Alex Van Halen’s forthcoming autobiography, Brothers, is set to feature an unreleased – and presumably unfinished – song he worked on with Eddie Van Halen, and the drummer has shared now shared a snippet of the track.
Aptly called Unfinished, it was the last song the pair worked on together before Eddie’s passing in 2020. The full track will feature in the audiobook version of Brothers, which centers on their relationship from childhood to rockstardom.
The book will be released via HarperCollins on October 22, but fans have been surprised with an early teaser, featuring some signature sizzling solo work from Eddie.
Considering the Van Halen brothers are – thus far – the only confirmed personnel, the song is expected to be fully instrumental.
The song's title hinted at the song being a rough-around-the-edge work-in-progress, but the clip, posted to Instagram by Alex, is in a fairly polished condition. Steel-string acoustic strums are crisp, and Alex's playing holds back for Eddie to squeeze out lead lines in the space left.
It’s not a gung-ho affair from Eddie – indeed, the backing insinuates this song is more of a ballad than a brazen rock n’ roll song. But that harmonizes with the key lesson he taught his son, Wolfgang, about soloing that Wolfgang still holds dear today, that melody is king.
While there will be fans disappointed that the clip isn’t full of musical backflips and pyrotechnics, the delicate number still presents an unexpected opportunity to hear fresh music coming from Eddie’s famed fingers. It too better suits a book that is “nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read,” according to its author.
Alex Van Halen's 240-page book and 72-minute audiobook intend to “set the record straight” about his relationship with his brother and the moments they shared while writing, recording, and touring with Van Halen. He has previously railed against the accuracy of third-party accounts of certain events (via Rolling Stone).
“I was with him from day one,” says Alex of their watertight relationship. “We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic.
“Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming famous, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than I’ve spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”
Written with the help The New Yorker’s Ariel Levy, the book details their early years in the Netherlands to their high school life and forming what would become one of America's most influential rock bands.
However, while the new demo showcases what the brothers could do together, musically, Alex Van Halen seems to be putting his playing days behind him. He listed all his gear on Reverb earlier this year.
Former Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony, meanwhile, has also spoken of the existence of many more tracks like Unfinished existing, but admits fans may never hear the tapes.
Head to Van Halen's website to preorder a copy of Brothers.
