (1997-1999)
                   * Gary Cherone - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Michael Anthony - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

   (2004 - 2006)
                   * Sammy Hagar - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Michael Anthony - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

      (2007)
                   * David Lee Roth [rumored] - lead vocals
                   * Eddie Van Halen - guitar
                   * Wolfgang Van Halen - bass
                   * Alex Van Halen - drums

History

   The band was formed in 1974 and was originally called Mammoth. When
   they discovered that another local band was already using that name
   they decided on a new one. It was actually Roth who suggested Van Halen
   as the new name for the group. The Van Halen brothers initially didn't
   like the idea, but eventually warmed up to it. Roth stated in his
   autobiography, "I felt that the name Van Halen was like the name
   Santana, it had power to it."

   The band became a staple act on California's Sunset Strip during the
   mid-1970s, consistently playing at well known clubs such as the Whisky
   a Go Go. In 1977 Gene Simmons, of the rock band KISS, saw one of Van
   Halen's shows and subsequently financed their first demo tape. Simmons
   wanted to change the band's name to Daddy Longlegs and had designed
   cover art (a daddy longlegs wearing a top hat), but the band disagreed
   and stuck with Van Halen.

(1978-1985) with David Lee Roth ("The Golden Years")

   With Ted Templeman at the helm, the band moved into the studio and
   quickly recorded their first album. Simply titled Van Halen, the album
   was released to immediate commercial success, reaching #19 on the
   Billboard pop music charts. All of the tracks were laid down very
   quickly (about three weeks), with little over-dubbing or double
   tracking. Minor mistakes were left on the record and a very simple
   musical set-up was used to give the record an almost-live feel. After
   adding vocals, the album was essentially ready to be mixed. Despite the
   simple studio set-up, Van Halen featured innovations in musical
   technique, production, and arrangement.

   The first album, one of rock's most commercially successful debuts, is
   widely regarded as one of the most influential rock albums ever
   produced. While it included original songs by the band, such as " Ain't
   Talkin' 'Bout Love," " Eruption," and " Runnin' With The Devil," the
   album also featured covers of the Kinks' song "You Really Got Me" and
   John Brim's "Ice Cream Man." The band toured for nearly a year on the
   basis of Van Halen, establishing their reputation as a talented and
   exciting live band. The early chemistry of the band was based upon the
   interplay of Eddie Van Halen's technical wizardry and David Lee Roth's
   flamboyant antics (a contrast that would later erupt into full-blown
   conflict). They returned to the studio in 1979 for Van Halen II,
   similar in style to their debut. This album yielded the band's first
   hit single, the poppy "Dance The Night Away."

   Over the next four years, the band alternated album releases and
   touring to increasing commercial and critical acclaim. By 1980, Van
   Halen was perhaps the world's most successful and influential hard rock
   band (a legacy the band sustained throughout their career; in 2000, VH1
   cited Van Halen as #7 on their list, "100 Greatest Artists of Hard
   Rock"). Their party-loving spirit and hard rocking anthem-like sound
   made them extremely popular with teenagers and the worst nightmare for
   parents. Their third album Women and Children First was released in
   1980, further cementing Van Halen's status as an elite rock group with
   such loud and popular songs as " And The Cradle Will Rock" and "
   Everybody Wants Some!!". In 1981, during the recording of their fourth
   album, Fair Warning, tensions began to rise within the band. Eddie Van
   Halen's desire to experiment with more serious songs and complex
   structures was at odds with Roth's pop instincts and increasingly
   cartoonish, irony-laden persona. Although Roth (and producer Templeman)
   acquiesced to Eddie's wishes, Fair Warning was a relative sales
   disappointment, yielding no hit singles. The following album, Diver
   Down, featured a hit cover of Roy Orbison's classic rock and roll song
   " Oh, Pretty Woman". After a successful tour to support Diver Down, Van
   Halen became the highest paid music group for a single appearance,
   earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for their
   inebriated, $1 million, 90-minute set at the US Festival in 1983. (This
   record was eventually eclipsed in the 1990s.)

