EDWARD VAN HALEN
JANUARY 26, 1955-OCTOBER 6, 2020
The news arrived upon my phone via a message from a dear friend.
Immediately after reading the note, I clicked over to a news source to gather the confirmation that I really did not wish to read. Edward Van Halen, guitar virtuoso extraordinaire and member of Van
Halen, the iconic band that bore his name, passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was only 65 years old.
Now, as quiet as it had been kept as the Van Halen family, from actual blood relatives to band members, did not reveal terribly much to the music press or public at large, it was already largely known that Edward Van Halen had battled cancer for many years and that, in and of itself, was factored on top of the decades of substance abuse he had endured and recovered from. In many ways, Van Halen's passing did not contain the same amount of shock as when David Bowie, Prince and Tom Petty all passed away in such a wind extinguishing surprise.
But that being said, none of the impact of the news was any lessened, tragic, and devastating. For Edward Van Halen, like any of our heroes, was a figure that seemed to be superhuman because his gifts, talents, discipline and performances were superhuman and the level of inspiration that followed is unquestionably immeasurable. Like the aforementioned artists and so many others that came to stardom during my formative years, they are indeed reaching the time when mortality is evident and once their ends have been met, I feel the loss powerfully. For they are all inside of me. For they are all figures who helped me t understand myself and my place of existence within existence. For they entertained me, enlivened me, inspired me and enraptured me. Edward Van Halen was yet another seismic figure who has been a part of my life for over 40 years of my life and the world instantaneously felt so different from the day before the news was shared solely because he is no longer living and breathing along with me.
My introduction to Edward Van Halen, and the band that bore his name, arrived to me at the age on 10, when I was either in 4th or 5th grade in 1979. I was listening to Chicago's
WLS-AM when the song burst through the speakers like musically inspired rays of sunshine.
The opening cowbell, guitar riff and drum pattern set off the tune into a groove that was nothing short of delightful but also contained that rock and roll grit that spoke to my soul. It felt like it was made for strutting down the school hallways (and I would gather for older kids, designed for cruising the high school parking lots) and when the vocals kicked in, all gusto and Pied Piper bravado, I was certain that I was listening to a new single from KISS...or was I? I couldn't put my finger on it but it did indeed sound like KISS but decidedly not and truth be told, the further the song played, I was just swept away by the joyousness on display as those heavenly backing vocals implored me to "Dance The Night Away." By the end of the song, I was a fan and after the DJ announced the band's name, I never forgot it.
While for so many listeners, the entry point to Van Halen was indeed the stellar, spectacular debut album "Van Halen" (released February 10, 1978), which itself featured the game changing "Eruption" (more on that later), and therefore, solidifying Edward Van Halen as one of the greatest guitar heroes to walk the planet the mere moment his fingers hit the six strings, my entry point to the band was through the singles released, every one of them an absolute joyride, filled with the superior musicianship, crisp songwriting and glorious production that ensured the band sounded like no one other than themselves from the very first notes played.
From the end of my 5th grade year and all of the way through Middle School, Van Halen was there for me as they were all over the Chicago radio FM dials. "Beautiful Girls," their roaring cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me," the fire and brimstone "Runnin' With The Devil," "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love," "Jamie's Cryin'," and of course "And The Cradle Will Rock..." (complete with my Mom's deathly side eye glance whenever the line "Have you seen Junior's GRADES????" was uttered) were as fully digested as the concert footage I would see of "So This Is Love?" and "Unchained" as well as the bizarre, cartoonish, and vaguely sex fetish fantasy filled music video of "Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman" and I LOVED every single one!!!
There was no question in my mind that Edward Van Halen was a Herculean guitarist but that was not yet what I had clued into. For Van Halen was a full band that represented a crucial point in rock music during the late 1970's and early 1980s as the hard and prog rock of the era was being forced to reckon with the rise of punk and New Wave, and also with funk, R&B and disco, all of which were vying for our collective attention.
Miraculously, Van Halen circumvented every trapping, cliché and genre and essentially became the precisely right band at the right time. Melodically rich and beautifully loud, Van Halen carried a certain aesthetic that was not too far removed from a band like say Cheap Trick, a splendid blending of power pop, hard rock and theatricality combined with that rock and roll gang attitude that suggested choirboys who copiously drank the communion wine and told dirty jokes in the church vestibule. And despite the now legendary internal tensions within the band, these were four men on top of the world who looked like they were having more fun than anyone else alive and that included their rapturous audience and legion of fans all of whom consumed with Van Halen's boundless energy and joy.
