Van Halen

Van Halen
Van Halen is an American rock band
formed in the early-1970s and
discovered by KISS bassist and co-
founder Gene Simmons. The band's
first studio album, Van Halen, released
in 1978 is widely 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. heavy
metal music genre of the 1980s. In
particular, the band's guitarist, Eddie
Van Halen, quickly gained widespread
notoriety for his technical prowess and
musical sensibility. Almost overnight,
he was touted as one of the most
innovative and influential American
Country Pasadena, California, USA rock and roll guitarists.[1]. The band
has also established itself as one of the
Years active 1974 – present major live acts of that era, opening up
for Journey, Montrose, and later Black
Genre(s) Hard Rock Sabbath in 1978. According to Ozzy
Osbourne, bringing Van Halen along
Label(s) Warner Bros.
on the tour was not the best idea
Eddie Van Halen because Van Halen simply outplayed
Members Michael Anthony them. It also became very popular for
Alex Van Halen the antics, stage presence and larger-
than-life persona of its lead singer,
David Lee Roth, who was frequently
called "Van Halen" by new fans.

From 1978 to 1998 the band released 11 studio albums (all of which broke the Top 20
spot of the Billboard 200 music charts[2]). The band has sold more than 75 million albums
worldwide[3] and has received several Grammy nominations[4]. Van Halen is listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records with the most number one hits on the Billboard
Mainstream Rock List[5]. 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.)[6]. Van Halen is one of five rock groups in the world that have
had 2 albums sell more than 10 million albums in the U.S. (the others being: Led
Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and Def Leppard).
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 is currently on hiatus; once again they have a vacancy in the lead singer
position and an uncertain future.

History
Origins

The Van Halen family emigrated from Nijmegen, Netherlands to Pasadena, California in
the 1960s. Eddie and Alex's father, Jan Van halen, was an accomplished saxophonist and
clarinetist (his work was featured on the song "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)"
from the album Diver Down (1982)). Jan encouraged his sons' love of music. Alex (the
older of the Van Halen brothers) and Eddie were both trained as classical pianists during
their childhoods. As they grew older, Alex took flamenco guitar lessons and Eddie bought
a drum set. According to folklore, while Eddie was out delivering papers to pay for his
drums, Alex would practice on them. After hearing his brother play the drum solo from
the song "Wipe Out", Eddie abandoned the drums for guitar.

1977 Van Halen concert promotion poster by Dennis Loren

During elementary and middle school, Eddie and Alex formed several different bands at
different times, with names like "The Trojan Rubber Company," "The Broken Combs,"
and "The Space Brothers." [7] By the time the brothers were in their teens the band had
evolved into a power trio named Mammoth (the original lineup included Eddie on guitar
and lead vocals, Alex on drums, and Mark Stone on bass). In 1974, Mark Stone was
replaced by Michael Anthony, who was then fronting his own band called Snake. With no
dedicated lead singer, Eddie and Michael took turns singing lead[8].

David Lee Roth, a local entrepreneur, and lead singer of a rival Los Angeles band, had
begun renting out his public address system to Mammoth in 1973. Eddie and Alex grew
tired of paying the "PA Tax" to "Diamond Dave," and in 1974 brought him into the band
as their lead singer. Upon discovering that another band in the L.A. area was also named
Mammoth, at Roth's suggestion, they changed their name to Van Halen (passing on the
name 'Rat Salade'). Roth stated in his autobiography, "I felt that the name Van Halen was
like the name Santana, it had power to it."[9]

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 1976, Gene
Simmons of the rock band KISS saw one of Van Halen's shows and subsequently
financed their first demo tape (this bootlegged demo commonly circulates under the title
Zero and features unfinished and alternative lyrics to many of Van Halen's early songs).
Despite having a fairly polished demo tape, Van Halen was unable to secure a record
deal[10], and Simmons subsequently released his rights to the band. The band continued to
play club gigs, eventually connecting with Marshall Berle (nephew of the famous
comedian Milton Berle). One night after playing to an empty house at the famed
Starwood Club in Los Angeles, Berle, then the band's manager, introduced them to
producer Ted Templeman[11] and Warner Bros. executive Mo Ostin. Van Halen soon
signed their first record contract[12]. Templeman (who had previously produced hits for
The Doobie Brothers) would go on to produce Van Halen's first six albums.

(1978-1985) with David Lee Roth

Cover from 1978 debut album Van Halen (clockwise from upper left corner: Eddie Van
Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen)

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[13], is widely regarded
as one of the most influential rock albums ever produced[14]. While it included world
famous pieces such as Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, Eruption and Runnin' With the Devil, the
album also portrayed a Kinks Cover of You Really Got me and a John Brim cover of 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). 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.)

Cover art for the hit single "Panama" (1984)

Van Halen's next album, 1984 (released on January 8th 1984) was their commercial, and
many claim, artistic pinnacle. It 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 The album 1984 was praised by critics and fans alike, peaking at #2 on
the Billboard charts behind the popular Thriller by Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen
played the guitar solo on the hit song "Beat It," from 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 exited the band on April 1, 1985.

(1985-1996) with Sammy Hagar

Cover art for the hit single "Love Walks In" (1986)

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 in the March 24, 1986, was an immediate smash hit, and driven
by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love," "Dreams," and "Love
Walks In," 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 10 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. 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.

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 of their hair metal
contemporaries (such as Warrant and Poison) fell from favor, overtaken by anti-
establishment "Grunge Music".

Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (circa 1995)

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.

(1997-1999) with Gary Cherone

Left to Right: Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen and Gary Cherone
(1998)
Soon after Hagar's departure, David Lee Roth 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 both of them to sour once again. Mitch Malloy
would reveal 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 a media 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.

