Bass player Michael Anthony has after nearly a decade finally made up with the rest of Van Halen is even considering a reunion.
Anthony was one of the original members of the legendary rock band and featured on the majority of their biggest hits. He was replaced in the band in 2007 (after joining the band in 1972) when the Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex swapped him for Eddie’s son Wolfgang.
There were many years of ill-feeling since then, especially when he found his image was removed from the album covers of re-released old albums, but as with many bands the hatchet has to be buried to progress. Fans love to see the original line-up perform and will shell out a lot more money to do so.
Anthony has said that after ten years he has finally spoken to Alex Van Halen and it looks like it went pretty well. "I was on my boat with a friend and we had a few cocktails, next thing I knew we were talking about the old time when he was my tech for Halen tours. It then went on to me sending Alex a message and saying how we were reminiscing about the good old days," he says.
"I thought that was it, but later on at home my phone rang and it was Alex, we chatted and it went well, he also talked about how so many of his peers and fellow musicians were passing away."
The bassist is still dubious about returning to the Van Halen fold and is unsure of what his role may be, but making contact after a decade must surely be a good thing.
"I’m always that never-say-never guy. If the circumstances were right, I’d have no problem [reuniting]. I love going out and playing the music. But if we did it, it would have to be none of this four separate planes, and four separate this and that, and you only see them onstage.
"I don’t know if we could ever be a brotherhood like it was before. You know, we used to call it—when Sam was in the band—we used to call ourselves the four-headed monster. But if everybody could get along great, I think it would just be great to do it for the fans."
Van Halen have to date sold over 80 million albums and topped charts across the globe. Their biggest hit for most is 'Jump'.
In their original line-up they had spandex clad singer Dave Lee Roth who epitomised the era and his replacement Sammy Hagar had huge shoes to fill. Hagar tried his best, but Roth was always the better showman.
Recently the band re-embraced Lee Roth (who famously took on a career as a paramedic mid-singing) and sold-out arenas. Although David was able to injure himself badly with a microphone during one high profile show.
There are also rumours that the band are also in talks with tequila brewing Sammy Hagar as well. Could there be one big Van Halen reunion in the works?
