Alex Van Halen Questions Arise On Use Of Van Halen And A.I.
Alex Van Halen could be using the help of A.I. to make some New Van Halen music available to fans everywhere. But there’s a catch.
It started, like most great rock conversations, with a cup of coffee and a big “what if?”
Got A Phone Call From Big Jim That Really Made Me Think
Jim O’Brien and I were sitting around, talking shop for CSX Rock Talk, when the subject of Alex Van Halen came up. Alex had mentioned in an overseas interview that he was sitting on a trove of unfinished material with Eddie—“threads” as he called them. And now, word was out that he was working with Steve Lukather to produce and polish them. My ears perked up like a roadie spotting an untouched case of cold beer.
Jim laid it out: “Are you okay with music that never saw the light of day being released after the primary people from the band are gone?”
I took a swig of coffee. “Well, we’ve already seen a touch of it. Remember when the Beatles put out ‘Free As a Bird’ and ‘Now and Then’? If it was unfinished but had something special, why not? There’s probably some insane Eddie guitar licks in there. If it’s actually him, I say bring back David Lee Roth, crank up the amps, and let’s go.”
But then Jim dropped the next big question, the one that made me pause mid-sip. “What about Rush? Geddy Lee says they’ve got songs that were never released, but Neil’s gone. Do you mess with that?”
That one’s trickier. There was only one Professor. Neil Peart wasn’t just a drummer; he was a freaking poet, a force of nature. “There are some great drummers out there,” I admitted, “but I don’t know if I’d be comfortable hearing Rush without Neil. It’s gotta have limits. If they’re pulling from actual old recordings, I’d be open to it. But if they’re creating something totally new from scraps? That gets weird.”
Jim nodded. “That’s my question about Van Halen. If Alex takes some of these threads, turns them into something, but it’s not really a song… is it still Van Halen?”
“Good point,” I said, scratching my head. “And do you bring back Michael Anthony? Or keep Wolfgang? That’s another thing to figure out.”
Jim smirked. “If it’s just a guitar lick, how far will you go with it? Eddie was known for thousands of guitar licks. I bet he recorded everything.”
My Phone Call With Big Jim Takes A Turn For The Worst
That’s when I had my epiphany. “You got Gary Cherone’s number?”
Jim groaned. “Why? We were having a nice conversation over coffee…”
“Hey, they had a whole album done that never got released! And they said it was pretty good.”
We both laughed, but the thought lingered. If there’s an entire Van Halen album in a vault somewhere, do we want it? More importantly, do we need it?
Jim speculated. “Alex isn’t dumb. If he’s talking about this, they’re further down the road than we think.”
“I think it’s good therapy,” I said. “Eddie was his brother, man. If working on this helps him heal, I say go for it.”
That’s when we started rattling off other bands. Led Zeppelin? We got what we got. The Beatles? Who knows what’s still in Yoko’s closet. The Eagles? Oh man, Jim had me intrigued—there’s supposedly a version of ‘Fire Lake’ with just them singing, and Seger singing ‘Heartache Tonight.’ That’s the stuff I want to hear!
But here’s the thing—we’re in a weird new world now. AI can create fake songs that never existed. Jim brought up how there are already AI-generated Van Halen and Led Zeppelin songs out there. “It’s kind of scary,” he admitted. “People wouldn’t know the difference.”
I sighed. “Yeah, but remember when David Lee Roth took Van Halen songs and made country versions? That was him. It was corny, but at least it was real.”
Jim laughed. “Okay, that I can handle. But if some random producer in a studio is just piecing things together, that freaks me out.”
We circled back to Alex. If he’s the one doing it, if it’s coming from a place of love and respect, then I’m in. “I encourage Alex to do it,” I said. “I think it’d be good for him.”
And then Jim hit me with a deep thought: “What if this opens the floodgates? If Alex is doing this, do other artists follow? Do we get unheard Clapton and Duane Allman jams? Lost Genesis songs from Phil Collins? Who knows?”
I grinned. “See? This is why I love these conversations.”
By the time we wrapped up, we’d gone down every classic rock rabbit hole imaginable. Alex Van Halen is sitting on something special. Whether it’s a masterpiece or just a collection of fragments, I’d rather hear it than let it collect dust. Because, at the end of the day, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t meant to be locked away—it’s meant to be played.
And if Alex needs a band to test it out live? I know a guy.
Screamin's Favorite 8-Tracks
Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Order
A New World Record is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra. It was released in October 1976. A great tune is the song, “Do Ya”. A song left over from Jeff Lynn’s former band The Move. Radio favorites, “Living Thing”, “Telephone Line”, and “Tightrope”. Album widely received by music critics.
8 Track of ELO
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - LIVE BULLET
Bob Seger * Track
How could you go wrong with, “Live Bullet”? The 8-Track squeezes 2 8-Tracks onto one 8-Track! Non-stop music with all the favorites from Cobo Hall.
" The Beatles " - REVOLVER
The Beatles Revolver 8 Track
One of many Beatles 8-Tracks in my collection. This happens to be one of my best ones and gets played the most. The cotton pressure pads need to be replaced sometime soon. Many of the 8-Tracks need a bit of TLC after so many years of play.
The FACES - A Nod is as good as a wink ... to a blind horse...
The Faces 8 Track
A Nod’s as Good as a Wink… To a Blind Horse is the 3rd album by the Faces and the band’s second album of 1971. With lead singer Rod Stewart’s recent solo success, it was their most successful album worldwide, peaking at No. 6 in the US, and reaching No. 2 in the UK. Great tunes from start to finish.
VAN HALEN - Women and Children First
Van Halen 8 Track
The most amazing thing about this 8-Track is the price. Cost me only $1.99. Anyone anywhere will tell you that’s a bargain. 1980 was a great year for Eddie Van Halen. Harder edge to the music and style. The only downfall of this 8-Track is the song, “Fools.” The song is stuck in between tracks 1 & 2. As you listen the song fades out then the 8-Track channel switches the song and continues as it fades back to normal. Still love it and a great find.
