Listen to Van Halen Back When They Were a Cover Band

Before they were “hot for teacher” they were “hot for tips.”

All bands have to get their start somewhere. Whether it’s in a dank smelling garage, local battle of the bands gigs, or, in the case of Van Halen, going from bar to bar as a cover band playing for tips.

In these recently released audio clips you can hear the band stretching their legs on covers of The Kinks, Black Sabbath, and even the Beatles. You gotta wonder if David Lee Roth fine tuned his air splits at some of these early shows as well. 

If you want to learn more about the early days of Van Halen, there’s a book coming out soon called Van Halen Risingthat lays it all out.