Van Halen’s post David Lee Roth years could have looked a lot different, according to Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes. In an interview with The Classic Rock Podcast, Hughes revealed that Eddie Van Halen told him he had considered asking him to join the band to replace the departing Roth.
“Well, you know, Eddie was newly sober at that time,” he told the podcast regarding the discussion. “This would have been … I don’t know, 22 years ago.”
He continued, “We spoke about it. … Would it have worked? I’m not sure. Unless I was completely sober, and I’ve been sober now for almost 24 years. Yeah, it would have been interesting, wouldn’t it? You never know.”
Instead, Van Halen replaced Roth with Sammy Hagar and went on to release four albums that went to number one in the U.S.: 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 1995’s Balance.
As for Hughes, he’s due to kick off a new tour with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Deep Purple’s classic 1974 album, Burn. It kicks off August 17 in Falls Church, Virginia. A complete list of dates can be found at glennhughes.com.
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