Alex Van Halen has unveiled the full six-minute version of “Unfinished,” the final song that the drummer wrote and recorded with his late brother, guitarist Eddie Van Halen. The instrumental track comes one day ahead of the release of Alex’s memoir, Brothers.
The brothers' handiwork should be immediately evident to Van Halen fans. The snippet of "Unfinished" features Eddie's harmonic overtones, soaring bends and light vibrato atop delicately strummed acoustic guitar, along with a steady beat (and signature snare drum sound) from Alex.
Previously unreleased footage of a jam session between Eddie Van Halen and Mountain's Leslie West has surfaced online, courtesy of Lightyear Entertainment.
The six-string showcase took place at the Hollywood House of Blues on Aug. 10, 2002, where both guitar legends tore through Mountain's 1970 track "Never in My Life." You can watch the performance, along with an interview with West in which he discusses his friendship with Van Halen, below.
"I was going to rehab in Milwaukee," West recalled. "And I stopped playing for six months. So I met Ed, and I introduced myself. After I saw him, it got me playing again. [He was] kicking me up a notch. So I called up Randy Bachman and I said, 'How would you like a rhythm guitar player for nothing? I just want to get on the tour.' He said, 'Great.' And I went out on the tour, and Eddie and I played every night in the room afterwards, and we became friends."
