VAN HALLEN + DAVID LEE ROTH solo
http://www.van-halen.com/news.html
Van Halen is an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972. They enjoyed immediate popularity and influence from the release of their debut album, Van Halen in 1978, which lasted until the band's lineup destabilized in the late 1990s. As of 2007 Van Halen has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide[3] and earning the band the Guinness Book of World Records title for the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[4] 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.) and is one of only five rock groups that have had two albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The band and its best known former members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007.
In addition to being recognized for artistic contributions and success, the band is known for the drama surrounding its lead singer spot. The band has gone through tenures with four different lead singers, but the (multiple) exits of Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth were surrounded in controversy and mass press coverage. David Lee Roth is present vocalist.
Following their 2004 concert tour the band was on a hiatus from the public until September 2006, when word was confirmed that Wolfgang Van Halen was now a new member of the band, replacing Michael Anthony on bass. Eventually, Roth would rejoin after a few delays. After long speculation, in August 2007 it was finally confirmed that the band would do a tour with the new lineup in late 2007 across North America. In 2008, an album and further worldwide touring are proposed to follow.
Other than three new songs in 2004, Van Halen has released no new material since their last album Van Halen III was released in 1998.
David Lee Roth era (1972 - 1985)
In 1972, the Van Halen brothers formed a three-piece band. In their early days, Van Halen was known as Mammoth, with Eddie Van Halen as lead vocalist and guitarist, Alex Van Halen on drums, and Mark Stone on bass. They rented a sound system from David Lee Roth, but decided they could save money by letting Roth and his P.A. system into the band (Eddie was not keen on being a vocalist since it distracted him from his primary talent - guitar playing). Roth had previously auditioned for them, unsuccessfully, and ended up forming and singing for his own band. The band decided Stone did not suit them, and Michael Anthony was called over to David Lee Roth's father's basement (where the band rehearsed) to see how he compared. Anthony, the bassist and frontman of the band "Snake," had seen Mammoth performing at a festival. Eddie, Alex, and Anthony jammed late into the night and hired Anthony as the band's new bassist/backup vocalist.
The band discovered in 1974 that the name "Mammoth" was already being used and re-named themselves "Van Halen". According to David Lee Roth's autobiography, Roth suggested the name based on the timeless quality of the brothers last name, which he compared to Santana or other acts known by a last name. The newly-renamed band started playing clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood more frequently and to growing audiences, working hard to increase their popularity through self promotion: before each gig they would pass out flyers at local high schools in Pasadena and the vicinity. The band soon built up a major following.
The band became a staple act on Hollywood's Sunset Strip during the mid-1970s, consistently playing at well known clubs such as the Whisky a Go Go. In 1977 Gene Simmons, of the rock band Kiss, saw one of Van Halen's shows and financed their first demo tape, flying the band to Electric Ladyland studios in New York City to record "House of Pain" and "Runnin' With the Devil". Eddie disliked his playing on the demo, because he was not using his own equipment and had to overdub guitar parts.[8] Simmons wanted to change the band's name to "Daddy Longlegs" and had designed cover art (a daddy longlegs wearing a top hat), but the band stuck with Van Halen. Simmons opted to forgo any more involvement with the band, and returned to Kiss.
Later in 1977, Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. records saw Van Halen performing at the Starwood in Hollywood. Although the audience was small, the two were so impressed with Van Halen that within a week they offered them a recording contract, and in October of that year, Van Halen entered Sunset Sound Recorders studio and recorded their eponymous first album.
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.
Career breakthrough
Van Halen was released to immediate commercial success, reaching #12 on the Billboard pop music charts, one of rock's most commercially successful debuts. It is a highly regarded hard rock album.[10] While it included original songs by the band, such as "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Eruption," and "Runnin' With The Devil," the album also featured covers of the Kinks' song "You Really Got Me" and John Brim's "Ice Cream Man." The band toured for nearly a year on the basis of Van Halen, opening for Black Sabbath and establishing a reputation as a talented and exciting live band. The band's early chemistry came out of a contrast between Eddie Van Halen's technical wizardry and David Lee Roth's flamboyant antics, a rivalry 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, "Dance The Night Away."
Over the next few years, the band alternated album releases and touring to increasing commercial and critical acclaim. By 1980, Van Halen was one of the world's most successful and influential rock bands. Their party-loving spirit and hard rocking anthem-like sound made them popular with teenagers. Women and Children First was released in 1980, further cementing Van Halen's status with popular songs like "And the Cradle Will Rock..." and "Everybody Wants Some!!". Despite success, in 1981, during the recording of their fourth album, Fair Warning, tensions rose. Eddie Van Halen's desire to experiment with more serious and complex songs was at odds with Roth's poppy style and cartoonish persona. Although Roth (and producer Templeman) acquiesced to Eddie's wishes, Fair Warning was a sales disappointment, with no hits. In later interviews Eddie would reveal that he was struggling with alcoholism during the production of Fair Warning and the darker tone of the music was because of his own conflict.
Diver Down, performed better and at the end of the supporting tour the band earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest-paid single appearance of a band: $1 million for a 90 minute set at the 1983 US Festival.
Amidst the success, tensions were slowly but surely dividing the band. Roth and Eddie's stylistic differences continued. According to a Classic Rock Revisited interview with bassist Billy Sheehan, after his band Talas completed a tour opening for Van Halen, he was approached by Eddie Van Halen to replace Michael Anthony. The reasons for this were never clear to Sheehan, but ultimately nothing came out of those talks.
