Michael Anthony’s favourite Eddie Van Halen solo
No one had a better view of Van Halen than Michael Anthony. From his post as the band’s longest-tenured bass player, contributing to their first 11 albums, he was right there as the group grew from humble beginnings to world domination. With a front-row seat for an intimate look into the creative mind of Eddie Van Halen, his opinion on the guitarist’s finest moment is certainly an expert one.
Michael Anthony was there through it all. From their launch in 1974 through to 2006, when it was announced that Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, would be replacing him on bass during a tense standoff between members, Anthony saw every album session, every tour and even iconic gig. Anthony got to experience all of the moments that music history considers to be the band’s best moments or the crafting of their most electrifying songs in the studio first-hand.
But after decades with the band, playing the same hits night after night, it might be expected that any musicians would grow tired of the tracks or become immune to the effect the music can have. After witnessing Eddie Van Halen’s shredding skills for years, surely it would get less impressive each time. However, Anthony felt the opposite, as his favourite guitar solo remained one of the first he had ever heard the musician play.
“There was basically only one solo that he ever really stuck to, which he played every tour since our first since our first tour, pretty much till the end,” Anthony explained. Typically, the band would switch up the setlist or even change up the actual songs over time so as not to get bored of them. But Van Halen never touched this song.
“The original ‘Eruption’,” Anthony picked out as a top moment for both himself and clearly for the guitarist too, explaining, “Because it was just so cool when he first came up with it, this is before our first album when he’d be playing it.”
Even decades on from its conception, the bassist never tired of hearing the solo and seeing the guitarist shred through it. It was so special to the group that they even became protective over it, seeing the ‘Eruption’ solo as part of their secret weapon as a band. “It was really funny, because when it’d be played on stage and we’d be doing local shows, I know Dave was very vocal about it. He said, ‘Eddie, when you do all that stuff, turn around. Turn your back to the audience because you don’t want any other guitarist seeing what you’re doing’” Anthony reminisced about their early days.
Even back then, the band knew they had something special. Their peers knew it, too, as the group noticed people skulking around their studio, spying on Van Halen’s sound. “It was really interesting because we’d rehearse in a little garage at a friend’s house in Pasadena, California. And there were numerous times where we would take a break and open the door, and there’d be one of Eddie’s buddies or whatever, who plays guitar, standing there kind of listening to what Eddie was playing,” Anthony recalled, stating, “So, even way back then, man, guitarists were on it.”
