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Dave, Michael, Eddie Trunk… Nobody agrees with anybody. And, to this day, the band hasn't released an official statement. As always, everything involving the future of Van Halen generates more questions than answers.”
By Eduardo Simões
Vogue magazine to promote a line of tattoo products, David Lee Roth , the Van Halen , hinted that the band may return in the summer of 2019, citing a show at Yankee Stadium in New York that would feature names like Metallica , Guns N' Roses , and Foo Fighters .
As various rumors surfaced in 2018, several speculations began. The first hypothesis being circulated is that Van Halen would embark on a long tour with the current lineup, featuring David Lee Roth and the three Van Halens, Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang, respectively on guitar, drums, and bass.
However, some argue that the band will return with its original lineup, that is, with bassist Michael Anthony replacing Wolfgang Van Halen . Some go even further: since Wolfgang will release a solo album this year, he could put together a band to open for his shows ( about this possibility here
However, some claim that Dave is no longer in the band, and that Wolfgang will be touring to promote his solo album with none other than Eddie and Alex, leaving Van Halen on an indefinite hiatus.
All the hypotheses have strong supporters – the tour with the original lineup, for example, was mentioned by radio host Eddie Trunk, who is usually right in these predictions. Even after Michael Anthony said he no longer has contact with the band , which, according to Eddie Trunk, would be part of the "package" of being discreet until the official announcement.
Dave, Michael, Eddie Trunk… Nobody agrees with anyone. And, to this day, the band hasn't released an official statement. As always, everything involving Van Halen's future generates more questions than answers. Since their present and future remain uncertain, we bring you 10 interesting facts about the band's past.
1. “Jump”
Following the successful tour for the album Diver Down, Van Halen was one of the biggest bands in the world, and everyone had very well-defined opinions about what the band should do on their next album. All completely different opinions.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen was bothered by the large number of cover songs on the last album. He wanted to make an album with only his own songs and that was as musically varied as possible. But the idea for "Jump" was not well received.
Eddie told Guitar World magazine that Dave had always been eclectic and loved black music and various other styles, but he felt Eddie playing keyboards wasted one of the band's most powerful weapons. He constantly repeated that "a guitar hero shouldn't be playing keyboards.".
Eddie Van Halen is a genius and one of the best guitarists in the world. And stubborn! He insisted that the song be included on the album MCMLXXXIV , or simply 1984, and released as a single. The result: 1984 sold millions and is considered one of the best hard rock albums of all time.
"Jump" is one of the most successful singles in history, and it stayed at number one in the US for a long time – #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
2. “Panama” and “Drop Dead Legs”
Back in 1983, there was enormous pressure from managers and record labels for guitarist Eddie Van Halen to write some very straightforward rock songs. The pressure increased after Eddie performed "Jump." In some meetings, they even insisted that Eddie write riffs reminiscent of AC/DC 's " Back in Black ," which had sold millions of copies a few years earlier.
Guitar World magazine that his first attempt to copy something in the vein of AC/DC was the song "Panama," which, he himself acknowledges, doesn't sound like the Australian band. In my humble opinion, it sounds more like "Unchained" by Van Halen themselves.
Be that as it may, it was an excellent, guitar-focused song. But even so, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen , or simply Eddie Van Halen, continued to be pressured to make a song reminiscent of AC/DC.
The second attempt was “Drop Dead Legs,” which, according to the record label, didn't sound like AC/DC. Eddie ended the matter by explaining that the main riff had the same harmonic progression as “Back in Black.” It was his “version of Back in Black,” or, in his words, “his way of playing that song,” a little slower and with more notes. Nobody bothered him anymore.
3. Clips
In his autobiography, David Lee Roth says that the "Jump" music video was practically directed by the band themselves. The idea was to capture the energy and relaxed atmosphere of the band live. They just turned on some cameras and that was it.
In the next video for "Panama," Mighty Van Halen, as they were called at the time, were even more in the spotlight. "Jump" was competing with Michael Jackson's thriller hits. And there was pressure to make another sensational video. The inside rumor is that they spent more money on pizza for the crew who participated in the filming of the "Panama" video than on the entire "Jump" video.
