Rock Hall of Fame Inductee: Van Halen

The Rock and Roll Fall of Fame recently announced the inductees for the 2007 class. At the top of that list are the hard rock icons Van Halen. The fact that Van Halen has been eligible for a few years and continually passed up is astonishing considering their success and status as a legendary rock and roll band. With another world tour rumored to be on tap this summer, a reunited Van Halen could make a huge splash at a time when proven concert draws are a hot commodity.

In the mid 1970s brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen formed the band Mammoth in Pasadena, California. It wasn't long before the incredible talents of the Van Halen brothers caught fire in the LA rock scene. With the addition of the soon to be prototype of 80's rock star, David Lee Roth and master bass player Michael Anthony, the makings of a phenomenal rock band were together.

With the help of the massive-tongued demon of KISS, Gene Simmons, Van Halen took their furious rock pyrotechnics into the studio and created one of the defining hard rock debuts of all time. Van Halen is arguably the sound of the band in all its rowdy, fiery, showboating glory. Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing on one two-minute track, "Eruption", sent every wanna-be player back to the drawing board. Brother Alex and bassist Anthony were a monstrous rhythm section, and the master of ceremonies Diamond Dave was a cross between Robert Plant and a Las Vegas showgirl.

Van Halen stormed a rock and roll path of terror across the world before unleashing what many consider their defining album. With over 10 million copies sold, it is definitely their most successful. 1984 expanded the Van Halen sound to include synthesizers, and the results provided a string of hits and the band's domination of MTV and the rock and pop landscape.

Van Halen's best moments were fueled by pure ego over molten hot guitar licks, so it is no surprise that the original line-up would not survive to ride off into the sunset. David Lee Roth left for a successful solo career, and the remaining three members drafted the sturdy, down-to-earth Sammy Hagar as Roth's replacement.

Roth and Hagar are as opposite as the north and south poles. Van Halen's music mirrored the change in vocalist. More keyboards and pop sensibilities offered up another string of hit songs through the end of the 1980s.

A new decade and the dawn of grunge destroyed many of the bands that were Van Halen followers. Surely the innovators could survive the change in tides, but they couldn't survive themselves. With only one true hit in the 1991 with the piano driven "Right Now", the band was falling out of favor and inevitably fell apart.

Hagar left or quite, depending on who is being interviewed and Roth was brought back for two songs on a greatest hits disc. That reunion was short lived, and in 1998 Van Halen introduced their new lineup with lead singer Gary Cherone. Cherone was the former vocalist for Extreme, a band heavily influenced by Van Halen.

That version of Van Halen's lineup was a complete flop. Cherone quietly exited and Van Halen Mountain remained quiet for several years as Eddie battled cancer and other health issues.

In the summer of 2004, Eddie brought the band together for a reunion tour and a new compilation. Fans have been salivating for years to see Roth and Van Halen on stage, but they would need to wait. Sammy Hagar came back and the band rolled across the country on a sold out tour.

Rumors abound that the tour was fraught with the same old ego problems and backstage sniping. Rock stars are supposed to be phenomenal musicians and showmen, doesn't mean they can hold down a healthy relationship.

The 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony should be a memorable one. Grandmaster Flash is the first rap star to be inducted, and the band that started indie rock, REM, will be deservedly honored. All eyes will be on the Van Halen camp though. With that tour on tap, who's going to join the Van Halen brothers on stage? Dave or Sammy?

Regardless, Van Halen is a deserving inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and given the right opportunity they could still melt your face with the majesty of rock and roll. Isn't that what it's all about?