Van Halen introduced a musical style that was entirely unfamiliar to listeners when they first emerged. It was influenced by the hard rock sound that was popular at the time and was created by bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. However, these bands played in a different style and approached the riff in a way that was so unconventional that it almost seemed like a new genre.
Eddie Van Halen became well-known for being one of the world’s greatest guitarists. This was due to both his inventiveness and his skill, both of which were abundant. He used tapping and shredding techniques on the guitar in a groundbreaking manner. It ceased to be a sporadic gimmick and was employed to create instantly recognisable riffs.
The music was undoubtedly intense to listen to and even more so to dance to. David Lee Roth became aware of this when he first began performing with the group. For a man who loved R&B and soul music, Lee Roth often focused his performances on movement and groove. As a result, he began closely critiquing the band’s movements to ensure that both he and the audience could move to the performance.
When comparing the band to himself, he remarked, “The only thing white I wanted to hear was the drummer from Sly and the Family Stone. The Van Halens were all Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple.” It struck the ideal balance.
The Van Halen brothers and Lee Roth were able to support one another in figuring out how to form the band and what kind of music they wanted to play because of their divergent musical tastes. Van Halen’s music was very heavy, which eventually drew listeners in. However, Lee Roth was able to add something that made the band radio-friendly and popular all over the world.
“You got to get smooth because no one could dance to their stuff. So, it becomes an exhibition like looking at a statue at a museum,” he remarked. You won’t meet any girls who are like that.
To “get smooth” with their music, Lee Roth had a strict approval process for the band’s songs. He had his own public address system. Whenever they finished a draft of a song, he would run it through the system. This ensured the song would make people eager to dance whenever it played in a pub or in the background.
Van Halen had the chance to make a mistake early in their career and produce something unlistenable with such experimental music. However, because of the diversity of tastes in the group, they were able to refine their sound. This led them to produce something fresh yet approachable.
