Van Halen 1 : Stories From The Session's
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2022
- During an interview, Peggy "Mac," a recording engineer at Sunset Sound and a long-time collaborator of Prince, talked about her deep admiration and affection for Donn Landee, an engineer of Van Halen. She also shared her experience as the assistant engineer on Van Halen's first album, which was recorded in Sunset Sound studio 1 in 1977. Peggy further revealed that she and Donn Landee spent a weekend remixing Van Halen's debut album, VH1.
ALSO....
25 Limited Edition Van Halen "Eruption" Work Orders!!! LINK BELOW!
sunsetsoundstore.com/products...
Producer / Host: Drew Dempsey: / dfdproductions
Filmed at Sunset Sound Recorders Studio 3
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#davidleeroth
#vanhalen #recordingstudio #eddievanhalen #sunsetsound - Hudba
One question would be how much of the recording process changed from the first couple of albums since a lot of the songs had already been written. With WCF & beyond , the albums had more written in the studio than prior.
Actually WACF had half songs that dated back before they were signed -“ fools” “loss of control” “ take your whiskey home” “ in a simple rhythm “ and some lyrics on “ Romeo Delight “ were from an original song called “ on with the show” so Fair Warning had more “ Newley” written songs but still “ mean street” was “ voo doo queen “ from early days
@@robertmedrano2768 I think it’s high time for the Warner Brothers demos to be remastered and released instead of listening to some degenerated bootleg cassette recording.
I could tell from the opposite side of the planet.
Nothing new here, move along.
@@dreyn7780 Ho away TROLL
@@tomgorycki7176Joe Cocker couldn't have said it better...
I love that Dweezil is our Van Halen nerd proxy and isn't afraid to ask ALL of the questions.
This album changed music. One of the top albums ever released.
Absolutely blew me away
I WAS A HUGE FOGHAT ,J.GEILS ,FAN IN LATE 70S ,BUT THEN I HEARD ( RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL ) IN 78 ,I WAS 14 AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING IT WAS LIKE ALIENS WERE ON THE RADIO ,FIRST ROTH'S VOCALS WERE MONSTEROUS AND THEN THE GUITAR WAS SO MESMERIZING, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WAS REAL ,V.H. CHANGED THE GAME ,V.H.I .IS MAGICAL CHANGED MY LIFE ,..
I was 10 into Zeppelin Sabbath Skynyrd Heart & yep Van Halen 1st album was off the hook
Use your ears not the meters! No truer words have ever been spoken! I was blown away by that album at 16 and I am still trying to play it 48 years later!!!!
Van Halen fan or not, just think about how many times you've heard a song from VH1. Thousands for me. And it never gets old. Magic.
unless..... you worked at a guitar store in the 80's!!!
A PERFECT album, beginning to end.
@@coldwinter5710absolutely!!!!!!
It’s hard to describe to my kids,or anyone that wasn’t alive then,just what an impact that first record had…In 78,nothing sounded like that…I was 14 years old and on a camping trip in 1978…We had hung a radio from the ceiling of the tent and it played all night….about 2 in the morning,Eruption/You Really Got Me blasted thru that little radio,and I remember being half asleep,and springing up in amazement at that sound….What was THAT,I thought…is that a guitar?I sat there intensely listening waiting for the DJ to say who that was…The sound of that record,and the playing,and the songs was like nothing you had ever heard….
Well said!!
I was almost 12 when it was released. That and Boston were HUGE deals back then. Wore out multiple 8 track tapes. I was living in rural Louisiana and these bands turned me into a Rock n Roller. Then my mind was blown again when my dad bought a ten ft satellite dish in 1982 and we were able to watch MTV!
I found a cassette in my dad's collection, and though the name sounded interesting enough to listen to. It was a similar experience.
Awesome story! I was two or three years late to the party. Think it was ‘80 or ‘81 when I was in my older cousins car in the parking lot of a local park. She put the cassette in and my head exploded. It was a major turning point in my life. From that point on music became my companion before anything else.
Yeah I was 9 yrs old and remember thinking an alien had landed on earth and was playing guitar.
One of the best albums ever made in rock history.
