Toto guitarist Steve Lukather has offered some clarity on his in-progress recording project with Alex Van Halen, confirming that it will feature substantial archival work from Eddie Van Halen — and none of his own playing.
“I’m telling you, this is not throwaway shit,” Lukather told Guitar Player of the recordings left by the late Van Halen guitarist, who died in 2020 at age 65. “When I heard them, I said to Al, ‘How fucking come you didn’t use these?’ And the answer was because nobody could write to it. So if you think this is a bunch of throwaway crap that we’re trying to Mickey Mouse together to suck the dollar out of poor, unsuspecting Van Halen fans, it’s not.”
Although Lukather said he couldn’t provide many more details, he emphasized that these vault tracks are much more than table scraps. “These are fucking finished tracks with Ed and Al, and Ed’s playing bass on a lot of it,” he said. “That’s all I can say right now because it’s a much bigger picture, and it’s Alex’s story to tell.”
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Steve Lukather Says There Will Be No ‘Toto Fingerprints on a Van Halen Thing’
Back in January, Alex Van Halen told longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain that he was about to begin work on a new album with Lukather, though he did not specify what role the Toto mastermind would have. This led to speculation that Lukather might serve as the de facto Van Halen guitarist in Eddie’s absence — but he insisted he’ll be doing nothing so blasphemous.
“Well, first off, that’s the most ridiculous and humorous thing I’ve ever heard,” Lukather told Guitar Player. “I am no more qualified to try and play like Ed Van Halen than I am to be the first man to tug my dick on the planet. [Laughs] I don’t know how anybody could think that would even be a reality. Honestly, it’s laughable. I don’t play … I couldn’t … I don’t play like Ed. It’s crazy.”
Instead, Lukather will be serving as a co-producer and consigliere of sorts for the Van Halen drummer. “I am there 100 percent to be his co-producer and help him through the technical aspects. I’m not gonna play,” he explained. “There’s not gonna be any Lukather or Toto fingerprints on a Van Halen thing. I can fucking promise you that. I’m there to be Al’s wingman, and go, ‘How can I help you do this?’ I’m there to go, ‘Want me to help you do some vocals? How do we do these mixes?’ It’s about making sure that there’s quality control from somebody he trusts.”
As a longtime friend and collaborator of Eddie Van Halen, Lukather can also provide a guitarist’s perspective as he and Alex wade through the material. “I can listen to stuff and go, ‘I know Ed wouldn’t like that.’ I can say, ‘I think Ed would dig that,’ you know? I’m just being that third ear,” he said.
Eddie Van Halen Left ‘Three or Four’ Albums’ Worth of Unheard Music
There’s no shortage of Eddie Van Halen material in the vaults, according to Alex. The drummer revealed in 2024 that his brother left behind “three or four” albums’ worth of material in various stages of completion. (In October 2024, Alex released “Unfinished,” the final song he wrote with Eddie, as an accompaniment to the audiobook version of his memoir Brothers.)
“On the one end of the spectrum is the fact that little licks don’t make a song,” Alex told the Talk Is Jericho podcast. “On the other end of the spectrum, some of those licks are so unbelievably powerful, it’s too bad that they ended up in the back of the vault, rather than being records.”
“They will stay there until we figure out how and why and what to do with them,” Alex continued. “And again, you have to remember, it has to be on the level of where Ed and I, where we used to play. We’re not just gonna shovel it in. We have access to some of the greatest musicians on the planet, and a lot of ’em are more than willing to take a chance on some of the stuff.”
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Will Wolfgang Van Halen Play on the New Van Halen Project?
In terms of world-class musicians, Lukather certainly makes the cut. Another logical choice would be Eddie’s son (and Alex’s nephew) Wolfgang Van Halen, though it’s not yet clear if the Mammoth bandleader will participate in the project.
“I’m hoping that Al is gonna ask Wolf to be involved on some level,” Lukather said. “I haven’t talked to Wolf in a long time. It’s sad, actually. I’d like to, you know? We sort of just got busy, and we haven’t. But I think what he’s doing is wonderful. I think he’s an incredible musician. I think if anybody is gonna play anything that’s needed, he would be qualified to do so. But there really isn’t a need for other players to come in at this point.”
That’s good news for Lukather, who, despite his own distinguished guitar pedigree, considers Van Halen to be above his pay grade. “I’m not qualified,” he said. “Call Dweezil [Zappa] — he plays that shit. Call Nuno [Bettencourt]! I can name 10 guys, like Vai or Satch. I’m nowhere near qualified to start dabbling in the Van Halen world.”
Eddie Van Halen Year by Year: 1977-2017 Photos
You’ll see him with long hair, short hair, a variety of his most famous guitars and all three of his band’s lead singers.
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
