van]] van]] 213 vans]]

A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.

In the UK usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (such as pick-up trucks). There are vans in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the classic van version of the tiny Mini to the five metre long (LWB) variants of the Mercedes Sprinter van. Vehicles larger than this are classified as lorries (trucks).

Word usage and etymology

Lublin III van]] The word van is a shortened version of the word , which originally meant a covered vehicle.

The word van has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word always applies to boxy cargo vans, the most major differences in usage are found between the different English-speaking countries.

United Kingdom

British English speakers will generally refer to a passenger minivan as a people-carrier or MPV, or multi-purpose vehicle, and a larger passenger van as a minibus. Ford makes a distinct line of vans with short bonnets (hoods) and varying body sizes. Minivans are the same Vans but smaller. The driver's mate of a delivery van was sometimes referred to as a "vanguard." The Sun newspaper introduced the idea of "White Van Man", a typical working class man or small business owner who would have a white Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter or similar panel van. The Top Gear TV programme did a piece where the presenters had to buy a cheap panel van and then perform a series of tests. In reference to the reputation of van drivers style of driving on British roads, one of the tests was to tailgate a car travelling at 60 mph as closely as possible.

United States

In the United States, a van can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer used to carry goods. In this case there is a differentiation between a "dry van", used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated van, or reefer, used for cold goods. A railway car used to carry baggage is also called a van.

A vehicle referred to as a full size van is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a platform and powertrain similar to their light truck counterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting of goods (cargo van), or furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (Wagon) or another company for more personal comforts, such as entertainment systems (Conversion van). Full size vans often have a very short hood, with the engine block moved to within the passenger cabin.

A cutaway van chassis is a variation of the full size van which was developed for use by many second stage manufacturers. Such a unit generally has a van front end, and driver controls in a cab body which extends only to a point aft of the driver and passenger seats, where the rest of the van body is cutoff (leading to the terminology "cutaway"). From that point aft, usually only the chassis frame rails and running gear extend to the rear when the unit is shipped as an "incomplete vehicle". A second stage manufacturer, commonly known as a bodybuilder, will complete the vehicle for uses such as recreational vehicles, small school buses, minibuses, type III ambulances, and delivery trucks. A large portion of cutaway van chassis are equipped with dual rear wheels. Some second stage manufacturers also add a third weight-bearing single wheel "tag axle" for larger minibus models.

The term van may also refer to a Minivan. However, minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size and traditionally front wheel drive powertrain, although many now are being equipped with four wheel drive. Minivans offer similar seating capacity (traditionally seven to eight passengers), and better fuel economy than full-size vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. In addition, many new minivans have dual side sliding doors.

Japan

Early Japanese vans include the Mazda Bongo and the Subaru 360 van. The Japanese also produced many vans based on the American flat nose model, but also mini-vans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front wheel drive form factor first pioneered by the Nissan Prairie and Mitsubishi Chariot. Microvans, vans that fulfill kei car regulations, are very popular for small business. The term is also used to describe full-fledged station wagons (passenger car front sheetmetal, back seats, windows all around) and even hatchbacks with a basic trim package intended for commercial use.

Australia

In Australian English, the term van is commonly used to describe a minivan, a passenger minibus, or an Australian panel van as manufactured by companies such as Holden and Ford at various times.

India

In India, van is one of the most common modes of transport and is often used for commuting school children to and from schools as parents, especially working parents are too busy to themselves pick their children from school and when school buses are full and unable to accommodate other children.

A full size van used for commercial purposes is also known as a van; however, a passenger vehicle with more than 7 or 8 seats is more likely to be called a minibus.

Finally, the term van can sometimes be used interchangeably with caravan, which in the U.S. is referred to as a travel trailer.

The British term people mover is also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of van to mean a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

Examples

's photographic van, Crimea, 1855]] The first generation of American vans were the 1960s compact vans, which were patterned in size after the Volkswagen Bus. The Corvair-based entry even aped the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine design. The Ford Falcon had a flat nose, with the engine mounted between and behind the front seats. The Dodge A100 had a similar layout and could accommodate a V-8. Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The Ford, Dodge and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

The standard or full size vans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components and taillights. The engine cockpit housing is often called a dog house. Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes. The Dodge Sportsman added a plug to the rear of a long wheelbase to create the 15 passenger van. They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as cutaway van chassis versions for second stage manufacturers to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public.

van in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts]]

In the 1970s, songs like "Chevy Van", written and performed by Sammy Johns, and nicknames like "sin bin" or "screw canoe" became part of the culture as owners transformed them into rolling bedrooms and lounges. Conversion vans became a large market with plusher accommodations than factory seats.

Dodge ended production of their full-size vans in June 2002 (as 2003 models), and replaced it with the German originated Dodge Sprinter, which is based on a narrower, more fuel-efficient European design pattern with a diesel turbo I5. Typical versions of the Sprinter are taller than other unmodified vans (tall enough to stand in), with a more slanted (aerodynamic) profile in front. They have been adopted primarily for delivery and lightweight Class-C van cab motor home applications.

Usage

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as commuter vans since 1971, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Commuter vans are used as an alternative to carpooling and other ride sharing arrangements.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances. Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibuses. Vans are also used to transport elderly and mobility-impaired worshipers to and from church services or to transport youth groups for outings to amusement parks, picnics, and visiting other churches. Vans are also used by schools to drive sports teams to intermural games. Vans have been used by touring music groups to haul equipment and people to music venues around the country; for example, the Portland band AgesandAges converted a 12-seat passenger van into a 15-seater to take the seven-member singing group on tour around the United States.

Step Van

Another type of van, peculiar to North America, is the step van, so called because of the ease with which one can step in and out of it. Widely used by delivery services, courier companies and the parcel division of the US Postal Service and Canada Post, they are often seen driven with the door open, especially in big cities. Step vans have more obviously boxy shapes and higher rooftops than other vans, and they are rarely employed for carrying passengers. step van.]] step van.]]

Rollover safety

Recently, the larger passenger versions have appeared in news stories for having a tendency to roll over, particularly in the case of inexperienced operators. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and powertrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The suspension is also higher because of the extreme weight capacity of 15 passengers of between and each which may be over one ton of passengers alone. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further raising the center of gravity (and often shifting it rearward). The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used. In the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts, perhaps because belted passengers feel they can still lean and shift a large amount. However, the NHTSA, cited below, has determined that belted passengers are about four times more likely to survive in rollover crashes.

