Sorry, Mr. Roth - that cactus must have snuck in from S6's Red Dead preview...

I’m sure many of you are reading the headline, thinking, “Yeah OMG, tell us something we don’t know.” My wife put the TV on Under the Tuscan Sun and then fell asleep on the couch, and I’m too lazy (and frankly just wanting to get this written) to get up and change it. Didn’t know that now, did you?

About two months ago I subscribed to XM radio in the wife’s car, and today while doing errands I heard the news on Hair Nation that Guitar Hero: Van Halen was now official. If you think that’s the end of the announcement, you’d best Diver Down after the link…

All hands on deck! Women and Children First! Van Halen, II! Don’t say I didn’t give you Fair Warning! Um…Van Halen!

If you’re a VH fan, you’ll recognize that I just managed to try and fit every album pre-1985 into one ridiculous line, semi-successfully. What you should be asking yourself is, why?

If you’re not a classic rock/VH fan, you may not be aware that the history of Van Halen can be divided up into “eras” based on who was the lead singer for the band at the time. Let Wikipedia break it down (because I know I’d get the dates wrong):

• David Lee Roth era (1974–1985)
• Sammy Hagar era (1985–1996)
• With Mitch Malloy and a temporary reunion with Roth (1996)
• Gary Cherone era (1996–1999)
• “We were on a break!!!” (1999–2003)
• Reunion with Hagar (2003–2005)
• Reunion with Roth (2006 – present)

There has been some speculation while the rumors of the Van Halen-themed title floated about as to what songs would be included in the title. According to sources at Hair Nation, the vast majority of Van Halen song titles will be from the David Lee Roth era.

This information can’t be confirmed 100%, but Joystiq.com’s write-up had the most detailed information on songs that I could find:

[The game] will include several songs hailin’ from the Californian rock band’s catalogue, including “Jump,” “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher.” You can also expect a smattering of songs from other bands, like Judas Priest’s “Pain Killer,” Tenacious D’s “Master Exploder” and Weezer’s “Dope Nose.”

All three of the songs mentioned in this quote are David Lee Roth era songs, so it sounds fairly accurate. The official press release added Queen, Weezer, blink-182, The Offspring and Queens of the Stone Age to the song list.

Even if the song list is restricted to the Roth years, that still leaves plenty of room for some great tracks. Personally? Eruption on Expert. Let me preempt the self-assured guitarists out there that while it may not be the most technically difficult solo, there is something about the execution and construction of it that just screams “WE CAME TO BRING THE ROCK!” Not only that, but watching a few 10-year olds on YouTube pull it off with 95% accuracy helps me stay humble.

P.S., Under a Tuscan Sun has a horrible ending. Not recommended.

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