VAN HALEN

5150

How Van Halen defied the odds with a new singer and a new sound

BY CHRIS GILL

VAN HALEN WAS the world’s biggest rock band at the beginning of 1985. Their 1984 album had sold more than five million copies in the U.S., reaching Number 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (their highest position to that date, held back only by the juggernaut that was Michael Jackson’s Thriller album) and delivering their only Number 1 single, “Jump.” The supporting tour was a massive success, selling out all 101 shows.

Eddie Van Halen hoped to propel the band to even greater success, starting work in early 1985 on new musical ideas at his 5150 studio with Donn Landee, who engineered all six of Van Halen’s previous albums and had become the guitarist’s studio sidekick. Meanwhile, singer David Lee Roth released the four-song Crazy from the Heat EP, recorded with Van Halen’s producer Ted Templeman and released in late January 1985.

Eddie didn’t mind the singer’s extracurricular activity at first and spoke positively about Dave’s solo record in interviews. The EP’s music bore no resemblance to Van Halen material, and the general consensus among the band members was that Roth deserved the opportunity to release some creative steam as long as it didn’t interfere with the band. However, when Roth showed up at a handful of sessions to write lyrics and work on melodies for the next Van Halen album, he seemed detached and disinterested. Eventually, he stopped showing up altogether, choosing to conduct interviews and promote his EP instead.

One evening in late March, Eddie invited Dave to his home to discuss Van Halen’s future plans. The guitarist was shocked but not surprised to find out that Roth had received an offer from CBS Studios to star in a film with a $20 million budget. While Ed wanted to release the next Van Halen album before the end of 1985, Dave wanted to take a full year off to make his movie. The singer suggested a short summer stadium tour as a compromise, but the guitarist refused to go out without any new material. Roth also invited the band to record music for the film’s soundtrack, but Van Halen shot that offer down as well. A stalemate was reached, with both parties refusing to budge.