   Van Halen's next album, 1984 (released on January 9, 1984) was their
   commercial and, many claim, artistic pinnacle. Recorded at Eddie Van
   Halen's newly built 5150 Studios, the album was also a breaking point
   for the original line-up. Keyboards, previously heard only rarely, were
   now fully integrated into the band's sound. The album's lead single, "
   Jump", featured a bouncy synthesizer hook and anthemic lyrics by Roth.
   "Jump" became the band's first and only #1 pop hit and resulted in the
   band's first Grammy nomination. The other huge hits off the album were
   "Panama," "I'll Wait," and "Hot For Teacher." Many of the songs also
   became major music videos on MTV, especially "Hot For Teacher," which
   featured a skimpily dressed model playing the part of elementary-school
   teacher and also school-age boys portraying younger versions of the
   band members. The video appealed to numerous teenage and college-aged
   males. The album 1984 was praised by critics and fans alike, peaking at
   #2 on the Billboard charts behind Thriller by Michael Jackson (Eddie
   Van Halen played the guitar solo on the hit song " Beat It," on that
   album). In the midst of their greatest commercial success and tour, the
   artistic and personal tensions between the musicians reached a breaking
   point. Roth was upset about Eddie Van Halen playing with artists and
   bands outside of the band, and Eddie was upset at Roth for his
   continuous flamboyant behaviour and cartoonish stage persona. Roth
   exited the band on April 1, 1985.

(1985-1996) with Sammy Hagar ("Van Hagar")

   In search of a new lead singer, Eddie Van Halen first offered the
   position to Patty Smyth of Scandal, who turned down the offer. The band
   was then introduced to singer/guitarist/song-writer Sammy Hagar. Hagar
   (who sang lead vocals for the band Montrose in the early '70s) was at
   that time a solo artist coming off a very successful year (his 1984
   album VOA had yielded the hit single "I Can't Drive 55'" that peaked at
   #26 on the pop charts). Late in 1985 Hagar agreed to join the band and
   a new era began for Van Halen.

   The album 5150, released on March 24, 1986, was an immediate smash hit.
   Driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love?", "
   Dreams" and "Love Walks In," it became the band's first release to
   reach #1 on the Billboard album charts. Filled out with diverse songs
   ranging from the near thrash of "Get Up" and party rock of "Summer
   Nights" and "Good Enough," to the more introspective "Best Of Both
   Worlds" and an EVH guitar tour de force on the title track, 5150 is
   generally considered the strongest album of the "Hagar era."

   The next ten years with Sammy Hagar were marked by two somewhat
   opposing trends: expansion of the band's commercial success amid
   increasing fan resentment over Roth's departure. Hagar's style enabled
   Van Halen to become accessible to a wider audience, with lyrics that
   were more conventional and refined. Eddie's keyboard work brought a
   wider variety of sonic textures within each song, and the production
   was altered toward the pop side, and the songs became longer: During
   the Roth era, Van Halen songs rarely stretched beyond three and a half
   minutes, and some albums struggled to cross the thirty minute mark,
   generally considered the minimum duration of a full length album; with
   Hagar, songs began to last more than five minutes. The result was
   markedly different from the hard charging, rollicking riffs of the
   group's earlier work, and Eddie's trademark guitar sound was now rarely
   heard without many digital effects. Die-hard "old Van Halen" fans
   referred derisively to the new "Van Hagar" sound as "soft" or "fluffy"
   compared with the raucous, raw sound of the Roth era. The sound of pop
   and hard rock coming together created a new sound for Van Halen, more
   pop oriented.

   During Hagar's tenure, the band established a musical formula that
   proved commercially successful in the United States. All four studio
   albums produced during this period reached #1 on the Billboard pop
   music charts. Also during this time, 17 singles breached the top 12 of
   the mainstream rock tracks chart. In addition, Van Halen was nominated
   for two Grammy Awards, winning the 1991 Best Hard Rock Performance with
   Vocal award for the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Van Halen
   continued to enjoy tremendous popular success throughout the mid-90's,
   while many other trends and bands fell from favour, overtaken by
   anti-establishment " Grunge Music."