Safety can be greatly improved by understanding the unique characteristics of 12- & 15-passenger vans and by following a special set of guidelines developed for drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A summary of this information is available at Reducing The Risk of Rollover Crashes in 15-Passenger Vans. Among other things, this document advises that carrying 10 or fewer passengers (preferably towards the front of the van) greatly reduces the risk of rollover crashes, and it suggests that repeated operation by the same drivers tends to increase their ability to handle these vehicles more safely over time. Car rental companies have also started adding stickers to warn renters about the difference in handling while compared to standard cars. Items should not be added to a roof rack of an already top-heavy vehicle.

Models of vans by manufacturer

Austin

Austin Mini

Austin A35

Austin A55

Asia

Asia Topic

Asia Towner

BMC Commercial Vehicles

Buick

Buick Terraza

'Chery Automobile'

V5 (codename B14) minivan

Karry a small panel van.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Astro

Chevrolet Beauville

Chevrolet Corvair 95 Greenbriar

Chevrolet Express

Chevrolet G10/G20/G30

Chevrolet Lumina APV

Chevrolet Nomad

Chevrolet Supercarry

Chevrolet Uplander

Chevrolet Venture

Chrysler

Chrysler Town & Country

Chrysler Voyager

Citroën

Citroën H Van

Citroën 2CV

Citroën Berlingo

Citroën C15

Citroën Jumpy

Citroën Jumper / Relay

Commer

Dacia

Dacia Logan VAN

Daewoo

Daewoo Damas

Daewoo Rezzo/Tacuma

Daihatsu

Daihatsu Atrai

Daihatsu Hijet

Dodge

Dodge A100

Dodge B Series B100, B150, B200, B250, B350

Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan

Dodge Coachman

Dodge MB Series MB-250, MB-350

Dodge Ram Van

Dodge Ram Wagon

Dodge Sportsman

Dodge Sprinter

Dodge Tradesman

Fiat

Fiat 238

Fiat 242

Fiat 600 T

Fiat 850 T

Fiat Panda van

Fiat Doblò

Fiat Ducato

Fiat Fiorino

Fiat Scudo

Ford

Ford Model T

Ford Aerostar

Ford Econoline

Ford E100 (Falcon) 1961-1967

Ford Econovan

Ford Freestar

Ford Club Wagon

Ford Transit, FK 1000

Ford Transit Connect

Ford Windstar

Freight Rover

Freight Rover Sherpa

Freight Rover 200 Series

Freight Rover 300 Series

Freightliner LLC

Freightliner Sprinter

FSC

FSC Żuk A 03, A 05, A 14, A 09, A 11, A 15, A 07, A 18, R, M, A 151 C, A 16 B

FSC Lublin 33, II, 3, 3Mi

FSO/ZSD

ZSD Nysa N57, N58, N59, N60, N61, N63, 501, 503, 521/522

GAZ

GAZelle

GMC

GMC Gaucho

GMC Gypsy

GMC Rally STX, Wagon

GMC Safari

GMC Savana

GMC Vandura 1500, 2500, 3500

Glas

Goggomobil TL

Grumman Olson

UPS P-600 - chassis only

UPS P-800 - chassis only

Hanomag

Hanomag L28

Hanomag Kurier

Hanomag-Henschel F20

Honda

Honda Acty

Honda Elysion

Honda Life

Honda Mobilio

Honda Odyssey

Honda Pertner

Honda Stepwgn

Honda Vamos

Hyundai

Hyundai Entourage

Hyundai Grace

Hyundai Lavita/Matrix

Hyundai Starex

Hyundai Trajet XG

Isuzu

Isuzu Oasis

Isuzu Como

Isuzu Filly

Iveco

Iveco Daily

Jowett

Jowett Bradford

Kia

Kia Bongo

Kia Carens/Rondo

Kia Carnival/Sedona

Kia Carstar/Joice

Kia Pregio

LDV

LDV Pilot

LDV Convoy

LDV Cub

LDV Maxus

Leyland

Leyland Sherpa

Lloyd

Lloyd LT 400, 600

Mazda

Mazda Bongo/Bongo Brawny

Mazda MPV

Mahindra- Xylo

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz L319

Mercedes-Benz T1

Mercedes-Benz T2

Mercedes-Benz Vaneo

Mercedes-Benz Vario

Mercedes-Benz Vito

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Mercedes-Benz V-Class

Mercury

Mercury Villager

Mercury Monterey

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Expo

Mitsubishi Minica

Mitsubishi Town Box

Mitsubishi L300

Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa

Morris

Morris Minor

Morris J4

Nissan

Datsun Cablight

Datsun Litevan

Nissan AD

Nissan Atlas/Atlas Walkthrue/Atlas Loco/Atlas MAX

Nissan Bluebird van

Datsun/Nissan Cabstar

Nissan Cedric van

Prince Gloria van/Nissan Gloria van

Nissan Caravan

Nissan Cherry van

Nissan Interstar

Nissan Kubistar

Nissan NV200

Nissan Prairie

Nissan Primastar

Nissan Quest

Nissan S-Cargo

Nissan Silkroad

Nissan Skyline van

Nissan Sunny van

Nissan Vanette

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile Silhouette

Opel / Vauxhall

Opel Blitz

Opel Combo

Opel Corsavan

Opel Astravan

Opel Movano

Opel Sintra

Opel Vivaro

Peugeot

Peugeot J 7, J 9

Peugeot J5

Peugeot Boxer

Peugeot Expert

Peugeot Partner

Plymouth

Plymouth Voyager

Pontiac

Pontiac Montana

Pontiac Trans Sport

Renault

Renault Estafette

Renault 4 F4 and F6

Renault Kangoo

Renault Trafic

Renault Master

Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika

RAF-251

RAF-08

RAF-10

RAF-2203

RAF-22031

RAF-3311

RAF-33111

RAF-977

Saturn

Saturn Relay

SEAT

SEAT Inca

SsangYong

Istana

Rodius/Stavic

Subaru

Subaru 360 Comercial/Van

Subaru Domingo

Subaru Reone van

Subaru Sambar

Suzuki

Suzuki Alto

Suzuki Carry

Suzuki Supercarry

Suzuki Every

Autozam Scrum

Bedford Rascal

Holden Scurry

Maruti Versa

Tatra

Tatra 12

Tatra Beta

Tempo

Tempo Rapid

Tempo Wiking

Tempo Matador

Toyota

Tyopet Coronaline/Corona van/Toyota Corona van

Toyopet/Toyota Crown van

Toyopet Masteline

Toyota Carina van

Toyota Corolla van

Toyota Dyna

Toyota Granvia

Toyota Hiace

Toyota Hiace Regius

Toyota Regius Ace

Toyota Liteace

Toyota Mark II van

Toyota Noah/Voxy

Toyota Master Ace Surf Wagon / Van

Toyota Previa

Toyota Probox

Toyota Publica van

Toyota Quick Delivery / Urban Supporter

Toyota Sienna

Toyota Succeed

Toyota Toyoace

Toyota TownAce