Departure of Roth
Van Halen's next album, 1984 (released on January 9, 1984) was their commercial pinnacle, and often considered artistic peak too. Recorded at Eddie Van Halen's newly-built 5150 Studios, it prominently used keyboards, previously heard only rarely. The lead single, "Jump", featured a bouncy synthesizer hook and anthemic lyrics, and became the band's first and only #1 pop hit, garnering them a Grammy nomination.[12]. Other hit singles included "Panama", "I'll Wait", and "Hot For Teacher". This more commercial style and use of keyboards softened the sound, moving it away from the band's hard rock roots. Many of the songs had popular music videos on MTV , especially "Hot For Teacher," which featured a scantily clad model playing the part of an elementary-school teacher and school-age boys portraying younger versions of the band. 1984 was praised by critics [13] [14] [15] and fans alike [16] [17], peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts behind Thriller by Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen played the guitar solo on the hit song "Beat It," on that album).
However, the album was also a breaking point. In the midst of the tour, the artistic and personal tensions among the musicians reached a fever pitch. Reasons for the breakup vary based on the band member interviewed, but were rooted in control of the band's sound and image. Roth was upset about Edward playing music outside of Van Halen without checking with the band and Eddie was sick of Roth's flamboyant behavior and stage persona. On April 1, 1985, Roth left Van Halen.
Sammy Hagar era (1985 - 1996)
At first, Eddie asked Patty Smyth of Scandal to replace Roth but she said no. Eddie was then introduced by way of a mutual auto mechanic to Sammy Hagar, formerly of 1970s band Montrose, and at that time a solo artist coming off a very successful year (his 1984 album VOA had yielded hit single "I Can't Drive 55'"). Hagar agreed to join, also serving as a rhythm guitar to add to the Van Halen sound. The 1986 Van Halen album 5150 was a hit, becoming the band's first #1 album on the Billboard charts, driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love?", "Dreams" and "Love Walks In". The album included diverse songs ranging from the thrashiness of "Get Up" and party rock of "Summer Nights" to the more introspective "Best Of Both Worlds" and a guitar heavy title track. To further introduce the new era for the band, a new Van Halen logo was put on the cover. The new logo retained elements of the original, but now it had curved "wings" instead of straight. 5150 is generally considered the strongest album of the "Hagar era".
Main article: 1986 Tour
Following the release of the 5150 album, a tour was launched to support it across North America. Named the 1986 Tour, the title was a homage to the previous 1984 Tour in support of the 1984 album. The band proved touring with Hagar was as successful as with Roth, and footage was released on VHS/DVD as Van Halen - Live Without a Net. In the tour Hagar wanted to minimise the use of pre-Hagar Van Halen songs in the set, other than the band's best known classics. This was a trend that continued, with the expanding repertoire of Hagar-era songs slowly whittling away at the number of Roth-era songs on the set list.
During Hagar's tenure, the band established a musical formula that proved commercially successful in the United States. 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, and the songs became longer: During the Roth era, Van Halen songs rarely stretched beyond three and a half minutes, and some albums struggled to cross the thirty minute mark. With Hagar, some songs exceeded five minutes in length. The result was markedly different from the hard charging, rollicking riffs of the group's earlier work. The mix of pop and hard rock styles created a new sound for Van Halen.
All four studio albums produced during this period reached #1 on the Billboard pop music charts and 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 success throughout the mid-90's, while many other bands fell from favor, overtaken by anti-establishment "Grunge Music". In 1995 Van Halen surprised many fans by supporting Bon Jovi on their European Summer stadium tour.
The band's commercial success and new "Van Hagar" sound did little to woo many fans who still held a strong resentment over Roth's departure and refused to move on. However Eddie repeatedly said he was happier with Hagar singing and that "Roth was not coming back".
Departure of Hagar
During the recording of songs for the film Twister, escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled and Hagar departed on Father's Day, 1996. The band had recorded a song, "Humans Being" which Eddie claimed he had to write all the lyrics for since Hagar's were "too cheesy". This upset Hagar, and when they were to record a second song for the soundtrack Hagar was in Hawaii. He wasn't keen on doing soundtrack work since it would make the music hard to obtain for fans, 'abusing' them, so the second track the band were due to record became an Eddie/Alex instrumental, Respect the Wind.
The band were also working on a compilation album, which Hagar was not keen on since he felt it was not what fans wanted and not something the band needed to release yet - with a long career ahead of them. New manager, Ray Danniels (replacing the late Ed Leffler) had suggested the idea, and he did not get along with Hagar. Reluctant to work on new songs for that before a new album came out, the band fell out - with the management siding with Eddie and Alex. Hagar also was rumoured to have concerns over comparisons on an album which featured both his work and Roth's.
Hagar claimed that he was fired; Van Halen claimed that he quit. The media storm surrounding the dramatic exit of Hagar helped him immediately restart his solo career. However, the publicity did not help Van Halen, serving to highlight the vacant lead singer spot. The band's past successes set high expectations, and fans everywhere were waiting for the band's next move. Throughout this time, Michael Anthony managed to remain on good terms with Hagar.
With Mitch Malloy (1996)
When Sammy Hagar left Van Halen, they very quickly recruited Mitch Malloy as a replacement. They recorded demos with Malloy and jammed with him. He was a friend of Eddie, and quickly became close to the rest of the band so they decided it was appropriate to invite him in when they realised he was also a talented vocalist
Temporary Reunion with Roth (1996)
David Lee Roth got in touch with Eddie over the phone to discuss what tracks would be included on the compilation Van Halen had been working on (this was before Hagar's actual departure), which in theory it was still going to be made after Hagar's departure. They got along well, and Eddie invited him up to see him. Shortly afterwards, David Lee Roth re-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 and released as singles to help promote it.
By September, 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 as Van Halen in over eleven years, presenting an award at the MTV Video Music Awards. This helped to bring the compilation to #1 on the US album charts. However, unknown to Roth, Eddie and Alex were still auditioning other singers
Departure of Malloy
Just after the band's MTV appearance, Malloy decided the band could not be successful with a new vocalist after Roth appeared with them on MTV (with millions of viewers, and with Roth claiming they were together again), and would rather leave
Second departure of Roth
The band's appearance on the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards was greeted with a standing ovation and fuelled speculation of a reunion. Several weeks after the awards show, it was discovered that Roth would not reunite with Van Halen. At this time, Roth released a media statement in which he apologized to the media and the fans, stating that he was an unwitting participant in a publicity stunt by the Van Halens and Ray Daniels (their manager). The next day, Eddie and Alex Van Halen released their own 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. Ultimately Van Halen never recovered from the issues surrounding Roth's brief second tenure with the band and subsequent exit.
