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 Eddie Van Halen.
Read More: Eddie Van Halen, 1955 – 2020: a colossus who turned guitar solos into a firework display
In September, it was reported that the last song the siblings ever wrote together would be included in the audiobook version of Alex’s new memoir, Brothers, with Alex sharing a brief clip of the track with fans on Instagram alongside a series of family photos.
While the drummer has previously been absent from the public eye following Eddie’s death in 2020, he made a rare statement and shared his motivations for writing the book.
“This is my tribute to my brother; my way of saying goodbye,” he said. “Ed, I love you and miss you. When I see you again, I’m gonna kick your ass!” The book has hit shelves today (October 22) via HarperCollins – you can buy your copy here.
The final track he and Eddie wrote together was a marked departure from Van Halen’s signature sound and is instead more of a sombre instrumental, featuring electric and acoustic guitar. The full version is available for download here.
Reactions to the full song have been overwhelmingly positive, with fans expressing how “bittersweet” it was to hear. “First to final,” wrote one fan. “So bittersweet and full circle.” Others added that it was great to hear “to hear a slightly different side of the brothers genius”, and that was “a journey of emotion” to listen to.
Continuing to reflect on his brother’s life, Alex said previously: “I was with him from day one. We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic.
“Later, 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. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”
Van Halen disbanded in 2020 following Eddie’s death. They entered the Rock & Roll of Fame in 2007, and had released 12 albums in the period from their 1977 signing to 2020, with the Van Halen brothers the two constant members of the band throughout their career.
It was recently revealed that Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Cornell, and Joe Satriani almost joined Van Halen, with Alex telling Rolling Stone that he and Eddie had met Ozzy with wife and manager Sharon Osbourne to lay out plans for him to record an album with the band.
“When you get a dog, you don’t expect it to be a cat,” he told the publication, noting that the brothers were open to the implications of the former Black Sabbath frontman joining their band. “When you get an Ozzy, you get Ozzy. Play the music, he’ll sing, and it’s gonna be great.”
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