   During the recording of their contribution to the film Twister,
   escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled over
   publicly as Hagar departed on Father's Day, 1996. Hagar claimed that he
   was fired; Eddie Van Halen claimed that Hagar quit. The media storm
   surrounding the dramatic exit of Hagar helped him to immediately
   restart his solo career. However, the publicity wasn't helpful for Van
   Halen, only serving to shine a bright light on the vacant lead singer
   spot. The commercial success that Van Halen reached with Sammy Hagar
   set high expectations, and fans everywhere were watching and waiting
   for the band's next move.

(1996-1997) Reunion with David Lee Roth

   Soon after Hagar's departure, David Lee Roth re-entered the studio with
   the Van Halen brothers, Michael Anthony, and producer Glen Ballard. Two
   songs from those sessions were added to the band's Greatest Hits album
   (with the Roth single "Me Wise Magic" reaching #1 on the mainstream
   rock chart; the album The Best Of Van Halen, Vol. 1 was #1 on the pop
   charts). However, Eddie and Alex were still auditioning other singers —
   among them unknown singer Mitch Malloy. Malloy would reveal years later
   that, during this time, Eddie had hired him for the job. By September,
   however, David Lee Roth and the rest of the band were asked to present
   an award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. On September 4, 1996, the
   four original members of Van Halen made their first public appearance
   together in over eleven years, presenting an award at the 1996 MTV
   Video Music Awards. This appearance was greeted with a standing
   ovation, and fueled hopeful speculation for a reunion tour. However,
   old wounds were reopened; while doing backstage interviews with the
   media, Roth told Eddie not to talk about personal issues such as
   Eddie's hip replacement. According to Eddie, Roth was very rude and
   self-centered, causing the relationship between them to sour once
   again. Mitch Malloy revealed several years later that immediately after
   the awards, he told Eddie that he did not want to be the lead singer of
   Van Halen because the public appearance with Dave made it impossible
   for any other singer to be successful with the group. Several weeks
   after the awards show, the public and media became aware that Roth
   would not be reuniting with the band. At this time, Roth released a
   media statement where he apologized to the media and the fans, stating
   that he was an unwitting participant in a publicity stunt perpetrated
   by the Van Halens and Ray Daniels (their manager) in order to sell more
   copies of the Greatest Hits album. The next day, Eddie and Alex Van
   Halen released their own statement, stressing that they were completely
   honest with Roth and never led him to believe that he was guaranteed to
   be the next lead singer..

(1997-1999) with Gary Cherone

   Continuing their search Van Halen approached former Little Angels
   singer Toby Jepson who declined and so the band recruited Gary Cherone,
   the frontman of the defunct Boston-based band Extreme. The result of
   their collaboration was the experimental Van Halen III. Many songs were
   longer and more ethereal ("Once"), more thought-provoking ("How Many
   Say I," with Eddie on vocals), or were just plain different ("From
   Afar," "Josephina"). These changes alienated many existing Van Halen
   fans who were followers of Roth's and Hagar's hard rock sound while
   failing to attract a new audience. Sales were lackluster compared to
   those of previous albums — yet the VHIII album peaked at #4 on the
   charts (it was Gold certified), and produced a #1 Mainstream Rock Track
   hit, "Without You". However, no tracks from the album ever appeared on
   the pop music charts. A left over track entitled "That's Why I Love
   You" found its way onto the internet, leaving fans to wonder why it
   didn't make the album. Van Halen also contributed a song to the Lethal
   Weapon 4 soundtrack with the title "Fire In The Hole."

   In early 1999, the band started work on the follow up to III with
   Cherone on vocals, rumored working title to be "Love Again". Working
   titles of demo tracks included "Left for Dead," "River Wide," "Say
   Uncle," "You Wear it Well," "More Than Yesterday," "I Don't Miss
   You...Much," "Love Divine," and "From Here, Where Do We Go?". However,
   the album was not completed and Cherone left the band amicably in
   November 1999.

