An early shot of the mighty Van Halen. Photo by Andre Csillag.
 
After opening its doors in 1971, Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles would play host to the likes of Alice Cooper, DEVO, the Cars (who recorded Candy-O there), and Gene Simmons of KISS who laid down his solo album at Cherokee. One of the first major acts to work at Cherokee was Steely Dan, who would record their third album, Pretzel Logic at Cherokee in 1974, scoring the studio its first gold record and the band its third. Later the same year a young version of Van Halen would drop into Cherokee to record what is considered their very first demo. The group was already a popular attraction in the local LA club scene when they recorded four songs at Cherokee, “Angel Eyes,” “Believe Me,” “Simple Rhyme,” and “Take Your Whiskey Home,” a number that would later appear on VH’s 1980 album Women and Children First along with “Simple Rhyme” (“In a Simple Rhyme”).

While these recordings are not the earliest in the band’s career, they are the earliest recordings of the group with David Lee Roth, Eddie, and Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony. Prior to this, a recording generally referred to as “the Glitter demos” was completed by the band; however, bass duties were performed by original Van Halen bassist Mark Stone while VH was still calling themselves Mammoth. David Lee Roth ended up with the masters from the Glitter session and released them online in 1998. The Cherokee demos are technically the earliest recordings of Van Halen in their most formidable form which would last until Roth departed the band in 1985.
 

The brothers Van Halen with original VH bassist Mark Stone (left).
 
Now let’s talk about the demo itself, which, since it’s a demo, is rough sounding at times. Nonetheless, the recording contains moments where you can clearly hear where the band was headed. Whether it be Eddie’s blister-inducing riffs, DLR’s high notes, the multitalented Michael Anthony and his bright backing vocals (sigh), or the extraordinary timekeeping skills of Alex Van Halen, the Cherokee Studios’ demos are very much a crystal ball allowing us a glimpse into the birth of Van Halen. At the time, Eddie was nineteen, both DLR and Michael Anthony were twenty, and Alex was 21. Also of interest is that David Lee Roth is said to have played the guitar on the acoustic song, “Angel Eyes.” An excellent quality version of the song shows up on a Van Halen bootleg from 1977 as a bonus track included with a soundboard recording of the band when they played at the Six Flags amusement park sometime that same year. Audio of the Cherokee Studios demo, as well as the famed Magic Mountain boot, are posted below. 
 

The Cherokee Studios demo.
 

A bootleg recording from the soundboard of Van Halen performing at at Six Flags amusement park in 1977. Bonus tracks include a sharp studio version of “Angel Eyes.”
 
HT: Christopher Bickel

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
David Lee Roth on Dongo Island: The ten-million-dollar film DLR left Van Halen for but never made
Rat Salad: Eddie Van Halen’s riffy 1994 collaboration with Black Sabbath
Van Halen cover Bowie and KC & The Sunshine Band (while judging a dance contest!) in the 70s
Atomic Punks: Van Halen hanging out with their teenage fans at a Dallas, Texas record store in 1978
David Lee Roth and Ozzy Osbourne’s insane ‘cocaine challenge’ of 1978
Mabel: 1970s Danish disco glam rockers go all hair metal & take some bad advice from David Lee Roth