Gary Cherone era (1996 - 1999)
The band recruited Gary Cherone, frontman of the defunct Boston-based band Extreme, best known for the acoustic ballad More Than Words. The result was Van Halen III. Many songs were longer and more ethereal. It was less about rocking out, more thought-provoking ("How Many Say I", with Eddie on vocals). These changes alienated many fans while failing to attract new fans. Sales were poor by the band's standards (it has only been certified Gold) — despite the album peaking at #4 on the US charts. Van Halen III did produce a hit however, "Without You". The song "Fire in the Hole" appeared on the Lethal Weapon 4 soundtrack. It would also later be revealed that Anthony was only permitted by Eddie to play bass on three tracks on the album and that Eddie played the rest. Anthony received a full credit, masking this behind the scenes difficulty.
The album was followed by a poorly attended but well received and widespread tour. The III Tour saw Van Halen playing in new countries, with a schedule that was impressive for a band their age. It included taking a US-style arena setup into the Oceanic continent.
Departure of Cherone
Van Halen's new album was unfinished when Cherone left amicably in November 1999. Citing musical differences, it is likely III's sales and critical reception had a big impact. Touring with Cherone, regardless of his charisma, had proven disappointing in terms of attendance. Unlike the previous two singers, there was no bad blood and Cherone remained in contact with Van Halen. As when Hagar left, speculation resumed on a Roth reunion.
Without a singer: Four years of silence (2000 - 2004)
From 2000 to early 2004, no official statements were made by Van Halen and no music released. However, information about members, past and present, trickled in. The Van Halen brothers continued writing at 5150 studios, Gary Cherone recorded an album and toured with new band Tribe of Judah. One of the songs that Cherone had written for the scrapped 2nd album with Van Halen entitled "Left For Dead", would see its lyrics set to a completely new musical arrangement with Tribe Of Judah. Hagar and Roth continued their careers.
On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with the Boston Pops at Boston's annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration. Sammy Hagar remained active, releasing five albums and creating his own merchandising brand Cabo Wabo, which lends its name to his line of tequila, as well as his franchise of cantinas. He reunited with Montrose in 2003 and 2005 for a few performances. Hagar maintained contact with Michael Anthony, often playing with him. Despite quietness within Van Halen, Anthony stayed busy with merchandising projects (such as his signature Yamaha bass) and set up a website. He became involved with the annual music industry NAMM Show.
Eddie Van Halen had hip surgery in 1999 and recovered. In 2000, the band worked with David Lee Roth at 5150, writing new music before falling out again. Eddie kept quiet, but was at the LAPD charity golf tournament during May 2001. He gave an interview with Maximum Golf Magazine in July 2001.[21] Little news followed, and any band progress would have been interrupted on October 15, 2001, when Eddie and his wife of 21 years, actress Valerie Bertinelli, separated (though the couple only filed for divorce on December 8, 2005). In November 2001, Anthony claimed Roth had been working with the band again for a few months, but lawyers had shut it down. Strangely, Anthony later denied this statement. More positively, Eddie underwent successful treatment for cancer and announced his recovery on Van Halen's website in May 2002. In 2002, Warner Bros. dropped Van Halen after working with them since 1978.
Eddie's only live performances during this period were joining Mountain to play "Never in My Life" in August 2002 and a private audience jam at NAMM January 2003. (This took place at the Peavey booth. At the time, Peavey was authorized to manufacture Eddie's signature "Wolfgang" model guitar. Word quickly spread through the NAMM show that Eddie was to play at the Peavey booth, and the booth became packed. Eddie showed up late and drunk. When he finally appeared, he was incoherent. Peavey founder and CEO, Hartley Peavey, was furious. Shortly after this, Peavey lost its license to produce the "official" Van Halen guitar, and Fender, which had purchased Charvel-Jackson, was awarded the license, but the guitar produced was a copy of Eddie's earlier Strat-style guitars, available in three models: white with black stripes, red white and black and yellow on black).
In the summer of 2002, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar teamed up in the Song For Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour (also known as the 'Sans-Halen' or 'Sam & Dave' Tour). The joint tour headlining both former lead singers attracted media and audience fascination because it seemed more improbable than even a Van Halen with Roth or Hagar could be. The tour drew large crowds and featured no opening acts, Roth and Hagar would alternate opening as the first act during the tour. 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." Michael Anthony guested with Hagar's band, The Waboritas, numerous times and sometimes even sang lead vocals. He never played with Roth. Gary Cherone appeared on occasion. Hagar released a live album (Hallelujah), featuring vocals by Mike and Gary, and a documentary DVD, Long Road to Cabo, about touring with Roth. Next, Hagar joined with Journey guitarist Neal Schon to form a side project, Planet Us. Along with Michael Anthony and Deen Castronovo (also of Journey) on drums. The band recorded just two songs and played live a few times before dissolving when Hagar and Anthony rejoined Van Halen.
While the two lead singers promoted the tour and publicly claimed mutual respect, rumours of bitter acrimony and mutual loathing between the two singers swirled. The allegations were later revealed in back stage video showing Roth and Hagar camps maintaining strict separation.
Also in this period, rumours cropped up that Anthony had been fired - despite his name being included in messages 'from the band' on their website. His official website denied the rumours, though it was later revealed that on the Van Halen III album Anthony only recorded three tracks, and subsequently his position became tenuous (it relied entirely on Hagar's demands that he remain in 2004). His departure was confirmed in 2006.
