A previously unreleased Van Halen demo recorded in 1974 is finally escaping the vault, with “Glitter” set to receive its first official release more than 50 years after it was recorded.
Now this is proper rock archaeology.
Long before Van Halen were filling arenas, dominating MTV and changing the way an entire generation approached the electric guitar, four young musicians were knocking out demos and trying to get themselves noticed around California.
One of those recordings was called “Glitter”.
Recorded in 1974, the track features Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and original bassist Mark Stone — and after spending more than half a century officially unreleased, it’s finally coming out.
Better late than never, eh?
🔥 Van Halen At The Very Beginning
“Glitter” captures Van Halen years before their landmark self-titled debut album exploded onto the scene in 1978.
And when we say early Van Halen, we mean really bloody early Van Halen.
Original bassist Mark Stone was still part of the line-up, before Michael Anthony joined and the classic Van Halen formation properly locked into place.
This is the band before Runnin’ With The Devil.
Before Eruption.
Before Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love.
Before the striped guitars, enormous tours and Eddie Van Halen becoming one of the most influential guitarists ever to pick up the instrument.
According to the announcement surrounding its release, “Glitter” will become the earliest Van Halen recording ever officially released.
That makes it far more interesting than your average bonus track.
It’s a little piece of rock ’n’ roll history.
💿 ‘Glitter’ Coming On A 7-Inch Picture Disc
There is a catch, mind.
You won’t simply be wandering into the local record shop and finding “Glitter” sitting next to the latest releases.
The track is being issued on an exclusive 7-inch picture disc included with Alex Van Halen’s signed limited-edition book, Van Halen.
The vinyl has been created specifically for the collection and features artwork inspired by the band’s famous 1984 tour design.
On the other side of the record will be a specially selected spoken-word recording featuring Alex Van Halen, taken from extensive new interviews conducted during the creation of the book.
So you’re getting Van Halen at both ends of the journey.
The young band making noise in 1974…
…and Alex looking back on what happened afterwards.
📖 Alex Van Halen Opens The Family Archives
Simply titled Van Halen, the book has been written, curated and personally signed by Alex Van Halen.
And this isn’t being pitched as your standard rock biography stuffed with the same photographs you’ve already seen twelve thousand times.
Alex has opened up his private Van Halen archives for the project, giving fans access to rare photographs, memorabilia, correspondence and material documenting the band’s extraordinary rise.
The story follows Eddie and Alex from their childhood through the formative Pasadena years, early gigs and eventual ascent into one of the biggest rock bands on Earth.
The anthology runs to 312 pages, so you’ll probably want something sturdier than your lap when you’re reading it.
This is coffee-table weaponry.
🎸 From Pasadena To Global Superstardom
The rise of Van Halen remains one of rock’s great stories.
What began with the Van Halen brothers playing around the Pasadena scene eventually became something absolutely enormous.
By the time their debut album Van Halen arrived in 1978, rock guitar was about to get a serious kick up the backside.
Then Eddie unleashed “Eruption”.
And thousands of guitarists simultaneously went:
“What the bloody hell was THAT?”
His technique, tone and imagination completely transformed people’s expectations of what an electric guitar could do.
Meanwhile, David Lee Roth provided enough charisma for three bands, Michael Anthony delivered those huge backing vocals and Alex Van Halen drove the whole thing from behind the drum kit like somebody had removed the brakes.
It was chaotic.
Flashy.
Loud.
Ridiculously talented.
And completely irresistible.
🤘 Before Michael Anthony There Was Mark Stone
The inclusion of Mark Stone makes “Glitter” particularly fascinating.
Stone was Van Halen’s original bassist during the band’s earliest period but left before the group achieved mainstream success.
Michael Anthony subsequently joined and became part of the classic line-up heard across Van Halen’s enormous early catalogue.
That means officially released recordings featuring Stone are exceedingly rare territory.
“Glitter” provides an opportunity to hear the band while their identity was still developing.
They weren’t yet the finished Van Halen machine.
They were still building it.
And that’s precisely why recordings like this are so bloody fascinating.
📚 Only 1,500 Signed Copies
Collectors might want to loosen the purse strings.
Only 1,500 signed and numbered copies of Alex Van Halen’s book are being produced worldwide.
Every copy is personally signed by Alex.
The first 350 Deluxe editions have already been fully subscribed, with the remaining copies presented as Collector boxed sets.
And this is no ordinary cardboard slipcase job either.
The Collector edition is quarter-bound in black vegan leather, features silver page edging and comes housed inside a black clamshell box.
Basically, it looks like something you’d expect somebody wearing white gloves to retrieve from a vault.
🎁 Plenty Of Van Halen Goodies Included
Alongside the book and exclusive “Glitter” picture disc, the Collector edition contains a selection of replica memorabilia from the Van Halen archives.
Fans will receive:
- A replica 1979 Van Halen Productions keychain
- Three replica Eddie Van Halen guitar picks
- Six Van Halen art postcards
- The exclusive 7-inch “Glitter” picture disc
It’s dangerous territory for collectors.
Because we’ve all done it.
You look at something like this.
You see the price.
You calmly explain that you absolutely don’t need it.
Then twenty minutes later you’re tracking the delivery.
Rock fans are excellent at financial responsibility.
Obviously.
🖤 Another Glimpse Of Eddie Van Halen
There is inevitably something bittersweet about hearing previously unreleased material featuring Eddie Van Halen, who died in October 2020.
Eddie’s influence on rock music is almost impossible to exaggerate.
Countless guitarists picked up an instrument because of him.
Countless others nearly put it straight back down again after attempting “Eruption”.
His playing sounded technical without ever losing excitement.
He could be ridiculously clever and still make everything feel fun.
That grin.
That tone.
That unmistakable striped Frankenstein guitar.
There will never be another Eddie Van Halen.
Which makes recordings from the earliest stages of his career especially valuable.
🔥 Van Halen History Is Still Emerging
The amazing thing about bands as thoroughly documented as Van Halen is discovering that there are still pieces of the story waiting to emerge.
We’ve had decades of records.
Live releases.
Books.
Bootlegs.
Interviews.
Documentaries.
Photographs.
Yet here’s a recording from 1974 finally getting its first official release in 2026.
Fifty-two years later.
That is absolutely bonkers.
And brilliant.
🤘 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
“Glitter” isn’t interesting because somebody discovered a forgotten song and slapped the Van Halen logo on it.
It’s interesting because of when it was recorded.
This is Van Halen before Van Halen became VAN HALEN.
Before the millions of albums.
Before the arenas.
Before Eddie rewrote the guitar rulebook.
Before David Lee Roth became one of rock’s most flamboyant frontmen.
It’s four musicians at the beginning of something none of them could possibly have understood the scale of yet.
And more than half a century later, we finally get another opportunity to hear what that beginning sounded like.
The only problem?
With just 1,500 copies being produced, getting your hands on one might require quicker fingers than Eddie himself.
Fire up the turntable, dig out the striped guitar and prepare for a trip all the way back to 1974. Van Halen are opening the vault. 🤘🔥🎸