(2000-2004) Four years of silence

   From 2000 to early 2004, no albums were released and no official
   information was provided to fans about the future of the band. However,
   information about individual members, past and present, trickled in.
   Some highlights:
     * During 2000, the band secretly started working with David Lee Roth,
       a number of new tracks were worked on at 5150. However, Roth and
       the band fell out yet again and no new material was released.
     * In 1999, Eddie Van Halen reluctantly had hip replacement surgery
       (when the pain became unbearable). He also underwent cancer
       treatment soon after (at the Mayo Clinic) and announced his
       complete recovery on the official website in May 2002.
     * On October 15, 2001, Eddie and his wife of 21 years, actress
       Valerie Bertinelli, separated. The couple filed for divorce on
       December 8, 2005. Eddie keeps out of the public eye but appears at
       the LAPD charity golf tournament during May 2001. His only live
       performances during this period were joining Mountain on stage for
       a rendition of "Never in My Life" in August 2002, and a private
       audience jam at NAMM January 2003. Eddie only gave one official
       interview, with Maximum Golf Magazine, in July 2001.
     * Alex Van Halen continued to work with his brother on new material
       at their 5150 recording studio.
     * In 2002, Warner Bros. dropped Van Halen (still without a lead
       singer) from the label, after having released all of their albums
       since 1978.
     * Since his departure in 1985, David Lee Roth produced a number of
       albums and toured with his DLR band (his most recent release being
       an album of covers called Diamond Dave (2003)). In 2003, Roth
       brought a court action against Van Halen, their management, and
       record company claiming he was left out of 1996 royalty
       renegotiations. On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with the Boston
       Pops at Boston's annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration. As of
       2005, he has become a certified EMT, and as of January 2006, has
       replaced Howard Stern on several of Stern's terrestrial radio
       markets. He has since been let go from this position due to low
       ratings.
     * Sammy Hagar has remained active musically. Since his departure from
       Van Halen, he has released five albums. He also created his own
       merchandising brand Cabo Wabo, which lends its name to his popular
       line of tequila, as well as his franchise of cantinas located in
       Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In addition, he
       reunited with the original members of his '70s band Montrose in
       2003 and 2005 for a handful of performances. Hagar also maintains a
       good relationship with Michael Anthony and the two often play
       together.
     * Michael Anthony stays busy outside of Van Halen with various
       product merchandising projects (such as his signature Yamaha bass)
       and has a website. He is involved with the annual music industry
       NAMM Show.
     * Anthony has also released a statement on his official website
       denying rumors that he has been sacked by Van Halen.
     * Since his departure from Van Halen, Gary Cherone recorded an album
       and performed locally with his new band Tribe of Judah.
     * In the summer of 2002, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar teamed up for
       the Song For Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour
       (known tongue-in-cheek as the 'Sans-Halen' or 'Sam & Dave' Tour).
       It succeeded beyond expectations, drawing large crowds to outdoor
       auditoriums. In an interview, Roth contrasted his personality with
       Hagar's, saying "He's the kind of guy you go out with to split a
       bottle with a friend. I'm the kind of guy you go out with if you
       want to split your friend with a bottle." During that tour, Michael
       Anthony guested with Hagar's solo band, The Waboritas, but never
       played with Roth. Hagar released a live album (Hallelujah), which
       featured Mike (a few songs) and Gary (one song), and a documentary
       DVD, Long Road to Cabo, chronicling his tour with David Lee Roth.
     * During January 2003, the VHND (Van Halen News Desk) website
       reported a rumour that Sammy Hagar was secretly working with the
       band.

(2004-2005) Reunion with Sammy Hagar

   In late March 2004, Van Halen and Sammy Hagar announced that Hagar
   would reunite with the band for a Greatest Hits album release and a
   summer concert tour.

   In July 2004, Van Halen released their second Greatest Hits
   compilation, featuring three new songs with Hagar: "It's About Time",
   "Up For Breakfast", and "Learning to See." Again, public reaction to
   the new songs was mixed. The track list had changed since its
   unveiling, and now Hagar and Roth songs alternated instead of one disc
   for each singer; a disappointing strategy for fans who prefer (often
   strongly) one singer over the other. No VHIII songs made it onto the
   disc. Nevertheless, Van Halen's second Greatest Hits record would be
   certified platinum in August 2004.

   The summer tour grossed 55 million dollars, and Pollstar listed Van
   Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004. Most of the concerts
   received positive feedback from professional reviewers. However,
   serious problems surfaced. Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony would
   subsequently admit that Eddie Van Halen had problems with alcohol
   during the tour that affected everyone involved. Hagar stated that he
   was "done with Van Halen" and wished that everyone would have "taken it
   more seriously." It was also revealed in Rolling Stone magazine that
   promoters had lost money on the tour. Many fans complained that tickets
   were overpriced (sometimes exceeding $200), and only some shows were
   actually sold out. Reports of Eddie being drunk and playing poorly also
   circulated.

