in 2020
we said goodbye to one of the all-time
greats of rock and roll
another legend taken too soon dutch born
eddie van halen had an enormous
impact on american music and the
electric guitar
[Music]
and that's why we're taking this
opportunity to dive into the watch mojo
vault
and revisit some of our favorite eddie
van halen moments and memories well how
can we have decent instruments we don't
really even know how to play
that is why we need eddie van halen
what's your favorite van halen moment
or how about your favorite van halen
song of all time be sure to let us know
in the comments below
there will be a whole lot of guitar talk
later on this list but before we get
there let's take a look at another
instrument eddie could riff on
the keyboard here he is at number three
on the top 10 songs that make you want
to jump
just a few months before the pointer
sisters production this rock song is
what you might call a classic
of the genre in fact jump is so
inherently sublime that it's become a
staple of sporting hype songs
all over the globe
[Music]
just look at david lee roth in the music
video and tell us that he doesn't know
exactly what's on our minds
it's just a beautiful slow buildup of
emotion that fuels the soil while
stretching the soles of your sneakers
[Music]
oh and then comes that solo and even
more synthesizer
when you plan on revolutionizing the
electric guitar you can't just use any
old stratocaster
wedged in alongside greats like bb king
and angus young
eddie's acts of choice was a must-have
for top 10
iconic guitars of all time proving the
guitars can be more than just the sum of
their parts
guitarist eddie van halen built this as
the name implies
frankenstein's style from a 50 rejected
body
and an 80 neck ed then gutted a pickup
from a gibson 335
and the bridge from a 50s vintage fender
stratocaster
and shaped a vinyl record into a
makeshift pickguard the guitarist
was also responsible for the guitar's
paint job whose black white and red
shades give it its iconic look
you've definitely never seen a guitar
like this before
everyone knows that iconic intro from
hot for teacher and it would not have
been possible had it not been for
eddie's older brother
alex on drums and fun fact this would
not be the last van halen family member
to join the group
as in 2006 eddie's son wolfgang joined
as the group's bassist
with that in mind they were a no-brainer
addition to the top 10
musical siblings
[Music]
brothers alex and eddie van halen grew
up in a musical household
their dad jan was also a musician and
passed on his passion for music to his
sons
[Music]
alex eventually took up the drums while
eddie chose the guitar luckily the two
lads get along just fine with each other
while everyone else
well not so much
[Music]
the band has gone through three lead
singers and a bassist
while the van halen name has been cursed
with lineup changes the original
brothers still enjoyed enormous success
[Music]
if you're watching this video there's a
pretty good chance you're a hardcore van
halen fan
so you probably already know that david
lee roth was not the only front man for
the band
and while i assume there are tons of die
hard sammy hagar fans out there
it's kind of hard to compete with the
swagger and stage presence of david lee
roth and
eddie van halen and that is why we had
to include them on our 2016 list
of the coolest rock vocal guitar duos
taking cues from black sabbath this duo
wreaked havoc on the la scene long
before bands like motley crew and guns
and roses would do the same
and while david lee roth and eddie van
halen were known to party in their prime
certainly as part of their pop culture
image every rock critic and devoted fan
understands the essence of what made van
halen tick
pure brilliance on the mic and pure
mastery on league guitar
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
not only is eddie van halen regarded as
perhaps one of the best rock guitarists
ever
nobody compares to the extravagant
showmanship of david lee raw
[Music]
there's some debate over eddie's
classification as a shredder among the
guitar community
considering that genre is largely
instrumental but
when you consider how popular techniques
like tapping
whammy bar dives and pinch harmonics
became after his time
there's no doubt he fits that
description here he is at number three
on the top 10 most insane
shred guitarists
while some trace the roots of shredding
to uli john roth alvin lee or richie
blackmore
van halen's debut album in 1978 is
widely viewed as its watershed moment
when it crossed into the mainstream
eddie van halen and his contemporary
rival the late randy rhodes
were far more than mere shredders but
eddie van halen's instrumental solo
masterpiece eruption off their debut
album would forever tie van halen with
the technique
and propel him amongst the all-time
greats
[Music]
do you get it now the guy was pretty
good at guitar however that wasn't so
well established yet back in 1978 when
their debut album van halen was released
but that all changed in a matter of
minutes and that is how he ended up at
number two
on top 10 guitar albums of all time
sure the poses were watching david lee
roth but the cool kids were all watching
eddie van halen although techniques like
string bending tapping pitch harmonics
and playing stupidly loud had been
around for decades
no one quite put them together like
eddie van halen did
[Applause]
using a hot rodded marshall app and his
now infamous frankenstrat on tracks like
running with the devil
ain't talking about love
and jamie's crying eddie double-handedly
reshaped electric guitar playing for the
next
decade the critics may have been
underwhelmed but with 10 million copies
sold
fans including jimmy page certainly were
not
[Music]
there's one song that usually comes to
mind when discussing this axe man's
legacy
i'm not going to tell you what it is but
here's a hint volcanoes
but seriously this solo to end all solos
was part of what made van halen's stage
shows and tours
so exciting if they made a stop in your
city you could bet that at some point in
the night the lights would dim
a shadowy figure holding a cigarette
would emerge and melt
all the faces in the joint we've been on
tour since march
and i have no better time any time than
right now because i get to go sit down
have myself a nice cold one and listen
to the greatest rock and roll guitar
player in the world mr eddie van gaal
you can't have van halen without eddie
van halen and that is how he cracked the
number two spot
on the top 10 banned guitarists and keep
in mind we had to fit jimmy page in
somewhere
he burst onto the scene with his
drumming brother alex and
co-founded one of the biggest hard rock
acts in american history
eddie van halen revolutionized guitar
playing with his tapping technique and
hard rock style
[Music]
there's no doubt that eddie van halen
leaves behind a legacy as a rock
god so how are you doing is your face
sufficiently melted
did these tunes have you dancing in the
street or yelling jump
be sure to let us know in the comments
below who you think we should profile
next
see you next time check out this other
recent clip from watchmojo
and be sure to subscribe and ring the
bell to be notified about our latest
videos
[Music]
you