Was there in the thick of it. Lived in the Valley, was a teen, played guitar and saw them in clubs, parties, etc. Got meet Rudy L. a few times, as the music store I worked at, Jose A. did repairs there. (this was before he moved to Sherman Oaks). Just an unbelievable time, not just for VH, but all the music around us. Plus sports, we had the Lakers & Dodgers. Stadium rock thrived. Just the best time to be alive and into music.
Made me (and most American teens) want to move to LA!
what a great time that must of been, wish i could see the film in your brain from back then !
Used to catch 'em at the Starwood all the time - they were okay. I liked Eddie's Ibanez Destroyer clone of Gibson Explorer - you can see the headstock of it to left in the picture here of Eddie holding the Les Paul. Most of that LP is Destroyer. I remember a few years later later working at a music store in "west l.a." and having to tell the Dweez to kick rocks because we couldn't "loan" him a wag wah pedal. I remember thinking why don't you hit up Daddy - this mooch thing doesn't work. If I had to do it again I would've sneaked him anything he wanted - screw that store. lol 🎸
Great stuff! Dweezil seems like the greatest guy, like a true hardcore fan that wants to get to the bottom of things.
I'm on the opposite side of the planet but 1 day I was in a music shop and they were talking about Suzzy DeMarchi had slept with Eddie van Halen.
You say greatest guy but Suzzy slept with someone else.
Was your gossip correct or the music shop gossip correct?
Life before Van Halen was good, but life after Van Halen was incredible. 🎸
One of the most important albums of all time 🤘
44 years ago, Peggy "OH F--K are you KIDDING me?" hahaha priceless. Great video guys.
I’ve been aware of Dweezil’s existence for a long time, but this video is the first time for me to see and hear him. I am so impressed! I will definitely be checking into his work.
he is a really really good guitar player!
I think it would be cool if you interviewed Mike Anthony.
I’ve been thinking this all along. Maybe even Alex or Dave. Would never happen, but old VH nerds can dream…
@@g99se9 Alex would be interesting to hear from. Dave would just goof off I'm afraid.
Really Donn is the guy. Al and Mike would likely have almost no significant light to shed on the recording process. It’s all about Donn and to lesser extent Ted.
@Lip Allowance Not really. He’s very guarded about what he says.
@@AllenGarberGuitarFun probably was forced Into a binding NDA.
VH1 made a huge impact on my life in '78, so very grateful to hear these firsthand behind-the-scenes anecdotes. The separation of Edward's guitar into mostly 1 speaker was a big help for amateurs like me trying to imitate his playing. My $20 LP turntable's left/right speaker-knob enabled me to do my own mixing! 😀
As a drummer I loved it because I could turn it to the side with just drums and bass.
@Dzz Zz Sammy played many solos too. My favorite is Love Walks In. Watch it live.
@@baneverything5580 , x
@Dzz Zz I agree your 100% right
MTV started in August of 1981.
Fascinating! On our last visit to Hollywood in December, I made my wife sit in our car on the side street next to the studio just so I could try and soak in a little of the history there. I got on Wikipedia on my phone and read off to her all of the amazing albums that were recorded there. Sure wish there was some kind of a tour/museum there. Definitely a musical landmark of our time. Thanks for letting us all peek behind the curtain.
Something a lot of people are missing here, not only was this a ground breaking album, but it came out in early 1978! The height of the disco era!!
My experience was similar to most here as I was blown away by Eddie's playing, but I had this ability to mimic many different sounds & voices and David Lee Roth stood out. Those 2-3 note 'howls' that came out of him. "How does he do that?!"
One of my best friends at the time got the album when it came out and his Dad had a killer stereo system. Receiver, cassette & reel-to-reel tape decks and of course, a nice turntable. Most weekends his Dad worked late so the party was always at their Apt. I would go straight to the turntable on put on Van Halen I no matter what my buddy was playing. Having this 'undiscovered' voice, I was singing right along with every song. Hitting the Michael Anthony high notes (as well as Dave's), the yips, yells & yowls of DLR. Finally one weekend when I showed up and started my routine of fronting this mythical band, my buddy walked over, lifted the needle and took the vinyl off the turntable. I was stunned! "What are you doing man? 'Atomic Punk' is next!" At which point he slid the record in the sleeve and handed it to me. "Here, you like it so much... TAKE IT! Take it home, away from here so I don't have to listen to you so much." My response?
