1974 Van Halen Song, Recorded at David Lee Roth’s Father’s House, Finally Gets First Official Release 52 Years Later

The earliest Van Halen recording anybody will be able to buy officially was cut in 1974, in an eye doctor’s house, by a band still hunting for shows.

It is called “Glitter.” It has never had an official release. In November, 52 years later, it finally gets one on a 7-inch picture disc.

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The Tape Was a Sales Pitch

The band recorded it live with Mark Stone, their first bassist, at the home of Dr. Nathan Roth, a prominent Pasadena ophthalmologist who happened to be David Lee Roth‘s father. The tapes then went out to club bookers around Los Angeles. Nobody made them to be heard by the public. They were made to get somebody to say yes.

Bootleggers got to it first. “Glitter” has been circulating for decades, and it turned up in 1998 on Roth’s own website, next to another song from the same session. None of that was official. This is.

What You Have to Buy to Hear It

The disc is packaged with Van Halen, an anthology Alex Van Halen wrote, published by Genesis Publications in a run of 1,500. The 350-copy Deluxe edition is already fully subscribed. What is left is the Collector edition, 1,150 copies at £345, about $525.

Every copy is signed by Alex. The box holds replicas of three guitar picks Eddie Van Halen used on stage, plus a keychain and six art postcards. The flip side of the disc is Alex talking.

Alex Has Had a Week

Five days before any of this came out, on Sept. 4, the Netherlands made him a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, an honor King Willem I created in 1815. The ceremony was in Nijmegen, the Dutch city where he and Eddie spent most of their childhood before the family left for California.

While he was there they had him sign Nijmegen’s Book of the City. Bruce Springsteen signed it before him.