Steve Lukather took to his Instagram on March 15 to clarify his involvement in a new effort to salvage unheard recordings featuring Eddie Van Halen.
Alex Van Halen announced last week that he had enlisted the Toto guitarist’s assistance pulling together a new Van Halen album using unreleased recordings that exist in Van Halen's vault.
“Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends, and they often worked together," Alex said. "There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can."
That led to much speculation — and confusion — about what Lukather’s role would be.
As he now explains, it’s not what some people thought.
“Ever since Alex Van Halen dropped some [sic] we were gonna work together I think there is a huge misunderstanding,” Lukather wrote.
"I will NOT EVER play a guitar note on a VH song ever!
"Al asked me to help him go thru a ton of unfinished recordings of Al and Ed writing and recording that never saw the light of day.
"As of now thats all I got.
"The fact that ANYONE would think for even a second that I would play anything on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for that and ... I play nothing like Ed.. more as a co-producer or something.
"I am honored Al would ask me though.
"Lets see ...
News of the Van Halen archive has been tantalizing fans for months. According to former Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony, the group had a habit of recording "everything we had.”
Alex Van Halen dipped into the trove last year when he released a track he and Eddie worked on. Recorded on October 6, 2002, the song, “Unfinished," was issued with the audiobook version of the drummer's memoir, Brothers.
Since then, Alex has said Eddie left behind enough material for another “three or four records.” He's spoken of using AI to help turn those recordings — many of which are nothing more than snippets — into finished songs, much as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr did to complete the last Beatles’ recording, “Now and Then.”
“They’re all little pieces,” Van Halen told Rolling Stone, adding, “a bunch of licks don’t make a song."
The drummer also said he was hoping to use ChatGPT’s technology to generate new solos and bring Robert Plant onboard to sing.
“You’re gonna think I’m out of my fucking mind,” the drummer offered. “But when conditions are right, things will manifest.”
It’s not entirely surprising Alex would bring Lukather onboard to assist with his effort. A famed session player as well as Toto's guitarist, Luke was good friends with the Van Halen brothers for decades.
“I’m very honored to have been Ed's friend — really a friend,” he told Metal Master Kingdom, “not just a guitar buddy who had a beer with him once. [There is] 40-plus years with him, Al and I."
He and Eddie crossed paths on previous projects, including Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” on which Eddie played the electric guitar solo at the invitation of producer Quincy Jones. Eddie performed bass on a song from Lukather’s 1989 solo debut and contributed to a track on Luke’s 2003 holiday album, SantaMental.
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