“Everyone should do that at least once”: the Peter Gabriel song Eddie Van Halen adored
The 1980s was a strange time for music. It was the period when commercialism and art converged forever, with the shows bigger, the pyrotechnics more elaborate, and the hits even more omnipresent due to the proliferation of MTV. Eddie Van Halen was one figure who enjoyed immense success during this era, seamlessly straddling the line between metal god and pop juggernaut.
Van Halen’s roots took shape in the 1970s. He was particularly inspired by Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Iommi, the two progenitors of metal guitar playing who made their names at the outset of the decade. Furthermore, he broke through with his eponymous group at the end of the decade, with their first two records arriving in 1978 and 1979, respectively. However, it was in the 1980s that he finally blossomed into the storied cultural behemoth that he is today.
Emerging from the happening Los Angeles scene, Van Halen put a grooving and technically proficient spin on the metal blueprint, earning himself legions of followers due to the remarkable essence of his approach. Despite his use of all-encompassing dive bombs, searing two-handed string-tapping and metallic textures, his appeal was immense. By the end of the 1980s, everyone from children to boomers would be aware of his work.
While moments such as ‘Eruption’ from Van Halen’s 1978 debut distil his prowess as a player, one of the guitarist’s ultimate triumphs was the way he crossed the threshold, which he did by scoring a number-one hit with his band’s 1983 anthem ‘Jump’. Famously, he also became a household name when he worked with the biggest star of the era, Michael Jackson, on ‘Beat It’, delivering one of his most well-known solos. This appearance made rock a newly attractive genre for the throngs of pop-loving musical philistines; it was no longer just for mulleted, vest-wearing brutes.
That’s the fascinating thing about Van Halen: he was a paradox. From his playing to his cultural standing, many aspects smoothly conjoin that, in other cases, would be total juxtapositions. This was also reflected in his musical taste. While he is inextricable from metal, you could also say the same about the pop world, with one of his favourite albums coming from this area. 1986’s So by Peter Gabriel, another widely prominent star in the decade, was a record that the late maestro held dear.
His son, Wolfgang Van Halen, discussed this when listing his favourite albums for Classic Rock in 2023. Listing So, he explained it is one of his ultimate go-to’s because it was also one of his father’s who showed him the record. He deems it Gabriel’s finest and maintains that it is hard to listen to it now that his father isn’t there, as it strongly reminds him of him. Significantly, he also noted that the guitar hero loved the opener ‘Red Rain’ more than any other found on So because of its pioneering nature.
The younger Van Halen said: “This is one of my favourite albums because it was one of my father’s favourite albums of all time. I’ll never forget him coming up to me one night with these huge headphones and going, ‘Wolf, put these on.’ And he put the headphones on my head and cranked the first song, ‘Red Rain’. The soundscape of it is incredible – everybody should do that at least once in their life, put an amazing pair of headphones on and crank ‘Red Rain’.”
The bass-playing Van Halen is correct; So is a masterpiece. The songwriting is excellent from start to finish, with ‘Red Rain’ typifying its brilliance. Despite its yuppie appeal, it was the moment that art-pop boundaries were pushed even further, no matter what people might say about ‘Sledgehammer’.
Listen to ‘Red Rain’ below.
