On March 15, Steve Lukather took to Instagram to clarify his involvement in a new project aimed at rescuing unreleased Eddie Van Halen recordings from the vault.
The announcement last week by Alex Van Halen that he had enlisted the help of Toto’s guitarist to compile a new Van Halen album using previously unreleased material from the band’s archives sparked confusion and speculation about Lukather’s role.
Alex Van Halen explained, “Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends, and they often worked together. There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can.”
This led to widespread confusion, with fans wondering what Lukather’s exact contribution would be. He addressed this misunderstanding in his post, saying:
“Ever since Alex Van Halen dropped that we were gonna work together, I think there is a huge misunderstanding.”
Lukather then clarified his position further:
“I will NOT EVER play a guitar note on a VH song ever!”
He went on to explain that Alex had asked for his help in sifting through a large collection of unfinished recordings that Eddie and Alex had made over the years, many of which were never released. As of now, that’s the extent of his involvement.
“The fact that ANYONE would think for even a second that I would play anything on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for that and … I play nothing like Ed… more as a co-producer or something. I am honored Al would ask me though. Let’s see…”
The news of the Van Halen archive has intrigued fans for months. According to Michael Anthony, the band had a habit of recording nearly everything, and there’s plenty of material left to explore. In fact, Alex Van Halen recently released a track he and Eddie had worked on in 2002, titled “Unfinished.” The track was included in the audiobook version of Alex’s memoir, Brothers.
Alex has stated that Eddie left behind enough material for “three or four records” and hinted at using AI technology to help transform the recordings — many of which are incomplete snippets — into fully realized songs. This approach mirrors what Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr did to complete the final Beatles track, “Now and Then.”
“They’re all little pieces,” Alex said, adding, “a bunch of licks don’t make a song.”
The drummer also mentioned his intention to use ChatGPT’s technology to generate new solos and even bring Robert Plant in to sing on some of the tracks.
“You’re gonna think I’m out of my fucking mind,” Alex said, “But when conditions are right, things will manifest.”
It’s no surprise that Alex brought Lukather on board to help with this project. As a renowned session guitarist and member of Toto, Lukather had a long-standing friendship with the Van Halen brothers.
“I’m very honored to have been Ed’s friend — really a friend,” Lukather told Metal Master Kingdom. “Not just a guitar buddy who had a beer with him once. Forty-plus years with him, Al and I.”
Lukather and Eddie worked together on multiple projects, including Michael Jackson’s iconic track “Beat It,” where Eddie played the legendary guitar solo at Quincy Jones’ request. Eddie also contributed to songs on Lukather’s 1989 solo debut album and his 2003 holiday album, SantaMental.
Related Topics
- Warren Haynes Discusses Modifications to His Soldano Amps for Perfect Tone
- Steve Stevens Reflects on Why Billy Idol Bought Him a Gibson Les Paul
- Children Create Music from Household Waste at Kolkata Drum Festival