   After the tour ended, Van Halen once again disappeared. Hagar returned
   to his solo band The Waboritas, and Anthony appeared with him on tour
   occasionally. Eddie's collaboration with Peavey ended (for his
   signature 5150 guitar amplifier series, replaced with the 6505 amp, and
   Eddie is now endorsing Charvel, which is reissuing the EVH classic
   guitar models). As for 2005, no announcements had been made about the
   future of the band.

   In August 2005, Van Halen sued the Baltimore Orioles, claiming that the
   Orioles reneged on a deal to bring the band to Oriole Park at Camden
   Yards on September 2, 2004, which would have been the first concert at
   the otherwise baseball-only facility.

   On October 7, 2005, newsletter Popbitch reported that Van Halen would
   be seeking a new lead singer via a reality TV show similar to INXS's
   Rock Star: INXS. Although several other news sources picked up this
   story, eventually it turned out to be nothing more than a false rumor.

(Dec 2005 - Present) The Future of Van Halen

   December 22, 2005: Michael Anthony reveals during a radio interview
   with Mark & Brian that the band is yet again on hiatus and that he
   hasn't spoken to the Van Halen brothers for some time. He won't be
   drawn into any detailed questions regarding Eddie's sub-par
   performances on the 2004 tour or on the guitarist's plans for the
   future.

   January 3, 2006: David Lee Roth reveals during an interview with the
   Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he spoke to Alex Van Halen the previous
   week and a reunion with Van Halen is "inevitable". Moreover, Roth
   states in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he also has
   spoken to Eddie Van Halen recently, though he says "Eddie's off in his
   own world."

   January 21, 2006: Roth talks about the songs he recorded with Van Halen
   in 2000 during his radio show. He hints he has copies of the tracks and
   threatens to play them on the air.

   February 2006: A new Eddie Van Halen interview appears in the February
   edition of Hit Parader. He isn't asked any direct questions regarding
   the future of Van Halen but admits he was "satisfied" with the 2004
   reunion tour. Asked if any problems occurred with Sammy Hagar during
   the tour he answers, "Sammy is Sammy, and for the most part that's just
   fine with me."

   February 13, 2006: Various news and music Web sites report that Van
   Halen is indeed the band to be featured in a new TV series called
   Rockstar: The Series. The band's publicist, Larry Solters, is quoted as
   saying, "I'm not denying it. I'm not going to answer any questions
   about it."

   February 15, 2006: The New York Daily News runs a story with several
   quotes from Roth regarding a Van Halen reunion. "People want the
   reunion," Roth said. "No one will pay respect to what any of us do
   [musically] until we get the reunion out of the way." "Once Eddie (Van
   Halen) does that, everything else he does can be seen with a fresh
   eye."

   March 6, 2006: An exclusive and revealing Michael Anthony interview
   appeared in the Japanese rock magazine Burrn!. Some of the highlights
   included
     * The Van Halen brothers did not want Anthony to take part in the
       2004 reunion tour.
     * Anthony also received far less money than the rest of the band
       during the tour.
     * Eddie Van Halen had issues with Hagar selling Cabo Wabo products at
       Van Halen's 2004 shows.
     * The band had tried on three occasions to make a record with Roth.
     * During one reunion attempt, Roth wanted the band to play music
       similar to The Chemical Brothers.
     * Anthony did not play bass on any of the three new songs on The Best
       of Both Worlds compilation.
     * Anthony hasn't spoken to Eddie Van Halen since the 2004 tour,
       though he has spoken to Alex Van Halen at the funeral for Greg
       Emerson, a Van Halen drum tech.

   May 26, 2006: Roth, interviewed by Billboard.com, again insists a
   Classic Van Halen reunion will happen saying "I see it absolutely as an
   inevitability," and "There's contact between the two camps".

   June 3, 2006: Anthony and Hagar begin a summer tour, playing without
   the Van Halens.

