In a new interview with KSHE, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth touched on 1978 self-titled studio debut album.
When asked if he had to ask permission from the Van Halen brothers before pursuing the ongoing Vegas residency, He replied (Transcribed via Blabbermouth):
“No. I wrote the songs. I wrote every word you heard, every syllable, every melody. I structured out even the guitar solos on that first album.
“Why do you think the solos [later] changed so radically? I sang the solos for ‘Jamie’s Cryin” and ‘Runnin’ With the Devil’…
“I structured those songs. I designed the backgrounds on the stage. I came up with the album covers. I thought of the stripes on the guitar. I’m the one who said, ‘Call it Van Halen.'”
Asked about the current state of rock music, David replied:
“Van Halen took five years – five 45-minute sets a night – before we made our first record. We did our 10,000 hours before we even sang our first note to you, and that kind of a balance.
“That’s why we’re on the same station as Queen, The Who, Zeppelin, Stones… Classic rock came out of clubs and music halls where you had to work thousands and thousands of hours playing chart tunes or pop tunes, Top 40.
“When you wrote your songs, whether you were Jim Croce or Led Zeppelin, the material became timeless… Today, you don’t have those clubs and bars and experiences where the musicians are putting in their hours and then bringing those tools to writing.
“They’re listening to music at home and assimilating it. It’s sort of like learning Japanese at home from some really good videos and tutorials on the internet versus, ‘Go live in Japan for two years.’ See the difference?”