Van Halen Releases “Van Halen II” Forty Years Ago


Forty years ago today Van Halen dropped their second album less than a year after their debut Van Halen set the music world on fire. In just a year, the band had become a household name, and headliner nationally, and Eddie Van Halen, in particular, had graced the cover of many magazines for his sweet shred skills. Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, the band came right back with  Van Halen II (Warner Bros.), made up of their infamous pre-record deal demos made with Gene Simmons and Ted Templeman, and a few new songs. Van Halen II had the unenviable task of following one of the greatest debut albums ever.Continue reading


Van Halen’s Masterpiece “1984” Was Released 35 Years Ago


 

The 1980s was a truly golden age for rock music. As a lot of the successful bands from 1970 transitioned to new era of music competing with heavier styles of rock, New Wave, Punk, Post-Punk and Pop music, many acts had to step up their game to stay alive. While some adapted to new sounds to stay a float and reach for ears and hits, others fell by the wayside. One band that managed to changed while keeping true to what made them great was Van Halen. As proved by their definitive work on 1984 (Warner Bros.), released thirty-five years ago on January 9th, 1984, the album would not only mark the final chapter (at the time) for the David Lee Roth led period of the group, but set a new bench mark for them at the same time.

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