Van Halen, The #82 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

Widespread success tends to magnify internal band strife, as we've seen often in the Rock Era, and Van Halen is no exception.  The tensions between Eddie and Roth grew, and David Lee recorded a solo EP that generated a #3 hit, a remake of the Beach Boys' "California Girls".  Roth soon was out of Van Halen.

 Meanwhile, Sammy Hagar's star was on the rise.  A former member of Montrose, Hagar was coming off the hit "I Can't Drive 55", and accepted an offer to replace Roth and also play rhythm guitar for the group.

Hagar's first album with the group, 5150 in 1986, continued Van Halen's momentum and went to #1 on the Album chart.  It has sold over six million copies.  It gave the group a #1 Mainstream Rock hit that also crossed over to #3 on the Popular chart--"Why Can't This Be Love".

 

New lead singer, same result--once again, the band was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock, Duo or Group and they were also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the American Music Awards.  "Dreams" landed in the Top 10 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

 Though it peaked at #22 overall, "Love Walks In" was another Top 10 with Van Halen's rock base.

 Hagar made an immediate contribution on songs like "Best Of Both Worlds", which also features another amazing riff from Eddie.

 

Roth was long gone, but the group could still party anthems, as evidenced by "Summer Nights".

 

In 1988, Van Halen released the album OU812, another four-million seller for the group.  The single "When It's Love" raced to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and made it to #5 overall.

 

The band was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group, Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist and Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album at the American Music Awards.  "Finish What Ya' Started" stopped just short of the Top 10 at #13, though it reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

 

In 1992, the group released another #1 album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. "Runaround" gave Van Halen their seventh career #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. 

 

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge has sold over three million copies in the U.S. alone.  "Top Of The World" also hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

 

 "Right Now" was another big Mainstream Rock hit at #2.  The video for "Right Now" won MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year and was nominated for seven awards, including Best Group Video, Best Rock Video, Breakthrough Video and Viewer's Choice.

The band won the American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album and they were also nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist.  The album was recognized at the Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock Performance.

 

Van Halen released the live album Live:  Right Here, Right Now, a two million seller, prior to releasing the studio album Balance in 1995.  They opened for Bon Jovi on their European tour, helping to sell over three million copies of Balance.  "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" jumped to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

The group was once again nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist at the American Music Awards and the song "Seventh Seal" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards.

Van Halen released the compilation Best Of - Volume I in 1996, which has sold over three million copies.

But while recording songs for the movie Twister, tensions between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers reached a head, and Hagar left.  One of the songs Eddie and Alex recorded by themselves for the project, "Respect The Wind", was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.  

The group planned a compilation album, and during planning, Roth called Eddie to talk about which tracks would be on the album.  The talks went well, and soon Roth reunited with the group to record two new songs for the album.

But, unbeknownst to Roth, Van Halen had not decided to permanently welcome their former lead singer into the fold and continued to audition other singers for the position.  The appearance of all four original members at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards led to speculation by fans and critics that a full reunion was in the works.  But it was not to be.

Eddie said later that he had been embarrassed by the antics of Roth while the group waited behind Beck, who was giving an acceptance speech for an award that Van Halen had presented to him.  At a press conference afterwards, reporters asked Eddie if a reunion was on.  Van Halen said he had to first get a hip replacement and then the group would have to record a new album before a tour was possible.  Afterwards, Roth scolded Eddie for mentioning his hip and the argument nearly erupted into a fistfight.

Van Halen turned to Gary Cherone, former lead singer of Extreme, and together, the new lineup recorded the album Van Halen III in 1998.  Anthony later stated that he recorded on just three tracks on the album, with Eddie filling in bass parts on the rest.  While the tour took the group to Australia and New Zealand for the first time, attendance was sub-par compared to earlier Van Halen efforts.

Van Halen set out to record a new album in 1999, but Cherone left late in the year due to musical differences.

While Eddie recovered from hip surgery, the group did not release any material from 2000 to 2004.  Van Halen worked with Roth on new songs but the old friendship was gone.

Van Halen was dropped from Warner Brothers, and in 2002, Eddie successfully was treated for cancer.

In 2004, the band released the compilation album The Best of Both Worlds, another million seller and Hagar rejoined the group for a summer tour of the United States.  The tour was long overdue news for Van Halen fans, and the group scored one of the top 10-grossing tours of the year.

That reunion was also short-lived as Hagar left the group to work on his own projects.  Anthony, too, was on the outs and did not participate on the album Best of Both Worlds.  In 2006, Eddie's son Wolfgang replaced Anthony on bass.

