What does Van Halen mean to you? Your uncle’s favorite band certainly can’t be identified by its singer, which went from the charismatic though mentally challenged David Lee Roth to the tequila pedaling, traffic law breaking bad boy in permed hair, Sammy Hagar, and finally Gary Cherone, who was one of those guys who sang “More Than Words”. They also made it clear their bass player was expendable, when Michael Anthony was kicked to the curb. So, do both Eddie and Alex have to be involved for it to be Van Halen? Surely Eddie at least, Alex always seemed kind of like a coattail rider to me.
Whatever the lineup, a new Van Halen record is a big deal. So news that the new record is almost complete and should be released in the first half of 2011 and that David Lee Roth will indeed be the singer (Bravewords.com), well, that means Van Halen is back to about a million middle-aged dudes. Of course, how long they can keep this group, which includes Van Halen: The New Class member Wolfgang Van Halen (and I don’t care where you are from, that name would kick ass if Van Halen were never even a band) together remains to be seen, but the die-hards would be better suited getting a ticket for the early dates should they decide to tour. Look for a single before the new year.