Reunion with Hagar (2004 - 2005)
During January 2003, the VHND (Van Halen News Desk) website reported that Sammy Hagar was working with the Van Halens. No official confirmation came for an extended period of time. 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 of the USA.
In July 2004, Van Halen released their second Greatest Hits compilation (a double album, unlike the first), featuring three new songs with Hagar: "It's About Time", "Up For Breakfast", and "Learning to See". These songs were newly written by the Van Halen brothers and Sammy Hagar. The songs were credited to Hagar/Van Halen/Van Halen, which was unusual since normally the entire lineup (which also included Michael Anthony) would be credited. However, the performance was credited to the entire band; Michael Anthony would later reveal in interviews that Eddie Van Halen had in fact not wanted him to be a part of the reunion and for this reason Anthony had not been allowed to perform in the sessions (explaining his lack of a songwriting credit), with Eddie playing the bass parts himself instead. Though it was the only new album since the band's first Greatest Hits, no songs with Gary Cherone from Van Halen III were included. It was certified platinum in the USA in August 2004.
The tour grossed almost US$55 million, and Pollstar listed Van Halen in the top 10 grossing tours of 2004. Most of the concerts received positive feedback from professional reviewers. On some shows, Eddie's son Wolfgang came onstage and played guitar with his father during 316 a song dedicated to his son, taking its name from his birthday. However, serious problems surfaced. Promoters lost money, tickets were often deemed overpriced, and few shows sold out.
Reports from the first half of the tour were largely positive. Later, however, stories of Eddie being drunk and playing poorly also circulated. At the end of the band's final show of the tour, in Tucson, Eddie smashed one of his guitars on stage and quickly walked off stage.
Second departure of Hagar
After the tour, things broke down. At first Hagar stated he had yet to decide what he would be doing with the band but he was in Van Halen. However, Hagar and Anthony soon admitted that Eddie had 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". Despite this, Eddie later described himself as 'satisfied' with the tour.
After the tour ended, Hagar returned to his solo band The Waboritas, and Anthony appeared with him on tour occasionally. The band quickly faded from view after Hagar left again. In December 2005 Michael Anthony revealed in an interview with Mark & Brian that he had not talked with the Van Halens and was unsure of their plans.
Second Reunion with Roth (2006 - present)
Rumors of a David Lee Roth reunion re-emerged (as they did whenever the band lacked a singer) and on January 3, 2006, Roth explained during an interview that he spoke to Alex Van Halen the previous week and a reunion was "inevitable".However, he also said that Eddie Van Halen was "off in his own little world" recently.
Following this, the press frequently interviewed the band, though Van Halen avoided reunion discussions. When asked if any problems occurred with Sammy Hagar during the 2004 tour Eddie Van Halen answered, "Sammy is Sammy, and for the most part that's just fine". There was no mention of a reunion with Roth, but there was a sense of completion concerning their work with Hagar.
Roth persisted with suggestions of a reunion,[23] saying "People want the reunion." and "No one will pay respect to what any of us do [musically] until we get the reunion out of the way.".
Roth continued to refer to a reunion, and in late May 2006 told Billboard.com, "There's contact between the two camps". On June 3rd, Michael Anthony began a successful tour with Hagar. They toured as "The Other Half" (a reference of them being the 'other half' of Van Halen to the Van Halen brothers), with Anthony singing lead vocals sometimes. In what may have been a response to this, on June 19, in order to remind fans that Van Halen still existed, the Van Halen brothers jumped onstage with Kenny Chesney at The Home Depot Center performing "Jump" and "You Really Got Me". This unusual performance was their first onstage together or separately since November 2004. This was followed by another Eddie Van Halen performance in July 19, 2006, at the House of Petals in Los Angeles, playing new material. He followed this with an announcement on July 27, 2006, that some of his new music would be released on the soundtrack for the pornography film Sacred Sin. This would be the first recording by the band's leader since Best of Both Worlds
Departure of Anthony
News of Michael Anthony's recent treatment reached the public in March 2006. He spoke to Japanese rock magazine Burrn!, claiming the brothers did not want him on the 2004 reunion - Hagar did (and would not play without Anthony), but he had to agree to reduced royalties and end absolutely all association with the band after the tour in terms of rights to using the name to promote himself. It was in this same interview he admitted he was not involved in the new songs on Best of Both Worlds and only recorded three tracks for III.
On September 8, 2006, Howard Stern's Eddie Van Halen live interview broke the band's long silence. Eddie said he was willing to reunite with Roth and revealed a solo album in the works. Michael Anthony's departure was confirmed with Eddie's son, Wolfgang, taking his role. Wolfgang had played guitar alongside his father on some 2004 concerts. When queried about The Other Half tour, Eddie said Anthony could "do what he wants" now. This shocked and offended many fans. With both Roth and Eddie Van Halen wanting a reunion and the bass slot filled, the stage was set for the band's revival.
Hall of Fame induction, reunion tour planned but delayed
On October 30, 2006, Van Halen and R.E.M. led the ballot for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Despite having been eligible for several years, the band had yet to be balloted. In November, Eddie's spokesperson, Janie Liszewski, claimed the Van Halen family was writing/rehearsing for a Summer 2007 tour. Subsequently the announcement was confirmed on Billboard magazine's website on November 9. However, the Van Halen website remained in the state it had been in since the Hagar reunion.
On December 11, 2006, Eddie Van Halen stated to Guitar World magazine that David Lee Roth had been directly invited to rejoin the band.[28] However, on December 28, Roth announced that he had not talked to Eddie in two years, and a reunion with Van Halen could result in a "NASCAR-style wreck," or "Jerry Springer style fight". However, he did not say if he would rejoin the band or not.
