by PC Muñoz
Eddie Van Halen captivated the world and transformed rock music with his guitar playing. He didn’t sound like any guitar player who came before him, and virtually all guitar players after him owe him a debt. Some owe him their entire careers.
Eddie’s namesake band was a unique brand of rock juggernaut, especially in its original incarnation with freewheeling beat poet-turned-sexpot-frontman David Lee Roth (DLR) at the mic. The way Ed and his big brother Alex (Dutch/Indonesian immigrants who came to the LA area as non-English speaking youngsters) mind-melded eerily complementary drum and guitar parts was nothing short of staggering, along with the crystalline backing vocals from original bassist Michael Anthony and Ed himself. From those beginnings to the Hagar years, the Cherone experiment, the DLR comeback with Wolfgang Van Halen on bass — I was a fan through all of it.
With his passing today, much will continue to be written about Edward’s dynamic and exhilarating guitar solos— and rightly so. As a funkateer, I always appreciated his propulsive rhythm playing, which drove so many of their songs and helped make Van Halen the most danceable hard rock band of all time. Here is my list of the Top Ten Funkiest Van Halen Tracks — click the song title to listen/watch.
“Black and Blue” from OU812 (1987)
Chunky sludge-funk with a slight nod to “Fire” by the Ohio Players - a song Eddie said the band reportedly played all the time in their cover band days.
“Drop Dead Legs” from 1984 (1984) Head-bobber with a sledgehammer riff.
“Push Comes to Shove”, from Fair Warning (1981)
Sleeper track from the band’s slinkiest album.
“Dancing in the Street”, Diver Down (1982)
This inventive Motown cover features a gurgly synth (foreshadowing “Jump”) and an irrepressible groove.
“Why Can’t This Be Love?” - from 5150 (1986)
Their #1 single breakthrough with Hagar features electronic drums and a slithery riff that lightly recalls “Superstition”.
“Dance the Night Away” from Van Halen II (1979)
Really more joyous pop than funk — but dig that guitar and percussion breakdown.
“Dirty Movies” from Fair Warning (1981)
Brother Alex throws down serious boom-bap on this deep cut.“Jamie’s Cryin’” from Van Halen I (1978)
Funky enough to be sampled by rapper Tone Loc for his megahit “Wild Thing”.
“Finish What Ya Started” from OU812 (1988)
The funk is in the syncopation on this unexpected hit from the Hagar era.
“Tattoo” - from A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
Pulled from the vault of early demos and featuring Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, this thumper showcases why DLR was always ready-made for spoken-word while the revitalized band crackles beneath the shenanigans.