Continuing their search, Van Halen recruited Gary Cherone, the frontman of the defunct
Boston-based band Extreme. The result of their collaboration was the experimental Van
Halen 3. 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 both alienated many existing Van Halen fans who were
followers of Roth's and Hagar's hard rock sound and also failed to attract a new audience.
Sales were lackluster compared to previous albums. The VH3 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 from III Thats Why I Love You found its way onto the internet which left fans
wondering why it didnt make the album.

In early 1999, the band started work on the follow up to III with Cherone on Vocals.
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. However the album
was not completed and Cherone left the band amicably in November 1999.

(2000-2004) Four years of silence

1996 marked the end of an era for Van Halen as a band. A greatest hits album had been
released, their lead singer of over a decade had departed, and confusion swirled about the
artistic direction and future marketability of the band. Although rumors were plenty, and
accusations and hostility pervaded the news, there was little new information about the
band. The Inside (the once-official VH mag) dissolved after turning unofficial from lack
of news.

Comedian David Letterman succinctly expressed the frustration of millions of Van Halen
fans. During the delivery of his Top Ten list on October 21, 1996, he sarcastically implied
that then Presidential Candidate Bob Dole could gain the popular support of the
American People if he would use his diplomatic skills to just convince the members of
Van Halen to stop fighting so they could "start crankin' out some more bitchin' tunes".

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:

The Van Halen Logo

• During 2000 the band secretly started working with David Lee Roth, and 6 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. 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.
• 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 1996, 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 October 2005, has agreed to become Howard Stern's
future replacement on morning talk radio.
• 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 also releases a statement on his official website denying rumours 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 reports a
rumour that Sammy Hagar is secretly working with the band.

(2004-2005) Reunion with Sammy Hagar

The reunited Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (2004)

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 one singer over the other (often strongly). No
VH3 songs made it onto the disc. Nevertheless, Van Halen's second Greatest Hits record
would be certified platinum in August 2004.

Van Halen (2004), left to right: Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Eddie
Van Halen

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 a few
shows were actually sold out. Reports of Eddie being drunk and playing sloppy circulated
which is also evident on many of the bootlegs of the tour.

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. Several other news
sources picked up this story but it turned out to be false. [15]

(Dec 2005 - Present) Hiatus Again...

December 22, 2005: Michael Anthony reveals during a radio interview with Mark &
Brian that band are yet again on hiatus and hasn't spoken to the Van Halen brothers for
some time. He won't be drawn on any detailed questions regarding Eddie's below par
performances on the 2004 tour or what the guitarist plans are 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". [16] Roth also states in another interview with Cleveland Plain Dealer that
he has also spoken to Eddie Van Halen recently though he says "Eddie's off in his own
world."

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

February 2006: A new Eddie Van Halen interview appears in the February edition of Hit
Parader. He isnt asked any direct questions regarding the future of Van Halen but admits
he was "satisfied" with the 2004 reunion tour. Asked if any problems occured 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 website's report that Van Halen are indeed
the band to be featured in the new series out Rockstar: The Series. The bands publisist,
Larry Solters, is quoted as saying "I'm not denying it. I'm not going to answer any
questions about it."

Influence on culture, music and business

The David Lee Roth era remains Van Halen's most critically successful period, having
influenced nearly all 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). According to folklore, before the release
of the first album, Eddie would hide his technique from imitators by playing his solos
with his back to the audience. 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 (F.U.C.K., 1991) was used to promote
the ill-fated soft-drink Crystal Pepsi. The band's Roth-era remake of The Kinks 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 this requirement was listed with the technical portion of the
contract in order to check up on whether venue management was honoring the demands
correctly. On arrival, if brown M&M's were found in the dressing room, then every line
of the contract had to be double-checked, to ensure safety. 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.

Van Halen is ranked #7 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Current members

• Eddie Van Halen - guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals (1974-present)

• Alex Van Halen - drums and percussion (1974-present)
• Michael Anthony - bass and vocals (1974-present)

Former members

• David Lee Roth - vocals (1974-1985, 1996)

• Sammy Hagar - vocals (1985-1996, 2004)
• Gary Cherone - vocals (1996-1999)
Singles (Billboard Hot 100/UK Top 75)
From Van Halen:

• "You Really Got Me" (1978) #36 US

• "Runnin' With The Devil" (1978) #84 US, #52 UK

From Van Halen II:

• "Dance The Night Away" (1979) #15 US

• "Beautiful Girls" (1979) #84 US

From Women And Children First:

• "And The Cradle Will Rock" (1980) #55 US

From Diver Down:

• "(Oh) Pretty Woman" (1982) #12 US

• "Dancing In The Street" (1982) #38 US

From 1984:

• "Jump" (1984) #1 US - 5 weeks, #7 UK

• "I'll Wait" (1984) #13 US
• "Panama" (1984) #13 US, #61 UK
• "Hot For Teacher" (1984) #56 US

From 5150:

• "Why Can't This Be Love" (1986) #3 US, #8 UK

• "Dreams" (1986) #22 US, #62 UK
• "Love Walks In" (1986) #22 US

From OU812:

• "Black And Blue" (1988) #34 US

• "When It's Love" (1988) #5 US, #28 UK
• "Finish What Ya Started" (1988) #13 US
• "Feels So Good" (1989) #35 US, #63 UK

From For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge:

• "Top Of The World" (1991) #27 US, #63 UK

• "Right Now" (1992) #55 US
From Live Right Here Right Now:

• "Jump(Live)" (1993) #26 UK

From Balance:

• "Can't Stop Lovin' You" (1995) #30 US, #33 UK

• "Not Enough" (1995) #97 US
• "Don't Tell Me (1995) #27 UK