Alex Van Halen has shared a snippet of Unfinished – the last song that he and Eddie Van Halen ever worked on before the late electric guitar great passed away in 2020.
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the audiobook version of Alex’s forthcoming tell-all memoir, titled Brothers, will include the last track he and his brother had collaborated on.
Originally, it was thought we’d have to wait until the book’s official release on October 22 to hear the track, but now the Van Halen drummer has given fans a sneak preview by sharing a solo-laden snippet of what seems to be a fully instrumental track.
At the time of the initial news, speculation arose over the condition of the track. ‘Unfinished’ implied the track was, well, unfinished, and as such many expected a rough demo that had been unearthed.
That doesn’t seem to be entirely the case, though. Sure, the track probably never reached its final form, but in the clip Alex has shared on Instagram, Unfinished sounds rather polished indeed, with a particular emphasis on Eddie's pristine lead work.
It’s notable just how prominent EVH’s guitar work is. Over a punchy acoustic guitar backdrop Van Halen can be heard mulling over a particular melodic idea, embellishing the early lead with some searing sustain and familiarly formed bends.
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There’s no two-hand tapping or any fiery fretboard acrobatics, but that doesn’t seem to be the direction of the track. Somewhat rather poignantly, Unfinished is a slower acoustic number that lets Eddie’s soloing take center stage, giving fans the chance to hear the late guitar great’s distinct fretboard voice once again.
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Whether Unfinished has any surprises up its sleeves remains to be seen, and as mentioned, we’ll have to wait for the full track to drop in just a few weeks time to find out.
Brothers has been penned with the help of The New Yorker writer and essayist Ariel Levy. It traces the Van Halen siblings’ story from their upbringing in the Netherlands and their experiences migrating to Pasadena, California, all the way to conquering rock music with Van Halen.
It’s set to be a particularly revealing memoir from Alex, who has previously gone on record to address the inaccuracies of other written accounts about the band. Speaking to Modern Drummer (via Rolling Stone), Alex said such histories are composed by people who “know nothing about the inner workings of the band”.
With Brothers, “Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward’s life and death”, and, according to a press statement, is set to be “nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read”.
“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,” Alex said. “We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”
The book is currently available to preorder for $32. A 720-minute audiobook and an ebook version will also be made available.
Head to Van Halen to learn more and pre-order the book.