HELL YEAH! THANKS!!
And thus began my 'bedroom concert' where I began to emulate every singer I could get my hands on. Favorites were Ian Gillan, Paul Rodgers, James Dewar, Robert Plant and of course, David Lee Roth. A few years later I got my shot with a local band whose members were head & shoulders above me as musicians, but they gave this greenhorn his chance and I can never thank them enough. My timing was lacking when first starting, mostly just from fear, but a couple of them would give me tips (or say something snarky) that helped get me on track. They 'heard' that I had potential, being able to sing the opening wail of "Highway Star" to a T... but occasionally would come in late on a verse. Thanks DIOXIN, wherever you guys are!
And thanks to Eddie & Comp for opening my eyes to how fun music really could be. 😉😆
I got to meet Ed and Alex back in 1987 and will never forget it.
That first record cemented my fandom from the first note. I was 8 years old when it came out and my 17 year old sister had it playing in her room. I was at the door listening and I was never the same. 🤘🏻🤘🏻
You're not a social butterfly.
When I first heard divine I was mighty impressed.
"So you think you're a man but you're only a boy..."
That's SO much better than van Halen.
It sounded pretty darn good on my little Emerson stereo, my headphones, me in my bean bag chair and black light turned on. I still have the my original album. Was a very exciting time with all this great music continually coming out.
Me too. Not the beanbag chair and black light but that sounds like fun, too. But life back then was exciting for music junkies like me
This is awesome! First heard Van Halen in 1980 my cousin had all the new albums I was completely blown away at 55 now I still play drums and play music to this day because of it. Thanks for this I love the history!
0:15 "There wasn't drinking..." she says as a pic of Ed sitting on the console with a beer is on screen. lmao!!!
Staged for the Neil Zlozower photo sessions.
VH 1 was the first record I bought for myself with my own money ... still have it today!
Same here.
Amazing career.. Van Halen and Prince. Mostly, Van Halen, the beginning! She was there........
Yep. She was there. 3 people can say that
@@sunsetsoundrecorders AND 3 of the biggest names in rock trusted her ears, and opinion.
That's kinda amazing.
Great interview. VH 1 is the greatest album ever. Go back and listen with head phones.
People went from the Studio 54 line to Van Halen...
This Album meant everything for Rock!
Listen to the first Montrose album from 1973, Ted Templeton and Donn Landee on that one also, and the guitar is mixed to the left of center. I've always noticed the first Montrose album and the first Van Halen album have a similar mix.
Rest easy EVH.
12 year old me got my introduction to Van Halen by a kid named Steve who lived a few blocks away from my house. He shows up to my house where me and a few friends were just hanging out in the front yard, and Steve has this album in hand from a new group who was making a huge splash and I listened to VHI and that was it. I worshipped at the altar of Van Halen from that day on.
So awesome. Don knew. He just knew. And, at the time, he had the best things to do it with.
In that process, actually was a part of recording/mixing history.
And, it was total passion.
This in itself is it....
I really love these interviews. Great stories. We need more!!!!
Go to church instead.
This is cool, I would like to hear them talk in similar detail about Van Halen II and Women & Children First...
Wow, shes a beautiful person. I'd love to listen to her tales of recording all day.
Man. I really appreciate you guys putting these interviews together. So cool to have the veil lifted a bit.
This is as good as the first time I've listened ! Thank you !
She is a treasure trove of info and stories just with Prince and VH alone. Does she have a book or is she going to write one? She really should.
💜
These VH stupio session videos are great. I just discovered them and thanks Sunset for putting this stuff out. VH 1 was a big part of my life in 78, the first year I heard it.
Well, van Halen came over to MY sunny side up studio, 5 years prior and they recorded their whole entire career prior to actually doing it.
They had life all worked out before doing it.
I played the recordings to the greatest generation from WW2 and all those guys couldn't give a stuff about van Halen idiots.
I. Was living in Germany 17 years old when to the record store and ask the clerk for the best record he got and he said a new band from California Van Halen when home and my life change I was introduced to the master RIP🗨✌️😎
Van Halen Diver Down Tour, Milwaukee County Arena, August 18th, 1982...still the greatest show I've ever seen.
