It’s unfortunate that Eddie Van Halen never left us with any more music, considering how long he was on this planet. Even though he collaborated on some amazing albums with Van Halen and occasionally appeared as a guest on other people’s records, there was so much going on in that musical brain that scientists could likely continue to study it for years to come. We were denied the opportunity to hear the real Eddie Van Halen solo album right before David Lee Roth left the band.
However, it’s difficult to imagine Eddie releasing a solo album in the middle of the 1980s. Since he named his band after himself, he essentially controlled it. So, working on his solo project wouldn’t be all that different.
Roth was also responsible for many of Eddie’s well-known licks becoming timeless songs. Consider a song like “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love.” Although the riff is amazing on its own, everyone is most familiar with “Diamond Dave” slamming on the microphone. Michael Anthony slamming in on backing vocals adds another layer of energy to the performance.
Even though his relationship with Sammy Hagar turned out well, Eddie remembered wanting to form a band that could play any genre. In 1993, he told Guitarist, “When Roth left, it left us going ‘Hmmm’. My intention was to collaborate with Alex and Mike on a solo album featuring various singers such as Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, and Pete Townshend on each track. Van Halen wouldn’t be involved. However, given everyone’s schedules, it should probably be finished now from a logistical standpoint.
Rock and roll schedules can be a nightmare for everyone. However, Eddie could have had a lot of singers who would have gone above and beyond for him. Eddie’s licks are a match made in rock and roll heaven. Especially when accompanied by Robert Plant or Joe Cocker. This stands true outside of the millions of hair metal bands that followed Van Halen’s lead.
However, Eddie had a slightly different plan for his mechanic, who was obviously a rock music enthusiast. Eddie became encouraged to join “The Red Rocker” after he completed a similar car for Sammy Hagar. After obtaining his phone number, they hit it off right away in the studio.
But what would that fictitious solo album actually look like, given the concept? Well, Slash’s current endeavours are probably the closest thing we have to something like that. When the Guns N’ Roses guitarist released his solo album in 2010, he reached out to all of his favourite musicians. This resulted in songs featuring unexpected pairings like Adam Levine and Fergie alongside Chris Cornell and Ozzy Osbourne.
Given the state of guitar music in the 1980s, it’s likely that Eddie could have released a completely instrumental album. He still would have had a successful record sales run. Considering that this was around the time that musicians like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani were becoming well-known, Eddie’s idea of fusing his trademark style with original songs would have given us twelve distinct renditions of “Eruption” for the price of one.
