Though Michael Anthony has been out of Van Halen since 2006, he did have some thoughts when he was asked about a possible new album that’s reportedly taking shape.
“The way I personally feel about it is, if they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie [Van Halen],” he shared during a new interview with Matt Spatz of WNCX. “You know, because getting a new singer in there, we’re not forming a new band, and then you’ve got to work on lyrics and all that stuff. And who knows when anything would be put out at that point.”
What Could Fans Expect From New Van Halen Music?
Alex Van Halen is leading the charge on the project, which Anthony is not involved with. It centers around unfinished recordings that Alex and Eddie worked on when the group was still active, with Wolfgang Van Halen playing bass at that time.
Longtime friend and collaborator Steve Lukather of Toto, according to Van Halen, is helping the drummer go through the audio. As Alex shared in an interview with the YouTube channel KazaGastao, it’s something that they’ll approach and handle very carefully as far as what makes it out to the fans.
“Many people have asked, what about releasing unreleased stuff?’ Well, we’re not gonna release it in its embryonic form because it wouldn’t make any sense,” he said. “It has to be of the quality and the level of where we left it. Not just to say, ‘Hey, here’s some music that we made. If you like it, that’s great.’ No, It has to be the quality that we expect.”
Who Will Sing on the New Songs?
As Alex revealed during the same interview, they’ve got some ideas and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers was mentioned as one specific person that had been approached, though he declined to participate.
In a separate statement, Rodgers explained his reasons for not accepting the invitation. “To squash the rumors… My health is good,” he said. “I feel fit and strong and I am rehearsing to perform March 2nd at the Adopt the Arts Sound and Vision Awards in Palm Springs. Thanks to Van Halen for inviting me to work on a track with them, but I am in my acoustic, zen phase of life.”
Former vocalists Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth were not mentioned in the comments Alex made during the conversation.
READ MORE: Here’s Why Hagar and Roth Won’t Be on Van Halen’s New Album
What is Michael Anthony Doing Now?
The legendary bassist will be back on stage with Hagar starting Mar. 11 for the next round of the Red Rocker’s popular Las Vegas residency. He’ll also be taking the band, which features guitarist Joe Satriani, drummer Kenny Aronoff and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, on the road for a short run of tour dates both here and in the U.K.
“When I first met him, it was on a band level, and then as we hung out more and more, his affection towards cars really grasped me,” he told Meltdown of Talkin’ Rock in a separate interview. “I only owned, like, two cars before Sammy joined the band, and much to my wife’s dismay, I ended up owning about 10 cars.”
“And, of course, Sammy, he’s a beach guy, and I’m a beach guy. We both live at the beach out here in Southern California,” he continued. “And so we’ve got a lot of stuff like that out in common. And it’s great. But stemming from the love of music, Sammy and I, we just get together as much as we can now when we’re around. He’s got a place in Hawaii, so he spends a lot of time over there now.”
Hagar and Anthony’s era of Van Halen will be celebrated with a new expanded reissue of the 5150 album, which is due to be released on Mar. 27.
Van Halen Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide
Three different singers and two different bassists joined the Van Halen brothers over the years.
