Between his string of hits with the Doobie Brothers and his solo career, five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald seemed to be everywhere in the early-'80s, but the songs that featured his distinctive voice only told part of the story -- he was also a busy songwriter whose list of credits included a surprising collaboration with Van Halen.
Following the release of 1991's 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,' Van Halen embarked on a world tour that capped a phenomenally successful decade for what was already one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. Not a bad time to release a live album, in other words, and in 1993, they did just that, with 'Live: Right Here, Right Now.' According to a new report, however, that double-disc collection might never have seen the light of day if not for David Lee Roth.
Our favorite rock stars tend to make the rock 'n' roll lifestyle look like one big party, but the best musicians never lose sight of their art. Take Van Halen, for example: in spite of what it might have seemed like from the outside, former bassist Michael Anthony says the band's glory years were never as wild and crazy as they appeared.
For Patty Smyth, the improbable opportunity to join Van Halen as David Lee Roth's replacement in the mid-'80s would have come at too high of a cost.
January 7, 2014
It was 14 years between Van Halen's last two albums (or even longer if you don't want to count the Gary Cherone debacle), but it seems like we won't have to wait nearly as long for new music from them again. In a new interview, David Lee Roth says that they could have something ready by the middle of 2015.
Van Halen's much-anticipated 2012 tour with original singer David Lee Roth didn't exactly go off as planned, with a ton of dates eventually being scrapped. But that didn't stop them from making an animated appearance on last night's episode of 'South Park.'
November 6, 2013
It's been great having Van Halen back in action with David Lee Roth in recent years, but the dark cloud hanging over their reunion has been the absence of original bassist Michael Anthony, who was exiled in favor of Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang. Don't expect to hear any sour grapes from Anthony, though.