“These are recordings that were going to be the next Van Halen record”: Alex Van Halen sheds light on upcoming “Van Halen” album featuring Steve Lukather
Last year, Alex Van Halen teased that he and Toto’s Steve Lukather were working together on a new Van Halen record. Now, the Van Halen drummer has shed more light on the project.
While it’s unclear whether it will be released under the ‘Van Halen’ name, the record will feature a slew of archival Van Halen demos. Speaking to Brazilian journalist Gastão Moreira for Kazagastão, Alex explains that the project will rework tracks that he and his brother, Eddie Van Halen, never finished. “These are recordings that were going to be the next [Van Halen] record,” he explains [via Blabbermouth]. “We stopped because [Eddie] didn’t live that long…”
READ MORE: Quiet Riot’s Kelly Garni says Randy Rhoads didn’t have a rivalry with Eddie Van Halen, rather a “fascination”
In the past, Alex has previously insisted that there is enough Van Halen material in the vault for another “three or four records”. It seems that this project with Lukather will allow some of those tracks to see the light of day.
“Many people have asked, ‘What about releasing unreleased stuff?’” he says. “Well, we’re not gonna release it in its embryonic form because it wouldn’t make any sense. But I’ve been fortunate enough to have Steve Lukather, who was a good friend of Ed’s, and we’re working on putting a record together.”
As Alex explains, “quality” is of the utmost importance. The release aims to honour Eddie’s original riffs, and create a record fans will love. “It’s not just to say, ‘Hey, here’s some music that we made,’” he says. “No – It has to be of a certain level of quality.”
That’s exactly why Lukather has played a pivotal role in the recording process. Last March, Alex told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that, due to Lukather knowing his late brother, he has an understanding of how Eddie might have worked. “Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends and they often worked together,” the drummer said [via Guitar World]. “There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can.”
In the new chat with Moreira, Alex once again praises Lukather’s guitar skill. “He is the connective tissue,” he explains. “Luke can play anything – but because of this talent that kind of blends in with everything, he doesn’t get the recognition that I think he deserves… I love the guy. We’ve known him for years.”
Of course, some of Eddie’s original riffs may still be included. While he doesn’t exactly say “yes”, he hints that some guitar parts were already tracked. “The drums, the guitar and the bass are already in there,” he says. “What we didn’t have was a vocalist, and obviously the subtleties…”
Alex has also revealed that another key Van Halen cog will feature, with Wolfgang Van Halen once again serving his bass duties. Though he says “most” of the basslines are Wolf, due to the recordings being from those original Van Halen recording sessions prior to Eddie’s passing. It’s unclear whether Wolf has tracked anything in more recent studio sessions.
Considering the last piece of music Alex and Eddie written together, Unfinished, didn’t feature a vocalist, journalist Moreira asks whether any vocalists will feature on the upcoming record. “We originally had plans to have FREE’s Paul Rodgers… but he can’t do it anymore,” he reveals. “[We] are looking for somebody else now… I really believe that the universe will work something out, and this project will come out the best it can possibly be. We have no other intent other than to have it come to fruition.”
The post “These are recordings that were going to be the next Van Halen record”: Alex Van Halen sheds light on upcoming “Van Halen” album featuring Steve Lukather appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
