Van Halen Rising
By Greg Renoff
- Release Date: 2015-10-01
- Genre: Music
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.
Reviews
Essential reading for big Van Halen fans
5By mrcjdWe’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
5By ericmortenson2extremely informative. one of those books you don't want to end and wish you were there in many of its recorded moments. ~enmA Penetrating, Fly-on-the-Wall Account of the Early Days of the Mighty Van Halen
5By Pete MeslingIt’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that recording artists are born around the same time as their first album, brought into the world more or less fully formed. Of course, that’s not how it works. The best practitioners climb to the top of the heap through countless hours of hard work and attention to craft. VAN HALEN RISING proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Van Halen made it to the top the hard way. Hard-core fans will be familiar with truncated versions of many of the stories recounted here, but they will be stunned by the amount of detail that Renoff provides through copious interviews and careful research. There are also a number of stories that this hard-core fan found himself reading for the first time. No Van Halen aficionado should go through life without reading this book. It and David Lee Roth’s CRAZY FROM THE HEAT autobiography are all you need if you’re after the complete picture of the path that Van Halen trod into the limelight