In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and shortly after, Roth reunited with the group for a U.S. tour, which extended into 2008 and grossed nearly $93 million.  To his great credit, Eddie, whose alcohol problems had played a role in difficulties within the group, successfully completed rehab.

The next year, Eddie had surgery on his left hand after feeling pain in his fingers during the tour.

In 2011, Van Halen recorded their first studio album since 1998 and their first to feature Roth in 27 years.

The result was the album A Different Kind of Truth, released  in 2012 on Interscope Records.  The album debuted at #2 in the United States and peaked at #6 in the U.K.

A tour was cut short, and in August, Eddie underwent surgery for diverticulitis.  In 2015, Van Halen toured North America on a 39-date project.

On October 6, 2020, Wolfgang announced that Eddie, one of the greatest guitarists in history, had died of cancer, just ten days after original bassist Mark Stone had succumbed to the same deadly disease.

In addition to the influence of their music, Van Halen is famous for the presence of concert technical contract riders.  The band included specific requirements for the availability of power and stage construction details in these riders.  The band demanded that a bowl of M&M's candy, with all of the brown M&M's removed, was to be placed in their dressing room.  They did this not to make outrageous demands but rather to make sure that the contract had been thoroughly read and adhered to.  During earlier tours, some of their equipment had been damaged due to improper power and members of the band's road crew were nearly electrocuted due to safety measures not being followed.

Van Halen not only excelled in the studio; but in live, loud performances.  The combination of Eddie's mastery of the guitar with the showmanship and stage gymnastics of Roth proved irresistible.  

Van Halen scored 23 career hits, with three of them reaching the Top 10 and one #1.  The group's hold on Rock audiences was uncanny, charting 47 hits on the Mainstream Rock chart, with a sensational 26 of those landing in the Top 10 and 13 #1 songs with that crowd. 

Van Halen is one of five groups to have two studio albums sell over 10 million units in the U.S.  In all, the group has been rewarded with 14 Gold albums, with 13 of those going Platinum, 12 selling two million or more units, 10 going over three million, six selling over four million and four going over the five-million mark.  All told, Van Halen has sold over 80 million records.

The band won one American Music Award from nine nominations, one Grammy Award from four nominations and two MTV Video Music Awards out of eight nominations.

Jackson Browne, The #83 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

 "He is one of the finest singer/songwriters of his generation.  His songs are deeply personal, and speak to everyone in a different way."

"He is a genius lyricist and a great talent."

"One of the best songwriters ever."

"Music for the soul.  Comforting..."

"The world would be much less of a place without Jackson Browne's music to carry us through."

"A body of work with some of the greatest poetry and music you'll ever find."

"He wrote my life."

"Just the greatest collection of lyric, melody, harmony, rhythm and soul ever assembled."

"A truly authentic performer."

"His music is brilliant and timeless."



He may not have had as much success with hit singles as most in this elite special, but he's one of the best songwriters of the Rock Era, and several of his albums are a listener's delight.

Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany on October 9, 1948, where his father was stationed.  When Jackson was three, the family moved to his grandfather's house, Abbey San Encino in Highland Park, California.  Jackson began singing Folk music in his teens and played at the famous Troubador Club in Hollywood. 

After graduating from Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Browne joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at the Golden Bear Club, where the group opened for Lovin' Spoonful.  But Browne moved to Manhattan, New York, where he began writing for Nina Music, the publishing company for Elektra Records.  Browne continued to follow the Folk circuit, backing Tim Buckley and Nico, singer for the Velvet Underground.

Browne and Nico became romantically involved and Jackson wrote and played on several of the songs for Nico's debut album.  After the couple broke up, Browne moved back to Los Angeles and started a Folk group.  Jackson's early songs were recorded by the Eagles ("Take It Easy", co-written with friend Glenn Frey), Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds, Joan Baez and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Browne's manager, David Geffen, who was an executive at Asylum Records, signed Browne and in 1972, Jackson released his self-titled album, which has since gone Platinum thanks to the hit single "Doctor My Eyes", which features backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash.  It peaked at #4 in Canada and #8 in the U.S.

Browne toured with Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell to promote the album.  "Rock Me On The Water", which makes the point that there are not enough people doing things for themselves and instead have others do it for them, failed to make the Top 40 but is a worthy cut.

