Former Van Halen bassist and backup singer Michael Anthony has said that all successful rock singers need to remember that they may still need to have the vocal strength to sing their songs decades later.
During an interview with Jeremy White and Mitch Lafon, Anthony explained that it’s a common mistake rock bands often make.
“That’s one thing that a lot of singers don’t think about when they’re writing early on. They don’t think about what’s going to happen 25 years from now when people still want to hear that song. It’s just something that happens with every single rock band.”
“I mean, If there are any exceptions, maybe one or two, but everybody starts tuning down a whole step. And it’s no fun for the bass player, lemme tell ya. Yeah, and I don’t even go there, but thank god I can still hit the high notes,” he said.
Anthony was with Van Halen from 1974 to 2006 and was the band’s longest-standing bassist. Since his departure, speculation was rife that he was fired from VH as a result of long-running tension with Eddie Van Halen. The rumour gained traction after Eddie Van Halen touched on the subject during an interview with Rolling Stone.
“The funny thing is that everyone who quits the band always claims they got fired by me. Hey, I’m not the bad guy here,” Eddie told the publication.
Anthony disputed Eddie Van Halen’s claim in a 2009 interview, saying “I never quit Van Halen. “No way. And the funny thing is, I don’t even know why the subject is coming up anymore.”
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During the Jeremy White and Mitch Lafon interview, Anthony also explained why Van Halen waited until 1996 to put out a live album.
“I think the reason we never actually did was because at that point, we were kind of thinking, that and a best of, it’s kind of like the bands are at their peak and want to sell some albums, and not on the way down, but kind of like they’ve plateaued. Especially with a best-of record, because Sammy was always pushing for a best-of record.”
“We’re like, ‘No, no, no, we don’t want to do our best of record. We don’t have to rely on that.’ But that’s why we never recorded it. I’m sorry, we did. I mean, we do have some recordings that I’m sure we could put stuff together.”
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