Van Halen Rising

“This prehistory is usually glossed over in accounts of the band, but in Van Halen Rising, author Greg Renoff devotes an entire book to it. It’s the tale of hardworking kids with nothing in common learning to fuse pop and heavy metal into a new sound that completely changed the music world. It also vividly shows that the personality clashes that would later destroy the band were there from Day One.” — Rolling Stone
“In an excellent new book called Van Halen Rising, author Greg Renoff argues that, in the era of disco and punk, Van Halen’s arrival saved heavy metal. While that may be hyperbole, there’s little arguing that the backyard party band from Pasadena put Los Angeles back at the center of American rock & roll, where it’s largely stayed ever since.” — LA Weekly
“Renoff explores in depth Van Halen’s reluctant journey from back yard band to superstardom and, in particular, the role of David Lee Roth’s ambition and entrepreneurial skills.” — Forbes
“Renoff’s book is a thoroughly entertaining read that will appeal to every hard rock fan.” — Publishers Weekly
“It’s a rollicking roll through the life and times of a group that mowed through more groupies and drugs than could possibly be good for a young fella … a fascinating read.” — Pasadena Star News
“The author draws on interviews with many key players to tell the band’s story, and he does a fine job of showing what it must have been like for the members of Van Halen … The lack of interviews with Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth is notable, but not a serious drawback; many good music biographies have been written about stars who did not actively participate in the writing. And this is a very good one indeed.” — Booklist
“Fascinating (even for non-VH fans) … A book almost anthropological in its level of detail.” — Vulture
“I really loved reading Van Halen Rising. I couldn’t believe the insight Renoff has into the production process behind the making of Van Halen’s debut. He truly gets it! The book is fantastic.” — Ted Templeman, Grammy-winning music producer for Van Halen and David Lee Roth
“I thought I knew a lot about Van Halen, until I read this book. It’s exceedingly rare to find such a comprehensive portrait of any band’s pre-history, even for canonical groups like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. So to stumble across this level of research about the early days of VH is like hearing studio-quality demos of songs you did not even know existed.” — Chuck Klosterman, author of Fargo Rock City and Killing Yourself to Live
“Let us guess — you’re one of those people who thinks they know everything about Van Halen, right? You don’t. At least not until you’ve read Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, the forthcoming book by historian and self-proclaimed Van Halen diehard Greg Renoff.” — Van Halen News Desk

Greg Renoff was born in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in New Jersey. Renoff earned his Ph.D. in American history from Brandeis University and is the co-author of Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife and two daughters.

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