Man, what a time it must have been to hear these guys for the first time. My dad still owns most of their early albums on vinyl and we still listen to them to this day. Van Halen forever!

I distinctly remember the first 4 songs that were debut in early 1978 as a twelve-year-old, especially Jamie's Crying, Running with the Devil and Ice Cream Man. I clearly remember listening to Ice Cream Man when it first debuted, and thinking "What a great intro!", and how the band just jumped in and kicked ass, and I also love the way the song ended. I also remember Eruption. I also remember hearing the release of the single Jump, in January of 1984 for the first time in Navy boot camp in Orlando, Florida, before the official release on the 1984 album.

They came out of nowhere, took the rock and roll World by storm, and ruled it from 1978 until 1984. Period. I distinctly remember hearing Jamie's Crying, Running With the Devil, and Ice Cream Man For the first Time In 1978 on my older brothers radio in our bedroom as an 11 year old kid. The kings of rock and roll at that time. The good looks, the charisma, the riffs, the wild life. They were the epitome of it all. Nobody could touch them on a musical or popularity level. I was in Junior and Senior High School at that time and this was one of my favorite bands, along with Ozzy Osbourne, Rush, Journey, AC DC, the Cars, Scorpions. Having said that, no one, absolutely no one, impacted the Rock and Roll mainstream like Van Halen did with their debut and successive albums, including Rock icons Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. They instantly became THE rock and roll Gods, and grandly and proudly and justly held that title for six glorious years. And I'm so blessed to have been a teenager at that time.

I’ll never forget hearing their first album for the first time! Awesome!! Van Halen will always be incredible.

Thank god I saw them as a teenager in 1984 before Dave bailed 80’s was and still shaped my mind Van Halen made us coooler than cool 😎

The soundtrack of my youth. Rest well, the mighty Van Halen....

Nice to hear J.J. Jacksons' friendly voice again. I liked that dude. 😊

I’ve always been a Van Halen fan but I have to say in the last year I have really listened to them for the first time. I gotta say it doesn’t get much better for an opening of an album than ‘You’re No Good’ on VHII. The fact that Eddie could open that tune up with those haunting riffs is just amazing. I don’t miss Eddie at all, I have him and the band with me everyday. You take away Ed and listen it’s good but man oh man, Ed brought the fire and Alex teed it up for Michael and Roth blew it over the fence. What a fucking band. Hell listen to Beat It (Michael Jackson for anyone under a rock) and as short as that guitar solos is in that song, it’s awesome. It made that song. Remove Michaels vocals and get to that solo and you’re saying damn that’s a good song. I was lucky enough to see the early years lineup and that was some experience. Grab a Van Halen record today, throw it on the turn table and crank it up! Just sit and listen, take it in and appreciate greatness.

Grew up in 70’s and 80’s. Been to over 100 concerts. Van Halen was the only one where I was wasn’t 100% sure I’d get out alive.

These guys did it the way everyone else wishes they could have done it.

We were so fortunate to live in the era of the mighty Van Halen.

I already miss the brilliance that was Eddie, rest in peace 😅 maestro

My high school years would have never been the same without van halen. 🐐

Watching the early beginnings of Van Halen is moving. Alex clearly has a profound love for his late brother Edward. I feel sorry for Alex having lost his dear brother. Since the loss of Ed, we are now seeing and hearing more of Wolfgang. It turns out he's a well rounded musician and an excellent singer. What I admire most is he speaks his mind very effectively and he sure doesn't suffer fools.

So happy I was old enough to live through the golden era of MTV. Entire generations got to experience the same things all at once. All you had then was MTV, and radio stations. And there was great music coming out all the time from EVERY genre. This younger generation will never know that kind of cohesiveness.

1979...my first overseas vacation from Holland to Los Angeles, where I was introduced to the music of Van Halen. They really got me! ^_^

There will never be a band like this again.

