This week, we are posting a little late. Yesterday, October 6, 2020, marked the passing of master guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. Best known for the band that bares his name, he also had a huge cameo project with Michael Jackson.
In 1982, Eddie answered his phone,”What?”, “Who is this?”, “I don’t know anyone named Quincy.”
It was Quincy Jones calling to ask him to work on the recording of “Beat It”, what would become a major hit off of the mega- album Thriller. Pete Townsend had been offered the gig but couldn’t do it. He recommended Eddie, and Eddie did it for free.
This seems to be the best recording out there, the video quality isn’t very good; this was the 1980’s.
Cut to the good part:
Steve Lukather tells the story to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
(skip to ~4-5 min in to get to “Beat It”)
Eddie’s creation: Frankenstrut
And of course, there is this:
Past Songs of the Week
The Observations of Jaco 