Eddie Van Halen - ...and on guitar (2013)

As a tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who passed away on 6th October 2020, at the age of 65, here is a special '...and on guitar' which was put together by correspondent Zach. I didn't realise that he'd guested on quite as many albums as he did, so had passed him by, but this actually makes a really good listen, and also showcases just what a great guitarist he was.

The Van Halen brothers were born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Edward Lodewijk van Halen on 26 January 1955, and Alexander Arthur van Halen on 8 May 1953, and their father Jan was a Dutch jazz pianist, clarinetist and saxophonist. In 1962, the Van Halen family moved from the Netherlands to the United States, settling in Pasadena, California, and both brothers learned to play the piano as children starting at the age of six. From 1964 through to 1967, Eddie won first place in the annual piano competition held at Long Beach City College, and his parents wanted the boys to be classical pianists, but Eddie liked rock music much better, and so when Alex began playing the guitar, Eddie bought a drum kit, but after hearing Alex's performance of the Surfaris' drum solo in the song 'Wipe Out', he gave Alex the drums and began learning how to play the electric guitar. The brothers formed their first band with three other boys, calling themselves The Broken Combs, and it was while playing in the band that he first felt the desire to become a professional musician. In 1972 Eddie and his brother Alex formed another band, and a couple of years later they changed its name to Van Halen, playing at well-known clubs like the Whisky a Go Go. In 1977, Warner Records offered Van Halen a recording contract, and their debut album of the same year reached number 19 on the Billboard pop music charts, becoming one of rock's most commercially successful debuts. By the early 1980's, Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts of the time, and the album '1984' went five-times Platinum a year after its release. More hit albums followed over the next twenty years, and in the down-time between recording them, Eddie engaged in several projects outside of the band, including solo work and partnerships with his brother on film soundtracks, such as 'Twister', as well as musical collaborations with Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Nicolette Larson, Michael Jackson, Brian May, Sammy Hagar, Thomas Dolby, LL Cool J, and a film soundtrack with Roger Waters. Eddie famously played the solo on Jackson's 'Beat It', but as the rest of the guitar on the song was played by Steve Lukather (and also for reasons of space) I've left it off this album, although tracks by all the other artists are represented.  

Perhaps surprisingly, Eddie was also an inventor on three patents related to guitars: a folding prop to support a guitar in a flat position, a tension-adjusting tailpiece, and an ornamental design for a headstock.

Track listing

01 Tunnel Of Love (from 'Gene Simmons Vault' by Gene Simmons 2017, recorded 1977)

02 Can't Get Away From You (from 'Nicolette' by Nicolette Larson 1978)

03 Blues Breaker (from 'Star Fleet Project EP' by Brian May + Friends 1983)

04 Eagles Fly (from 'I Never Said Goodbye' by Sammy Hagar 1987)

05 Eastern Bloc (from 'Astronauts And Heretics' by Thomas Dolby 1991)

06 Respect The Wind (from the soundtrack of the film 'Twister' 1996)

07 If Six Was Nine (from 'Tribute To Jeff' by David Garfield 1997)

08 The Water Sings (from 'Fatherless Child' by Rich Wyman 1996) 

09 Lost Boys Calling (from the soundtrack of the film 'The Legend of 1900' 1998)

10 We're The Greatest (from 'Authentic' by LL Cool J 2013)