The Original Van Halen will always be my favorite Rock band ever. I was very Fortunate to witness them live in 1979 and will never forget that show!!! Thanks David, Alex, Michael and Eddie.

I know I’m gonna catch sh!t for this comment, but I enjoyed both eras of Van Halen music. Each fit the time period they were a part of. Simply great band

Out of over 200 concerts in my life, VH in the 1980s was the best IMO. VH1 changed everything ❤

My family is from Costa Mesa and they played my dads backyard all the time. My dads house was a party house. My dad was good friends with Alex Van Halen

The ultimate rock band with the ultimate guitarist and ultimate front man.

Saw VH in 1978 , Lewisham Odeon, London, supporting Black Sabbath. Had never heard of the band before then. After their blistering and mind blowing set Black Sabbath was an anti-climax. My friends and I looked at each other and wondered what had hit us. Even after all these years I can honestly say that was the most exciting WTF experience of my life and can never be bettered

Every time I watch concert footage of Roth era Van Halen, I say to myself “their could not have been a better, more fun place to be on earth, than at that show, at that time”! Good Lord they were great!!

So thankful to have come up in the late 70's and through the 80's. Best era of music EVER!!!!!!!

it became clear that Dave's voice after 10 years of belting it out was going, and when it goes, it goes, kinda like a major league hitter, once its over, its over. He knew that and figured his voice would never last another 10 years so it was time to do something he still could do, entertain. 79 -83 Van Halen was the best band around period, they were second to none....Miss Eddie's playing more then anything, he was the man.

I fist saw them at a house party & several months latter they were all over LA. And by mid 74 it was good luck getting in. These guys had a monstrous following.

RIP King EVH...my music man forever....💖

1984 was my first concert. My 15th birthday in February. My mother gave me the ticket as my gift. I will never forget it. The bourbon, Eddie's solo, the bass ... the best.

I grew up trying to copy everything Ed did. I plàyed for hours and hours, took lessons for six years. I would lose my mind when a new album came out. He was so talented, so full of life. We had blowout parties where we would do an entire set of nothing but VH songs. Back in the day you had to buy teenie bopper magazines to see what these beasts were up to. First time I saw them March of 1984 in philly. I was in heaven, Greatest show ever. If you were there I believe on the forth. You remembé a drunk at the top of the steps being held by security. Yelling Van Halen. That was my buddy from Nazareth😂😂🤣 The world feels different knowing we are never getting a new Van Halen àlbum. RIP KING EDWARD, YOU ARE MISSED!!!

“House of Pain” was always my favorite track on 1984. Now I know why - it was written in the early days.

Van Halen brothers was love.. God bless Wolfie.. He's his dads boy, love and dream. 200% himself, love seeing where he's going. Watch!

No band can beat the Mighty Van Halen, Diamond Dave the best frontman to ever grace a stage. Eddie Van Halen your music will live forever. Rest in peace.

The Original Van Halen is my favorite Rock band! They will remain my favorite Rock band of all time. After the 1984 album, Van Halen took a turn for the worse. David Lee Roth was the best vocalist that Van Halen ever had. Rest In Peace Eddie! You're lightening up the heavens with your guitar.

Remember when KZfaq had no commercials? Wasn't great?

RIP Eddie, your boy is rockin his thing. Maybe one day he will feel ok playing his dads music, but he is what you asked him to be.... Him. God bless Wolfgang, and all VH, LOVE YA DIAMOND.

David Lee Roth's instincts are 100% right on for a successful rock band!! I loved Eddie, Alex, and Michael, but David made it fun!!!

No band can beat the attitude and swagger of early Van Halen. I lived it, all of it. I have the battle scars to prove it.

I can't imagine being Alex and losing the one person you spent more time with than anyone in earth. The one person that was your Right Hand. The one person that was integrated into your soul. Yeah I pray for peace and comfort for anyone who misses Ed. But more than anyone, Alex. I can't help but wonder if he will play live again. My whole musical existence is from Van Halen.