   June 19, 2006: Edward and Alex Van Halen appear onstage with Kenny
   Chesney at the Home Depot Centre and perform Jump and You Really Got
   Me. This is the first appearance of the brothers onstage together since
   November 2004.

   July 19, 2006: Edward makes an appearance at the House of Petals in Los
   Angeles, playing mostly new material.

   July 27, 2006: News breaks that Eddie will be releasing brand new
   music, albeit in an unusual fashion. Michael Ninn, the acclaimed adult
   entertainment director, has teamed up with Eddie to produce two songs
   for Ninn's upcoming film, Sacred Sin. The tunes do not feature any
   other members of Van Halen.

   September 8, 2006: Howard Stern hosts a live interview with Edward Van
   Halen, the highlights were
     * Eddie's son Wolfgang, (who can play guitar, drums and sings) is now
       in Van Halen and Eddie says Michael Anthony can do whatever he
       wants.
     * Eddie is open to a reunion with Roth.
     * Eddie is about to embark on a solo album.
     * Eddie claims he cured the cancer in his tongue by means that are
       "illegal" in this country. There has been some speculation that
       crystal meth was the means he used. Further, Eddie claims that
       cigarettes did not cause his tongue cancer, and so despite having
       had a third of his tongue removed, he continues to smoke.

   September 11, 2006: Eddie Van Halen announced he was considering a
   reunion with David Lee Roth, as Roth previously stated it is inevitable
   to happen. Michael Anthony's part in this reunion is still undecided,
   as it was announced that he isn't in Van Halen anymore. :

   October 25, 2006: Melodicrock website announces that there are plans
   for a tour with David Lee Roth on vocals. No information in regards to
   Mike Anthony's status for the tour. Though Melodicrock has in the past
   reported things that were later proven untrue, they were also the first
   voice to announce Van Halen's reunion with Sammy Hagar, giving this
   announcement some creditability.

   October 30, 2006: Van Halen and R.E.M. lead the ballot for induction
   into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. It's the first time on
   the ballot for both acts, though Van Halen has been eligible for a few
   years.

   November 6, 2006: G4's TheFeed reports that Eddie Van Halen's
   spokesperson Janie Liszewski has revealed that VAN HALEN is currently
   writing and rehearsing for a summer 2007 tour. In addition, Liszewski
   has confirmed that Eddie's son Wolfgang has officially been named the
   new bassist in the band, replacing Michael Anthony. This was also
   confirmed on Billboard magazines website on November 9th. Van Halen's
   official website has not confirmed any of these statements, rendering
   them unofficial until the band itself makes an announcement in regards
   to their authenticity.

   In 2008, it will be the 30th anniversary of the band's debut album.

Influence on culture, music and business

   The David Lee Roth era remains Van Halen's most critically successful
   period, having influenced many eighties rock musicians who followed.
   The band's top selling albums to date are their 1978 debut and 1984.
   Both albums have reached diamond status, having sold over 10 million
   copies each, and are both regarded as milestones in rock and roll
   music, ushering in artistic innovations that were widely emulated
   throughout the 1980s (The Van Halen track "Runnin' with the Devil" and
   1984's "Jump" are listed as two of the top 500 most influential songs
   in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). The band's second and third
   productions, Van Halen II and Women and Children First, each reached #6
   on the charts. After this, every subsequent Van Halen album would
   breach the top 5 spot on the pop charts.

   The Van Halen track " Eruption" introduced the rock and roll world to a
   new soloing technique called tapping, a technique utilizing both left
   and right hands on the guitar neck (tapping also exists and did for a
   long time in its more traditional one-handed form, involving just
   hammer-ons and pull-offs). Other musicians had developed two-hand
   playing techniques during the 1950s, and Steve Hackett of Genesis used
   tapping extensively in the early 1970s, but Van Halen's technique was
   something else — a percussive, highly amplified barrage of notes and
   effects. Nothing like it had ever been heard on record. "Eruption"
   immediately propelled Eddie Van Halen to immense heights of popularity
   among guitar players worldwide (articles about Eddie Van Halen's style
   and technique remain a staple of guitar magazines). Before the release
   of the first album, Eddie would hide his technique from imitators by
   playing his solos with his back to the audience. A music critic praised
   "Eruption" once for its powerful impact and compact musical structure,
   by labelling it "The Soundtrack to World War III".

