Sammy Hagar, former Van Halen vocalist, shared insights about Eddie Van Halen’s musical capabilities in an interview with Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown.
The interview revealed how David Lee Roth’s tenure allegedly constrained Eddie Van Halen’s musical versatility, especially regarding keyboard-based compositions.
“As artists, Eddie and I were really capable of doing a lot of stuff that he couldn’t do before me because the other guy (David Lee Roth) didn’t want keyboards,” Hagar said.
Hagar described his early experiences with Eddie’s musical range after joining the band.
“When I walked in the room with Eddie, he showed me two guitar songs when I joined, on ‘5150’ — he showed me ‘Good Enough’ and he showed me ‘Summer Nights’. Those are two riffs he had. Then he went and sat down at the piano and started playing all this stuff. And I’m going, ‘Whoa. What?’ He starts playing to riff to ‘Dreams’. He’s sitting there playing ‘Love Walks In’,” he recalled.
Hagar elaborated on Eddie’s unrealized potential: “He’s just playing all these things on keyboards, and I’m going, ‘Whoa, I had no idea he was that good of a keyboard player.’ So, he really wanted to expand as a musician. To me, I think that’s what his dream would’ve been. The record companies and the people around him always held him back. I think we would’ve broke out of that within a year and start doing some really crazy stuff.”
Eddie Van Halen’s keyboard journey began before Hagar joined the band. This marked a significant evolution in Van Halen’s sound.
Research from New Directions in Music revealed Eddie’s first major keyboard experiment in 1980. He created a unique sound on “And the Cradle Will Rock…” by running a Wurlitzer electric piano through his Marshall amp.
The band’s musical direction shifted significantly during the transition from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar. Van Halen evolved toward a more polished, commercial sound. The albums ‘1984’ and ‘5150’ showcased their increased use of synthesizers and keyboards.
A report from American Songwriter highlighted Eddie’s deep musical roots. His classical piano background shaped his guitar technique. This foundation particularly influenced his famous tapping style.
The hit song “Jump” in 1984 represented Eddie’s keyboard mastery at its peak. The track’s iconic synthesizer solo marked a crucial moment for the band. It demonstrated Eddie’s melodic talent on both guitar and keyboards. This achievement set the stage for the keyboard-oriented sound that would characterize the Hagar era.
