Steve Vai recalls hearing unreleased material at Eddie Van Halen’s house: “Nobody plays like they do when they’re in their room alone… It was such great stuff”
Steve Vai has revealed that Eddie Van Halen once played him a number of tapes containing unheard material at his own home, and that what he heard was “such great stuff”.
The news arrives amid reports that Eddie’s brother Alex Van Halen is compiling an album of unheard Van Halen material with the help of friend Steve Lukather. It’s not yet clear what Lukather’s involvement consists of though, as he has already said he would never play guitar on the record.
READ MORE: “He doesn’t want to be Ed Jr”: Why Alex Van Halen is “proud” that Wolfgang Van Halen doesn’t play his father’s music
In a new interview with Guitar Player, Vai recalls: “I was up at Edward’s house once, in his studio. He had a room filled with tapes, and he was pulling them out, and we were listening. He would just sit, record, and play.
“I’ll tell you, nobody plays like they do when they’re sitting in their room alone,” he adds. “It was a whole library of tapes, and it was such great stuff.”
Vai also says that he asked Eddie if he’d consider turning these ideas into a solo album, but that his response was “he always felt that Van Halen was his solo records”. On the topic of the new record, Vai also said that Lukather is “the best guy to help” as he was so close with Eddie.
Alex has confirmed in an interview that the record will feature reworked versions of songs that he and Eddie never finished, rather than material in its “embryonic form”. Following reports that Alex was on the look out for a singer, former VH bassist Michael Anthony said they should go forwards without one and keep it purely instrumental.
In an interview with Matt Spatz of WNCX, he said, “The way I personally feel about it is, if they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie.
“You know, because getting a new singer in there, we’re not forming a new band, and then you’ve got to work on lyrics and all that stuff. And who knows when anything would be put out at that point.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