   Eddie also introduced a never before seen technique in the instrumental
   "Cathedral". This technique involved Eddie hammering notes on the
   fretboard with his left hand while simultaneously rolling the volume
   knob off and on with his right hand. He did two takes, and the volume
   knob froze completely at the end of the second take due to the heat
   generated from rolling it on and off at such a great speed. Many
   beginning hard rock and heavy metal bands of the era have testified
   that, when trying out new guitarists, being able to cover the song was
   often the audition criteria asked of the guitarist.

   Van Halen also introduced the guitar world to the band's signature
   "Brown Sound," a nickname given to, among other things, the sonic
   result of Eddie's guitar/amp combination and technique. With
   Templeman's warm production, Van Halen produced a distinctive tone
   sought by other musicians.

   As the band began to make music videos for MTV, the telegenic Roth
   became the visual focus, often to the chagrin of the other band
   members. Music videos for the singles Jump, Panama, and Hot For
   Teacher, were wildly popular and became part of the standard rotation
   on the then fledgling MTV.

   The second incarnation of Van Halen also saw broadened use of the Van
   Halen brand, as they expanded their reach into other media, with
   high-production films, live concert footage, and even their own cantina
   in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. If David Lee Roth's innovative, over-the-top
   style turned Van Halen from a member of the hard rock pack to its
   leader, Hagar's more conservative 'working man' persona turned Van
   Halen into a franchise and an icon.

   The hit single and award-winning video Right Now ( For Unlawful Carnal
   Knowledge, 1991) was used to promote the ill-fated soft-drink Crystal
   Pepsi. The band's Roth-era remake of The Kinks song You Really Got Me
   was used in a Nissan commercial.

   Van Halen pioneered the way for the modern "Rock and Roll Show" with
   their extensive use of the concert technical contract rider. Although
   contract riders had existed before, Van Halen's use of them to specify
   the band's "wish list" (stage, production, transportation, personal
   requirements, etc.) was new and established a standard practice that is
   now used routinely throughout the music industry. As one of the first
   major bands with a full stage show to appear in many smaller cities,
   Van Halen had an extensive set of technical and logistical requirements
   including power availability and stage construction details that a
   venue had to comply with. Many venues in these markets had not
   previously dealt with such a large-scale show, and were not equipped to
   handle Van Halen's massive stage and light show, sometimes resulting in
   damage to the band's equipment and the venue, once nearly killing a
   roadie setting up the instruments. The band's demands were not limited
   to technical issues: their now infamous contract rider specified that,
   among other personal needs, a bowl of M&M candies, with all of the
   brown ones removed, was to be available in the band's dressing room.
   According to David Lee Roth (from his autobiography, Crazy from the
   Heat), this was not due to an antipathy for brown chocolate candy, but
   rather was listed with the technical portion of the contract in order
   to check up on whether venue management and technical staff were
   correctly reading through, checking, and honoring the technical and
   safety provisions set in the contract. On arrival, if brown M&M's were
   found in the dressing room, then the band had reason to believe other
   parts of the contract were also not being fulfilled, and subsequently,
   every line of the contract was to be double-checked, to ensure safety
   prior to and during the show. Some shows were cancelled because of a
   venue's inability to handle the band's stage or equipment safely.

   Influential American punk trio The Minutemen recorded a 40-second cover
   version of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their landmark double album
   Double Nickels on the Dime (only the third verse, a guitar solo and the
   "hey, hey, hey!" outro were used) - an irony considering that,
   according to Roth, the song originated as an affectionate parody of
   punk rock when it was first written.

   Rapper Tone Loc used uncredited samples from Van Halen's "Jamie's
   Cryin'" extensively on his hit "Wild Thing," but was not sued by the
   band; in Alex Van Halen's words, "It was 1987, who knew?" 2 Live Crew
   later sampled the riff of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their song
   "The Fuck Shop" on their infamous 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be;
   Van Halen sued the band for copyright infringement; the suit was
   settled out of court. Dance music act Apollo 440 sampled the guitar
   intro from "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" for their 1997 single entitled
   "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub".