Toyota Coaster

Vauxhall and Bedford

Bedford Beagle

Bedford CA

Bedford CF

Bedford Chevanne

Vauxhall Combo see Opel

Vauxhall Corsavan

Vauxhall Astravan

Vauxhall Rascal

Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall Movano

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Volkswagen Caddy

Volkswagen Routan

(T4) Transporter / Kombi / Caravelle / Eurovan / Mutlivan

(T5) Transporter / Eurovan / Kombi / Caravelle / Mutlivan

Volkswagen California

Volkswagen LT

Volkswagen Crafter

Volkswagen Type 2 ("VW Bus")

Alternative propulsion

Since light trucks are often operated in city traffic, hybrid electric models are very useful:

Dual-Drive Sprinter - Mercedes Van equipped with hybrid drive systems

Electric 35-50 q

Micro-Vett Hybrid Daily

Smith Electric Vehicles Edison Van

Modec Van

Wheelchair accessible

Some vans can be converted into wheelchair accessible vans for mobility impaired people:

Wheelchair Van Information

The following vehicles may be used in yards or in historic city centres:

Graf Carello Transporter

Aixam Mega

Alke' ATX

Tasso Domino

See also

Cutaway van chassis

Public light bus

Ambulance

Campervan

Conversion van

Minivan

Panel van

Sedan Delivery

References

Category:Car body styles Category:Car classifications

Name	Sabine Schmitz
Caption	Schmitz, in 2007
Birth date	May 14, 1969
Birth place	Adenau, Germany
Occupation	Racing driver,Television personality
Othername	Sabine Reck, SpeedBee
Website	http://www.speedbee.de

Sabine Schmitz (Sabine Reck while married; born 14 May 1969), is a German former professional motor racing driver for BMW, now known for driving the BMW "Ring taxi" around the Nürburgring race track as well as being a television personality.

Biography

Born to the local hotel and restaurant owning Schmitz family, Sabine and her two elder sisters grew up in the "Hotel am Tiergarten" (in the basement of which is the Pistenklause restaurant) in Nürburg within the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Schmitz trained as Hotelfachfrau and Sommelière. During her marriage to a hotelier she lived in Pulheim, but after her divorce in 2000, up until 2003, she owned a bar-restaurant in Nürburg named the Fuchsröhre (Foxhole) after a track section. In 2004 she qualified as a helicopter pilot.

Following occasional drives with the family car on the Nordschleife, all three sisters started racing, but only Schmitz continued and collected victories. Schmitz won in CHC and VLN race events, the VLN endurance racing championship in 1998, and is the first woman to win a major 24h race, the 24 Hours Nürburgring, in 1996 and 1997, all with a BMW M3 entered and co-driven by local veteran Johannes Scheid. In 2006 Schmitz and Klaus Abbelen drove the #97 Porsche 997 in the Nürburgring VLN endurance racing series, entered by Land Motorsport. They finished a strong third in the 24h 2008, beaten only by the factory-backed Manthey-entered winners of 2007 and 2006.

Nürburgring

Schmitz came to mass public attention driving one of the two BMW M5 "Ring taxi" around the 20.8 km long race track in an entertaining manner.

According to her own estimates, Schmitz has gone around the track more than 20,000 times, increasing by approximately 1200 per year. Her familiarity with the circuit earned her the nicknames "Queen of the Nürburgring" and "the fastest taxi driver in the world". She says her favourite parts of the track are Schwedenkreuz and Fuchsröhre.

Claudia Hürtgen is her main rival, winning the championship in 2006, and scoring pole and victory in the third VLN race of 2008, with a BMW Z4.

Her company, Nürburgring-based Sabine Schmitz Motorsport, offers advanced driver training and a "Ring Taxi" service for passengers.

Television career

As a result of her popularity as "the fastest taxi driver in the world", and charisma, Schmitz became an occasional motorsport guest commentator, known for her gleefully dry descriptions of driving incidents. Since September 2006, Schmitz has co-hosted a motoring show on German television, D Motor on the DMAX TV channel. In each show, Schmitz takes on another challenge, for example Schmitz in a Ferrari 360 vs. a 1200 hp Race Truck, or Schmitz in a Formula Renault race car vs. a race sidecar.

In December 2004, Schmitz gained recognition in the United Kingdom after appearing in the BBC television show Top Gear with presenter Jeremy Clarkson. After Clarkson (under her tuition) set a lap time of 9 minutes 59 seconds around the Nürburgring in a Jaguar S-Type diesel (Season 5, Episode 5), she castigated his best lap with the comment "I tell you something, I could do that lap time in a van". She did a lap in the Jaguar S-Type, and set a time of 9 minutes 12 seconds, beating him by 47 seconds. When trying to film Schmitz as she drove the S-Type, the film team couldn't keep up so they used Jaguar test driver Wolfgang Schubauer to drive the Jaguar S-Type R chase car, which means that much of the lap shown on the episode was not the first lap where she set the 9 min. 12 sec. lap time.

Thus, in her second appearance on Top Gear, she actually drove a Ford Transit Diesel in an attempt to beat Clarkson's time set in the Jaguar S-Type diesel. Her final time with the Transit was 10 minutes and 8 seconds (Season 6, Episode 7). For this final lap the van was stripped and streamlined at the front with gaffer tape (Schmitz's belt, hubcaps, spare wheel, toolkit and Richard Hammond were removed) and a Dodge Viper was driven in front to help keep the "air clean" by providing a good slipstream to travel through.