God wanted to hear some Van Halen from the original E.V.H. so he called Eddie back home. REST IN PEACE Eddie, we love you.

1:37-1:39 "we work real hard to do what we were doing" thank you VH, you served me well

RIP Edward Van Halen. You have been the soundtrack to so many peoples young lives. There is a new era of this special unique song writing and talent and his name is Wolfgang. Watch what this young man does. It will be lightening in a bottle just like his dad and uncle. God Speed EVH.

I was 15 years old in 1978 when Van Halen's first album came out when I heard that s*** I was just freaking blown away my neighbor bought the album and played it loud and it was freaking awesome never heard anything like it !

Jim Dandy is a class act, not a hater, cool dude!

Great doc about one of the hottest acts the music industry has ever seen. RIP Eddie Van Halen

Zeppelin is my favorite band, however by the time VH came around Zeppelin had run its course, and there seemed a void for the throne of the greatest rock band. For me VH filled that void, and now many years later those two are still my favorites, hands down. Thanks for the memories.

I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH THESE TURDS,(LOVE 'EM) CAN'T GET MUCH MORE OLD SCHOOL THAN THAT !!!!

Never forget my friend come to my house and telling me you have to hear this. And it was their first album and from that point on they were my favorite band. Seen them 5 times and even seen them with Sabbath the first time and Sammy the last time. Never be a better band in my opinion,and never a better guitar player than Eddie. R.I.P.

I remember as a kid people talking about a big rock star that still lived at his parents house in 1980 right down the street from me in Pasadena. Hard to believe it was this guy Eddie Van Halen.

God bless Eddie and all VH fans around these planet.

I met two brothers in 1982 in Midland Texas. They were from California and told me Van Halen played at their sister's wedding in 1976. Naturally, I didn't believe them, but they had the photo album to prove it. Van Halen in their parent's back yard jammin' hard. Those were the days my friend!

I’m not even a Van Halen fan but totally enjoyed that. RIP Eddie

I was fortunate enough to see VH 3 times supporting Sabbeth in the UK. Couldn't believe Eddie could reproduce the album. Still trying to play his stuff. RIP Eddie.

My brothers and I used to sing Happy Trails after a little acid. Roy and Dale! Everyone sing and wave you hand by your face, "Happy traiiiillllllsssss" . . . then the laughing starts. Love VH! Getting old sucks. RIP EVH!

Damn good memories... What great times. I loved Van Halen! Rest in peace Eddie.

This was awesome! Van Halen certainly paid their dues in becoming one of the greatest Rock bands in the world.

First time I heard Van Halen was walking into an ice arena in the summer of 1978 for the first day of hockey camp...it was early in the morning and all the kids were there with their dads waiting to sign in and drop their kids off and Atomic Punk was playing loudly over the speaker system...I was like, what is this??? Well, the whole week it was 6 hours a day of on and off ice hockey training and the rink workers jammed that Van Halen album at various times throughout the day...I asked my older sister about Van Halen and she knew who they were and got the album and I became a huge Van Halen fan. Then when Van Halen 2 came out, I liked that album even more and the girls OMG, the girls loved Van Halen! The summer of 79 was all about girls and Van Halen lol.

1981 tour Fair warning great concert i was 15 year's old.

As highly regarded as Van Halen were and are, Dave's screams and squeals are STILL criminally underrated. Still mystifying how he was able to do it consistently in his prime. He lost it around 1988, but I wonder if that technique would be able to be carried through a full career.

AND THE BAND PLAYS ON.... FOREVER!

My great uncle(Hartley) said he knew the Van Halen boys in the Pasadena neighborhood because he went to their recitals and Eddie had his paper route! He was a tree surgeon in Pasadena & died at age of 95 back in the nineties I believe. Cool.

Jim Dandy was a gentleman. God bless him.

The falsetto of Michael Anthony was definitely an integral part of the Van Halen sound.

Dave was best lead singer for Van Halen hands down. Davids voice lured you into his world and you wanted more more more.

