Van Halen
Van Halen was a prominent hard rock band formed in 1974 in Pasadena, California, featuring original members Eddie Van Halen (lead guitar), David Lee Roth (vocals), Michael Anthony (bass), and Alex Van Halen (drums). The band is celebrated for its distinctive sound that combined Eddie's exceptional guitar skills with Roth's dynamic stage presence. They gained widespread acclaim with their self-titled debut album in 1978, which included iconic tracks such as "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and the influential guitar solo "Eruption." Over the years, Van Halen released several successful albums, including *1984*, known for the hit "Jump," which marked a shift towards incorporating synthesizers into their music.
After Roth's departure in 1985, Sammy Hagar stepped in as the lead vocalist, leading to further commercial success with albums like *5150* and *OU812*. Despite lineup changes, the band continued to achieve chart-topping success into the 1990s. After a period of inactivity and personal challenges for Eddie Van Halen, including a battle with cancer, the group briefly reunited with Roth for a lucrative tour in 2007. Van Halen's impact on the rock genre is significant, influencing many artists and earning them a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. The band's legacy is closely tied to Eddie's innovative guitar techniques and their energetic live performances, which helped reinvigorate rock music during their peak years. Eddie Van Halen passed away in October 2020, marking the end of the band.
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Van Halen
Identification American hard rock band
Date Formed in 1974
One of the most popular bands of the 1980s, Van Halen brought fresh energy to the rock genre and influenced several bands of the decade. They would become one of the best-selling music groups of all time.
Key Figures
Eddie Van Halen (1955–2020), lead guitaristDavid Lee Roth (1954- ), lead singerMichael Anthony (1954- ), bassistAlex Van Halen (1953- ), drummerSammy Hagar (1947- ), lead singer
Van Halen was a hard rock band from Pasadena, California. Its original members were Eddie Van Halen (lead guitarist), David Lee Roth (lead vocalist), Michael Anthony (bass guitarist), and Alex Van Halen (drummer). After forming in 1974, the band created a unique style of rock music, marked by Eddie Van Halen’s virtuoso guitar playing. The group’s live shows featured long guitar solos by Eddie, along with wild stage antics by the flamboyant Roth.
In 1978, the group released its debut album, Van Halen, to immediate popular and critical success. Notable songs on that album included “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love”; “Eruption,” which included a popular and highly influential guitar solo; and “Runnin’ with the Devil.” Van Halen II was released the following year and included the hit song “Dance the Night Away.” The band’s third album, Women and Children First, released in 1980, continued the band’s established pattern of high-energy rock, with Eddie Van Halen’s guitar providing much of the sound, and included the single “And the Cradle Will Rock.” The band’s fourth album, Fair Warning (1981), also sold numerous copies, but its songs did not receive as much airplay as had others by Van Halen. The group’s 1982 album, Diver Down, is best known for two cover songs: “Dancing in the Street,” first recorded by Martha and the Vandellas, and “Oh, Pretty Woman,” cowritten by Roy Orbison.
On December 31, 1983, the band released 1984. This album revealed a slight change in the band’s musical style: The hit single “Jump” included substantial use of synthesizers. Though most of the songs on the album still featured guitar, they did indicate the band’s willingness to follow a trend in popular music by utilizing more keyboards. This change, however, caused tension within the group. Following the tour for this album, Roth left the band.
Van Halen ushered in a new era by acquiring Sammy Hagar as its new lead vocalist in 1986. Hagar had already established a solo career in music, playing guitar and singing lead vocals. The band’s first release with Hagar was 5150 (1986), produced by Mick Jones of the rock band Foreigner. Despite the change in membership, the album sold numerous copies and continued the style of 1984. The band’s final album of the decade was OU812 (1988), which included the hit song “Finish What You Started.”
Two more albums with Hagar followed in the 1990s, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991) and Balance (1995). Both continued the band's streak of hitting number one on the charts and earning multi-platinum certification. However, Hagar then left the group in 1996, and the album Van Halen III (1998), with former Extreme member Gary Cherone on lead vocals, was unsuccessful. Cherone left Van Halen in 1999, and the band was dormant for several years. During this period, in 2001, Eddie Van Halen revealed he was fighting cancer. Meanwhile, rumors began to swirl of potential reunions, and new music was reportedly created as the band members tried to choose a singer.
Van Halen released the greatest hits collection Best of Both Worlds in 2004, and Hagar ultimately rejoined for a major world tour that year. However, he soon departed again as tensions continued to run high among all the band members. After Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an official reunion tour with Roth was announced in 2007, although Anthony was replaced by Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang. The tour was the most lucrative yet, grossing more than $93 million. A new studio album was recorded, and released in 2012 as A Different Kind of Truth. It received mostly strong reviews and was followed by another world tour, which resulted in a live double album released in 2015. Later in the decade Eddie Van Halen faced a resurgence of cancer, and he died in October 2020. With his death, Van Halen officially disbanded.
Impact
Van Halen created a unique sound within the rock world that influenced the popular “hair bands” of the late 1980s. The band succeeded in matching the high-energy sound on its studio works with its stage performances and helped to reinvigorate the rock genre. They achieved critical acclaim as well as enormous commercial success, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, among many other honors and awards.
Bibliography
Bogdanov, Vladimir, et al., eds. All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. 3d ed. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2002.
Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Van Halen: Biography." AllMusic, 2020, www.allmusic.com/artist/van-halen-mn0000260206/biography. Accessed 17 Dec. 2020.
Farber, Jim. "Eddie Van Halen, Virtuoso of the Rock Guitar, Dies at 65." The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/arts/music/eddie-van-halen-dead.html. Accessed 17 Dec. 2020.
Levy, Joe, et al., eds. The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. New York: Wenner Books, 2005.