Her first appearance on British television, however, was on the 2002 BBC programme Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours, where she takes Jeremy around the Nürburgring in the "Ring Taxi".

Her third appearance was at the 2005 Top Gear Awards to collect the award for 'Best German' (Season 7, Episode 6).

In 2007, she appeared in Clarkson's Supercar Showdown DVD where she raced an Audi R8 against The Stig in a Porsche 911 GT3.

Schmitz also appeared in the sixth episode of the Top Gear's 11th series, in a competition between the German motoring equivalent of Top Gear, on which she features, and the British Top Gear team. Both groups engaged each other in a series of challenges, in which Schmitz raced the Top Gear team in a double decker car race, and Clarkson in a one-on-one Mini challenge. She was victorious in both her events; however, due to the timely intervention of James May (dressed suspiciously like The Stig), the overall result was a win for the Top Gear team.

It is rumoured that Schmitz has taken on the role of the Stig in BBC 2's Top Gear in place of 'outed Stig' Ben Collins.

Race results

24 Hours Nürburgring: Overall winner in 1996 and 1997 (BMW), third in 2008 (Porsche)

References

External links

SpeedBee (formerly Sabine Schmitz Motorsport)

BMW Ring Taxi review by Ian Bevis

2006 Team website

Report on "Ring-Taxi"

The Fastest Taxi Driver In The World

BMW Ring-Taxi

Video footage

Schmitz on the Nürburgring followed by a Porsche 996 GT3 Google video

Schmitz at the ring, tuned Porsche GT2 vs Caterham CSR260 YouTube video, German

Nordschleife Tours - Nürburgring Google video, English, Sabine Schmitz at 10:02,20:00

Part 1, Part 2 One Lap with Ford Transit (diesel) in 10:08 at TopGear

Dmotor challenge: Schmitz in a 500hp Dodge Viper vs. a 164hp race kart with a Honda CBR 1100 Blackbird engine YouTube video, German

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:German racecar drivers Category:Female racecar drivers

Name	Nadia Ali
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Nadia Ali
Born	August 03, 1980 in Libya
Origin	Queens, New York, United States
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Electronic dance music, trance, house
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Label	Smile in Bed
Associated acts	iiO, Rosko, John Creamer & Stephane K, Armin van Buuren, Schiller
Url

Nadia Ali (}}; born August 3, 1980) is a Pakistani-American singer-songwriter, born in Libya and raised in Queens, New York. She gained attention as the frontwoman and songwriter of the band iiO, after their 2001 hit "Rapture" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.

}}

External links

Official Website

Category:1980 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American house musicians Category:American musicians of Pakistani descent Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Pakistani immigrants to the United States Category:People from New York City Category:Pakistani Muslims Category:Pakistani female singers

Name	Eddie Van Halen
Landscape	Yes
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Edward Lodewijk Van Halen
Alias	EVH
Born	January 26, 1955 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Instrument	Guitar, keyboards, vocals, bass, drums
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, speed metal, neo-classical metal
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer
Years active	1967–present
Label	Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Derek Sherinian, Steve Vai
Url	www.van-halen.com
Notable instruments	"Frankenstrat"Ernie Ball Music Man EVH modelPeavey EVH WolfgangKramer 5150Ibanez "Shark" DestroyerSteinberger GL 2T"Frankenstein" (Early Black and White)Charvel EVH "Bumblebee"

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (born January 26, 1955) is a Dutch-born American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddie Van Halen is commonly known for his innovative performing and recording styles in blues-based rock, tapping, intense solos and high frequency feedback; he is also known for energetic and acrobatic stage performances. The All Music Guide has described him as "Second to only Jimi Hendrix...undoubtedly one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century.". He is ranked 70th on the Rolling Stone list of Top 100 guitarists.

Early life and career

Born in Amsterdam, Holland (The Netherlands), Edward Lodewijk van Halen is a son of clarinetist, saxophonist and pianist father Jan van Halen and mother Eugenia. Eugenia van Halen was originally from Indonesia which was a former Dutch colony. Eugenia was half Dutch and half Indonesian. Edward's middle name was derived from composer Ludwig van Beethoven. (Lodewijk is the Dutch version of Ludwig.) Edward continued this naming tradition by naming his son Wolfgang Van Halen after composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Edward was born in Nijmegen. In February 1962, at the age of seven, Edward moved with his family to the United States, settling in Pasadena, California.

Van Halen learned to play the piano as a child. His older brother Alex also played the piano. However, playing the piano did not prove to be challenging or interesting to him — he once said in an interview, "Who wants to sit in front of the piano? That's boring." Consequently, while Alex began playing the guitar, Eddie bought a drum kit and began practicing. He would practice for hours day after day. After Eddie heard Alex's performance of the The Surfaris' drum solo in the song "Wipe Out", he grew annoyed that his brother had overtaken his ability and decided to switch and begin learning how to play the electric guitar.

He has stated that he would often walk around at home with his guitar strapped on and unplugged, practicing. He claims that he would sit in his room for hours with the door locked as a teen, practicing the guitar.

Van Halen notes the importance of supergroup Cream, holding their improvisation in high regard, considering 'I'm so Glad' on 'Goodbye Cream' to be mind-blowing. He once claimed that he had learned almost all of Eric Clapton's solos in the band Cream "note for note". Eddie has stated: "I've always said Eric Clapton was my main influence, but [Jimmy] Page was actually more the way I am, in a reckless-abandon kind of way."

Formation of Van Halen

Van Halen, originally called "Genesis" with bass player Mark Stone, changed their name to "Mammoth" when they discovered there was already a band (from England) with the name "Genesis". The band consisted of Eddie Van Halen on guitar and vocals, his brother, Alex on drums, and bassist Mark Stone. They had no P.A. system of their own, so they rented one from David Lee Roth — a service for which he charged $10 a night. Eddie quickly became frustrated singing lead vocals, The band originally began playing cover material, ranging from pop to disco, before settling on original material. Gene Simmons then produced a Van Halen demo tape with recording beginning at the Village Recorder studios in Los Angeles and finished with overdubs at the Electric Lady Studios in New York. In mid 1977, Van Halen was offered a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. After recording a set of demos, they recorded their first album "Van Halen" in mid September to early October 1977, which was released on February 10, 1978.

