Van Halen is an American hard rock band. At the origins of the team are two musicians - Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
Music experts believe that the brothers are the founders of hard rock in the United States of America.
Most of the songs that the band managed to release became XNUMX% hits. Eddie gained fame as a virtuoso musician. The brothers went through a thorny path before becoming the idols of millions.
Temperament of the Van Halen band
The Van Halen band is energetic and emotional. The concerts of the brothers were held according to the classical scenario. At concerts, various things happened, up to breaking the guitar on the stage.
The artists were not shy about showing their emotions and allowed their fans to do so at their concerts.
The Van Halen brothers started working together when Eddie began to actively play the drums, and Alex picked up the guitar. But sometimes, when Eddie was delivering the press, Alex would sneak into Eddie's drum set and play.
These events did not lead to the creation of a band (this happened later), but to the fact that Eddie began to play the drums, and Alex mastered the virtuoso guitar playing.
In 1972, Alex and Eddie formed MAMMOTH, with Eddie on vocals, Alex Van Halen on drums, and Mark Stone on bass.
The guys rented an apparatus from David Lee Roth, but decided to save money by allowing David to become a vocalist, although they had previously auditioned him and did not want to take it.
A few years later, the guys decided to replace Stone. His place was taken by Michael Anthony, bassist and vocalist from the local band SNAKE. Michael joined the band as bassist and backing vocalist.
The history of the creation of the Van Halen team
Alex and Edward Van Halen were born in Holland in the early 1950s. The brothers lived in Holland for a short time, then they moved with their family to Pasadena (California).
The brothers owe their genuine interest in music to their father. Dad played the clarinet. It was he who taught his sons how to play musical instruments.
The first instrument that the brothers mastered was the piano. At a conscious age, young people chose modern instruments - the guitar and drums.
The history of the creation of the Van Halen group dates back to 1972. The first line-up of the group included: Alex and Edward Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Rota.
The first performances of the guys took place in nightclubs. At a concert in Los Angeles, the band spotted Gene Simmons. It was he who became the manager of the artists.
The musicians began to work in the studio with someone else's equipment, the music turned out to be "fresh". The soloists of the collective felt uncomfortable. This led to the fact that not a single serious label noticed talented guys.
Music by Van Halen
The first album of the group was called Van Halen I. The collection set the direction for the style, which the group subsequently followed invariably.
Van Halen's songs are based on the rhythm section, the bright vocals of David Lee Roth, and the virtuoso guitar of Eddie Van Halen.
With the release of the first album, the guys clearly declared themselves. When music critics and music lovers talk about Van Halen, it's about quality and original music.
Today, the team is included in the list of influential American groups. The debut album eventually received the status of "diamond". It has sold over 10 million copies.
The Amazing Eddie Van Halen
The music of Eddie Van Halen was called ingenious, virtuoso and divine. Eddie managed to become famous as a guitarist due to unsurpassed technique.
Millions of fans all over the planet are trying to copy the guitarist's technique... but alas. The musical composition Eruption in some way has become the hallmark of the musician. Eddie had to play it at concerts more than once.
But the second album Van Halen II was not as popular, although the guys did not deviate from the given concept. Video clips were released for several songs.
The works caused genuine delight among music lovers. The disc still managed to get the status of "platinum". Over 1,5 million copies were sold in 5 months.
Album Women and Children First
In 1980, the group's discography was expanded with the album Women and Children First. With this collection, the musicians showed that they are not against experiments.
The disc contains compositions in which the musicians mixed guitar, keyboard instruments and an unusual sound of percussion. The album was certified platinum.
The musicians were very productive. Already in 1981, they presented their fourth album, Fair Warning, to fans. The collection sold at the same fast pace. Fans were delighted with the new works of their idols.
Van Halen's tracks topped the local music charts. In order to be on top, the guys did not even need to shoot expensive clips.
In 1982, the discography was replenished with the fifth studio album Diver Down. The soloists included remixes of old hits on this disc.
It is interesting that not only the soloists of the group worked on this album, but also the father of the brothers, who did not come alone, he took the clarinet with him. The sound of the clarinet brought something new to the sound of the band's old hits.
A video clip for the ballad Pretty Woman was broadcast on television. The collection was not very popular, but it was not in the shadow either. The popularity of the Van Halen group increased.
In 1983, the band headlined a prestigious music festival in the United States of America.
