Post by Pete on Apr 7, 2010 11:59:37 GMT -5
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has revealed that Van Halen were making a relative pittance from their worldwide success until incoming singer Sammy Hagar forced their record label to make new deals with his new bandmates.
Hagar was already a big name after a stint with Montrose and his solo work when in 1985 he replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen. By that time the band were riding high with the success of their sixth album 1984, featuring the tracks Jump, Panama and Hot For Teacher.
But Anthony says the band weren't making much money – until Hagar changed that. The bassist tells Attention Deficit Delirium: "We didn't have a really good contract until Sammy came in. He came in with his manager and he said, 'What the f'k? Let's redo your contract'. Then all of a sudden it was really poppin'. We'd been looking around and a lot of the guys at Warners had heir summer houses and nice vacations. I guess we were paying for that."
The debt owed by Van Halen to Hagar is just one reason why Anthony is happy to be seen to have sided with his singer in the notorious fall-out between them and brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
But he insists: "It wasn't that I chose to stay with Sammy. It's just that the brothers, mainly Eddie, were so bent that I'd buddied up with him after he left the band that they wanted to exclude me from everything they did.
"I'd have gone back and done a reunion with those guys. I don't want to be bitching and moaning and playing games until I go to the grave. Unfortunately the Van Halen brothers still want to play those games.
"I want to have fun – and that's what Chickenfoot is – it's for us to have fun and not demand the big money. We did it because we're friends and we love playing the music."
Van Halen reunited with Roth in 2007 and replaced Anthony with Eddie's teenage son Wolfgang, risking the wrath of fans by superimposing Wolfgang's image over Anthony's on their website. They also showed the youngster performing bass parts in their video game - even though he hadn't been born when they were recorded.
Chickenfoot, starring Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith alongside Anthony and Hagar, are working on a second album after their self-titled debut was a big success last year.
Hagar was already a big name after a stint with Montrose and his solo work when in 1985 he replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen. By that time the band were riding high with the success of their sixth album 1984, featuring the tracks Jump, Panama and Hot For Teacher.
But Anthony says the band weren't making much money – until Hagar changed that. The bassist tells Attention Deficit Delirium: "We didn't have a really good contract until Sammy came in. He came in with his manager and he said, 'What the f'k? Let's redo your contract'. Then all of a sudden it was really poppin'. We'd been looking around and a lot of the guys at Warners had heir summer houses and nice vacations. I guess we were paying for that."
The debt owed by Van Halen to Hagar is just one reason why Anthony is happy to be seen to have sided with his singer in the notorious fall-out between them and brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
But he insists: "It wasn't that I chose to stay with Sammy. It's just that the brothers, mainly Eddie, were so bent that I'd buddied up with him after he left the band that they wanted to exclude me from everything they did.
"I'd have gone back and done a reunion with those guys. I don't want to be bitching and moaning and playing games until I go to the grave. Unfortunately the Van Halen brothers still want to play those games.
"I want to have fun – and that's what Chickenfoot is – it's for us to have fun and not demand the big money. We did it because we're friends and we love playing the music."
Van Halen reunited with Roth in 2007 and replaced Anthony with Eddie's teenage son Wolfgang, risking the wrath of fans by superimposing Wolfgang's image over Anthony's on their website. They also showed the youngster performing bass parts in their video game - even though he hadn't been born when they were recorded.
Chickenfoot, starring Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith alongside Anthony and Hagar, are working on a second album after their self-titled debut was a big success last year.