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Van Halen Rising

How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal

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Van Halen Rising

By: Greg Renoff
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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About this listen

After years of gigging everywhere from suburban backyards to dive bars, Van Halen - led by frontman extraordinaire David Lee Roth and guitar virtuoso Edward Van Halen - had the songs, the swagger, and the talent to turn the rock world on its ear.

The quartet's classic 1978 debut, Van Halen, sold more than a million copies within months of release and rocketed the band to the stratosphere of rock success. On tour, Van Halen's high-energy show wowed audiences and prompted headlining acts like Black Sabbath to concede that they'd been blown off the stage. By the year's end, Van Halen had established themselves as superstars and reinvigorated heavy metal in the process.

Based on more than 230 original interviews - including with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and power players like Pete Angelus, Marshall Berle, Donn Landee, Ted Templeman, and Neil Zlozower - Van Halen Rising is the first book to tell the untold story of how these rock legends made the unlikely journey from Pasadena, California, to the worldwide stage.

©2015 Greg Renoff (P)2016 Tantor Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Inspiring Guitar

Critic Reviews

"Renoff's book is a thoroughly entertaining read that will appeal to every hard rock fan." ( Publishers Weekly)
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An interesting book, with a fair few shocking moments, but also a lot of great stories too.

Good book, but a little in your face at times.

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His was a great book!

Enjoyed the actual story itself, being a long time Van Halen fan. The first 10 minutes I nearly stopped as I didn't like the voiceover but as I got more into it, I really enjoyed it- the style suited the story.

Worth the read/listen

Great book!

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Fun anecdotes retold from multiple perspectives. The narrator's clenched-jaw "performansh" - while annoying at first - grows on the listener by the end. I would enjoy a sequel written by the same author.

A casual and easy listen.

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