"Jamaica Say You Will" was a song Browne wrote which the Byrds recorded a year earlier.  In an interview with Russ Paris, Browne revealed the inspiration for the song:

     I thought I was kind of writing it for this girl I knew that

     worked in a garden in Zuma Beach, across the street

     from the Pacific Ocean, and she worked in this organic

     food orchard," Browne said in an interview, "like the

     Garden of Eden, and she was the kind of Eden-like 

     girl, too." He continues: "When I created the fable of 

     this girl who lived by the sea and whose father is a 

     captain, and eventually she would be taken away and 

     go sailing off, I wanted to hide in the relationship. I

     wanted to sort of have the cocoon of this relationship

     to just stay sort of insulated from the world. And she

     was ready to move out into the world and was... you 

     know, the relationship had broken up. That's the ...

     reality that was going on in my life. I just think it's odd 

     that that's exactly how songs come into being, but if 

    you feel it, it's about something.

 

The next year, Browne released the album For Everyman, another Platinum album.  He first wrote "These Days" when he was just 16 years old, an incredible tale of reflection on love for someone of such a young age.  He recorded it originally as a demo but re-recorded it for his second album.

 

The title song is another Browne song with deep meaning.  It seems to be written in response to the Crosby, Stills & Nash song "Wooden Ships", which talks about leaving problems behind by sailing on the ocean.  Browne counters that for every person, there is a struggle between avoiding the problems of life and confronting them head-on, about working for social change, fairness, and justice.

 

In 1974, Browne released the great album Late for the Sky.  Like many of his deeper albums, it didn't contain a "hit" song, but features the gem "Fountain Of Sorrow".  As Browne explains:

     It acknowledges that people are always looking

      for something in each other that they may not find,

     and says that not only is that OK, but what's more

     enduring is the goodwill and acceptance of each

     others' right to be on this search and to make your

    own choices, and that one's longing or sorrow is part

    of your own search, not a byproduct of somebody

    else's."

 

Late for the Sky became Jackson's third consecutive Platinum album.  The title song is pure brilliance, with several juxtapositions and double meanings.  One of the standout lines is:  "In the bed where we both lie."

 

"For A Dancer" is a song Browne wrote about a friend who died in a fire while he was sitting in a sauna.  He was a dancer in the Ice Follies, but in typical Browne style, he also made a metaphor about the dance as it relates to life, and each of us does one dance that we do alone.

"Before The Deluge" is one of the best of The Top Tracks* of the Rock Era.  It is about Browne's generation, hoping they could change the world by protecting the natural world from corporate abuses but also acknowledging that as they got older, they lost their integrity and idealism.

Rocked by the suicide of his first wife, Phyllis, Browne released the dark album The Pretender.  The single "Here Come These Tears Again" stalled at #15 in Canada and #23 in the United States.

 

The Pretender has now sold over three million copies.  The controversial title song is nonetheless a fan favorite.

 

"Your Bright Baby Blues", with Lowell George on slide guitar, is a standout track.

We invite you to please check out Parts Two and Three of this gifted performer.

Jackson Browne, The #83 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

We continue with Part Two of The #83 Artist*, Jackson Browne. 

 

In 1977, while on tour, Browne recorded tracks that would make up the album Running on Empty, which represented his commercial breakthrough.  The title song rose to #4 in Canada and #11 in the U.S.

 

The great album has gone over seven million in sales in the United States alone.  Jackson's remake of "Stay", a hit for Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs, also included his composition of "The Load Out", which is included here.

 

"Love Needs A Heart" features another great line from Browne: 

"Love won't come near me,

 she don't even hear me; 

She walks past my vacancy sign."

 

"You Love The Thunder" was released as a single but was overlooked.

Browne (seen above in the middle of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty) saw the proliferation of nuclear weapons and trend towards nuclear power to be one of the greatest concerns of the time and performed free concerts in Barnwell, South Carolina and in New Hampshire to protest the spread of nuclear power.  After the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in 1979, Browne and several other musicians formed the antinuclear group Musicians United for Safe Energy.  

 

In 1980, Browne released one of his greatest career albums, Hold Out, great not because of the single "Boulevard", #4 in Canada and #19 in the United States, but because of its album tracks.

 

The title song is a far better song.

 

The single "That Girl Could Sing" stalled at #22.

 

"Hold On, Hold Out" was a Top Track* at the time and remains so to this day.  

Although the album has sold over two million units, it is still vastly underrated, and should be one of Browne's top-selling albums of his career. 

 

"Of Missing Persons" is a song addressed to Inara George, Jackson's goddaughter and daughter of his good friend Lowell George of Little Feat.

 Browne recorded "Somebody's Baby" for the movie soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Although it was one of his biggest career hits at #7, it is far from one of his best songs.

 

In 1983, Browne released the album Lawyers in Love, which ran his amazing streak to seven consecutive Platinum albums.  The title song stalled at #13.

Be sure to catch up on Part One above and Part Three below!