Tension with David Lee Roth

, 1977]] Van Halen released a total of six albums: Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Women and Children First (1980), Fair Warning (1981), Diver Down (1982), and 1984 (1984); however, the band had trouble working together as a cohesive unit; according to Gene Simmons' book Kiss and Make-Up, Eddie Van Halen approached Simmons in 1982 about possibly joining Kiss, replacing Ace Frehley. According to Simmons, Eddie did so chiefly due to his personality conflicts with Roth.

Simmons and Alex persuaded Eddie to remain in Van Halen, while Kiss decided to replace Frehley with Vinnie Vincent, and shortly afterwards the band released the album 1984; which yielded the band's first #1 hit, "Jump". Other singles released from the album also sold well, particularly "Hot for Teacher", the video for which featured a skimpily dressed model playing the part of a female elementary school teacher and school-age boys portraying younger versions of the band members. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts, behind Thriller by Michael Jackson, on which Eddie also played.

Jimmy Page said at the time: "For my money, Eddie Van Halen was the first significant new kid on the block. Very dazzling".

In 1982 Eddie was invited by producer Quincy Jones to contribute the guitar solo for Michael Jackson's new recording for Thriller, "Beat It". Van Halen improvised and integrated for the recording the familiar Van Halen-styled guitar solo bridge in the new song. Part of rock lore, credit for his work on the noteworthy track would be sufficient and Van Halen declined the payment he was offered for his performance.

Addition of Sammy Hagar

With the arrival of former Montrose singer Sammy Hagar in July 1985, the band's sound changed somewhat to adapt to the strengths of the new vocalist, as Eddie's keyboard playing became a permanent fixture, heard in songs such as "Dreams" and "Love Walks In". Even on the more rocking, guitar-driven songs, Eddie's performances became looser, less aggressive, and some said more thoughtful, while others said more commercial. The change in sound and pace prompted many fans, both positively and negatively, to refer to the band as "Van Hagar." However, tensions within the band again arose over identity and artist direction, and Hagar, like Roth earlier, departed in June 1996. Hagar left behind him a portfolio of 4 studio albums with the band (5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance) as well as one live album ().

Career after Hagar's departure

Following Hagar's departure, the group briefly reunited with original singer David Lee Roth and released Best of Volume I, a greatest hits package, in October 1996. Two new songs were recorded for the album, with the single "Me Wise Magic" reaching #1 on the mainstream rock chart ("Can't Get This Stuff No More" was the other new single). However, previous disagreements resurfaced and the reunion did not last, as Roth left in September 1996, after the MTV Video Music Awards.

Addition of Gary Cherone

The band auditioned many prospective replacements for Hagar, finally settling on Gary Cherone, former front man for Extreme, a band also represented by Van Halen's manager. Cherone predicted that the new line-up would last 'ten years', however the Van Halen III album was poorly received.. The band completed a world tour touting their new single "Without You" and did go back in the studio to start on a second record. However, Cherone soon had an amicable departure, and without a lead singer, Van Halen went on hiatus.

Reunion with Hagar

In 2004, Van Halen returned with Hagar as their lead singer. A greatest hits package, The Best of Both Worlds, was released to coincide with the band's reunion tour. The album included three new tracks recorded with Hagar ("Up For Breakfast", "It's About Time", & "Learning to See").

The band toured the U.S., covering 80 cities. The tour earned $55 million.

Reunion with Roth

(left), November 2007]] On February 2, 2007, it was officially announced on the band's website that David Lee Roth would rejoin Van Halen for their summer tour. The excitement regarding the tour waned when on February 20, 2007, reports surfaced that the tour was indefinitely postponed. A previously planned compilation of Roth era Van Halen hits was likewise shelved. However, after six months and a stint in rehabilitation for Eddie, it was finally confirmed by the band on August 13 at a press conference in Los Angeles that they would do a tour with the new lineup from late 2007-mid 2008 across North America, with further worldwide touring and a new album proposed to follow later on.

Persistent rumors had long indicated the Van Halen brothers were in talks with Roth to rejoin the band for a tour and/or new material.

Van Halen's then 15-year old son Wolfgang was to play bass in Van Halen in the fall (replacing Michael Anthony), Van Halen claimed his son's presence would have a positive effect on the band:

1999 onwards

Suffering from lingering injuries from past high-risk acrobatic stage antics and crashes, Eddie Van Halen underwent hip replacement surgery in November 1999, after his chronic avascular necrosis, which he was diagnosed with in 1995, became unbearable.

In April 2001, Eddie confirmed that since May 2000, that he had been undergoing treatment for tongue cancer. The subsequent surgery removed roughly a third of his tongue. He would be declared cancer-free in May 2002.

Since the 2004 tour, Eddie Van Halen has largely disappeared from the public eye, with the exception of occasional appearances such as the 14th annual Elton John Academy Awards party, and a performance at a Kenny Chesney concert.

In December 2004, Eddie attended "Dimebag" Darrell Lance Abbott's funeral, and donated the black and yellow guitar featured on the Van Halen II album inlay, stating that it was always a favorite of Dimebag's. The guitar was put in Darrell's Kiss Kasket, and he was buried with it.

On December 5, 2005, Eddie's wife, Valerie Bertinelli, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, after four years of separation.

On March 8, 2007, Van Halen announced on the official band website that Eddie was entering rehabilitation for unspecified reasons. However, both Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have made statements indicating that Ed's personality had changed due to alcohol abuse. Hagar, Anthony and David Lee Roth have repeatedly stated their support and well wishes towards Ed's recovery since the announcement.

Van Halen emerged from rehabilitation and appeared publicly as an honorary official during the April 21, 2007 NASCAR event at Phoenix International Raceway. He also unveiled a new Fender Stratocaster with a paint-job made for the NASCAR races before the ceremony.

In 2007, Eddie was honored in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. A player receives the "Eddie Van Halen" achievement for hitting 500 or more notes in succession.

