The origins of this, one of America's most successful heavy metal bands, date back to Pasadena, California, in 1973. Eddie Van Halen (b. Eduard Lodewijk Van Halen, 26 January 1955, Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands; guitar/keyboards), Alex Van Halen (b. Alexander Arthur Van Halen, 8 May 1953, Nijmegen, Netherlands; drums) and Michael Anthony (b. Michael Anthony Sobolewski, 20 June 1954, Chicago, Illinois, USA; bass) who were members of the Broken Combs, persuaded vocalist David Lee Roth (b. 10 October 1953, Bloomington, Indiana, USA) to leave the Real Ball Jets and become a member. After he consented, they changed their name to Mammoth. Specializing in a mixture of 60s and 70s covers plus hard rock originals, they toured the bar and club circuit of Los Angeles virtually non-stop during the mid-70s. Their first break came when Gene Simmons (bass player of Kiss) saw one of their club gigs. He was amazed by the energy they generated and the flamboyance of their lead singer. Simmons produced a Mammoth demo, but surprisingly it was refused by many major labels in the USA. It was then discovered that the name Mammoth was already registered, so they would have to find an alternative. After considering Rat Salade, they opted for Roth's suggestion of simply Van Halen.
On the strength of Simmons' recommendation, producer Ted Templeman checked out the band, was duly impressed and convinced Warner Brothers Records to sign them. With Templeman at the production desk, Van Halen entered the studio and recorded their self-titled debut in 1978. The album was released to widespread critical acclaim and compared with Montrose's debut in 1974. It featured a unique fusion of energy, sophistication, and virtuosity through Eddie Van Halen's extraordinary guitar lines and Roth's self-assured vocal style. Within 12 months it had sold two million units, peaking at number 19 in the Billboard chart; over the years, this album has continued to sell and by 1996 it had been certified in the USA alone at 9 million sales. Eddie Van Halen was named as Best New Guitarist Of The Year in 1978, by Guitar Player magazine.
The follow-up, simply titled Van Halen II, kept to the same formula and was equally successful. Roth's stage antics became even more sensational - he was the supreme showman, combining theatrical stunts with a stunning voice to entertaining effect. Women And Children First saw the band start to explore more musical avenues and experiment with the use of synthesizers. This came to full fruition on 1981's Fair Warning, which was a marked departure from earlier releases.
The follow-up Diver Down was the band's weakest album, with the cover versions of 60s standards being the strongest tracks. Nevertheless, the band could do no wrong in the eyes of their fans and the album, as had all their previous releases, went platinum. Eddie Van Halen was also a guest on Michael Jackson's "Beat It", a US number 1 in February 1983. With 1984, released on New Year's Day of that year, the band returned to form. Nine original tracks reaffirmed their position as the leading exponents of heavy-duty melodic metal infused with a pop sensibility. Spearheaded by "Jump", a Billboard number 1 and UK number 7, the album lodged at number 2 in the US chart for a full five weeks during its one-year residency. This was easily his most high-profile solo outing, though his other select engagements outside Van Halen have included work with Private Life and former Toto member Steve Lukather.
Roth upset the apple cart by quitting in 1985 to concentrate on his solo career, and ex-Montrose vocalist Sammy Hagar (b. Samuel Roy Hagar, 13 October 1947, Monterey, California, USA) eventually filled the vacancy. Retaining the Van Halen name, against record company pressure to change it, the new line-up released 5150 in June 1986. The album name was derived from the police code for the criminally insane, as well as the name of Eddie Van Halen's recording studio. The lead off single, "Why Can't This Be Love?", reached number 3 in the Billboard chart and number 8 in the UK, while the album became their first US number 1 and their biggest seller to date. The follow-up OU812 was a disappointment in creative terms. The songs were formularized and lacked real direction, but the album became the band's second consecutive number 1 in less than two years.
Appearing in 1991, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, written as the acronym F.U.C.K., stirred up some controversy at the time of release. However, the music on the album transcended the juvenile humour of the title, being an immaculate collection of gritty and uncompromising rockers. The band had defined their identity anew and rode into the 90s on a new creative wave - needless to say, platinum status was attained yet again. A live album prefigured the release of the next studio set, Balance, with Van Halen's popularity seemingly impervious to the ravages of time or fashion. It is unusual for a greatest hits compilation to debut at number 1 but the band achieved this on the Billboard chart in 1996 with Best Of Volume 1.
Hagar departed in 1996 after rumours persisted that he was at loggerheads with the other members. Fans immediately rejoiced when it was announced that the replacement would be David Lee Roth, although not on a full-time basis. A few months later, Roth issued a statement effectively ruling out any further involvement. The vacancy went to Gary Cherone (b. 26 July 1961, Malden, Massachusetts, USA) soon after Extreme announced their formal disbanding in October 1996. The first album to feature Cherone, 1998's Van Halen III, was universally slated. The singer left the following year and had not been replaced by the time the band parted company with Warners in January 2002. Surprisingly, Sammy Hagar returned to the line-up in 2004 to help promote a new compilation, which included three new studio tracks. The ensuing tour was fraught with difficulty, however, and at the end of 2004 the band was again put on hiatus. In February 2007, Van Halen announced a summer tour with David Lee Roth as vocalist and with Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen (b. 16 March 1991, Los Angles, California, USA) replacing Anthony.
