Martin Popoff
Millions of fans would attest that this is a band eminently deserving of a Visual Biography. From the single sleeves through the passes, posters and promo items and of course, most especially Dave, Ed, Mikey and Al themselves (and Sam, Gary and Wolfgang!), Van Halen was an explosion of colour and action, resulting in a feast for the eyes within the pages of this sumptuously appointed book you now hold in your hands. As one celebrates this legendary band in karate-kicking action, from the mid-’70s all the way up until the last tour in 2015 and many solo points and projects in-between, provided for your reading pleasure is one of Martin Popoff’s celebrated detailed timelines, stuffed with trivia that swiftly moves us through forty years of massive rock history from one of the storied greats of the genre. 'Runnin’ with the Devil,' 'Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love,' 'Jamie’s Cryin’,' 'Unchained,' 'Jump,' 'Panama,' 'Hot for Teacher,' 'Why Can’t This Be Love,' 'Finish What Ya Started,' 'Right Now'... these are some of the biggest anthems of all time, and accompanying the tunes is the narrative of two opposing lead singers, Diamond David Lee Roth and Sammy 'Red Rocker' Hagar, both of whom are also represented in detail vis-a-vis their solo careers among the celebration of the core band at hand. The end result is a beach-balling an’ sun-tanned symphony of words and pictures, indeed a book that differs from previous Van Halen photography projects through the inclusion of so much rare memorabilia, side ephemera and otherwise nifty pictures of paper goods perking up each page as one basks in what this band managed to accomplish over four decades of white-knuckle rock on the edge.