Their personas were set as larger than life figures and integral members of the gang of four. The anchor of Michael Anthony's bass guitar work and the astonishing counterpoint of his exemplary high harmony vocals, the swagger, swing and splash of Alex Van Halen's percussive attacks (clearly he is one of rock's most underrated drummers and even moreso, nobody else captures his specific snare drum sound) and undeniably, the circus ringmaster showmanship of the mighty "Diamond" David Lee Roth were all figure stones surrounding the dynamic tornado that sat within the core of the band's vortex...the inimitable Edward Van Halen.
While all of this was clear for me to witness, it did, however, take one album, complete with an entirely unexpected creative risk, that solidified everything I had already loved and then, crystalized it into a new entity where I could firmly understand what had been happening all along while also witnessing where they were going.
I turned fifteen in January of 1984 and the memory is as present as ones just created moments ago. I remember that the basement in my parents' house had just been replaced and on the day the work was fully completed and ready, I returned home with a copy of
Van Halen's "1984" (released January 9, 1984).
Even though my birthday had occurred shortly after the album's release, I remember it being a gloomy to intense time at home as my grades had not lived up to my parents' high expectations, and therefore, trust needed to be re-earned and copious eggshells were walked upon from my end as any movement that seemed to suggest that I was not taking my education seriously would result in more of my parents' combined disappointed, exasperated fury. For whatever the reason, while I was still emotionally tied up in knots, my parents were in oddly good moods but I didn't trust it for they could return to stark disciplinarians in a nanosecond. I ventured down to the basement and our family's stereo system, which I had long commandeered as my own as I used it the most. I placed the album upon the turntable and the needle descended to the spinning vinyl...
I swear, it sounded as if Blade Runner emerged and fully engulfed my basement in sound as the synthesized instrumental "1984" overflowed from the stereo speakers and enveloped the room!!! I was absolutely lifted, a sensation that increased tenfold by the arrival of the now iconic synthesizer fanfare that opens "Jump," the very song that inspired me to venture out to purchase what would be the first Van Halen album in my collection, as well as deeply inspire my desire to get a synthesizer of my own!
Over the duration of the album, everything clicked as never before and in doing so, I listened more closely and constantly as I had taped the album and listened to it over and again while at school, the music serving as the perfect soundtrack for the life of a fifteen year old boy trying to navigate his way through adolescence.
It was then that the magic and majesty of Edward Van Halen spoke to me so firmly and completely. And while for me, the key was the synthesizer and not the guitar, everything on display throughout that glorious album (the band's sixth) alerted me to what had been occurring over the previous five albums. Van Halen was a band that bridged the gaps between hard rock and heavy metal (especially giving birth to the "hair metal" bands that they themselves deftly disassociated themselves with) while also unapologetically embracing pop and songs that demanded that you get up and dance (their cover of "Dancin' In The Streets" is transcendent to me).
But this time, I could hear Edward Van Halen louder and clearer than ever and it was as if my head split apart with the full realization, that actually continues to reveal itself to me even to this very day. Over the band's first six albums, Edward Van Halen's playing encompassed hard rock and heavy metal certainly, But, he was exceedingly far beyond just being a flamethrower. He was pop music. He was art rock. He was dance music, as well as soul and funk. I would even dare say that he was jazz and I absolutely proclaim that he was classical and orchestral (if you do not believe me, I dare you to listen to violinist Niccolo Paganini and not hear the direct connection).
And yet, for all of his heroics, virtuosity, agility, dexterity and acrobatics, Edward Van Halen was a team player as a guitarist, as he always played to the song itself when he could have easily soloed off in to the next galaxy, leaving his bandmates behind. Perhaps that is why he never created a solo album (sort of...more on that later). Perhaps, he enjoyed the comradery of being in a band, creating and playing together making every element of the song sparkle to its finest sheen.
Edward Van Halen was a player of extreme tastefulness. Even when he did take a solo piece like the serene "Cathedral" from "Diver Down" (released April 14, 1982), the lullaby of "316" from "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (released June 18, 1991), the glistening electric sitar piece "Primary" from the controversial "Van Halen III" (released March 17, 1998), or the fluttering, dizzying "Spanish Fly" from "Van Halen II" (March 23, 1979)everything was tailored to the song, delivering everything it absolutely needed, no more, no less. Even with the aforementioned "Eruption," a track that is indeed the most magnificent calling card that one could ask for, it makes its statement in less than two minutes and honestly, did you need anything more than what he gave in that song?
