Van Halen Book:

		List Price: $27.95		Publisher: Author House Salesrank: 362304
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		Media: Paperback

Van Halen 101 Reviews:
Fair warning
2009-07-10 - David Lee Roth made Van Halen. "Van Hagar" was a pale immitation and I'll be polite and not mention "Van Halen III" more than I have to. This book - despite being a bad collection of cliche, shallow worship of the Van Halen brothers, etc - doesn't cut it. Only for Eddie fans. Look at the cover for crying out loud... that's the whole book is an instant!

Reads like it was written by Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times Ridgemont High)
2009-03-30 - I'm not going to waste a lot of space reiterating what other reviewers who gave this a '1' stated. What a disappointment! The only interesting content is some of the in-depth opinions from other musicians and people in the music industry. But even that gets old as you realize anything they might have said that could be construed as detrimental towards Ed was probably left out by the fanboy author. I myself have always been a big fan of the original band (DLR albums), but only the music and Eddie's playing style, not their personal lives and conflicts, so I wasn't looking for a soap opera(which it isn't). Unfortunately, this book is pretty nauseating in its constant praise and fan worship and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a big Van Halen fan with a huge inferiority complex. Reading it is like listening to Jeff Spicoli talk about surfing in Fast Times at Ridgemont High...at least that was meant to be funny.

Best VH reference book ever
2007-09-19 - Sorry haters but this is hands down the best VH reference book ever writtten. Even the notoriously stiff Rock HOF approved. Why wouldn't they seeing as how we're guided through an accurate fun unique journey surgically detailing the entire life, career and catalog of this legendary American rock institution. Considering the incredible depth, width and breadth of this group's legacy that's no small feat. Somehow Sanchez makes it look easy. Learn everything from how the group formed and Eddie's influences to how he built his guitars and achieved that famous brown sound. Want to know what other musical minds think of Eddie? Check out the tribute inside 101. It contains page after page of top flight players openly discussing EVH. Zakk Wylde, Joe Satriani, Allan Holdsworth, James Hetfield and BB King are just a handful of the monster names who for the first time anywhere gave us their honest uncensored opinion of Van Halen.

You almost have to feel sorry for these few trolls who come on here spewing garbage. Bet most of them didnt even read it. Actually the majority of the negative reviews seem to come from the same source. The ultimate sign of bonafide lameness. True fans know better so it's all good. Anyone interested in a more classic approach to the rock bio pick up the new Everybody Wants Some by Ian Christe. It's good too.

Van Halen 2007!

Flawed but fun
2007-08-20 - It is very, very obvious that this book was written by a smitten fan-boy. It showers Van Halen with the most ridiculously reverent, absurdly awestruck praise you will ever find. The author repeatedly and unrelentingly pounds the reader with hyperbolic descriptions of Ed's guitar prowess. Reading this, you'd think that Eddie Van Halen was the Messiah and that being a guitar god is the Only Thing That Matters on earth.

The author either is a mall-rat, slacker, fan-boy ... or tries very hard to sound like one. He uses "dude" and "baby" at least as frequently as he uses "Eddie" or "Dave". Maybe he imagines the average Van Halen fan to be a stereotypical Beavis-&-Butthead metal-head, and just wants to sound like "one of the guys". But it sounds ridiculous.

Yet despite all of this, this book is actually quite charming. Van Halen fans will not mind the lavish praise of one of the undoubted greatest rock bands of all time. In fact, fans will appreciate the passionate, detailed (but how accurate?) descriptions of the rise and rise of Van Halen - from rebellious school beginnings, through the glam club scene, to triumph on a global scale. It certainly brought me nostaligically back to the 80s, when Van Halen provided the soundtrack to much of my youth. For a trip down memory lane like this, you'll find an enthusiastic fan-boy is not necessarily bad company.

You can tell that this is a work of love on the part of the author. He painstakingly invited a Who's Who of hard rock to submit their own personal tributes to EVH - a monumental feat in itself. The author also goes to great lengths in researching production details, sales figures and various bits of trivia about each of the albums.

Yes, a lot of the text is the author's own subjective opinions on topics such as EVH's place in the history of rock etc. But if you buy this book, you are probably a fan already - and reading the views of a fellow (if rather over-zealous) fan on your mutual favorite band is suprisingly enjoyable. With subjective comments, you will find parts where you disagree. Sammy fans will note with some discomfort the author's unabashed preference for Dave. The author also makes little effort to hide his adoration of Metallica, and how he feels they later overshadowed Van Halen. But these become points for fans to contemplate or discuss, and really don't detract from the enjoyment of reading this book.

So overall, this book does have its flaws. It is often amateurish in its writing, over-opininated in many areas, and sickeningly over-the-top in its hero-worhip of the band (and EVH in particular). But despite all this (maybe even because of it), it becomes a weirdly entertaining book to read for any fan of Van Halen. Yes, it's not a cheap book to buy - but at least I think I got a good dose of fun, laughs and nostalgia from a fellow fan-boy.

Light on sleaze, heavy on music
2007-08-19 - One of only a handful of books christened "Recommended Reading" by the Rock Hall of Fame on Van Halen's Inductee Profile at the Official RARHOF website. That glowing endorsement led to my grabbing a copy and I haven't put it down since. By ignoring the sleaze and focusing all their energy on the group, the music and of course captain Eddie the writer managed to chronicle and document everything you want and need to know about Van Halen in the form of this easy breezy book. A true labor of love that really speaks to you. The crown jewel was the living breathing tribute comprised of a V.I.P. list of musicians who turned up to celebrate Van Halen beating cancer. Each artist was afforded more than ample room to wax philosophical on Eddie's life, music, guitar skills, influence and career achievements.
Get it or your collection won't be complete.