The Archive

Van Halen

'We had our tour passes printed with the acronym W.D.F.A on them – which means ‘We Don’t Fuck Around’ – the reason for that was simply that everybody needs a battle cry, and that happened to be ours.' – Alex Van Halen

VAN HALEN opens the Van Halen family archive for the first time. From the brothers’ arrival in California from Holland in 1962 to backyard parties in Pasadena, their 1978 debut album and the chart-topping success of 1984, the band’s story is told through an extraordinary collection of correspondence, tour memorabilia, album artwork, press material, musical equipment, unpublished photographs and much more.

Featuring photography from the band’s early years on the Sunset Strip, their first tours to Japan in 1978, and landmark performances including the US Festival in 1983 and 1984’s Monsters of Rock, VAN HALEN brings together rare archival material alongside the work of celebrated photographers.

The Author

Van Halen

'Brothers with different superpowers. Eddie revolutionised rock guitar with tone, technique, and attitude, while Alex anchored those innovations with sophisticated rudiment-based grooves, syncopated accents, and a jazz-tinged feel that still feels modern decades later. In that sense, the quip "Alex Van Halen is to drums what Eddie was to guitar" captures how both were virtuosic, stylistically singular, and essential to the band's sound.' – Modern Drummer

Alex Van Halen formed Van Halen with his brother, Eddie Van Halen, in 1972. Alongside David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony, they powered one of history's most successful rock bands.

As the heartbeat of the band, Alex helped drive the band’s breakthrough era from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s – this period produced a run of multi-platinum albums including Van Halen, Fair Warning and 1984, which featured classics such as ‘Runnin’ with the Devil’, ‘Panama’, and ‘Jump’.

Born in Amsterdam and raised in Pasadena, California, Alex began as a classical pianist before switching to drums, this background contributed to his artistry behind the kit. He is known for using large drum kits, and his approach fully utilised these kits while complementing the band’s electric performances.

The backbone of every iteration of Van Halen, the brothers would rise to Californian stardom with five hard years of gigging on and around the Sunset Strip, then go on to tour with Journey, Ronnie Montrose and Black Sabbath before becoming headliners in their own right, finally disbanding in 2020.

Together, Van Halen became one of the best-selling bands in history, selling over 75 million records worldwide and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Cementing their legacy as icons of rock, and Alex a major influence on generations of drummers.

The Collector Copies

Van Halen

Copies 351 to 1,500 are presented as Collector boxed sets, each containing a copy of VAN HALEN, hand-signed by Alex Van Halen — completing the strictly limited edition of 1,500 copies worldwide.

Each Collector copy is quarter-bound in black vegan leather with silver page edging, and features a silver debossed Van Halen logo from the band’s 1978 World Tour. The book is presented in a black clamshell box featuring the Van Halen emblem, surrounded by Alex’s iconic burning ring design.

The Collector boxed set includes a series of replicas drawn from the Van Halen archive: a 1979 Van Halen Productions keychain, three Eddie Van Halen guitar picks faithfully reproduced from his stage-used designs, six 6" × 4" art postcards, and a 7" vinyl record (track details to be announced).

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Collector Copies: 1,150 numbered copies (351–1,500)
Signed by: Alex Van Halen 
Binding: Quarter-bound in black vegan leather with silver page edging
Box: Black clamshell featuring silver foiling
Extras: Van Halen Productions keychain, three replica Eddie Van Halen guitar picks, six 6" × 4" art postcards and a 7" vinyl record