4. “I'll Wait” and “Right Now”
During the production of the album 1984, Eddie presented other songs with a focus on keyboards. "I'll Wait" received even more resistance than "Jump".
Dave and the record label made it clear they didn't want songs with keyboards on Van Halen's album. The guitarist stood his ground, and "Jump" and "I'll Wait" made it onto the record. But there was a third keyboard song.
The melodic line of “Right Now” was created by Eddie around 1983, even before “Jump”. In the 80s Eddie told Circus and Hit Parade that he had hundreds of songs that Dave had rejected because they didn't have room for his screams and that many would be used by the band with the new vocalist, Sammy Haggar .
Dave claims in his autobiography that he even worked on the successor to 1984 with the band. But the split happened and they already had half an album to continue working on. He would have had to start from scratch.
In the early 90s, Eddie was playing "Right Now" on the piano when Sammy Hagar thought he should put lyrics to the melody. The vocalist says he immediately realized they could do something with that tune.
The song appeared on the 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Sammy comments in his autobiography that although he was a big fan of the song, he didn't like the idea of the music video, but he lists all the awards the video received and acknowledges his mistake.
5. “Top Of The World”
The song "Top of the World," from the 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge , begins with the guitar riff that is played at the end of "Jump."
6. Guitar solos
Eddie Van Halen considers guitar solos "a song within a song. From the beginning, that's how I write things. I start with an introduction or a theme and establish the tone, then after the solo there's a break. That's there in practically all my songs. Or else I go back to the introduction.".
7. “316”
When his wife, Valerie Anne Bertinelli, eight months pregnant, complained that their son was kicking too much, Eddie Van Halen would play a guitar melody to calm him down.
The melody, which the guitarist had already played in his guitar solos at Van Halen shows, was recorded on the following album, receiving the title "316," a tribute to his son's birthday (Wolfgang was born on March 16th, but in the US they put the month before the day). His son is now the bassist for Van Halen. Or he'll be opening for their next tour.
8. Frankensteins
Eddie Van Halen always enjoyed tinkering with his equipment. His famous red guitar with black and white stripes earned the nickname "Frankenstein" or "FrankenStrat." Similarly, all his pedals were constantly being tweaked, always in an attempt to improve the sound quality.
Today it's possible to buy a replica of the Frankstrat made by Fender in partnership with EVH, a company owned by the guitarist. Eddie also maintains a line of Wolfgang guitars, 5150 amplifiers, pedals, straps, picks, cables, stickers, shirts, shorts, etc. Most of them feature a striped theme, which the brand calls "striped".
Among the musicians who use EVH equipment are: Scott Ian (Anthrax), Christian Martucci (Stone Sour), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Craig Locicero (Dress the Dead), Joe Duplantier (Gojira), Eric Peterson (Testament), and more.
9. Asking to borrow a guitar
One day Eddie cut a part of the body off a Charvel Star-bodied guitar to transform it into a Flying V. But when he started using it in the studio to record the next album, he realized that the sound had been more affected than expected.
But a friend had a Charvel Star identical to his before the "reform." The result: Eddie Van Halen recorded part of the album with the guitar of this friend, Chris Holmes, who at the time played in a band that was beginning to achieve success on the California concert circuit, WASP.
I always thought it was an urban legend. Eddie Van Halen asking to borrow a guitar? But Chris Holmes confirmed the story in the August 2017 issue of Guitar World.
10. A Different Kind of Truth
When they started thinking about an album with vocalist David Lee Roth in 2010, Van Halen revisited several songs composed in the 70s. One of the songs the band wanted to "resurrect" was "She's The Woman." But following the "Frankenstein" logic, guitarist Eddie Van Halen had already used parts of that song in other compositions.
The original bass line for "She's The Woman," for example, had been used in "Mean Street" from the album Fair Warning . Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen resolved the issue by composing new parts to replace the ones already used.
The song “Tattoo” is a new version of “Down in Flames,” another early track from the band, with new lyrics. The original versions of the songs are available online under the suggestive name “Van Halen 0,” meaning the compositions that preceded the album “Van Halen I.” A Different Kind of Truth was released on February 7, 2012.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
