Happyheadbanger's Van Halen playlist-Remembering Eddie (1955 -2020)

 Post #389

Eddie Van Halen...

That name has meant so much for generations of music fans and musicians for such a long time. Eddie's name-sake band Van Halen, have been in the fabric of pop-culture practically since they first hit the scene in the late 1970's. Eddie's innovative and flashy playing style caught on almost faster than his fingers on the fretboard! With their debut album releasing in 1978 the timing was perfect for inspiring the next decade of rock guitarists, and Eddie was certainly a key influence on the 1980's 'Hair Metal' era. I wrote another post, years ago, 'The Lost Disciples of Eddie Van Halen', about some of the lesser-known guitarists from this era.

Growing up in the 1980's, it sometimes seemed that Eddie Van Halen was everywhere. There were several popular movies that made reference to Van Halen, and some to Eddie specifically. I'll never forget in Back to the Future, where Marty McFly uses a cassette tape labeled 'Edward Van Halen' to convince his teen-aged future-father George to take Loraine to the dance, or else he would 'melt his brain'.

Then, in the 90's, the movie The Wedding Singer, set as an 80's throw-back romantic comedy, incorporated the mid-80's break-up of Van Halen into the film's plot.

But my favorite pop-culture reference to Eddie Van Halen has to be in the opening scene of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure where Bill and Ted have an extended, circular debate about how to get Eddie to join their band, Wyld Stallyns. There are certainly many, many more of these references in our TV, Film and other media- Eddie was truly a cultural icon!

Here is the clip from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure:

When I heard the news that Eddie Van Halen had passed away on October 6th of 2020, I felt the loss of this phenomenal artist, who had graced rock and roll's legacy with his unique and inspiring sounds for decades. 

So at a time when all the radio stations, or streaming services, will continue to play the best-known songs by Van Halen, I will take a moment and give you a deeper sampling of the artistry of Van Halen- my personal favorites. These tracks dig a few layers deeper than those you may be familiar with. Of course I'll probably have some picks here that overlap with the staple-hits, but hopefully I can also guide you to some songs you may have forgotten, or overlooked, or truly never heard before. And if you should make new favorites of some of these, then I have helped you better appreciate one artist's talent, and the mark they leave on this world will have grown by another degree.

Enjoy these recommended Van Halen tracks:

-Out the Window (Edward Van Halen- from his score for the film The Wild Life)

-Mine All Mine

-Atomic Punk

-Hear About It Later

-Judgement Day

-Dirty Water Dog (Here is a favorite from the overlooked Van Halen III album)

-Somebody Get Me a Doctor

-Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

-Up For Breakfast

-In a Simple Rhyme

-Unchained

-Top Jimmy

-Inside

-Cathedral

-Humans Being

-In 'N' Out (Don't assume this is innuendo, the lyrics are about financial strife)

-Blood and Fire

-Me Wise Magic

Last but not least, I saw this video soon after Eddie's passing. It became an instant tribute to the legend, and features several rock celebrities. The guitarist of Satchel of Steel Panther. Here's the cover of "Unchained".