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Van Halen is wordwide recognized as one of the most innovative and successful
Hard-Rock act emerged from the '70s. Brothers Alex and Edward Van Halen
moved to the United States from the Netherlands in 1967 and raised in
Pasadena, California; the two started a band in 1974 with singer David
Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, the foursome began gigging under
the name Mammoth, with Eddie on guitar and Alex behind the drum kit; two
years later they signed a contract with Warner Bros and re-christened
the band Van Halen.
With their eponymous debut, released in February 1978, made an impressive
impact on the Rock scene, it entered the top 20 in U.S. Pop Albums chart
and the top 40 in the U.K. chart, the record contained three singles:
"Runnin' With The Devil", "Beautiful Girls" and the
U.S. top 40 hit "You Really Got Me"; by the time, their first
LP went on to sell over ten million copies.
A year later the group released "Van Halen II" which climbed
the U.S. Pop Albums chart reaching the #6 and the lead single, "Dance
The Night Away", cracked the top 20 of the U.S. Top 200 LPs &
Tapes chart; also in the U.K. Albums chart, their sophomore effort became
a hit peaking at #23.
The group's third album, "Women And Children First", came out
in March of 1980 hitting #6 in U.S. and #15 in U.K. charts but the single
"And The Cradle Will Rock..." didn't rise higher than #50 in
the U.S. Pop chart.
The following year Edward Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli,
the band's next LP, "Fair Warning" was another hit, peaking
at #5 on the U.S. Pop Albums list and generating three Mainstream Rock
top 20 hit singles: "Mean Street", "So This Is Love?"
and "Unchained".
"Diver Down", which arrived in April of 1982, included the remake
of Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman", the track reached the
#12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #1 on The Mainstream Rock chart,
the second single, "Dancing In The Street", reached the top
3 of The Mainstream Rock chart sending the album to #3 on the Top 200
LPs & Tapes chart; the record yielded one more Mainstream Rock top
20 hit, "Where Have All The Good Times Gone!".
In early 1984, Van Halen released its sixth album, the first single, "Jump",
enjoyed a five-week peak at #1 on The Billboard Hot 100 and was followed
by two top 20 hits: "I'll Wait" and "Panama"; "1984"
reached the #2 on The Billboard Top 200, the #15 on the Official U.K.
Pop Albums chart, selling nearly 5 million copies in U.S. alone; this
album was certified 10 x platinum in 1999.
Before the year's end Roth released his first solo album, beginning his
solo career, in fact when Roth delayed the recording of the band's new
album, he was immediately fired.
Van Halen returned to action in 1986 with Sammy
Hagar as the new singer, issuing "5150" in March, the record
went straight to #1 on The Billboard 200 Albums chart and reached the
#16 in Britain; "Why Can't This Be Love" hit #3 on The Billboard
Hot 100 and soared to the top of the Active Rock Singles chart, two more
Mainstream Rock top 10 hits followed, "Love Walks In" and "Dreams";
the final single, "Best Of Both Worlds", reached the #12 in
the same chart.
1988's "OU812" was another multi-platinum seller for the band,
the album shot to #1 on The Billboard 200 chart and hit the top 20 of
the Official U.K. Pop chart; it generated no less than four American Mainstream
Rock smash singles including two #1s, "When It's Love" and "Black
And Blue", plus the #2 "Finish What Ya Started" and the
#6, "Feels So Good".
By the time the quartet delivered their belated follow-up, "For Unlawful
Carnal Knowledge", in spring 1991, it became the third consecutive
American Billboard 200 chart topper spawning three Active Rock #1 hits:
"Poundcake", "Runaround" and "Top Of The World",
the #2 "Right Now" and the top 10 "The Dream Is Over";
the album gave them a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
In February 1993 the group released the double-CD compilation "Live:
Right Here, Right Now", which contained the #1 Mainstream Rock cover-track
of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again".
Two years later, Van Halen, returned with the new studio-album, "Balance",
which took them back to the top of The Billboard 200 list; it featured
the #1 Mainstream Rock hit single "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)"
plus two top 3 hits: "Can't Stop Lovin' You" and "Amsterdam".
In October 1996 was issued the retrospective collection, "Van Halen
Best Of Volume 1" which reached the #1 in the North-American charts
on the back of the Active Rock #1 hit "Humans Being", recorded
for the movie-soundtrack "Twister"; the set included two previously
unreleased songs recorded with David Lee Roth, "Me Wise Magic"
soared to #1 spot on The Mainstream Rock chart and "Can't Get This
Stuff No More" made top 20. After the release of this compilation
Hagar quit the band and was announced that Van Halen-Roth reunion was
temporary, in fact ex-Extreme vocalist
Gary Cherone joined the group as the new lead singer, the new line-up
released "Van Halen III" in 1998, this effort missed the #1
in the U.S. Albums chart settling at #4, but the single "Without
You" peaked at #1 on Active Rock list and "Fire In The Hole"
reached the #6 in the same chart.
In July 2004 Van Halen released another collection of their best songs;
the double-CD set titled "The Best Of Both Worlds", featured
three new tracks recorded with Sammy Hagar,
"It's About Time" peaked at #6 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
list and helped propel the album to #3 in U.S. Top 200 chart.
Van Halen biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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