Women And Van Halen First

Wracked by internal rifts for more than a decade, Van Halen look set to re-emerge as one of the top US rock bands By Tim Jones

While Eddie Van Halen’s fret wizardry is legendary – as on Michael Jackson’s 1984 smash hit, Beat It – it’s less well known that the band, named after Eddie and his drummer brother, Alex, are just one of a handful to have achieved multiple diamond (10 million) album sales in the US – part of an elite including Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and The Rolling Stones.

They’re also in the Top 10 of US record sales, along with the likes of AC/DC and Aerosmith – their lofty position finally recognised this year when they are inducted into the US Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. Their feat is all the more startling considering that the band has only released 11 studio albums since they first got together back in 1974.

By that time, the Van Halen brothers (Alex, born in 1955, and the eldest by 18 months) had lived with their parents in Pasadena, California, for six years, having moved from Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Their father, Jan, a gifted jazz saxophonist/clarinetist (who’d contribute to 1982’s Diver Down), encouraged them to learn piano and, when they went to school, Edward Lodewijk also took up the drums, while Alex plumped for acoustic guitar (soon mastering The Surfaris’ Wipe Out). They’d often swap instruments and, as Eddie became inspired by the likes of Grand …

by Tim Jones
<< Back to Issue 334

You must be a subscriber to view the full article, subscribe now for full access to all online content.

Already a Magazine Subscriber? Register now for online access.