News from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally slipped out on January 8, 2007. Van Halen was to be an inductee. Along with the Van Halen brothers, former members Anthony, Hagar, and Roth were to be inducted. Billboard announced on January 24, 2007, that Van Halen would reunite with David Lee Roth for a US tour . This was confirmed shortly after on the official Van Halen website.[32] The Van-Halen-News-Desk announced on February 15, 2007, that a Van Halen "Best Of (1978-1984)", a single-disc compilation of Van Halen's David Lee Roth era, would be released by April 3. This was to coincide with the Hall of Fame induction and would feature exclusive content (liner notes, remastered songs etc).
In late February 2007, in response to reports, updates arrived in a flood. The Los Angeles Times claimed the tour was shut down as was the "Best Of (1978-1984)" CD. Meanwhile, Billboard.com's sources said that the reason to postpone the 2007 summer reunion tour indefinitely was not due to any internal strife between band members - a valid concern given the band's previous reunion attempts. Supposedly the tour would happen, but exactly when was unknown. No information on rehearsals was mentioned, and the band's official website was not updated.
As the band's Hall of Fame induction drew nearer, media focus was more on that than the reunion. Velvet Revolver would induct them into the Hall of Fame and speak on the band's behalf. No one knew who from Van Halen would appear or if they would perform.
On March 8, 2007 Eddie left a note on the band website saying he has entered rehabilitation. "Some of the issues surrounding the 2007 Van Halen tour are within my ability to change and some are not". It has never been stated exactly what other issues might have gotten in the way of the reunion, although Eddie's alcoholism was a major one. "As far as my rehab is concerned, it is within my ability to change and change for the better".
Along with the announcement on March 8, 2007, another change was made to the official Van Halen website. The logo at the top of the page changed to the original band logo. This logo was used from the band's birth until their re-invention with a new logo with Sammy Hagar and heralded the return to an old era.
On March 12, 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar were the only inductees who showed up (neither of which are members of the band at present). Michael Anthony made a point of thanking the band's third singer, Gary Cherone, who was not inducted. Velvet Revolver played a song to represent the absent members of the band, which was followed by Anthony and Hagar playing "Why Can't This Be Love" with Paul Schaffer. Afterwards, at a press conference, Hagar said that he would love to work with Van Halen again. He also said that he hopes the band would do a "Dave reunion" with Roth first
Recent events: Reunion begins
On April 21, 2007, Eddie Van Halen served as an Honorary Race Official for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. He looked fit and well, better than he had on the last tour despite being three years older. He joined Sperber on the pre-race stage greeting drivers as they were introduced. In addition to duties as a Race Official, he unveiled a limited edition Fender Stratocaster as well as a limited edition EVH brand Frankenstein replica guitar for the race's winner. On May 24, Eddie posted a note to the Van Halen website confirming that he had exited rehab, having cured his ills.
On Monday, July 2, 2007 press reported that the reunion tour with David Lee Roth on vocals is in the planning stage. Then on August 6th, Billboard.com reported that the band had all but finalized a tour, beginning in October. Speculation was further fuelled by the same report as it also said that the band will be officially announcing this tour at a Hollywood press conference on Monday, August 13th at 2:30pm eastern time.After nearly 10 months of speculation, on Monday, August 13th, 2007, Van Halen (and David Lee Roth separately via his own website) announced that the band will be going on a tour of North America beginning on September 27.. No news on the previously announced and subsequently cancelled Best of (1978-1984) compilation album has been made. However, Roth claimed in the press release that, "the idea is that this will continue on and on and on" and also that a world tour and new album were in the works (though the band has yet to get a record deal since it was dropped by Warner Bros. in 2002).
Though the press reaction to the reunion was largely warm due to the band's cheery behaviour at the press conference, the newly re-designed website sparked controversy when Michael Anthony was removed from the album artwork on the Van Halen album (replaced by an image of Wolfgang), and the group photo from the Women and Children First album was taken off entirely. After significant outrage emerged across the Internet, the album covers were reverted to their original state without a word. The tour was originally 25 dates, but popularity has raised it to 40.
Van Halen started their first tour with David Lee Roth in 23 years on September 27, 2007 in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played to a sell out crowd and generated positive reviews. After much debate, the backing vocal situation could be seen dealt with on stage - Eddie and his son sing them for the band now.
- lead guitar/
Eddie Van Halen, acoustic guitar, keyboards (1972-Present)
- bass guitar/
Wolfgang Van Halen, backing vocals (2006-Present)
Michael Anthony, backing vocals, keyboards (1974-2005)
Mark Stone(1972-1974)
- drums/
Alex Van Halen, percussion (1972-present)
- Vocal:
David Lee Roth:(1974-1985, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2006-present)
Van Halen (1978) 10x Platinum
Van Halen II (1979) 5x Platinum
Women and Children First (1980) 3x Platinum
Fair Warning (1981) 2x Platinum
Diver Down (1982) 4x Platinum
1984 (1984) 10x Platinum
Sammy Hagar:(1985-1996, 2003-2005)
5150 (1986) -x Platinum
OU812 (1988) 4x Platinum
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991) 4x Platinum
Balance (1995) "x Platinum
Gary Cherone:(1996-1999)
Van Halen III (1998) Gold
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DAVID LEE ROTH
After Van Halen
In late 1985, Roth assembled a band that many considered a supergroup, composed of guitarist Steve Vai, bass player Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette. He later enlisted Van Halen producer Ted Templeman to produce the band's debut album. Eat 'Em and Smile saw Roth return to hard rock music, and met with huge commercial success. In interviews around this time, Roth claimed that he had recorded additional Spanish and Portuguese language versions of the album, but to date only one of these, the Spanish language (all songs sung in Spanish) version titled "Sonrisa Salvaje", appeared. The Eat 'em and Smile Tour was one of the most successful concert tours of 1986.
