Van Halen (1974-1985, 2007-2020)

Van Halen (1974-1985, 2007-2020) JUMP! Also known as: Genesis • Mammoth (early) Origin: Pasadena, California, U.S. Genres: Hard rock • heavy metal • glam metal Labels: 1974–2020 Members: David Lee Roth (former) Eddie Van Halen (deceased) Alex Van Halen (former) Wolfgang Van Halen (former) Sammy Hagar (former) Mark Stone (deceased) Gary Cherone (former) Michael Anthony (former)

Van Halen was an American rock band formed in 1972 in Pasadena, California. The band is named after Eddie and Alex Van Halen.

Band Members

Main:

• David Lee Roth - Singer
• Eddie Van Halen - Lead Guitar
• Alex Van Halen - Drums
• Wolfgang Van Halen - Bass

Former:

• Sammy Hagar - Singer, Rhythm Guitar
• Mark Stone - Bass
• Gary Cherone - Singer
• Michael Anthony - Bass

Why They and Their Songs Rocked

1. Their songs are really catchy, especially "Jump".
2. Eddie Van Halen was an amazing guitarist. He developed a playing style that included two-handed tapping, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and sound effects.
3. David Lee Roth has a great voice and was very energetic on stage.
4. Alex Van Halen was a powerful drummer.
5. They have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, including 56 million in the USA.
6. They had thirteen #1 hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Bad Qualities

1. They went downhill after David Lee Roth left in 1985. The band fell into the cheesy category of rock and incorporated synth-pop elements on their albums. Also, Eddie became focused on playing songs around his solos and let songwriting take a backseat. Despite this, Sammy Hagar was a good lead vocalist. The band eventually recovered in 2007, when David Lee Roth returned.
   • In fact, many of their later albums got mixed reviews from the media.
2. Van Halen III is the band's worst album. Even the band themselves disowned it.
3. For much of his lifetime, Eddie treated his bandmates terribly. For instance, he fired Roth, all because the latter didn't like that Eddie wanted to change the band's style to become more generic.
4. Sammy Hagar was a mediocre guitarist.
5. The band permanently disbanded in 2020, when Eddie died from throat cancer.

Discography

Studio albums

• Van Halen (1978)
• Van Halen II (1979)
• Women And Children First (1980)
• Fair Warning (1981)
• Diver Down (1982)
• 1984 (1984)
• 5150 (1986)
• OU812 (1988)
• For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
• Balance (1995)
• Van Halen III (1998)
• A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

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