Van Halen enters studio today (Jan 17)

[That 70s Guy]

melodicrock.com

VAN HALEN COMMENCE WORK WITH PRODUCER JOHN SHANKS:
Van Halen will formally start work on a new studio album with Grammy Award winning producer John Shanks Monday January 17. The news of the band's plans was confirmed by myself this weekend.
Rumours of Shanks' involvement with the band surfaced a couple of months ago at the Van Halen Newsdesk. It can now be confirmed.
The band will record their first all-new studio album since 1998's Van Halen III and their first with original singer David Lee Roth since 1983's 1984.
There are no further details available about this latest stint in the studio, nor any suggestion of when the band will be finished and anything subsequently released. Manager Irving Azoff is said to be pushing the band to tour, but I'm told Eddie Van Halen is reluctant to do so without any new material to release.
So while a 2011 tour has been publicly mentioned previously by Azoff, it remains up in the air as to when, or even if a tour will happen this year. A record needs to be completed and I doubt anyone will want to start speculating as to when that will happen.

Questions remain about what happened to the much discussed 2010 recording sessions with producer Ross Hogarth. Officially denied, and not likely to ever be addressed, the fact remains the band were in the studio writing and working for much of 2010. Several famous names commented positively about hearing new material during 2010, including Dweezil Zappa & John 5.
Additionally Warner Publishing issued a press release mid-year stating that the band had re-signed to the company, adding that they were (at that stage) in the studio recording.

Additional rumors remain about Warner's desire to release remastered versions of the band's Sammy Hagar fronted albums and I'm hearing talk of a career spanning Box Set at some stage - fuelled by news that Warner also reached new publishing agreements with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth in 2010.

Stay tuned...

 

[OzzyVanHalen]

Very exciting news to hear.
Hopefully we will have a new, kickass, rocking Van Halen album by this Spring or Summer!

 

[snakes&ladders]

Good news!!!

 

[METALPRIEST]

 

[That 70s Guy]

blabbermouth:

VAN HALEN Officially Working With Producer JOHN SHANKS - Jan. 21, 2011
Grammy-winning producer John Shanks has confirmed via Twitter that he is working with VAN HALEN on the band's upcoming studio album. The group is allegedly planning on recording the next CD at John Shanks' Henson studio as well as the band's 5150 studio, making it the first time VAN HALEN will track an LP outside its own studio since it was built in 1983.

Shanks is best known for his works with BON JOVI, FLEETWOOD MAC, MELISSA ETHERIDGE, ROD STEWART, SHERYL CROW, KEITH URBAN, PINK, JOE COCKER, and CELINE DION, among others.

Unofficial VAN HALEN site Van Halen News Desk reported in December the members of VAN HALEN were "very eager to tour, and that they want to tour behind new material. Eddie Van Halen has been very busy during most of 2010 writing music," reads a posting on the site. "Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen often join Eddie in the 5150 studio and the three of them have been hard at work jamming and recording demos. The three Van Halens have been sending the music to David Lee Roth, who's adding the lyrics." Two of the site's "sources" have "heard some of the early versions of the tracks (without vocals) and were very pleased. The music is said to sound like straight ahead rock 'n' roll and 'very VAN HALEN.'" In addition, "the band is re-exploring Eddie's extensive library of unreleased songs and riffs, even reaching back to their early unreleased demos for added inspiration. The band is retooling and tweaking some of this mostly-unheard, incredible music, which have completely new lyrics from Roth. Eddie is even considering developing a song or two from the material that he wrote for 'The Wild Life' movie score in the mid-1980s."

Music publishing company Warner/Chappell Music announced in August that it had extended its publishing administration contract with guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen, noting that the band "is currently in the studio recording an album with (singer David Lee) Roth that is due for release in 2011."

Meanwhile, according to Billboard.com, VAN HALEN manager Irving Azoff, who is also the executive chairman of Live Nation, mentioned on two separate conference calls that VAN HALEN was expected to hit the road later this year, presumably in support of a new record.

Word of a new VAN HALEN album, the band's first with David Lee Roth on the mic since 1983, first began circulating in late June 2010 when MelodicRock.com reported from an unnamed source that the project was halfway completed.

VAN HALEN spokesperson Janie Van Halen, Eddie's wife, denied the rumors, telling Rolling Stone, "I don't have any updates at this time."

Eddie himself told Rolling Stone in 2009 that he was working on material for a new record, but was waiting for his hand to heal from surgery and for Wolfgang to graduate from high school.

A new VAN HALEN record would be the band's first full studio effort since 1998's "Van Halen III", which featured Gary Cherone on lead vocals.

VAN HALEN's 2008 reunion tour with Roth grossed more than $93 million and drew nearly one million fans to 74 shows.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

LMAO the people he has worked with makes this seem like a huge joke IMO.

 

[LG]

I will give the album a fair chance when it comes out,,,everyone is curious what the loss of Michael Anthony will have on VH both in the studio and then when they play live shows.

I am glad Roth is back, he will always be the voice of Van Halen in my books...no offense to Sammy who I like as well, but as a solo artist or in Montrose and now Chickenfoot.

 

[aeroplane]

My prediction is one or two really good songs that do justice to the earlier Roth albums and then the rest of the album is of questionable quality.

 

[Kuaizi]

My prediction is one or two really good songs that do justice to the earlier Roth albums and then the rest of the album is of questionable quality.

I have to admit this fear is in the back of my head as well. But I will hope for the best!

 

[METALPRIEST]

^^ You guys have got me skeeerd