Van Halen's first album with Sammy Hagar, Roth's replacement as lead vocalist, entitled 5150, met with greater commercial success than Eat 'Em and Smile, although it had lost a lot of the heavier rock edge from the previous Roth-era albums. Van Halen titled their 1988 album OU812 (i.e. Oh, you ate one too?) to ridicule Eat 'Em And Smile.
In early 1988, Roth released Skyscraper, a more experimental offering than the first solo album. It featured Roth's most famous original solo song, "Just Like Paradise", which was a world-wide hit. Skyscraper was co-produced by Roth and Steve Vai, and displayed the growing influence of the guitarist, featuring on many songs the dense layers of compressed guitars that gave it a unique sound that was to differentiate the album from the more Van Halen-sounding "Eat 'Em and Smile". The album was certified platinum, reaching #6 on the Billboard album chart. Nonetheless, it met with a more tepid commercial response than anything Roth had released previously. Soon after Skyscraper's release, Billy Sheehan left Roth's band, who then embarked on a world tour with new bassist Matt Bissonette during most of 1988. The tour was a major production featuring, at various points, Roth surfing above the audience on a surfboard suspended on wires and in a boxing ring, (both parts of the stage show seen in the "Just Like Paradise" video). The show also featured all members of the band in a calypso segment and all playing Caribbean steel drums and in an unplugged segment where the band performed acoustic covers of some rock'n'roll classics such as 'Wake-Up Little Susie' by The Everly Brothers. The tour was a huge success and met with ecstatic reviews in many places. A Sounds magazine review of a show on the tour at St. Louis, Missouri (published 5th May, 1988) declared it "the greatest rock show on earth" and Kerrang magazine summed up the tour as "a don't blink or you'll miss it spectacular" that had the reporter Mick Wall "scrabbling to put new batteries into his pacemaker." Despite the critical and commercial triumphs of the Skyscraper Tour, Steve Vai left the band to join Whitesnake. In 1991, Roth released A Little Ain't Enough, a more mainstream hard rock album, produced by Bob Rock; it achieved RIAA gold status. Twenty-year old guitar prodigy Jason Becker played on the album, but he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease shortly before the accompanying arena tour. He was replaced by Joe Holmes. The stage for the A Little Ain't Enough Tour featured statues that spat whiskey at Roth's audience, and a pair of giant inflatable legs, positioned 'spread-eagle', wearing ripped, fishnet stockings. Musical tastes changed dramatically by the end of 1991, with the arrival of grunge music, hence Roth's tour did not sell out many venues, as in the past.
In 1993, Roth was arrested in New York City's Washington Square Park for buying what he once described as "$10 worth of Jamaican, bunk reefer maan" from an undercover police officer. The arrest made headlines, and became a late-night television punch-line. When asked by Howard Stern whether the bust was a publicity stunt, Roth said, "Howard, in New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says 'Buick, Chevy, Other'. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it's $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk."
In 1994, Roth released Your Filthy Little Mouth, an eclectic, lyrically intricate album produced by Nile Rodgers. It combined elements of rock, country, reggae, hip hop, lounge, and others; for example, it included the song "Cheating Heart Cafe", a duet with the popular country singer Travis Tritt. It did not sell well, failing to achieve gold status. Roth then began to perform at smaller venues in the United States.
Nevertheless, many partisan fans remained, and the Roth/Van Halen split entered iconic pop culture. For example, in the film Airheads released that year, people who sided with Roth in the Van Halen split were denoted as cool, whereas a character siding with Van Halen was fingered as an undercover police officer.Similarly, in 2001, the title character of the film Joe Dirt declared he was a Van Halen fan, not a "Van Hagar" fan. In Bowling For Soup's song "She's Still Preoccupied With) 1985", the narrator sings about the frustrated soccer mom, "Where's the mini-skirt/ Made of snakeskin? Who's the other guy/ Singing with Van Halen?..." And in the 1998 Adam Sandler film The Wedding Singer, set in 1985, Sandler's character tells his cheating girlfriend "Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up". Nerf Herder had a minor hit in 1996 with the song "Van Halen". The lyrics heralded David Lee Roth ("I bought Van Halen I / It was the best damn record I ever owned") and bemoaned Sammy Hagar ("Is this what you wanted, Sammy Hagar? ... I'll never buy your lousy records again").
Roth devised and performed an adult lounge act, largely in Las Vegas casinos, with a brass band that featured Nile Rodgers, Edgar Winter, and members of the Miami Sound Machine. It also featured several exotic dancers, who in Roth's words were "so sweet, I bet they shit sugar!"
Living in New York City since the late 1990s, David Lee Roth trained as an Emergency Medical Technician, and, as recently as last year, has "worked the streets" as an EMT. Supposedly, he occasionally told stories from his EMS days on his radio show.
Career explorations
In June 1996, Roth reunited with Van Halen for a brief time and to great public fanfare. He recorded two new songs for Van Halen's Best of Vol. 1 album, "Can't Get This Stuff No More" and "Me Wise Magic." After an infamous appearance on September 5, 1996, at the MTV Video Music Awards during which Roth and Eddie Van Halen reportedly threatened each other, Roth was passed over for Van Halen's new lead vocalist job in favor of Gary Cherone. (Cherone's previous band, Extreme, had opened for Roth in 1991).
In 1997, Roth wrote a well-received memoir, entitled Crazy From the Heat. The 359-page book was whittled down from over 1,200 pages of monologues, which were recorded and transcribed by a Princeton University graduate who followed Roth around for almost a year. Among the book's revelations, aside from stories about backyard parties, Van Halen, and catching malaria in Third world jungles, was the infamous "Brown M&Ms" clause written into Van Halen's early contract riders. The clause was included in contracts not because of ego, but rather to make sure that structural stage specifications in the contract were read thoroughly and were adequately provided. Roth writes of a time when he found brown M&M's in a bowl and subsequently had a fit. In the press, he was accused of causing US$85,000 worth of damage to the arena. Most of the monetary damages were due to Van Halen's staging sinking through the floor. Roth writes, "they didn't bother to look at the weight requirements or anything, and this sank through their new flooring and did eighty-thousand dollars worth of damage to the arena floor. The whole thing had to be replaced. It came out in the press that I discovered brown M&M's and did $85,000 worth of damage to the backstage area. Well, who am I to get in the way of a good rumor?"
