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Book Reviews:

Everybody Wants Some - The VAN HALEN Saga 

By Ian Christie

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - 2007
ISBN 978-0-470-03910-6
$25.95, 310 pages

This hardcover book was a page-turning experience.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the entire history of Van Halen.  This is a band I've been a fan of since their first ground-breaking LP.

I didn't know the exact details of how the Van Halen formed or the life story of each individual member.  It is very compelling reading how the band got their first industry notice by stealing the thunder away from another band that featured guitarist George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob).  Lynch states it was shocking, thinking his band was performing to get a record deal, when the opening band (VH) blew away the opportunity.  Lynch also admits this night shattered his confidence as a guitarist, because he'd never seen anyone play like Eddie Van Halen.

Ian Christie tells the story of the two Dutch brothers inherited their love of playing musical instruments from the father. They both trained in classical music and piano was both brothers first instrument.

You'll read how Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth were recruited for the band.  You'll chart through the bands ascent in the rock world.  You'll be able to experience some of the wild and fun times the band had in the late 70s & early 80s and even the bigger commercial success with Sammy Hagar.  What I found most interesting was that at the times the band was most successful was the worst times between band members.  You'd think that have achieving Gold & Platinum albums and sold-out world tours made everything hunky-doory but that definitely was not the case for Van Halen.

Christie tells what separated David Lee Roth from the biggest rock band in the world. You will learn exactly how Sammy "The Red Rocker" Hagar joined the band and what made him leave the band about a decade later.

Even Gary Cherone's involvement is chronicled in the band's least successful and remembered album Van Halen III.

The thing that I took away most from this book was that it is not the fighting between the band and their multiple singers that have stopped them from being more prolific over the past two decades.  Alcohol has really hindered Eddie Van Halen's ability to focus on creating music and that's the an absolute shame and crime for all music listeners.

I highly encourage you to pick up Everybody Wants Some.  It's a fast entertaining read and something all fans of hard rock will not be able to put down.

www.wiley.com