STEVE LUKATHER DENIES RUMORS OF PLAYING GUITAR ON NEW VAN HALEN ALBUM
TOTOās Steve Lukather has dismissed recent reports suggesting he will play guitar on a new VAN HALEN album.
Earlier this week, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that Alex Van Halen was working on a collection of previously unreleased VAN HALEN recordings, with Lukather assisting in completing them. In a paywalled Guitar World article, Alex was quoted as saying:
āEd and Steve Lukather were very good friends and often worked together. Thereās no one better suited to help me through this process.ā
Lukather, seemingly surprised by the comment, responded in the same article:
āDid Alex say that? Oh, in that case, the news is true. Ed, Alex, and I were very close for years. Itās true that we worked on this together.ā
However, on Saturday (March 15), Lukather took to Instagram to clarify his involvement, writing:
āFor the record: Ever since Alex Van Halen mentioned we were going to work together, thereās been a huge misunderstanding.
I will NEVER play a single note on a VAN HALEN songāever!
Al asked me to help sort through a ton of unfinished recordings of him and Ed writing and recording togetherāmusic that never saw the light of day. Thatās all I know at this point.
The idea that I would play guitar on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for Ed and his music. Plus, I donāt play anything like him. My role is more of a co-producer, if anything. Iām honored Al would ask me.
Letās seeā¦ā
Alex has previously stated thereās enough material in the VAN HALEN vault for āthree or four albums.ā On Chris Jerichoās Talk Is Jericho podcast, he shared:
āIāve talked about it loosely, and Iām a bit superstitious, but I can say this: Weāre going through the vault, digging into the ideas Ed left behind. Thereās some great stuff in there.
When youāre in the thick of it, sometimes you miss the real gems. Itās only when you revisit them later that you realize, āWow, I forgot about this. This kicks ass.ā But it takes time. I want to do it right.ā
LUKATHER & VAN HALENāS HISTORY
Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather had a long history of collaboration. Lukather played the main riff on Michael Jacksonās Beat It, while Eddie provided the iconic solo. Eddie also played bass on Lukatherās debut solo album and made a guest appearance on Steveās 2003 Christmas album, Santamental.
Following Eddieās passing in 2020, Lukather reflected on their friendship in an interview with Metal Master Kingdom:
āItās still hard for meāthe wound is deep. I was honored to be Edās real friend, not just a guitar buddy. Our friendship lasted over 40 years.
I love all the guys in VAN HALEN. Iām Switzerland when it comes to their relationships. I was just on Sammyās [Hagar] show, and he was great to me. Mike [Anthony] is always kind. But Iāve always stayed especially close with Al.
Losing Ed left a hole in my heart that wonāt go away. We didnāt just talk about guitarsāwe talked about our kids, our lives. Toward the end, we mostly just bragged about our sons. Thatās what mattered.ā
While Lukatherās role in the VAN HALEN project remains undefined, one thing is clearāhis deep respect for Eddie ensures the musicās legacy will be handled with care.
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