In 2001, rumors swirled that Roth and the members of Van Halen had recorded several new songs together and were in the process of attempting yet another reunion. Roth later confirmed this, but nothing became of the music. A box set was also rumored, but never materialized. Instead, Warner Bros. re-released remastered versions of all six early Van Halen studio albums.
In 2002, Roth's Heavyweights of Rock and Roll Tour with Sammy Hagar revived his career somewhat. Despite this, Roth's future with Van Halen seemed uncertain.
Yankee Rose appeared in the 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on Rock station V-Rock.
In 2003, Roth released Diamond Dave, an album of (mostly) classic rock cover songs ("If 6 Was 9", "Soul Kitchen," and a solo/big band version of "Ice Cream Man").
In 2004, he appeared on The Sopranos as a poker-playing guest of Tony Soprano, to which Roth was quoted on his website as saying, "Mom says I'm going to look like Lee Marvin in 10 years whether I'm in movies or not, so I might as well get after it!"
On July 4 2004, Roth performed with the Boston Pops at Boston's annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration. Roth introduced the crowd to his daughter actress "Brenna Roth" during the show.
Roth's website has stated that he is also working on the book The Tao of Dave: Rock 'n' Roll Philosophy with David Lee Roth, a follow-up to his autobiography.
On May 25, 2006 in an interview with Billboard magazine Roth predicted a classic Van Halen reunion. ""There's contact between the two camps..." says Roth, and "To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put together. And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name says to what's-her-name at the end of the movie 'Chicago' -- 'So what? It's showbiz!' So I definitely see it happening." In the same interview, Roth also admitted that he hadn't seen Eddie Van Halen "in a couple of years."
During the summer and fall of 2006 Roth toured the United States. He performed classic Van Halen hits as well as selected songs from his solo career. Roth also promoted a new CD, "Strummin' with the Devil," a Van Halen bluegrass tribute album, which features his vocals on two songs, "Jump" and "Jamie's Cryin'". Roth performed a bluegrass rendition of "Jump" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Radio show
On January 3, 2006, Roth began a career as a radio personality, hosting a self titled show that replaced satellite-radio-bound Howard Stern in the morning drive slot on CBS Radio stations in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and West Palm Beach. Roth stated in an October 2005 interview with Stern that his show would be political, but at the same time, not overly serious.
Initial ratings for Roth's show proved abysmal. Many criticized Roth's lack of talk show experience, on-air deameanor, and tendency to laugh at his own one-liners, while noting that he is trying to replace a major figure in Howard Stern. Roth's show developed into a mix of music reviews, interviews with porn stars and strippers, political discussions, and guests from many walks of life. Roth's show featured an in-studio guitarist, Brian Young, referred to on air as "B. Young."
On Feb. 27, 2006, the Dallas, Boston, and Philadelphia affiliates started airing local programming in Roth's morning time slot, rather than repeat airings of "Best of Roth" while Roth was on vacation. When ratings were released on Feb. 28, 2006, certain entertainment bloggers suggested Roth's hiatus would become permanent. However, on March 6, 2006, Roth returned as scheduled, and continued to broadcast on weekday mornings. On March 8 and 9, Roth blasted his management on the air, explaining to his audience that they had asked him to stop catering towards ethnic groups and women, and instead focus on 35-year-old white males. On his March 10 show, he announced that things between him and the management had been settled "for the time being." During the week of March 27-March 31, Roth Radio took its show on the road for the first time, broadcasting from Miami, Florida all week long.
On Wednesday, March 29, 2006, Roth was taken off the air by CBS; affiliates were told to find other programming to air. That day, Karen Mateo of CBS radio released a statement saying that David Lee Roth would return to the airwaves from New York on Friday, March 31. Upon Roth's return on March 31, the format of his show had changed drastically. Many of the show's callers expressed dislike of the new format, saying they felt that the show had "lost its edge." One caller aired his opinion that Roth's morning circus tendency to laugh at unfunny one-liners was annoying. Starting Monday, April 10, 2006, the Dallas affiliate moved Roth up one hour from 6-10 central to 5-9 by running the show live instead of on an hour delay. The extra hour was given to the newly acquired Jagger Show.
On April 10, 2006, the New York Post reported that CBS Radio would replace Roth with the team of Opie and Anthony "within weeks." On the morning of April 21, 2006, about halfway through the show, Dave was ranting about his show not being able to take calls or emails. He then went on to read the news stories, (including a tirade about Bob Dylan's new XM Radio show, and how he sounds like "a stretched out rubber band"). He would only get halfway through a story before commenting that he didn't care about it, and would go on to the next one. Following a commercial break, Roth chose to play only songs because of his frustration with CBS radio. At 8 AM, Roth returned to the air to interview famed car salesman "Chop," and then at 9 AM he interviewed actor Jeff Bridges. Roth made an agreement with CBS to address the situation with 15 minutes left in the show; however, when that time came CBS pulled the plug on him, and did not allow him to say good-bye to his fans.
As of April 22, 2006, David Lee Roth was rumored to be in talks with Sirius Satellite Radio to do an afternoon show. This was later denied by Howard Stern and Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin, who stated, "Mr. Roth is still under contract and unable to go to another radio medium whilst still being paid by CBS Radio." Roth is also expected to pursue his full one year payout of approximately $4 million. Howard Stern has come to Roth's defense claiming that he should have been allowed time to grow an audience.