Of course, Edward Van Halen was not the first guitarist to utilize the whammy bar or the tapping technique. But absolutely NOBDY performed it in the way that Edward Van Halen achieved. "Eruption" revolutionized the way we heard the guitar and for that matter, it revolutionized the way we though that we knew the instrument it could even be played. In sound, the song for me felt like the climax of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), most notably, the sequence of being hurtled through the center of the interstellar vortex complete with all manner of psychedelic lights, colors and sounds and keeping with the astronomical metaphor, "Eruption" was THE BIG BANG!
For as dizzying and as dexterous as it sounds and must have been to perform, it also just sounds like so much fun!!! Like the act of playing the guitar can be so fun and free and it could sound like that! Not to suggest that it would be easy because clearly it isn't. But, it felt like we were hearing Edward Van Halen unfiltered and consumed with unabashed (once again) joy! It is a song of discovery and possibility and in doing so, generations of people were then inspired to pick up a guitar and try to discover the possibilities for themselves. And then, with "Jump," he achieved the same feat all over again but with the synthesizer, as generations of listeners--including myself--instantly wanted to know how to play that fanfare and go on the journey too.
This particular quality I think is what endeared Edward Van Halen to us rather than keep us at arms length via his skills, techniques and peerless abilities. Every song was an invitation. Every performance was inclusive. Yes, I think he wanted to dazzle. But, on an exceedingly greater level, I also think he wanted to inspire!! To open the doors of discovery and possibilities in the universe of music to all of us and hopefully, we could see what he saw in what he so obviously loved and treasured himself.
And we could see everything in his playing, an act that existed in the purest form of the verb itself. Edward Van Halen, above all else, played and he encouraged and invited us to play along with him.
And I was ready, more than ever, to see, hear and experience wherever he and the band would take me next.
I was seventeen when the sea change within Van Halen occurred as David Lee Roth departed the band and Sammy Hagar, already a long established solo artist, accepted the invitation to join forces with the band. Regardless of the on-going debates upon who was better suited for the band, I remained firm in my devotion and for me, this new phase of Van Halen ascended to even greater heights.
Despite the clear skill of their respective and collective talents as songwriters and performers, Van Halen upon to this point had existed as something akin to being the ultimate party band. Something dangerous, reckless, somewhat dirty and moved at the speed of light without blinking. But now, with Hagar, the band over time evolved.
Sure, there may be a faction of Van Halen fans that never would wish for the band to do something as horrific as mature. But they did. Of course they never truly discarded the raucous hijinks and dirty jokes, but as the band remained with me throughout the remainder of high school, the entirety of my college years and well into my post-college young adulthood, it felt as if the band was growing with me as songs developed a romanticism, a yearning and even a spiritual quality and deliverance that was not present in the early years.
While we still had the likes of "Poundcake" the Zeppelin stomp of "Cabo Wabo" and the spectacular "Source Of Infection," we were also given "Dreams," "Mine All Mine," the downright Beatle-esque "When It's Love," "Right Now," and two particularly striking songs that would never have existed during the Roth era and also could only emerge through the aging process, the mystical "The Seventh Seal" and the emotionally shattering "Feelin'" from the band's darkest effort "Balance" (released January 24, 1995) their final effort with Hagar, also due to internal tensions.
The albums grew in length, songs expanded revealing wider sonic canvases and extended instrumental passages. And in Hagar, who possessed a stronger singing voice and an actual range, Edward Van Halen was therefore allowed to play even further, building the solos intro grander territories and weaving them intricately into especially greater layers of his superb rhythm playing, one of which for me was his work on "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)," in which the brittle, savage tone of the riff combined with the mounting fury of the track's multiple solos brings tears to my eyes.
In doing so, and utilizing cinematic terms, Van Halen, and Edward Van Halen in particular, went from 70MM Dolby into IMAX!
Just as with the early years, Edward Van Halen's playing was dictated by the song itself, not a series of solos looking for a musical frame work to bond with. While the Roth era songs were tightly constructed, packing so much bang for the buck, so to speak, the four Van Halen albums of the Hagar era afforded Edward Van Halen with a much larger canvas on which to musically paint and express himself, and the result deeply spoke to me, enthralled me and as always, inspired me. The arrangements became more complex while not sacrificing the significant wallop and roar we had come to expect and the guitar layers grew more elaborate and even lyrical without sacrificing what made him so much fun to experience.
