| TIMELINE FEATURE
By Jeff Hausman
& Geoff Bell
Here's a sample of The Inside's ongoing Timeline feature. This excerpt covered 1985 through 1987. 1985
Van Halen begins loose rehearsal sessions for the follow-up to 1984. Roth works on several tracks, including "Summer Nights," "Get up," and something called "Eat Thy Neighbor." Van Halen fires Noel Monk shortly before David Lee Roth's departure. Roth does press for Crazy From the Heat in lieu of working on new Van Halen material. Edward is the last band member to speak with Roth. He visits Roth at his twenty-room mansion in Pasadena to settle matters once and for all. Roth tells Eddie, "I can't work with you guys anymore. I want to do my movie. Maybe when I'm done, we can get back together." Eddie tells Roth, "I ain't waiting on your ass." David Lee Roth quits Van Halen to pursue movies and a solo career. After Dave's exit from the band, Warner Bros. Records, hoping the split is only temporary, wants Edward to record a solo record. Roth splits with his longtime girlfriend. Immediately following his departure from Van Halen, Roth thrives. Crazy From the Heat is successful and his movie deal with Columbia Pictures moves forward. Warner Bros. President Lenny Waronker expresses concern that the band shouldn't use the name Van Halen without Roth. During a hunt for potential vocalists, Edward considers Phil Collins,  Patty Smyth, Joe Cocker, and Pete Townshend for an all-star collaboration with the three remaining members of the band. Smyth backs out, concerned she couldn't handle working with three guys. Edward exchanges calls and telegrams with Townshend and learns that he wouldn't be available until November 1995. Edward doesn't want to wait and ultimately loses Townshend's phone number. The all-star record idea is scrapped in favor of a traditional, family-oriented unit that would continue beyond one recording. Edward also considers Australian vocalist Jimmy Barnes. He determines that Barnes is a talented singer but not right for Van Halen. Edward gets Sammy Hagar's phone number from Claudio Zampolli while shooting the breeze at the mechanic's shop in Van Nuys, California. Edward and Sammy share a love for exotic sports cars, which Zampolli serviced regularly. Several days later, Edward calls Sammy at the singer's home in Marin County. Hagar recalls telling his wife that he was expecting the call. Soon after, Hagar travels to Los Angeles and jams with the band at 5150. The band works on material that eventually becomes "Summer Nights" and "Good Enough." The band begins serious rehearsals secretively, with Hagar. Hagar brings his manager, Ed Leffler, to 5150 to discuss Van Halen's long-term plans. Leffler is concerned that the project is a one-time-thing, ala HSAS. Van Halen asks Hagar to become a permanent member of the band Ted Templeman is the band's first choice to produce 5150. Templeman attends several rehearsals but is ultimately committed to Roth's new project. In September, Edward and Sammy appear at Farm Aid. They perform "Rock and Roll" and "Wild Thing." The latter tune was yanked from the airwaves after Hagar openly discusses the size of his penis. Van Halen tells Warner Bros. that they want to produce 5150 by themselves, with longtime collaborator/engineer Donn Landee. The request is denied because the band's contract allows the label to refuse producers. Edward is introduced to Mick Jones of Foreigner at the 1985 MTV Awards. Jones agrees to oversee the recording of 5150. He joins the process after much of the material is recorded. In November, Van Halen begins formally recording 5150. They finish in mid-February 1986. The band briefly considers recording and touring as Sammy Hagar until Hagar is able to fulfill his contractual obligations to Geffen. Warner Bros. Duels with Geffen over the remainder of Hagar's contract. Hagar still has three albums to make for Geffen. The two labels eventually come to terms. In the end, Hagar owes Geffen one more solo album, and the label gets a percentage of the sales from 5150. Edward patents his idea of attaching a tray-table to the back of an electric guitar, which he used during his extended solo on the 1984 tour. He was gong to use a little piece of that style on 5150 but ran out time. He also planned on using a slow-blues piece on the album that later became "316." There were two other songs that didn't make the final 5150 cut 1986
Edward and Alex formally reject Warner Bros. advice to discontinue use of the Van Halen name. Roth's proposed movie project, Crazy From the Heat, is indefinitely postponed. CBS Theatrical Films was to bankroll the movie for $10 million, but the company's film division folded one week before production was to begin. "Shy Boy" was to be featured under the opening credits Sammy Hagar buys a beach front house two doors from Edward in Malibu, California. 5150 hits record stores in March. 5150 reaches UK #16 and US #1. The album's lead single, "Why Can't This be Love?" reaches UK #8 and US #3. Van Halen rejects the idea of doing music videos in support of 5150. They want fans to see the new lineup live, setting themselves apart from Roth's video-happy legacy. In March, Van Halen's 5150 World Tour begins in Shreveport, LA. Ten-thousand people witness the historic show, pushing the stage back six feet. Tickets for subsequent 1986 shows sell-out immediately. The band incorporates Hagar solo classics "I Can't Drive 55" and "One Way to Rock" in the new set-list. Happier than ever, the band appears on the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time. "Best of Both Worlds," "Summer Nights" and "Dreams" become 1986 summer anthems. On a nightly basis, Sammy invites drunken fans and local celebrities to take the stage and sing "Jump." After he repeatedly insults Roth early in the tour, the band insists he temper his comments. Roth counters at every available opportunity with characteristic flair. In August, "Dreams" reaches US #22 and UK #62. In October, "Love Walks In" reaches US #22. Van Halen records their first live concert video during two consecutive shows in New Haven, Connecticut. Technical difficulties force them to scrap one night's worth of footage. The video is eventually released as Live Without a Net. Footage of the video is featured, for the first time, on the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards, including two minutes of the band jamming Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love," which was edited out of the Live Without a Net version. At the end of the 5150 tour, Edward cuts off most of his hair and Alex is completely bald. Edward stops playing guitar for close to a year, but concentrates on polishing his bass and keyboard chops, writing several new songs in the process. Van Halen appears in Hank Williams, Jr.'s video "My Name is Bocephus." Edward played guitar on the song's live version, featured on Williams' album, Hank Live! 1987
After a brief break, Edward and Sammy write the music for "Winner Takes it All." The song was featured in Sylvester Stallone's movie, Over the Top and features Edward playing bass on the tune. The chorus is supposedly written in Hagar's car on the way to the studio. In February 1987, "Winner Takes it All" reaches US #54. The video of the song shows Hagar arm wrestling with Sylvester Stallone. Guess who wins? Sammy Hagar begins work on his last solo album for Geffen Records. Edward plays bass on the entire album, initially titled Sammy Hagar. After the initial printing, the album is later renamed I Never Said Goodbye. In June, Sammy Hagar peaks at US #14. "Give to Live" reaches US #23 and "Eagles Fly" falters at US #82. Sammy appears on Late Night with David Letterman, performing "Boys Night Out." Edward, Alex, and Michael briefly appear in Hagar's video for "Hands and Knees." The video is virtually ignored by MTV. Edward appears with Valerie Bertinelli on Saturday Night Live. He performs an instrumental tune with G.E. Smith and the SNL band, loosely titled "Stompin 8H." | 