On April 24, 2006, the rumor about The David Lee Roth Show being replaced by Opie and Anthony was confirmed. The duo filled Roth's former timeslot on Wednesday, April 26, 2006. Two days later, an article appeared in the Boston Herald, which stated that CBS, supposedly, never intended for Roth to replace Stern permanently. Reportedly, the company wanted Opie and Anthony to replace Stern all along; however, because of a public feud between Stern and the duo, they selected Roth to 'go first,' so as bear the brunt of fan outrage, and thus ensure Opie and Anthony's success.
During a brief war with Howard Stern, Stern was expecting Roth to show up at his K-Rock WXRK (in New York) station The Howard Stern Show, but when Roth failed to show up, Stern declared war on Roth and told his listeners to call him David Weave Roth. When Stern and Roth buried the hatchet, Roth came on and proved to Stern that he wasn't wearing a weave by having Stern pull his golden locks.
Recent events
On August 23, 2006, it was announced at the Independent Media Centre "Rock Camp" in Ontario, Canada, that for the 2007 camp, Roth was to teach the "Advanced Vocals" students.
On December 28, 2006, David Lee Roth warned that a reunion with Van Halen could result in a "NASCAR-style wreck."
On January 24, 2007, after much anticipation, Billboard.com reported that David Lee Roth would rejoin Van Halen for a 40-date amphitheater tour in Summer 2007.This report, among many others, was confirmed with an official press release posted on the official Van Halen website on Feb. 2, 2007.
On Feb. 2, 2007 The Official Van Halen Web Site released information that David Lee Roth had rejoined the band along with current members Alex, Eddie, along with Edward and Valerie's teenage son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Michael Anthony, Van Halen's original and only bass player up to now (excluding Eddie played bass himself on some of Van Halen III and all the new songs on the Best of Both Worlds compilation), was fired by Edward before the summer 2004 tour with Sammy Hagar and played that tour under a 'hired gun' contract. Michael Anthony's website confirms his firing. David Lee Roth's website has a fan poll asking if Michael's absence will detract from a "reunion" tour. On March 8th the official Van Halen website posted a letter from Edward Van Halen stating that Ed was entering rehab and that the tour with Roth had been indefinitely postponed.
In March of 2007 five members of Van Halen, the four original members and Sammy Hagar were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Van Halen brothers did not attend due to Ed's condition. Roth was to perform with the band Velvet Revolver however conflict with the band caused his part to be canceled. Roth subsequently did not attend the induction, leaving only Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar to represent Van Halen. Both Anthony and Hagar thanked Roth publicly for his contribution to the band during the awards acceptance.
The conflict was rumored to be based on song selection. Roth wanted to perform "Jump", the band's highest charting song, but Velvet Revolver would only agree to play "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" or "You Really Got Me". When it was finally agreed upon that Paul Schaffer would perform "Jump", Roth claimed that there was no longer enough time to rehearse and opted not to attend the ceremony.
It is rumored that Val Kilmer is set to portray Roth as a supporting character in The Dirt, a movie about rock band Mötley Crüe.
On G4's show Code Monkeys, Dave is giving an inspirational speech to keep the other from taking up jobs at Bellecovision, and Says "Would David Lee Roth leave Van Halen?" the show takes place in the 1980's.
On August 13th, 2007, 6 months after the initial reunion tour was postponed, it was finally confirmed by Van Halen with Roth at a press conference in Los Angeles that they would start the tour back up again and schedule it starting in September 2007. It was also announced that the band had the possibility of further worldwide touring and a new album in mind for 2008.
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1985-1988
Steve Vai - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Billy Sheehan - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gregg Bissonette - Drums & Percussion
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards
1988-1989
Steve Vai - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Matt Bissonette - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gregg Bissonette - Drums & Percussion
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards
1990-1991
Jason Becker - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Steve Hunter - Rhythm Guitars
Matt Bissonette - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gregg Bissonette - Drums & Percussion
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards
1991-1992
Joe Holmes - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Steve Hunter - Rhythm Guitars
Matt Bissonette - Bass, Backing Vocals
Gregg Bissonette - Drums & Percussion
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards
1993 - 1994
Terry Kilgore - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Rocket Ritchotte - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
James Hunting - Bass & Vocals
Ron Wikso - Drums & Percussion
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards & Vocals
1995 - 1996
No band - spent 1995 working in Las Vegas, and in 1996 working with Van Halen to record 2 new songs for their then new Greatest Hits compilation - 'Me Wise Magic' and 'Can't Get This Stuff No More'.
1997
Steve Hunter - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Brett Tuggle - Keyboards
1998
Mike Hartman - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
John Lowery - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
B'urbon Bob - Bass (a pseudonim for producer Bob Marlette)
Ray Luzier - Drums & Percussion
Terry Kilgore - Synthesizer
1999-2000
Bart Walsh - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Marco Mendoza - Bass
Ray Luzier - Drums & Percussion
2001
Bart Walsh - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
James Lomenzo - Bass
Ray Luzier - Drums
2002
Brian Young - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
James Lomenzo - Bass
Ray Luzier - Drums
2003
Brian Young - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Toshi Hiketa - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
James Lomenzo - Bass
Ray Luzier - Drums
2004 - 2006
No band - inactive
2006
Brian Young - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Toshi Hiketa - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Todd Jensen - Bass
Jimmy DeGrasso - Drums
2007
Van Halen reunion
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Discography
With Van Halen
Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen II (1979)
Women and Children First (1980)
Fair Warning (1981)
Diver Down (1982)
1984 (1984)
Best of Volume I (1996)
Untitled New Van Halen Album (2008)
Solo
Crazy from the Heat (EP, 1985) #15 US: Platinum
Eat 'Em and Smile (1986) #4 US:Platinum
Skyscraper (1988) #6 US:Platinum
A Little Ain't Enough (1991) #18 US:Gold
Your Filthy Little Mouth (1994) #36 US
The Best (1997) #199 US
DLR Band (1998) #172 US
Diamond Dave (2003)
Strummin' With The Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen (2006)
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