Again, Edward Van Halen was playing with sound and texture, wit nuance and dynamics in ways that grew from album to album, making it clear that he was not interested in existing as just the guitar gunslinger. Edward Van Halen proved over and over again that for all of his flash and style, he was a musician...a musician's musician...albeit one who never left his fans and listeners behind and spiraled off into some arcane sense of artfulness. No longer the kid, he had long grow into manhood with all of the trappings of what it means to become and adult. Yet, that grin--the one that combined the bad boy with the kid in the candy store enthusiasm remained. And moreso, the innocence that exists within play.
He was still discovering and in doing so, he always invited us into his journey.
By 1998, I was nearing the age of thirty and Van Halen was making yet another transition, albeit one that proved to be as controversial as it was, as far as I am concerned, was necessary. Sammy Hagar had departed the band and a possible reunion with David Lee Roth had fallen through. And so, highly improbably, the decision was made to have
Gary Cherone, former lead singer of
Extreme, join the band and like the bulk of the Van Halen fan community I am certain, I was extremely skeptical after hearing this news. But, I figured that the band must have clearly known something that I did not and that the choice was made for a reason and I would just have to wait to hear the results for myself.
"Van Halen III," titled for this third phase in the history of the band, was met with more than its share of derision critically, from the fan community and even album and concert ticket sales. In fact, one fan site apparently loathed the album so completely that they decided to wipe out the album's existence from the band's discography upon their fan page (the dangers of the fan community--I'm looking at you
Van Halen News Desk). And even so, for me, and despite some flaws, I have a deep affection for this album, which is easily the one album in the band's discography that houses the greatest creative risks, and in some ways, it is the album that feels as if we are receiving Edward Van Halen at his most unfiltered, relentlessly inventive and innovative and ultimately, absolutely free.
This may be a strange interpretation of that album especially as the band certainly was not coasting upon their considerable legend. Van Halen most definitely did have something to prove with Gary Cherone's arrival and also for being an aging hard rock band in a world where hip-hop had become the dominant musical force. They were worlds away from the ebullient hedonism of the classic early years and the more straight ahead yet expansive, high charting arena rock of the second era, and somehow, "Van Halen III" stood out, and for many listeners, not in the best light.
Granted, aside from "Without You," radio friendly material was not apparent. As during the Hagar era, songs expanded in length and textures, also a factor in keeping material from easily reaching radio airwaves. Lyrical content also grew to being more serious And admittedly, Gary Cherone's vocals did often drift into the "elephant balls" category, but in his defense, he had something hefty to prove and I cannot blame him for swinging for the fences. But, here is where I would hope that those who dislike the album, even the ones who vehemently detest it, would at least try to give it one more shot as "Van Halen III" is the album where Edward Van Halen swung for the fences unlike ever before.
Earlier, I had made mention of the fact that Edward Van Halen had never made a solo album. That being said, "Van Halen III" is quite possibly the closest to a solo album that we would receive from him, even though it remains a band album. For starters, Michael Anthony's presence was greatly diminished as he performed on only three songs while Edward Van Halen performed all of the bass guitar parts for the remainder of the album. Unafraid and unchallenged by his bandmates with what to just try and utilize to create the songs, the rewards, as far as I am concerned, were over-flowing.
Just regard how he stalks through the brooding "From Afar," only to emerge and spiral upwards through a glistening ping-pong solo. The guitars sound positively liquid upon the appropriately named "Dirty Water Dog," while he extends himself brilliantly at his most bluesy on the nearly nine minute Zeppelin styled lament, "Year To The Day." And the surprises to me continued to arrive in the astoundingly wistful nostalgia of "Josephina" and he still allowed himself room to roar on the ferocious and politically tinged "Fire In The Hole" and "Ballot Or The Bullet" (which throws in a spectacular slide guitar solo).
Yet, above every other track on the album the one that truly showcased the depth and breadth of his skills was the keyboard driven, seven minute plus dream world of "Once," during which he reveals an extended solo of superb texture, nuance, and dare I say it, a certain maturity that only arrives with the aging process. It is a solo that feels to be so untethered to the past while simultaneously ascending from it. In some ways, he sounded as if he entered whatever realm the late Frank Zappa existed within as a guitarist and exited as his equal.
And yes, there is the album's final track, the six minute plus piano ballad confessional "How Many Say I," on which Edward Van Halen takes his first lead vocal, sounding not terribly far from something you might hear from Roger Waters and definitely like nothing one would ever expect to hear upon a Van Halen album.
