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Van Halen 
Wikipedia: Van Halen |
Van Halen's Biography
Since their national debut in 1978, Van Halen has become one of the most popular American heavy-metal bands. Initially fronted by the flamboyant and ever-quotable David Lee Roth and always featuring the highly original guitar pyrotechnics of Eddie Van Halen, Van Halen garnered a loyal mass following that held fast after Roth's 1985 departure and beyond.
With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines and animals. It was wildly inventive and over the top, equaled only by vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to near-performance art standards. Roth wasn't blessed with great technique, unlike Eddie, but he had a flair for showmanship that was derived as much from lounge performers as Robert Plant. Together, they made Van Halen into the most popular American rock & roll band of the late '70s and early '80s, and in the process set the template for hard rock and heavy metal for the '80s.
Van Halen is an American hard rock band. The band's debut album, Van Halen, released in 1978 is commonly regarded as a milestone in rock music and following its release the band established itself as a leader in the U.S. hard rock scene of the 1980s. From 1978 to 1998 the band released 11 studio albums (all of which broke the Top 20 spot of the Billboard 200 music charts). The band has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and has received several Grammy nominations. Van Halen is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records with the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock List. 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.). Van Halen is one of five rock groups that have had two albums (not including Greatest Hits albums) (the eponymous debut and 1984) sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. (the others being 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 on guitar, Alex Van Halen on drums and, until 2006, Michael Anthony on bass), 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 was on hiatus until September 2006, when on The Howard Stern Show, Edward Van Halen confirmed that his son Wolfgang had joined as bass player and that they were recording new material. Michael Anthony has also stated that as of November 6, 2006, he was not invited to participate in any reunion activity. Reports of David Lee Roth's return to the group to headline a 40-city tour set to begin in Summer 2007 were initially confirmed on February 2, 2007, however on February 20, 2007, reports surfaced that the tour was now postponed indefinitely, and that a planned greatest hits compilation of Roth era hit was likewise shelved . On February 23, 2007, concert promoter Live Nation announced that the tour has been "called off". David Lee Roth stated that "We have fragile politics in Van Halen -- please accept that as a partial answer," Roth told the Los Angeles Times. "But I don't know if the Van Halens are going to go. I hope they do, but right now, I just don't know".Billboard claimed on February 23, 2007 that the tour will go on at some point, but that as of right now, no one knew when.. UPI wire service stated that the tour was definitely canceled. |