This made my day. Thank you for everything you did for rock 'n roll !!
I love this !!! Thanks for sharing!!
Teds book, chapter 8 4845 in the audiobook version he heard ed playing the solo and asked Eddie what it was, he said it was something he warms up on. So he asked Eddie to run through a few takes while Don recorded it. Don was already recording but he brung the guys in the room to do a couple takes. he said if he wasn't walking by at the moment he heard ed playing it, it wouldn't have ended up on the album.
Awesome stuff!!!! 😎🎸👍
I love hearing these stories ❤️
Thank you for these videos
greatest studio ever I loved recording there
Just incredible history here 🤘🤘🤘!!
Van Halen had a way of making me feel like i was part of something bigger than music 🎶 like Dave said football, church and Van Halen provided a similar experience and most of the time I got a new Van Halen album for my birthday feb 8 up and including A Different Kind of Truth feb 7 2012.
Don Landee needs to write a book.
Dweezil reminds me of a lead detective in a murder case who is bound and determined to uncover every single clue to help in the conviction process of the suspect (Keenan Neighbors)
A true musical masterpiece
Great new photos Drew! Wow! Thanks you! ❤🤍🖤👑
You need to have Peggy come in and talk about working on Toto 4.
What sets VH apart from other bands, was that they captured the energy of a live performance in the studio. The only other band close is the Scorpions.
DITTO big time! Those 2 bands dominated the 80’s! VH is my all time favorite! But in my “humble opinion” the Scorpions were one of the biggest yet most underrated bands of the 80’s. If that make’s any sense???!!!
Best 3 concert’s I have EVER seen:
#1 VH FW tour!!!
#2 ZZ Top Eliminator tour
#3 Scorpions Love at first Sting tour
I remember being in the car with my uncle and hearin feel your love tonight on the radio when it first came out, i was 7 yrs old and it was 1978 and the greatest rock album ever just came out
Brilliant...keep these going
I remember vividly when this album came out...Van Halen? Who? Hearing that guitar that produced sounds from another universe, bass and drums that sounded like an earthquake symphony and a singer who sounded like Tarzan hollering swinging in the jungle.🤯
Love this! Dweezil's love for the music is fantastic. I don't believe for 1 second that Eruption was Don recording a rehearsal w-out the band's knowledge.
Ed played "Eruption" as a warm up exercise. For him, it was never meant to be more than that. But it was heard by others, who obviously thought it was something special, was recorded & the rest is history.
What a great video to watch…loved listening to every second 💥🤝
My dad bought our first color TV for the family right around the same time that Peggy got hers.
Just after this album came out Van Halen came to Maple leaf Gardens.
It was so loud my ears haven't stopped bleeding.
Great show
What did the maple trees say?
@@dreyn7780 Not sure... They all went deaf to apparently 🤣
What a cool moment in time. Never again.
Nothing was the same after hearing Eruption and You Really Got Me.
7:37 all you need to know. Dweez represents that musician/fan that would love to hear what went down on VH1, but Peg isn't the source for that. Hoping you're able to have a sit-down with Donn (I know, highly unlikely) but, he's the only one that would have untold insight. Ted's already given out some of his recollections through the years but, Donn's the one for the Van Halen 1 studio backstory 😉
We spoke with him. He’s coming with Ted.
@@sunsetsoundrecorders are you saying Donn has finally agreed to come in and chat?!?!? (holding breath)
@@sunsetsoundrecorders No shit? Let’s do this!!! Where’s the mashed potatoes???
🤓🤯
@@sunsetsoundrecorders Oh my God---can't wait to hear his genius insights!
Peggy gives such great interviews. Could listen to her stories all day.
Wow !!! These Stories are Gold..Just Priceless.. And That Statement was Just Too Funny "But I Was Just After Something With Eddie Then His Sound" Lol... You Tell it Baby ☺☺👊💯 And Thank You Guys So Much for This it Helps Bering Us All Somewhat Closer to The Whole Experience ☺☺😎👊💯💖
Wow great story thanks
I recall, in 1978, reading n Rolling Stone that the entire album cost $65,000. Stellar value.🌻🔥
Wow great stories thanks
@@pistis6625 you are sad
First heard the VH 1 album around 82. I heard all radio hits from the album like You Really Got Me and Jamie's Crying, before that me and my friends listened more to Fair Warning and Diver Down albums because that was the more current VH and VH 1 seemed more like crazy 70's hard rock.....but you cannot deny the amazing masterpiece that VH 1 is. Nothing matches it's raw energy and attitude and great songs. It's iconic.