Then the musicians presented the new album "1984" to the fans. In this collection, the musicians decided to mix glam metal in a bizarre symbiosis with hard rock.
On this disc there is also a hit by the band Jump, which "broke" all the US music charts. The popularity of the track went far beyond America. From a commercial point of view, the 1984 collection was on top.
Changes in the group
During this period of time, relations within the team began to heat up. The Van Halen brothers quarreled, and David decided to leave the team, in which he had been since its inception. Following David in 1985, Lee Roth also left the team.
The Van Halen brothers began to invite temporary musicians to the band. They hoped that someone would be interested in music lovers. A chance encounter with Sammy Hagar did the trick.
The former member of the Montrose team accepted the offer of cooperation, and in 1986, together with the team, he released a new album, 5150.
Fans accepted the newcomer with a bang. The music took on a different sound. The Van Halen group was again at the top of the musical Olympus.
The vocals of the new member were close to pop sound. This, in fact, turned out to be that “fresh” novelty. The new compilations OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (FUCK) differed in sound from previous works.
This only increased interest in the group. The FUCK album won a Grammy in the early 1990s.
In 1995, the musicians released their next record, Balance. This work proved to be significant for the group. The album was recorded by Warner Bros. In a matter of hours, the album was sold out from the shelves of music stores.
Fans have noticed that Eddie's guitar sounds a little different. The secret of the sound is simple - the musician used a guitar that he made himself. The musical instrument was named Wolfgang.
In general, the sound and quality of music has improved. The album was very popular both in the United States of America and abroad.
After the release of this album, the band changed again. David Lee Roth wanted to return to the group, which caused a lot of negative emotions for Hagar. He insisted on the dissolution of the team.
Edward was wiser than the others. He invited Lee Roth to record the Best of Volume 1 compilation. Hagar also took part in the recording of the disc.
The reunion of the "golden" line-up
In the mid-1990s, there were rumors that the "golden line-up" of the group was back together. The soloists confirmed the information. As it turned out later, the decision to reunite did not end in anything good.
During this period of life, the group was produced by Ray Daniels. He put forward the idea to invite Gary Cherone as a soloist. After the first rehearsals, it became clear that this was a worthy idea.
The first compilation featuring Gary Cherone was Van Halen III. The album was released in 1998. The new lead singer quickly left the group. From this period on, there was a lull in the life of the Van Halen team.
Only in 2003 did official information appear that the guys were going to hold a concert for their fans. A big concert tour started, but there were still some nuances.
At this time, the role of the vocalist was taken over by Sammy Hagar. Relations between the soloists were strained to the maximum. Outside the group, everyone managed to realize himself as a businessman. Each of the soloists had his own work.
In 2006, Edward's son, Wolfgang Van Halen, joined the team.
In 2009, the long-awaited tour of the United States of America took place. Thousands of fans came to the concert of their idols.
And in 2012, "fans" were waiting for another surprise in the form of a new album, A Different Kind of Truth.
Interesting facts about Van Halen
- The team went on tour with a significant amount of stage equipment. Their concerts were held "on an incredible scale" and were among the most difficult (in technical terms).
- In 1980, David Lee Roth hurt his nose on a mirror ball: “It happened during one of the rehearsals. The guys lowered the mirror ball in the dark, and it was three feet from my head. One awkward move and a broken nose. However, four days later, David was already performing at the concert.
- David Lee Roth said that sometimes the lyrics to musical compositions spontaneously appeared in his head, and he did not have to wait for the muse. “In Everebody Wants Some, when I sing 'I love how the arrow on the back of these stockings looks', I'm just telling the listener what I'm seeing. And I see a beautiful girl in stockings behind the glass of a recording studio.
- Gene Simmons from the popular band Kiss said that it was he who opened the Van Halen band. In 1977, he invited the guys to his place "for heating" ... and fell in love with their performance.
- Edward Van Halen was voted the best guitarist of all time (according to Guitar World magazine).
Van Halen today
In 2019, there was information in the press that the old line-up of Van Halen was reuniting for a tour. However, it soon became clear that these were rumors. Michael Anthony has confirmed that there will be no shows in the near future.
Van Halen has an official Instagram page. The musicians are practically not involved in maintaining the official page. But the soloists of the cult group do not forget to please their fans with photos and videos on their personal Instagram pages.
Fans can learn all the latest news from this social network.
