Van Halen Rising

“Renoff’s book is a thoroughly entertaining read that will appeal to every hard rock fan.” — Publishers Weekly

“Bravo, Mr. Renoff. . . This is a must-read reference, in the same sense that Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down are mandatory listening.” — Cleveland Music Examiner

“Most Van Halen fans have heard about the notorious, alcohol-soaked backyard parties in the Pasadena area that the band played as they built a loyal following — but never knew the details. This is where Renoff’s exhaustive research and meticulous attention to detail truly pays off. Readers are treated to extensive accounts of these bashes. . . they can almost feel as if they were actually there. . . a book that’s as entertaining as it is informative.” — Examiner.com

“This excerpt [is] from Greg Renoff’s fascinating (even for non-VH fans) Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, a book almost anthropological in its level of detail.” — Vulture.com

“Let us guess — you’re one of those people who thinks they know everything about Van Halen, right? You don’t. At least not until you’ve read Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal, the forthcoming book by historian and self-proclaimed Van Halen diehard Greg Renoff.” — The Van Halen News Desk

“Fans of Van Halen’s earliest days. . . are in for a treat next month with the release of Van Halen Rising by American author Greg Renoff.” — Georgia Straight

“I thought I knew a lot about Van Halen, until I read this book. It's exceedingly rare to find such a comprehensive portrait of any band's pre-history, even for canonical groups like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. So to stumble across this level of research about the early days of VH is like hearing studio-quality demos of songs you did not even know existed.” — Chuck Klosterman, author of Fargo Rock City and Killing Yourself to Live

“I had a blast reading Van Halen Rising. Throughout my teen years, there were few things that meant as much to me as the first six Van Halen albums and the original line up of the band. Greg Renoff takes us back to the beginning of all that, to how Dave, Eddie, Alex, and Michael came to form the group, to what the rock world looked like at the time, and to that grit and commitment it took for them to break through. He also puts us right there in Pasadena, at the backyard parties where the big rock sound was born. If you are a Van Halen fan, a real Van Halen fan, this book is a must read.” — Brian Koppelman, screenwriter of Rounders and Ocean's Thirteen, director of Solitary Man, and podcaster at The Moment

“From the outset of Van Halen Rising, it’s clear Greg Renoff reveres the mighty foursome as much as their most ardent fan. With devoted accuracy, Renoff takes us back to the early seventies, when Pasadena kids literally danced in the streets to get a glimpse of their home-town heroes, while music industry execs proclaimed Van Halen had ‘no commercial potential.’ Van Halen Rising delves into the years of practice and perseverance that led to the ‘overnight success’ of Van Halen’s debut album, one of the most successful in music history. Renoff’s writing is consistently punchy and compelling, like Van Halen at its finest. If you’ve got it bad, got it bad, got it bad for Van Halen, get Van Halen Rising.” — Martha Quinn, original MTV VJ, Sirius XM host

“I really loved reading Van Halen Rising. I couldn’t believe the insight Renoff has into the production process behind the making of Van Halen’s debut. He truly gets it! The book is fantastic.” — Ted Templeman, Grammy-winning music producer for Van Halen and David Lee Roth