Jesus, Eddie Van Halen is dead.
The wind’s been knocked out of me. What? Eddie Van Halen is gone, and with him, one of the last crouton-crumbs of my salad days has been swept away.
Arguably the most influential rock musician of my generation, definitely the most influential rock guitarist since Hendrix. As with Hendrix, an electric guitar in Eddie Van Halen’s hands breathed like a living, sexual being. It sputtered, stuttered, moaned, seared and soared.
Eddie Van Halen was the driving force behind the most omnipresent, most iconic band of my youth. A band that never lost favor, a group associated with – but never relegated to – the generation that it energized and entertained… though their albums were designed for car stereos and boomboxes and rack systems, with the biggest floor speakers one could afford.
The ultimate party band, led by a virtuoso guitarist who could duel with any orchestra’s violin soloist. But it’s one thing to have the technical skill to be able to play incendiary solos and compelling riffs, it’s quite another to compose them.
Eddie Van Halen was an icon of icons, literally setting the tone for rock in the 1980s. But most importantly, he was a composer of timeless music; his choices of chords, of notes, of twists and turns – of calls and responses – were incredible. The guy was another Mozart. This is my favorite composition of his, the greatest rock n roll song of my lifetime.
- Steve Stav
