Carmine Appice : Yeah. I know from the Van Halen influence, Alex Van Halen told me many times that Cactus influenced them. I never realized how much until I listened to, well, first of all, they told me "Hot For Teacher" was based on "Parchman Farm." If you listen to "Eruption," it's the same thing as the beginning of our song "Let Me Swim." I never realized it, but if you listen to both, there's a chord, then there's a guitar thing, then it goes "Bim, Bam, Bowmmm," it changes the key, then there's more guitar. That's the same intro we had for "Let Me Swim." Exactly. Then there was a part on a song they did with Sammy Hagar that had the same exact solo as McCarty did in "Evil," the second part of the solo. Those were just 3 incidents that I know of. I've got a tape of Van Halen when they were young, before they made it, playing Cactus songs in clubs. Playing Beck, Bogert & Appice also. King's X was influenced by Cactus, they told me personally when I went on the bus when they opened up for Blue Murder. I heard them playing Cactus on the bus, I couldn't believe it. That was the first time I heard something. I know Billy Sheehan was influenced by us as well. Coverdale told me he was influenced by us. I asked Kid Rock to sing on the Cactus record, because I heard he was influenced by us. He said yeah, he'd love to. They all love McCarty. I know numerous times Nugent told me McCarty was his favorite guitarist. They love the work that he did in Cactus. - Click here for the Full Story

Click here to read the full Day in Rock report for 10/09/06

Related News for Cactus

Preview and Purchase Cactus music

.