Van Halen at 50 – A Rock Legacy Captured in Print
Martin Popoff’s photo-packed retrospective traces the band’s wild ride from backyard gigs to rock immortality.
Written by Mark SladeVan Halen at 50 is a gorgeous book. Full of great behind-the-scenes photos, and interesting stories about how, why, they became one of the biggest acts in music history, and the sad facts of how and why the band imploded—not once, not twice, but several times over the years.
Formed in 1973, the photos and articles in this book document the small-time backyard party band who became a phenomenally successful hard rock band that rose to the top of the charts and obtained legions of fans. The Van Halen Brothers, Eddie and Alex, were Dutch immigrants, both started on opposite instruments (drums and guitar), swapped instruments and became proficient with those chosen noisemakers. They joined several bands in the Pasadena music scene, going through name changes such as Trojan Rubber Co, then in 1972 to Genesis, later still to Mammoth when they discovered Genesis was already in use by a major-label British band; and band members. Eventually meeting key members, singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony.
It was Roth who changed the band name to Van Halen because it sounded “epic.” Not many know or realize how much Roth worked to help the band gain notoriety—placing flyers everywhere, pushing to get a manager, booking agents, etc.
That fateful night at L.A. club the Starwood Lounge, record producer Ted Templeman (at the time he was famous for producing Van Morrison and the Doobie Brothers) was there to look at Van Halen. Apparently, the first night was poorly attended, but Templeman showed up again, this time with Warner Brothers executive Mo Ostin, signing Van Halen. Templeman was determined not to make the same mistake he made with guitarist Ronnie Montrose’s band (featuring Sammy Hagar as vocalist), releasing or working on songs for the singles format.
While warming up, sound engineer Donn Landee and Templeman recorded Eddie Van Halen doing finger exercises, practicing tapping on the fretboards. They realized they had recorded the unusual guitar sounds that not only made the band famous, but Eddie into a rock god.
Releasing the first single, a cover of “You Really Got Me,” backed by instrumental “Eruption,” Templeman had a winning formula.
The first Van Halen album became a multi-platinum success, launched the band, and secured them infamy. More success would come, and, in my opinion, their masterpiece, the 1981 album.
With success comes the thin thread that keeps friendships and working relationships together. The I, me, mine situation plays out. Jealousy arises, money, fame, and in the case of music, people being run ragged by tours. So many hands to fill, so many mouths to feed, so many egos to endure. The band pretty much falls apart after the success of the album 1984, though problems had already been in place long before the first one was even recorded.
David Lee Roth leaves—or was he shoved out? Anyway, he was replaced by the “Red Rocker” Sammy Hagar, who was enjoying a nice solo career with the hit single “(I Can’t) Drive 55.” Eddie Van Halen changed musically, as did the band. More keyboards, less guitar, more pop music seeped in. And more success, more band problems. Early nineties saw the massive hit “Right Now,” a music video that was basically a commercial for Diet Pepsi.
Not really a rock and roll venture, but who can blame a band when advertising agencies are throwing loads of green at their feet?
Hagar hated to tour. Longtime Van Halen manager Ed Leffler passed away. According to Hagar, he started to feel the shove that Roth felt. All this came to a head in the mid-nineties when Twister film soundtrack spawned a hit single, “Humans Being,” which was gaining momentum. Eddie wanted to tour. Hagar’s wife was pregnant. Suddenly, at MTV Music Awards, three original band members appeared alongside original singer David Lee Roth.
And that was not the right kind of putty to clog up the band’s hole. Neither was ex-Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone for Van Halen III. Roth was on a few new tracks recorded for a compilation Best of Volume 1. Best of Both Worlds compilation followed, as did Roth coming back for another album, but sands bassist Michael Anthony because of his friendship with Hagar. The controversy of deleting Anthony from band photos on their website came about. Fans retaliated—and rightfully so. Nothing wrong with working with and being proud of your son Wolfgang, but… Anthony was there and helped with the success.
Where’s the camaraderie and loyalty?
Tours between Roth and Hagar happened, the band toured with Hagar (still without Michael Anthony), tours with Roth happened as well, late night talk show performances.
And then Eddie Van Halen passed away from cancer. Definitely a sad day in music. No one can forget the impact Van Halen has had on rock and roll—good and bad. Mostly good. Influenced generations to pick up instruments and learn to play, make music the hard way—not using computers, MP3s to create.
Martin Popoff adds to an already legendary line of great books with Van Halen at 50. Not an easy task to chronicle these musicians in such a short amount of pages, but also not easy to keep the book from a thousand pages. Bands like Van Halen have a huge history and a long, great story to tell.
Popoff is the right author to tell it.
Motor Books and Popoff continue to publish books that educate readers on their favorite musicians, and hopefully inspire a few to write and publish their own books on music.