Roth and his input made this band what it was.

Undoubtedly a member of the top 10 club of best bands ever. Love/d Van Halen. RIP Eddie.

I remember I got my new career with The Detroit Edison CO. and I was 29 years old and Van Halen was at the top in about 1984…. Plus the Detroit Tigers won the World Series! What a great era….and so when I listen to Van Halen it takes me back and I feel young again….

Im 18 and i wished i could have seen their shows:( But all i can say is, is that im grateful for all of their albums and RIP to the greatest guitar player of all time!

I really had eternal love for VH when Eddie put that guitar with Dimebag at his funeral.

R.IP Eddie Van Halen. You'll be missed forever...

There will NEVER be another greater than THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN ❤😊

I was lucky enough to see Van Halen live in 1978 in Oakland Ca opening for Black Sabboth. They played maybe a 45 minute set that still to this day was the best show I ever saw! I stayed for a few BS songs and then left. VH blew them away!!!

Will never forget hearing Running With The Devil on FM in March of 1978! I called the radio station immediately and asked “Who was that?!!!!!” It was love from the first song😉 Unlike many I really liked VH w/Sammy Hagar too!

I always thought the drum solo at the beginning of "Hot for Teacher" sounded like a badass hot rod idling

Great music, great show, great band and best guitarist of a generation.

Best band ever.I still listen to Can Halen to this day.Totally rock

I saw them in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens in the early 80's. I had never seen such energy. It was truly incredible to see. By 1984 it was big and polished and still spectacular but my preference was the 1980 to 1983 period before "Jump" & "Panama" chart hits. The early days were based soley on raw energy, great playing and charisma. Fame and success had not yet altered the band. Everything began to change after the 1984 album.

I first saw Van Halen in 1978 they backed up ZZ Top when i heard EVH play he blew me away as well as the entire band i never heard anything like them before the loss of EVH was just devastating to me but Eddies spirit will never die his music and his legacy will live on generations to come will know who he was !!

Good music is truly timeless. It’s not who is listening to what. It’s about what sounds good and what deserves a second listen

The Silver Tone Sears amp is one of the most sought after vintage amps out there. In the 70's I had a friend and that's all he talked about and with good reason. He bought one and yes it was sweet.

I was nine when 1984 came out. I actually heard the whole album at my cousin's house. I became obsessed with the guitar after that.

24:00 Alex Van Halen talking about the time when Bill Gazzari thinking David Lee Roth’s name is Van (First) Halen (Last)!! 🤣😂🤣😂 Love his laugh!! This is such an awesome story! RIP EVH 🎸

A lot of us were a little apprehensive after Diver Down. I ended up being pleasantly surprised and relieved when 1984 rolled out.

I was so hurt and shocked when I heard Eddie passed away and I couldn’t listen to another Van Halen song without crying my eyes out knowing that he’s gone RIP Eddie Van Halen

VH broke out at the right time in my rock and roll life. I was an Aerosmith freak in the 70's, but they were well on their way downhill when Van Halen's debut album came out. It blew me away and I was an instant convert. Was fortunate to see them in 1979, their first headline tour, at Detroit's Masonic Temple. I had seat # 110 near the sound board, about 10 rows back in a 4,400 seat auditorium. I remember the concert vividly.

I remember sitting in the school bus playing Van Halen from my new boom box. Cassette tape collection was awesome. 80’s baby 💪👉🇺🇸

