Van Halen: The Music and the Fans, 1978-1986 (Paperback)

by Thomas Harrison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Van Halen: The Music and the Fans, 1978-1986, is a book that explores the reasons for Van Halen’s emergence as one of the more important rock groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Currently, the study of a specific group is a new trend in popular musicology. As a critical study of the band, its members, and its music, the book seeks to explain why Van Halen was popular among fans from 1978-1986. The inquiry situates Van Halen in the context of hard rock and heavy metal of the period. The study examines details of the group’s compositional style, scrutinizes the evolution of their style, and discusses fan reception of their music and the major change in band personnel. The book also analyzes how Van Halen performance of songs written by other artists and looks at the differences between the two vocalists who performed with the group from 1978 to 1986. In addition, the book argues that guitarist Edward Van Halen influenced a generation of rock guitarists with performances that incorporated an expansion of significant advances in technique not seen since the late 1960s. Moreover, Van Halen is identified as a leader in the design of electric guitar equipment, helping sales to achieve a level not seen in the decades since the instrument’s initial development. However, by 1986, their style changed to a more conservative tone, that is demonstrated by their musical development, the evolution of their musical equipment, and the impact they had on the group’s fan base.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Custom; 1 edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0536258457
• ISBN-13: 978-0536258458
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,818,119 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The price, August 22, 2006

By	Thomas Harrison - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would like to thank everyone who has visited this site for considering my book.

The book is expensive. I will admit that. And I would be thrilled for the book price to return to the lower $34 price it was listed at initially. I, as the author, have nothing to do with the price. Amazon, a fine merchant, is within their rights to sell the book for whatever price they choose.

The book was published for use as a textbook, and that is why the price is high. I requested it to be listed in Amazon so that anyone could buy the book, not just my students at Jacksonville University.

My well-meaning former student has noted that the book is a musicology publication. If you are interested in that type of book, you should consider purchasing it. I believe it is an important contribution to musicology literature. I hope you find that the book is worth it when you receive it.

Once again, I have nothing to do with the price that Amazon chooses to sell it for.

Thank you for your interest.

Thomas Harrison
Jacksonville University

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ***Finally, a vaild review from a person who acutally read the book!***, September 12, 2006

By	Patrick Brown (NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First of all, this book is a contribution to musicology. There is a good amount of background information about the band, but this book is more about the study of their music and their influence on popular music. Thus, for the bad reviews whose basis is about the price of the book, do not take them seriously. Just because certain individuals are upset that the price went up, the book does not deserve a bad review because of this incident! Technical problems with the retailer have nothing to do with the validity and insightfulness found in this text!

With that said...

As a former student of Dr. Harrison, I can assure you that this text is informative. This book goes extremely in-depth in terms of analysis of song structure, melodic and harmonic context, and especially eddie van halen's contribution to the electric guitar!

I would recommend this book to any Van Halen fan, especially those who are musically literate and can appreciate/understand such an encyclopedic evaluation.


***Once again, pay no attention to the poor reviews that base themselves on the markup of the book, rather than the actual content.***

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Huh?, August 9, 2006

By	5150browntone (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

Well, Mr. Concerned fan: I have read the book when it was still in a pdf format before it was published (Dr. Harrison was my professor) and I can tell you that as right as you are about being concerned about the price, you are wrong about the content. I'm not sure where you get your 'according to reports', but this is not some lame fan book with interviews of band members describing practice habits, the equipment they use or the outrageous back stage acts for the 10 millionth time (and there are plenty of those tabloid-esque pieces of junk on sale around). I don't know how you received your reports, but I was one of the first to order this book and I haven't even received mine yet, becaue it was released less than a week ago.

This book was based on his Ph.D. in Musicology, and is a serious analytical work! It will become the standard for all serious study of any rock band! If you are a fan of Van Halen, you will be well satisfied with Dr. Harrison's book.