In 78 i first heard running with the devil standing in line at a snack shack at cherry cove catalina island boy scout camp. It was being played on a mono speakered radio by a guy running the business. It was either kmet or klos radio station. I remember that all us scouts really loved it. For me it was like nothing I had ever heard before. Truly awesome stuff.
🔥🤘🙏
What I got to hear was that album VH sounded like I was in the room with them ... LoL!!! Just marvelous!!!..
The record that changed it all....man, what an era....when I first heard "Ain't talking about love" that sound was incredible....that guitar sounds alien....
It's fascinating that people come together to try and comprehend and understand what happened in those days, like trying to locate how this rare mythical creature passed through those doors and re imagined what everyone thought was possible on the electric guitar and rock sound in general....
really makes me want to go back and listen to those 1st vh and montrose albums.
10:48 " I was after something else when it came to Eddie!" Lol! She was hot for EVH. I bet he delivered too lol!
Awesome
When Dweezil talks about the English engineers of the 50’s/60’s at places like Abbey Road wearing lab coats etc. You need to remember that EMI was owned by a conglomerate that also had their hands in weapons and machine manufacturing. So their recording engineers were literally schooled and trained technicians, trained in not just audio engineering, but ELECTRONICS engineering. Whereas today, while most young engineers have a vast knowledge of computers, engineering techniques, mic placement etc. those old school cats could also rip the board apart and fix it, if needed be. They knew every inch of wiring in every machine.
Jack Douglas (Aerosmith etc) was also trained this way. He could basically look at the board and see into it, knowing the routing of the wires, levers etc. and it affected everything, having that type of knowledge. The old school EMI guys really WERE like scientists. Hence, the lab costs.
In Aerosmith’s 1997 autobiography Walk This Way, there’s actually a chapter called The Legend of Jack Douglas. He talks about growing up, how he became an engineer, recording with Aerosmith & John Lennon. Great read.
Leavers? Okay boomer
@@jamesball5743 yes, levers-spelling mistakes aside, I stand by my use of the word. Check out this description of the vintage Yamaha 2404 board:
Subcategory: Audio, Mixing Board
Size: Height 7.5" Width 48.5" Depth 26"
Description: Audio, Mixing Board, VINTAGE ANALOG MIXING CONSOLE, WOOD TRIM, COLOURED BUTTONS & LEVERS, WOOD, BLACK.
You must be American, uneducated and with with no grasp of actual real English.
VH1 was what made me want to get involved in the music industry. It was the best decision I ever made. Yes, it destroys marriages; yes, it is long hours (often unpaid) but as you enter the twilight of your career, you get to look back on an amazing catalog of work. It also made me some lifelong friendships and you can never put a price on that. Not many people get to do that.
Zero industry over here.
@@dreyn7780 Why? There is no shame in it. It means I found a way to support myself doing what I loved. 99% that try to pull it off fail.
I was a junior in high school, tokin in my friend Tim's parked car at the beach in Pacific Beach. When "You Really Got Me" came on the radio, we stopped talking and were transfixed by the suddenly-out-of-this-world guitar work! "That's got to be 2 guitarists," Tim said. ;-) Ahh, the good ol days. Got to see them live twice in the early 80's. You got every penny's worth of ticket cost from those shows. They were very well rehearsed.
I get the feeling that Peggy was more assistant than engineer back in the day and probably spent more time operating the coffee machine than she did the Bushnell API console
She doesn't seem to know anything technical
Why would you say this? Because she's a woman?! SMH!
She said in this interview, at this time, she was a producer, an assistant, a gopher, whatever they needed, flying by the seat of her pants. Surely you don't go from working with Van Halen to Prince, if all you are capable of is operating a coffee machine.
Why is this woman not famous
She's still 🔥!