Again, for an album that was deeply experimental and had a new lead singer to get ourselves used to, for many fans that song was the final straw and it was rejected outright as it just wasn't what Van Halen was perceived to always be. For so many, Van Halen is not a band designed to evolve...although they did. They were the ultimate party band and "Van Halen III," in particular, was the album that clearly possessed no interest in delivering that particular band. Yet, it was not confrontational by any means. In fact, it was demonstrably sincere and earnest, more qualities that are not associated with rock and roll hedonism, and especially for a band that began their career runnin' with the devil. But for me, however, Edward Van Halen remained as ingratiating as he ever did as he truly seemed to be lost in the wonderment of his own playing, discovering just how far he could go and inviting us along for the ride.
Sadly, too many did not wish to take the trip he undertook and with unexpectedly diminishing returns this time around, Gary Cherone departed the band amicably and Van Halen went dormant for the following 14 long years, their longest hiatus since their 1978 debut.
In 2012, I was 43 years old.
Van Halen, having been completely out of the spotlight for over a decade had not diminished my love for them, although, I was increasingly feeling that perhaps the possibility of any potential new sightings would be more slim to none by this stage. So, imagine the massive surprise from fans, myself included to receive the news that Van Halen would not only return for a new album and tour, but that original lead vocalist David Lee Roth was officially back in the fold while Michael Anthony was out, therefore making room for Edward Van Halen's son Wolfgang (who joined the band at age 16 yet was 21 by 2012) to enter as the band's new bassist.
"A Different Kind Of Truth" (released February 7, 2012), the band's twelfth album is now, definitively the band's final effort and in many ways, it feels as if the Van Halen story had arrived full circle with this work.
The reunion with Roth had finally given longtime fans exactly what they had been wising for for decades and the result was quite possibly the band's loudest, hardest, heaviest, most aggressive album with any sense of pop chart leanings and artistic extravagances (it sounds as if there is barely a keyboard on the album, and song lengths are now tightly concise) stripped away in favor of an army of ferocious guitars firing away in feral yet meticulously arranged songs that pummeled dynamically and showcasing that Edward Van Halen had lost absolutely none of his flash and fire in all of the years away. In fact, he sounded even
more powerful.
On a more existential level, "A Different Kind Of Truth" is an album of booming thunder and blinding white lightning that feels very much to suggest that these men (save for Wolfgang, of course) are raging against any sense of going quietly into that proverbial good night as we are hearing performances at their most searing. Edward Van Halen's playing, in particular, felt akin to an audio speedball, hitting harder and faster while maintaining that prodigious amount of quicksilver melody, flow, tastefulness and forever adhering to the often pummeling demands of the song itself.
While reportedly, tensions remained with Roth, it was unquestionably to anyone with a pair of eyes to witness how over the moon Edward Van Halen was with being in a position to play music with his family, most notably, directly alongside his son. The family affair aspect of this incarnation and period of the band provided Edward Van Halen, and all of us listening and watching, another opportunity to lose ourselves in the relentless joy of this band, while leaving us awestruck all over again.
Looking back upon this period of the band, it was a win-win scenario for all involved, I would imagine. The fans received their greatest wish, the return of David Lee Roth as well as a re-invention of the signature sound created during the band's first six albums featuring Roth. The album and ensuing tours were grand successes as well, making the escapade a victory lap for the band. In short, the "party band" was back but as we all know too well, parties weren't meant to last forever.
Since 2015, the world of Van Halen became silent. There were hushed stories floating around the internet about Edward Van Halen's supposed declining health. But then, his son Wolfgang would post a photo of himself and his Father or the man himself would post an image. Nothing that would necessarily confirm or deny the rumors but just a little something to let all of us who loved him know that he was still with us, always armed with his trademark smile that always felt as welcome as the very smile you would receive from your best friend.
Certainly, the fan community would often speculate what the next move within Van Halen would or could be and in doing so, the endless yet passionate debates between Roth era VS. Hagar era fans raged onwards. It even seemed for a quick moment that even Michael Anthony would return for a potential tour of the original band in full, but that came to pass as rapidly as it was uttered.