Thanks so much for producing this! A great memory for this guitarist as a young man! In 1978, at 16 years old, I dropped the needle on that first album and absolutely could not believe what my ears were trying to tell me. I thought, "How in the hell is he getting those sounds? Damn...is that even a guitar? 'Eruption' was a total transcendence to my ears...was it a synthesizer? Was it a guitar? How the fuck is he doing that? The pinch harmonics on the middle section of 'You Really Got Me'... When VH II came out in 1979, there was a little local music store in my hometown of Rowland Heights in So Cal. I can't remember the name of that little store....wish I did! I'd ride my bike there a couple times a week to hang out and listen to what they played on the stereo. One day, the guy working that day said, "Hey...we've got the new Van Halen album, you wanna hear it? I said, "Fuck yeah...." I was the only one in the store at that moment. I grabbed a stool and positioned myself in the middle of the room so I could get the effect of both speakers. What I heard that afternoon was pure magic! Seeing this doc brought back so many memories of listening and learning from King Edward and the band...I never thought of myself as a copier, but I learned a lot of VH songs, riffs, and lead breaks to improve myself as a guitarist. Later, in the early 80s, my interests gravitated to more of the European hard rock sounds of Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Scorpions. You know, two guitar bands. Van Halen, the band, and Edward were so great and wrote the book of what a hard-rockin band should sound like! The fun, the party-hearty attitude they exuded could not be topped. The recent announcement of Sammy getting together with Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Jason Bohnam brought me back to revisit Van Halen, although it was the early years that brought me here. I did get to see them on the 1980 Invasion Tour and the Diver Down Tour with DLR. Afterward, I saw them with Sammy on the 5150 tour as well! All Hail KING EDWARD!

Great summary - VH was Eddie's homemade guitar tone, Alex's snare sound and the fabulous harmonies / backing vov,.

Can you imagine Jim Dandy looking himself in the mirror with a straight face and saying Dave was trying to be him???? That's some HARD LIVING !

Incredible I've been following VH since 1978 when I saw them for the first time when I was 18. I have to say I learned more about VH tonight than I had learned in the last 40 years.

RIP Edward.

Saw them as mammoth at the teen center in van Nuys 74 to 76

Still miss ED. It will be a long time before I can talk past tense about Ed without tearing up.

When I first heard :Dance the Night Away" while in school I was impressed. I would listen that song for hours a day, hit repeat on my CD player. Years later still listen to the song and yes maybe an hour or more. As for the Frontman battles both brought their own game, had strong voices, David ha more energy, while Sammy played instruments, to of been on stage side by side been impressive presence. One amazing act, I miss Eddie R.I.P., gone but not forgotten!

Gene has always been oddly humble about Van Halen. He really rooted for them, even when nobody was biting. VH were my band during a horrible time in my life, that they made much better! I was unpopular and miserable, my father left us, and life sucked. The mighty VH somehow made me cooler, happier, and I credit them with the facilitation of losing my virginity! RIP Eddie

I saw VH in Tampa, FL in 1978 when I was in high school. I think they opened for Bad Company, but VH was unforgettable. They had so much energy! They were really blowing up then & everyone had their first album. I remember we had a really good local radio station back then that gave them a lot of play. Historic band!

Yeah man dave was badass. All 4 of them made one badass band. Man it was really amazing

My last live show before the pandemic (Feb 2020 St Paul) shutdowns in the US of events was seeing David Lee Roth live, he could and can still bring it when He wants. I still have confetti in my car from the show. (Opened/Featured for KISS, but I went for DLR) it was great. He was the only one playing those original Van Halen tunes live and no one better than the original himself. Sounded way better than many had led me to believe. Was so awesome to see him do his thing and the continued effect of what that music can do for people. I can’t wait to get back to seeing and supporting and doing live shows again! Peace and Love everyone, RIP Eddie Van Halen, long live LIVE Rock n Roll!

Eddie and Alex have reached so much as sons of Dutch immigrants! I like this documentary, with photos of their childhood. I am Dutch myself, and I'm proud of Eddie and Alex. They were so talented! Rust in vrede, Eddie!

I loved VH. Saw them when they fronted for Black Sabbath. Loooong time ago. The most amazing energy, ever - and I saw hundreds of concerts in Philly way back when. The most annoying thing about this video was the commercials every three minutes. I suspect that if the band was in a hotel room watching this, they would have thrown the computer out the window of the hotel.