What great interview, Peggy Mac is such badass & such a intricate part & piece of the puzzle , u guy's post & interviews r absolutely spot on & such a great look in 2 all of these interviews & post , thankx again 4 sharing with us, those of us who want 2 know about these bands & 4 showing us all what it was like 2 b in the studio with these great guys & 1 of the best & greatest Rock & Roll bands 2 hit the musical world 🌎 💯😎
I worked in 2 recording studios for 2 years. The studio that had [no] bean counters was fun and made amazing music. The studio that did have bean counters was tedious work and the music sounded like crap; like a robot did it.
I spoke to the bots today and they've never heard of van Halen.
But they like 1's and 2's.
I love how Dweezil is so involved. He was closer to Edward than most anyone will have.
If Alex and Dave really ever do that tribute show/tour they need Dweezil on guitar (not Satch) for that very reason. Similar to the personal connection that has Wylde filling in for Dime on the new Pantera tribute tour.
@@termsofusepolice Excellent idea !!!
Interesting to see the hand drawn diagrams of the mics instruments positions in the rooms. I was reminded of when I had taken a recording engineering course in the early 80s in Kensington, Maryland by DC. The engineers at that time would stand up on the board, and take Polaroid snapshots of all the settings. That was how they could reproduce the configurations if the session returned later, as was to find your show as a recall.
Very nice
Thank you
Anything about the real Van Halen is great
Van Halen debut album is one the the greatest albums in all of Rock. I remember my brother and I at our grandparents house in Liverpool listening to of all thing 'Radio Luxembourg' in summer /78 and we thought aliens had landed!
Templeman's work with the Dobbie Brothers has always been highly underrated. 😀
Dobbie from Harry Potter had a brother? Wow!
by whom?
THE FINAL AIM and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. -Johann Sebastian Bach
Really need to get Donn Landee on!
Friendly, laid back, no big deal comment: No need for the apostrophe in "Sessions".
Not very many songs I remember hearing for the first time. I think eruption might be the only one. In 78 there was nothing else like it.
Dwezil, Eddie was in Australia in a car when the left channel blew. He called Donn Landee and asked why his guitar was missing. Don’t remember where I read it but it was circa 1980-83 article. One of the guitar mags of the day🤷♂️
Ed DID say that the Eruption recording was not the correct version of the instrumental as he intended. When he played it the way he originally intended it to sound, it sounded different than what made him famous, if that makes any sense. It wasn't what everyone was used to hearing I guess. What a great band. I had the first album on 8 track when I was a kid.
I hope that 8 track didn't switch tracks between songs....that sucked!!!!
Would like to know about 1984’s sessions. Must’ve been pretty tense since Ted and Dave didn’t want Jump and I’ll Wait because of the keyboards but Eddie and Al got them on and they were both huge hits. Really we need an anthology type documentary
EVH Forever!
Peggy is so right. When you're new and fresh you're just thinking about the possibilities, constantly wondering ''What can I get back from it for putting into it everything I have?''. A few years in and it becomes ''Oh, God, what's it going to take out of me today?''. In the beginning you just don't know so you think everything is a plus, you are totally not thinking about it involving any minuses - like stress, deadlines, backbiting, hurt feelings, miscommunications, nosy PR people, so and so producer or executive just found out that their last effort slid off the charts this morning so they are pushing you HARDER because of it, crazy unexpected sht like that.
You said it testerossa!
Super weird I was born on John Lennon birthday the year this albums came out and they mixed the album from sep I was born Oct 9 1978 my grandfather who im named after was born Christmas 🎄 wen they finished and eddy ,John were the things I naturally figured out starting wen I was 6 I had mastered eddys stuff by 13 years old my mom got me 100 watt Marshall stack for my 13th birthday 🎂 🥳 thanks Ed never would have happened without you I miss you man ! Eddys my hero ❤️ 🙌 for ever
I've imagined asking these types of questions Dweezil is asking many times over in my head... like I'd be the guy to get actual meaningful questions answered for once. Now that I see and hear Dweezil asking them, it's all a bit cringe. She's just like... yeah, it was great, never really listened to a VH album after that, but I would have totally hooked up with Eddy. Then you realize, she loved her job, but it was nothing more than that. It's like me working on a Smash Mouth album and then having to answer questions from a superfan- I ain't got time to answer your lore bs questions. Thanks for taking one for the team, Dweezil.