Van Halen toured the U.S. and Canada (Eddie, Alex, Wolfgang, and Roth) from Sept. 2007 until summer 2008. On October 6, 2008, it was reported that Eddie Van Halen proposed to his girlfriend Janie Liszewski, an actress and stuntwoman who became Van Halen's publicist in 2007. He proposed to her while vacationing in Hawaii. The two married on June 27, 2009 at his Studio City estate, with his son and ex-wife Valerie in attendance. The rocker's brother, Alex Van Halen, officiated the ceremony, while his son served as best man.

On January 1, 2011, Eddie attended Valerie Bertinelli's wedding, along with his son Wolfgang.

In mid-January 2011, he attended the winter NAMM Show to present his new Wolfgang guitars, sharing the Fender booth with other fellow guitar player Yngwie Malmsteen

Guitar playing technique

Eddie van Halen's approach to the guitar involves several distinctive components. Although he did not invent it, his use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking, combined with his rhythmic sensibility and melodic approach, have influenced an entire generation of guitarists. The solo in "Eruption" was voted #2 on Guitar World magazine's readers poll of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.

Tapping

The instrumental "Eruption" showcased a solo technique called tapping, utilizing both left and right hands on the guitar neck.

Although Van Halen popularized tapping, he did not, despite popular belief, invent the tapping technique. The tapping technique in Blues and rock was being picked up by various guitarists in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Duane Allman, Frank Zappa and Ace Frehley, tapped with a pick in the early 1970s. Steve Hackett used tapping to play Bach like keyboard passages on the guitar in the early 1970s. Larry Carlton also had a tapped note at the end of his solo on the song Kid Charlemagne.

Brian May also used the tapping technique, which he picked up in America in the early 1970s, on songs such as It's Late from the News Of The World album. From a January 1983 Guitar Player Brian May interview,

George Lynch has said in an interview that he and Eddie saw Harvey Mandel tap at the Starwood Club in the 1970s. From a March 2009 Metal Den George Lynch interview,

Ritchie Blackmore has said in an interview that he and Jimi Hendrix saw Harvey Mandel tap at a nightclub in the late 1960s. From a February 1991 Guitar World Ritchie Blackmore interview,

Early Van Halen stage photographs, and demo and bootleg recordings from 1976 and before, do not indicate Eddie using any tapping techniques. Eddie's comments about how he came across the tapping technique vary from interview to interview. This is one interview excerpt,

Eddie also employs tapping harmonics. He holds the pick between his thumb and middle finger, which leaves his index finger free for tapping and also makes for easy transitions between picking and tapping. In support of his two-handed tapping techniques, Van Halen also holds a patent for a flip-out support device which attaches to the rear of the electric guitar. This device enables the user to play the guitar in a manner similar to the piano by orienting the face of the guitar upward instead of forward.

Tone

Van Halen (a self described "tone chaser") achieved his distinctive tone, known as the "Brown sound", by using the EVH "Frankenstrat" guitar, a stock 100-watt Marshall amp, a Variac (to lower the voltage of the amp to change the tone) and effects such as an Echoplex, an MXR Phase 90, an MXR Flanger and EQs. Van Halen constructed his now legendary Frankenstrat guitar using a Charvel factory "2nd" body and neck (cost $50), a single vintage Gibson PAF humbucker pickup (sealed in paraffin wax to reduce microphonic feedback), a pre-CBS Fender tremolo bridge (later to be a Floyd Rose bridge) and a single volume control with a knob labeled "tone". Eddie has used a variety of pickups including Gibson PAF's, 1970s Mighty Mites, DiMarzios and Ibanez Super 70s. Eddie was using Mighty Mite pickups in 1977 club photos, just prior to the recording of the first Van Halen album. Mighty Mite pickups were OEM pickups made by Seymour Duncan and were copies of DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups and can be identified by their lack of bobbin holes. Seymour Duncan started advertising pickup rewinding services In late 1977/early 1978 and apparently rewound a Gibson PAF for Eddie around the early 1978 period.

The now famous single pickup, single volume knob guitar configuration was the chosen platform due to Van Halen's lack of knowledge in electronic circuitry, primitive wire soldering skills, and his disappointment in not finding an adequate, durable bridge and neck pick-up combination on his own. Upon installing the humbucking pickup he did not know how to wire it into the guitar circuit, so he wired the simplest working circuit to get it to function.

His later guitars include various Kramer models from his period of endorsing that company (most notably the Kramer "5150", from which Kramer in its Gibson-owned days based their Kramer 1984 design, an unofficial artist signature model) and three signature models: the Ernie Ball/ Music Man Edward van Halen Model (Which continues as the Ernie Ball Axis), the Peavey EVH Wolfgang (which has been succeeded by a similar guitar called the HP Special), and the Charvel EVH Art Series, on which Eddie does the striping before they are painted by Charvel.

In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in July, 1985, Van Halen states that his "brown sound" is "basically a tone, a feeling that I'm always working at ... It comes from the person." He continues, "If the person doesn't even know what that type of tone I'm talking about is, they can't really work towards it, can they?"

Tuning

Though rarely discussed, one of the most distinctive aspects of Van Halen's sound was Eddie's tuning of the guitar. Before Van Halen, most distorted, metal-oriented rock consciously avoided the use of the major third interval in guitar chords, creating the signature power chord of the genre. When run through a distorted amplifier, the rapid beating of the major third on a conventionally tuned guitar is distracting and somewhat dissonant.

Eddie tuned to "Hendrix's tuning" which is flat E, the open G and B reaches a justly intonated, beatless third. This consonant third was almost unheard of in distorted-guitar rock and allowed Van Halen to use major chords in a way that mixed classic hard rock power with "happy" pop. The effect is pronounced on songs such as "Runnin' With the Devil", "Unchained", and "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?". What?

With the B string flat, chords in some positions on the guitar have more justly intonated thirds, but in other positions the flat B string creates out-of-tune intervals. As Eddie once remarked to Guitar Player:

Volume swells

Eddie used a volume technique in the instrumental "Cathedral". He hammered notes on the fretboard with one hand while rolling the volume knob with the other. This altered the attack and decay of the notes so they mimicked the sound of keyboards. This "volume swells" sound (also known as "violining", because of the way it sounds) was originally popularized by 1970s progressive rock bands like Genesis (Steve Hackett), Focus (Jan Akkerman), Yes and Rush (while Ritchie Blackmore performed this technique a lot live) but was usually performed with a volume pedal, at a slower pace. "Cathedral" also employs an electronic delay, with the delay set at 400 ms and the delayed note set at the same amplitude as the original note. Most of the composition's notes come from hammering on the notes of a major 5th string barre chord (ascending and then descending) and replicating this pattern up and down the neck of the guitar. The end result of this technique made the composition sound as if it is being played on a church/cathedral organ.