   Van Halen is ranked #7 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
   Eddie Van Halen is also ranked #70 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of
   100 Greatest Guitarists of Rock and Roll. The solo in "Eruption" was
   also voted #2 on Guitar World magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

   Year Title Notes
   1978 Van Halen
   1979 Van Halen II First Top 20 Hit "Dance The Night Away"
   1980 Women and Children First
   1981 Fair Warning
   1982 Diver Down
   1983 1984 Grammy Award Nomination: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo
   or Group ("Jump"). Jump reached #1 on Billboard Charts; stayed for 5
   weeks
   1986 5150 First album with Sammy Hagar on vocals. First Billboard #1
   album
   1988 OU812
   1991 For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Grammy Award Win: Best Hard Rock
   Performance (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge)
   1995 Balance Grammy Award Nomination: Best Hard Rock Performance ("The
   Seventh Seal")
   1998 Van Halen III First and only album with Gary Cherone on vocals.

Live album

   Year Title                       Notes
   1993 Live: Right Here, Right Now Featuring Sammy Hagar vocals

Compilations

   Year Title                   Notes
   1996 Best of Volume I        Featuring two new songs with David Lee Roth
   2004 The Best of Both Worlds Featuring three new songs with Sammy Hagar

Videos/DVD

   Year Title                                   Notes
   1986 Van Halen - Live Without a Net
   1993 Van Halen: Right Here, Right Now - Live
   1996 Van Halen: Video Hits, Vol. 1

Soundtrack contributions

  Year Title           Notes
  1984 The Wild Life   Track 1 is an instrumental by Edward Van Halen
                       entitled "Donut City"
  1996 Twister         Featuring "Humans Being" with Sammy Hagar, as well as the
                       Edward & Alex instrumental "Respect the Wind"
  1998 Lethal Weapon 4

Trivia

   Eruption was also the name of a tune by ELP on their album Tarkus.

Singles

   Year Title US Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock UK singles Album
   1978 You Really Got Me 36 - - Van Halen
   1978 Runnin' With The Devil 84 - - Van Halen
   1978 Jamie's Cryin' - - - Van Halen
   1978 Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - - - Van Halen
   1979 Dance the Night Away 15 - - Van Halen II
   1979 Beautiful Girls 84 - - Van Halen II
   1980 And The Cradle Will Rock... 55 - - Women and Children First
   1981 So This Is Love? - 15 - Fair Warning
   1982 (Oh) Pretty Woman 12 1 - Diver Down
   1982 Dancing In The Street 38 3 - Diver Down
   1982 Secrets - 22 - Diver Down
   1984 Jump 1 - 7 1984
   1984 I'll Wait 13 - - 1984
   1984 Panama 13 - - 1984
   1984 Hot For Teacher 56 34 1984
   1986 Why Can't This Be Love 3 1 8 5150
   1986 Dreams 22 6 32 5150
   1986 Love Walks In 22 4 - 5150
   1988 When It's Love 5 1 - OU812
   1988 Black And Blue 34 1 - OU812
   1988 Finish What Ya Started 13 2 28 OU812
   1988 Cabo Wabo - 31 - OU812
   1989 Feels So Good 35 6 63 OU812
   1991 Top of The World 27 1 63 For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1991 Runaround - 1 - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1991 Poundcake - 1 - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1992 The Dream Is Over - 7 - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1992 Right Now 55 2 - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1992 Man On Mission - 21 - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
   1993 Jump (Live) - - 26 Live: Right Here, Right Now
   1993 Won't Get Fooled Again - 1 - Live: Right Here, Right Now
   1995 Seventh Seal - 36 - Balance
   1995 Not Enough 97 27 - Balance
   1995 Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do) - 1 27 Balance
   1995 Can't Stop Lovin' You 30 2 - Balance
   1995 Amsterdam - 9 - Balance
   1996 Me Wise Magic - 1 - Best of Volume I
   1996 Humans Being - 1 - Best of Volume I
   1997 Can't Get This Stuff No More - 12 - Best of Volume I
   1998 Without You - 1 - Van Halen III
   1998 One I Want - 27 - Van Halen III
   1998 Fire In The Hole - 6 - Van Halen III
   2004 Up For Breakfast - 33 - The Best of Both Worlds
   2004 It's About Time - 6 - The Best of Both Worlds
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
