In the mid-1970s, Los Angeles was brimming with up-and-coming rock bands playing clubs like the Whisky a Go Go and the Starwood. For seasoned musicians and industry insiders, these venues were goldmines for discovering raw talent. On one fateful night in 1976, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons found himself in the Starwood, looking for a band called the Boyz. Instead, he stumbled upon a group that would go on to redefine rock music: Van Halen.
Simmons recently shared the story on The Adam Carolla Show, recalling his first encounter with the band—and how he tried to launch their career.
“All of a sudden, I hear something symphonic, almost like ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ by The Beatles,” Simmons said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), describing the moment he first heard the band playing. But when he looked down, he saw something unexpected: a single guitarist producing what he had assumed was the work of multiple players.
“When it first comes on, you go, ‘What is that?!’ Y’know, three-part harmony. And I go up, and I guess, ‘There must be three guitar players playing this stuff.’ And I go to the edge of the railing up there, ‘Hey man, how are you doing?’ A lot of ‘Hey man”s.”
“And I’m looking on the stage, there’s only one guitar player doing that stuff, one great bass player, killer drummer, and this great looking guy with long blonde hair, bare-chested, doing acrobatics. I said, ‘What is that?’,” Simmons recalled.
That “great-looking guy” was none other than David Lee Roth. The guitarist? Eddie Van Halen. Within three songs, Simmons knew he was witnessing something special. He didn’t waste time: “And within the first three songs, I was backstage, and I convinced the guys to sign with me on Man of 1000 Faces, my production company, and I flew him to New York. On my dime.”
Simmons was so enthusiastic about the band’s potential that he even helped shape their look: “I bought Dave Lee Roth his first, I don’t know, high heels or whatever, leather pants and all that. Because I want them to audition for Aucoin, our manager and all that. But before then, decide to go into Electric Lady and do 15 songs, a 24-track demo using a guy named Dave Whitman who mixed Humble Pie and all that legitimate, y’know, stuff.”
Among the songs on that demo was an early version of “House of Pain.” According to Simmons, it was a powerhouse track: “And one of the 15 songs was a song called ‘House of Pain.’ Now, for all you Van Halen fans, this is not the ‘House of Pain’ that they eventually wound up recording. This is the original version, which bears no resemblance. In fact, that song under the name ‘House of Pain’ was never recorded, and it’s a steamroller. I can’t believe that the band never used that. So that’s the version we do live. And I’m telling you, as soon as it starts, it’s like zero to 60.”
Interestingly, Simmons’ memory of that song’s fate isn’t entirely accurate. While Van Halen did record a version of “House of Pain” for their iconic “1984” album, the final product had different lyrics and arrangements than what Simmons helped produce.
But even with Simmons’ backing, Van Halen’s fate took an unexpected turn. Aucoin Management famously passed on the band—a decision that has gone down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in rock history.
“I take the tape and bring it up to our manager, Bill Aucoin, at the time, and Paul Stanley, my partner for forever, who is in the office and playing the tapes. And I’m just going, ‘Wow, this thing sounds great!’ And, ‘Listen to that stuff!’ They didn’t get it. I said, ‘You guys should listen to me. Let’s take this band out. They’re going to be the next big band!’ They didn’t get it,” Simmons remembered (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
“So, I did I think the ethical thing, and I told the Van Halen guys, ‘This contract that you signed…’ I tore it up. ‘You’re free to go. You don’t have to pay me a dime. I believe in you. We’ve got to go out on the ‘Love Gun’ tour. I’ll be back in six months. If you don’t have a deal by then, we can take a look at it. But ethically and morally, for six months, I’m not going to be able to work your record and get you a deal,” Simmons added.
Despite that rejection, Van Halen would go on to sign with Warner Bros. Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1978. The rest, as they say, is history. But what if Simmons’ efforts had paid off? Could Van Halen have taken an even faster route to stardom?