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, and possibly the best rock debut album ever. 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 rock and roll guitarists.{{ref|81gpint}}. The band has also established itself as one of the major live acts of that era, opening up for Journey, Montrose, and later Black Sabbath in 1978. According to Ozzy Osbourne, bringing Van Halen along on the tour was not the best idea because Van Halen simply outplayed them. It also became very popular for 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.

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.

Related Topics:
Diamond status - Rock and roll - 1980s - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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. 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. 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.

Related Topics:
Eruption - Tapping - 1950s - Steve Hackett - Genesis - 1970s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

Related Topics:
Music videos - 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.

Related Topics:
Cabo San Lucas - Mexico

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

Related Topics:
Right Now - F.U.C.K. - Crystal Pepsi - The Kinks - Nissan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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. 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.

Related Topics:
Contract - Music industry - M&M candies

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~