Speaking solely for myself, I continued to hope for a Van Halen album unlike any other previously released: an instrumental album featuring only the Van Halen family: Alex, Wolfgang and Edward. In fact, the only mention of any new music arrived from Wolfgang, as he has been preparing his debut solo album for some time, one on which he will sing every note and play every instrument himself. As I (still) eagerly await to hear what Wolfgang Van Halen will emerge with, I still held out that maybe Edward Van Halen was not as ill as had been hinted and maybe, just maybe, he could return one more time, in some capacity.
But it was through the on-line notification from Wolfgang himself that confirmed what I believe all of us never wished to be true, even if we had suspected, due to what we did know of his health issues. Edward Van Halen, one of the greatest figures to ever hold a guitar, was no longer of this Earth with the rest of us.
Despite the devastating nature of the news and this new reality, the passing of Edward Van Halen feels so unreal to me, mainly because even as he aged, he always seemed so youthful, so childlike as he functioned as the embodiment of what it means to play. This is not to detract from his discipline, his diligence or his dedication to his craft, skill, artistry and talent. Not in any conceivable way.
I just think of the actual definition of the word "Play," which according to Merriam-Webster is a "free or unimpeded motion" or from Oxford Languages, "an activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, rather than a serious or practical purpose." Again, I am not suggesting that Edward Van Halen never took the guitar seriously or did not actively decide to utilize his talents for the practical purposes of starting a band and then, build his professional life as a working musician. I am speaking to the spirit he exuded when he performed. And when he picked up a guitar, Edward Van Halen knew how to PLAY!!!!
It was that very sense of PLAY that attracted his sound to my spirit. It was that very sense of PLAY that kept me coming back always wanting to hear more as well as hearing everything I had heard allover again. It was that sense of PLAY that made me wish and dream that maybe I could play the guitar too--and if not he guitar, then my drums or a piano or keyboard or anything at all where I could discover my own sound, whatever it may be...even if my sound happened to be the written word.
For all of his Herculean gifts, there was something about Edward Van Halen that felt to be so approachable. Perhaps it was all in his name, especially when we all called him "Eddie." A name of such familiarity and non-formality that it could only be said in friendship and in turn, it kind of always felt like it was received in that way as well. Edward Van Halen, for all of his legend and iconic status, felt as down to Earth as our best friends, a crucial element that makes his passing so difficult to fully regard and accept for who wishes to say goodbye to their best friend?
Two more observations...
First, after the news was released and I began to formulate my thoughts, I realized that I have almost never heard the man speak in all of these years. Even now, I have a vague notion of what his speaking voice actually sounded like as interviews I had seen with him were typically in print. And regardless of his fame, recognizability and even as tabloid fodder during the 1980's and 1990's, as well as that aforementioned sense of approachability, there was also a large element about the man that was mysterious and foreign. He never went out of his way to ensure that he was noticed, at least through any sort of celebrity. In fact, I remember one interview in which he described himself as being the "quiet one" in the band. I mention this now because I think for Edward Van Halen, I firmly believe that it was always and only about the music and to that end, if we wanted to hear his voice, all we had to do was to listen to him PLAY.
Furthermore and honestly, as I think of him now and how my friends and I would speak of him, it was always and only music related. To this day, I vividly remember the vehement arguments that occurred in the high school hallways at the time when it was announced that Sammy Hagar would join the band after David Lee Roth's departure. I remember one friend practically shouting, "It's David Lee Roth's band!!!" to which another friend rebutted just as passionately, "It's Eddie's NAME!!!!" And that was the camp I firmly planted myself within. Not David Lee Roth's or Sammy Hagar's, Gary Cherone's or any other singer, with no disrespect towards any of them.
For me, Van Halen, as a band, would cease to exist only when Edward Van Halen decided to either depart or end it, for without him, there is no band. And...with a heavy sigh, I have to admit that it does feel more than fitting that out of every member that existed within that band ever since the 1978 debut album, Edward Van Halen was the first to pass away. Resurrecting the band without him is unthinkable and unfathomable. It just does not exist without him.
Last thought...I return to "Eruption" right now as I have been re-listening to it and now, the song sounds different to me. In a sense, it kind of sounds like Edward Van Halen himself and the impact he made upon the world in his lifetime. The song, and therefore, Edward himself, feels like a comet, a ball of fire blazing through our atmosphere, all stupendous heat and majestic, mind-blowing light, appearing in a flash and then, just as suddenly, it is gone.
Thank you, Edward for being our rock and roll comet, the one who made us take immediate notice and held us enraptured and inspired us to reach skywards.
PLAY ON...
EDWARD VAN HALEN
REST IN POWER
