Van Halen Rising
How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal
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4.5 • 150 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
After years of gigging everywhere from suburban backyards to dive bars, Van Halen — led by frontman extraordinaire David Lee Roth and guitar virtuoso Edward Van Halen — had the songs, the swagger, and the talent to turn the rock world on its ear. The quartet's classic 1978 debut, Van Halen, sold more than a million copies within months of release and rocketed the band to the stratosphere of rock success. On tour, Van Halen's high-energy show wowed audiences and prompted headlining acts like Black Sabbath to concede that they'd been blown off the stage. By the year's end, Van Halen had established themselves as superstars and reinvigorated heavy metal in the process.
Based on more than 230 original interviews — including with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and power players like Pete Angelus, Marshall Berle, Donn Landee, Ted Templeman, and Neil Zlozower — Van Halen Rising is the first book to tell the untold story of how these rock legends made the unlikely journey from Pasadena, California, to the worldwide stage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Most accounts of major bands focus on the fame and fortune of rock stardom. By contrast, Renoff (The Big Tent) covers America's preeminent hard rock act in the years before they became famous. He argues that Van Halen "transformed the staid sound of metal into something that sounded fresh and vibrant" by fusing essential metal elements, such as heavy rhythms and guitar virtuosity, with monster hooks and soul-inspired grooves. Renoff charts Van Halen's earliest years playing in the garages, gymnasiums, and backyards of suburban Pasadena, Calif. Drawing on many interviews with band associates, he details how drummer Alex Van Halen and his guitar prodigy brother, Eddie, hooked up with born showman "Diamond" David Lee Roth and bass maestro Michael Anthony to become California legends. Armed with a bottomless well of confidence and "impossibly tight pants," Roth led Van Halen to the top of the Pasadena backyard party circuit, building a following that helped the band score a record deal and, eventually, rock immortality. Renoff's book is a thoroughly entertaining read that will appeal to every hard rock fan.
Customer Reviews
Greatest rock band ever
What an amazing book, learned so much about VH! Bravo!!!
Essential reading for big Van Halen fans
We’re lucky a bona fide historian decided to take on a chronicle of Van Halen’s early years. Do you really need to know the details of the many SoCal suburban backyard parties the band played in its formative years? I don’t know, but I did! This history manages to be exacting yet not exhausting. You’ll bear well-sourced witness to Eddie’s, Alex’s and Dave’s musical beginnings through the time they meet the golden-throated Mike and become the platinum-selling band we know and love. It’s a big book that shows us the creation of what Dave called “Big Rock.” Enjoy it!
must read for any van halen fan
extremely informative. one of those books you don't want to end and wish you were there in many of its recorded moments. ~enm