Equipment

Guitars

Eddie van Halen built his guitar (Black and White) by hand, using an imperfect body and a neck bought from Wayne Charvel's guitar shop. The body and neck were constructed by Lynn Ellsworth of Boogie Bodies guitars, whose parts were being sold by Wayne Charvel at the time. Eddie installed a humbucker in the bridge position essentially creating a Fat Strat. In 1979, Eddie began to play a black, rear loaded Charvel with yellow stripes. This was later replicated by Charvel along with the black and white striped model and the red white and black model (EVH Art Series Guitars). He also used a stock unmodified Ibanez Destroyer on a lot of the tracks on Van Halens first album such as You Really Got Me and Runnin' With the Devil and a modified Ibanez Destroyer on some tracks on Van Halens second album and a borrowed unmodified Ibanez Destroyer (owned by Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P.) on some tracks on the Women and Children First album.

Also, in 1979 Eddie's original guitar was repainted with Frankenstein artwork. Eddie also changed the neck, removed part of the pick guard and eventually installed a Floyd Rose vibrato unit. The guitar is known both as a "Frankenstrat" and as the "Frankenstrat." Fender reissued the guitar in relic form in 2007, the limited run selling at $25,000 a guitar. However, a "new" (non-reliced) Frankenstrat is currently available through the Charvel company, but has been discontinued, for significantly less, the first time Van Halen has consented to the commercial release of a guitar with his signature graphics on it.

In 1983, Eddie began to use a brand new Kramer guitar with artwork similar to its predecessor and with a hockey-stick or "banana" headstock, which came to be known as the "5150." This guitar was rear-loaded (no pick guard), had a Floyd Rose vibrato unit and a neck that was later electronically mapped in order for it to be copied on the later Music Man and Peavey signature models. This guitar was last used on the track "Judgment Day" on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album. Various versions of it can be seen in the music videos for "Panama", "Hot for Teacher", "When It's Love", "Feels So Good" and the concert video, Live Without a Net. The guitar itself was a variant of a Kramer Pacer, although not a model that was technically available at the time.

It was painted with Krylon paints by Van Halen and used through the OU812 tour, after which it was "retired." However, Eddie did break out the guitar for use on the 2004 reunion tour, although the neck had finally failed and had apparently been replaced. A copy of this guitar is available today (although not with Van Halen's permission) through the current manufacturer of Kramer's, Music Yo, a subsidiary of the Gibson company. However, the commercially available copy doesn't feature the custom graphics, as the "Frankenstein" graphics are trademarked by Edward van Halen.

Eddie has used a Steinberger GL-2T guitar with TransTrem on several songs, including "Get Up" and "Summer Nights" (from 5150). It was custom painted with the "Frankenstein" graphics. He has also used kramer and peavey model guitars fitted with the Steinberger TransTrem unit.

In the early 1990s, Ernie Ball produced an EVH signature "Music Man" guitar, and Eddie used this on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance albums. This guitar is still commercially available under the "Axis" name, and retains all of the original features of the Edward Van Halen model. Although rumours abound of a personal falling-out between Edward and the Ernie Ball company's Sterling Ball, the official reason for the cessation of the commercial relationship was that Edward was upset that Ernie Ball could not produce enough of this guitar to meet demand.

Eddie named his line of Peavey signature Wolfgang guitars after his son, Wolfgang. The guitar itself was similar to the previous Axis line, but with a slightly altered shape and many additional options available in Peavey's much larger custom shop. These guitars included a device called a "D-Tuna" which enabled a guitarist to tune the low E string down to D with a slight turn of a knob attached to the end of the bridge.

In 2003, at the NAMM show, the relationship between Peavey and Eddie began to strain. Peavey constructed a glass enclosed stage for Eddie in which to play for VIP's at 2 p.m. Eddie arrived late, shocking fans there with his disheveled appearance, as he immediately went upstairs and initially refused to play. After an hour of negotiations, Eddie came down while fans, who had lined up for hours prior to the appearance, roared with approval. Eddie ended up spending his short time on stage, talking about Wolfgang guitar production and his promise to take a keen interest in quality control. Eddie left, having only played a few notes and small riffs, much to the dissatisfaction of the fans and Peavey. The end came in 2004, when Peavey company parted ways with Van Halen, reportedly because Eddie launched an on-line sale of hand patterned (by Edward) Charvel guitars, sold by the name of the "EVH Art Series Guitars", while he was still contractually obligated to Peavey. The guitars sold for large sums on eBay, and were essentially replicas of his famous "Frankenstrat" guitars, played by Van Halen mainly during the David Lee Roth era of the band. Eddie also launched Frankenstein replicas as noted above, which are the only Van Halen guitars currently endorsed by Eddie.

Most recently Eddie has collaborated with Fender guitars to produce a replica of the Frankenstrat. Eddie and Chip Ellis of the Fender Custom Shop teamed up to produce a guitar priced at $25,000 each. Also, Eddie has collaborated with Fender to launch his own EVH brand of guitars, amps, and musical instrument equipment, starting with his new EVH Brand 5150 III amplifier. Eddie now uses prototypes of his new EVH Brand Wolfgang, which is an updated version Eddie's Peavey Wolfgangs but with new pickups, knobs, a thinner but very elaborate quilted maple top to allow the basswood the dominant tone, providing more tonal resonance but with a balanced high sustain. Also, the new Wolfgang is equipped with an Original Floyd Rose. In addition, the new guitar has a slightly altered headstock. This is because this was Ed and Hartley Peavey's original design for the headstock, which Eddie had patented without the scoop on final version of the Peavey Wolfgang. He has been seen with three new Wolfgang guitars, first a sunburst one, then a black one which he stated he liked less than the sunburst one and now he uses a white one, the best sounding one out of the three prototypes according to Ed.

The EVH Wolfgang is planned for initial sale to the public in early 2009.

