Eddie Van Halen RIP

February 1983...

I turned 12 at the end of November 1982.  It's weird being born so late in the year, because you're a year behind others of your age, and when people ask me how old I was in such and such a year, I really don't know what to answer!

Eddie with Michael Jackson

Beat It by Michael Jackson was released on Valentines Day, February the 14th, and made a huge difference to the music world.  It made a big difference to me as well!

At the time, I was still very much forming what would become my varied taste in music!  I had been brought up with the music of The Beatles, and the solo careers of them, mostly Paul.  I even remember seeing the news about the death of John Lennon as a recently turned 10 year old in December of 1980!

Steve Lukather & Eddie

More music was added to my personal musical soundscape by this point, mostly through the influence of kids that I was at school with at Broughton House School (for naughty boys) in Brant  Broughton, Lincolnshire (LN5 OSL - I still remember the postcode, because I would write letters to my mum maybe twice a week).

Eddie & Brian May for
the Star Fleet Project

They introduced me to artists such as Iron Maiden, KISS, Meat Loaf, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin.  They had so much more music in their arsenal than I had!  I had seen Top Of The Pops on the television, and remember liking songs by acts such as Blondie, Adam & The Ants, Ian Dury & The Blockheads...  I didn't actually buy my very first single record until Take It Away by Paul McCartney later in 1982, with my copy of Coming Up being bought for me.  I also purchased my very first album in 1982 as well, with the accompanying album to that single, Tug Of War.

David Lee Roth & Eddie

Anyway, we were sat watching Top Of The Pops at school, and suddenly a music video came on - Beat It by Michael Jackson.  The musical backing of Toto behind that really powerful vocal by Michael, and those backing vocals, set to a very powerful almost West Side Story/Romeo & Juliet style story video, and then suddenly *knock knock knock knock*, the roller shutter door goes up on a warehouse, and I was introduced to that iconic guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen, and iconic it is!

Sammy Hagar, Michael
Anthony, and Eddie

Years later after leaving school, I was upping my record, tape collection, and as soon as I hear the debut album by Van Halen, that was something incredibly special.  From the opening Running With The Devil all the way to the closing track On Fire, I think that this is very much a contender for the greatest debut album of all time!  That's got stiff competition, but straight from the gate, so to speak, their debut album says absolutely everything that you need to know.

Tony Iommi and Eddie

With the instrumental piece Eruption, Eddie Van Halen changed the world of rock guitar.  Even though other guitarists had already utilized the guitar tapping technique, Eddie took it and made it into something incredible an game changing!

Steve Vai & Eddie

Incredibly original, with a gift for the unexpected, his guitar playing over the years has influenced so many, including my own guitar playing.  I use guitar tapping in my playing because of him (and Steve Hackett, who I found out years later had used guitar tapping on some early Genesis songs, as did Brian May on the odd Queen song), and his playing has always been something that, to me, said more than a lot of lyricists could say with words!

Rest in peace Eddie, you made a difference, and we will always love you.

September 6th 2020.