Van Halen: every album, every song

by Morgan Brown

Van Halen are arguably America's greatest ever rock n' roll band. From inauspicious roots as a backyard covers outfit, they went on to revolutionise and revitalise heavy rock, creating a world-conquering blend of heavy metal power, punk energy and pop hooks. Armed with staggering musical virtuosity and irresistible charisma, they sold millions of records and spawned legions of imitators. From their humble origins and meteoric rise, through some dark, troubled years, to their triumphant rebirth, the band produced a remarkable body of work. In this thorough and illuminating book, Morgan Brown guides us song by song through the band's classic albums, charting their development from Sunset Strip upstarts to multi-platinum stadium rockers and beyond. We'll examine the music's ingredients and inspirations, and meet the characters behind the songs, including visionary guitar genius, the late Edward Van Halen, motormouth master showman David Lee Roth, and his replacement, powerful vocalist Sammy Hagar, who ushered in a new era for the band. Equally suitable for inquisitive new listeners or long-time fans, this book is both an in-depth guide to, and an enthusiastic celebration of the career of a truly legendary band. Feel like diving in? Well, as Roth said, go ahead and jump!

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2023

About the author

Morgan Brown is a startup-marketing veteran and launched GrowthHackers.com with Sean Ellis. Both speak regularly at major conferences including SXSW, TechWeek, HubSpot, and others.

Reviews

[Michael Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An examination of every Van Halen album, every Van Halen song. However, Morgan Brown makes no secret that he prefers the David Lee Roth era of the band and is overly critical of the Sammy Hagar era. He also expects his readers to be musicians. There is also a double started between the two eras of the band. When Roth wrote about sex it was "machoism" when Hagar did it was "misogyny", despite both lead singers at times being sexist. Much better books about Van Halen out there.