In 2011 Eddie Van Halen donated his guitar, the Frankenstein 2, to the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution.

Amplifiers

Eddie's main amplifier in the early years was a 100 watt Marshall amplifier that had a 12301 serial number, which dates it to the 1967-1968 transitional period at Marshall when the circuit of the 100 watt Marshall 1959 changed gradually from the "Bass" circuit to the "SuperLead" circuit. Eddie's main Marshall's original circuit had a 820 ohm/0.68 uf resistor/capacitor pair on the cathode of Valve(Tube) 1 and the same on the cathode of Valve(Tube) 2. Eddie's main Marshall had a white knob installed at the back of his Marshall head, as seen in the 1978 world tour Japanese leg photos and the Van Halen II studio photos from late 1978. Photos of Eddie's main Marshall in the 1990s show that the white knob had been removed.

For Van Halen I, a single Celestion speaker cabinet was used and a variac set to around 90 volts was also used on Eddie's main 100 watt Marshall head, mainly to lower the amplifier's volume. The volume control and all other controls on his Marshall head were set to maximum or 10. Eddie's Van Halen I recorded guitar tracks were re-amped by using the Sunset Sound studios live reverb room. The first Montrose album was recorded in this way by Ted Templeman and Donn Landee who also produced and engineered the Van Halen I album. Van Halen I was recorded in Studio 1 at Sunset Sound and Van Halen II was recorded in Studio 2 at Sunset Sound.

From the mid 1980s, Eddie has used a real time re-amping or Master/Slave slaving amplifier setup that was originally designed by Bob Bradshaw and was published in the September 1986 issue of Guitar World Magazine, with the first amplifier being a Tube Amplifier and the second amplifier being a H&H; MOSFET solid state power amplifier. Between 1993 and 2004 Eddie was sponsored by Peavey Electronics to use their 5150 Amplifiers, which he had a part in designing. Following the ending of this relationship, Peavey renamed the amplifier as the "Peavey 6505", with slightly updated styling but original circuitry. Eddie is now sponsored by Fender and has debuted his new amp called the 5150 III. The 5150 III features three channels with their own independent controls, a four-button foot-switch and his famous striped design on the head. In 2011 there will be a inexpensive 5150 III, 60 watt, 2 speaker, combo amp and 50 watt miniature head in production.

Floyd Rose system

Original]] A crucial component of Van Halen's personal style is his use of the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, released in 1977. Early tremolo bars allowed the guitarist to impart a vibrato to a chord or single string via movement of the bar with the picking hand, but the slackening of the strings when the bar was heavily depressed could lead to detuning. The addition of the locking bolts at the nut and bridge kept the strings taut and allowed for drastic depression of the tremolo bar to create effects such as the dive bomb. Van Halen went on to collaborate with Floyd Rose on improvements to Rose's device.

Van Halen also pioneered the mainstream use of the TransTrem system on the Steinberger line of guitars on "5150", most notably on the songs "Summer Nights" and on "Me Wise Magic" off of "Best of Volume I" where the song goes through several key changes while retaining the same chord voicings. The TransTrem system allows for the effect of an instant "capo", increasing the pitch of all strings by up to a minor third or lowering the pitch by as much as a perfect fourth.

Intellectual property

Edward Van Halen is owner of . The main claim is for a supporting member on the back of a stringed instrument allowing the musician to play and/or fret the instrument in new ways.

Solo work

Eddie van Halen has appeared on several projects outside of his eponymous band.

Eddie van Halen was invited by Quincy Jones to play guitar on the song Beat It, from Michael Jackson's 1982 album, Thriller. Steve Lukather of Toto played the main guitar riff and rhythm, while Eddie played an improvised guitar solo.

In 1983, Eddie collaborated with Queen guitarist Brian May on the Star Fleet Project, a three-track EP consisting of a rock styled rendition of the theme to the popular anime children's show, a May penned track (Let Me Out), and an improvised blues track (Blues Breaker).

In 1984, Eddie recorded several instrumentals for a movie called The Wild Life. Some of those recordings used ideas that showed up later in Van Halen songs such as "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" and "Right Now." However, only "Donut City" was included on the soundtrack album, which was released on vinyl and cassette, and never made it to CD format.

Also in 1984, he provided the score for the 1984 television film, The Seduction of Gina.

He played bass on Sammy Hagar's 1987 solo album I Never Said Goodbye.

Also in February 1987, he appeared on Saturday Night Live as a guest musician with G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band when Valerie Bertinelli hosted the show. About twenty seconds into the performance, G. E. Smith could be seen telling Eddie, "Go faster!" Eddie van Halen also appeared in one sketch with Valerie Bertinelli on that evening's show, which actually featured the Robert Cray Band as its scheduled musical guest.

In 1989 he played bass on the opening track, (Twist the Knife) from Steve Lukather's debut album, as well as giving the guitar part which was taken from an outtake from the 5150 album titled "I Want Some Action". The main riff was also later used by Eddie Van Halen in the 3 album for "Dirty Water Dog".

In 1993, he co-wrote and played a song with Black Sabbath members, Tony Martin, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler called "Evil Eye" on Cross Purposes album, but he wasn't credited due to record company restrictions.

He has also done soundtrack work for movies such as Over The Top (Winner Takes It All, a collaboration with Sammy Hagar), Twister (the instrumental Respect The Wind), The Wild Life (one song was reused in the movie Back to the Future, and Lethal Weapon 4 (The track Fire In The Hole from Van Halen III)

In the 1998 he performed guitar solos for the Roger Waters song "Lost Boys Calling" from the film "The Legend of 1900."

He has recorded with Dweezil Zappa, Jeff Porcaro, and Thomas Dolby.

In July 2006, Eddie Van Halen recorded two new instrumental tracks (Rise and Catherine) which debuted in an unusual format: in a pornographic feature entitled "Sacred Sin" directed by a friend of the guitarist, well known adult director Michael Ninn. These tracks have since surfaced on the internet. Eddie also composed some minor uncredited piano interludes in the feature.

In 2009 Eddie guest-starred as himself in an episode of Two and a Half Men where he played his guitar in a mens room.

In 2010 Eddie Van Halen appeared on Lopez Tonight and gave George Lopez one of his Wolfgang Guitars.

References

External links

Official Van Halen Website

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