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Thriller 40th Anniversary

Alex Van Halen has revealed that he’s still bitter over his brother’s decision to play on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”
It was 1982 when Eddie Van Halen, guitar god for the biggest band in the world, was approached by producer Quincy Jones to play on Jackson’s song. Eddie knew that doing so would break a Van Halen band rule regarding outside work, but he decided to take the gig anyway, much to the dismay of Alex.
“Why would you lend your talents to Michael Jackson?” the drummer declared during a recent interview with Rolling Stone, his first since Eddie's death. “I just don’t fucking get it.”
Eddie’s solo on “Beat It” became one of the most identifiable guitar riffs of the ‘80s, rivaling anything he recorded with his own band. Alex saw it as treason.
“And the funny part was that Ed fibbed his way out of it by saying, ‘Oh, who knows that kid anyway?’” the drummer recalled. “You made the mistake! Fess up. Don’t add insult to injury by acting stupid.”
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ultimateclassicrock.com

Alex Van Halen: 'I Just Don’t F—ing Get' Why Eddie Did 'Beat It'

Alex Van Halen expressed anger over his brother Eddie Van Halen's decision to play on Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' in October 2024.
ultimateclassicrock.com ultimateclassicrock.com
 
‘beat it’ would have been a hit with or without eddie van halen. the guitar solo was only a small portion, that didn’t make or break the song. it’s just more rock snobbery. much like billy joel’s comments about ‘we are the world’. there’s a real ignorance among a certain demographic about michael’s legacy pre ‘thriller’. they act as if michael was a nobody who just got lucky. his career actually predated a lot of theirs.
 
83magic said:
‘beat it’ would have been a hit with or without eddie van halen. the guitar solo was only a small portion, that didn’t make or break the song. it’s just more rock snobbery. much like billy joel’s comments about ‘we are the world’. there’s a real ignorance among a certain demographic about michael’s legacy pre ‘thriller’. they act as if michael was a nobody who just got lucky. his career actually predated a lot of theirs.
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This 👆

Eddie did a decent piece of work, it's a bit showy, a bit predictable, too much 'shredding' for my liking but ... whatever. Yes, it's become a really famous guitar riff but ... so what? Not saying it wasn't a clever move on Quincy's part, bringing in an established rock guitarist. We all know the story and it does make sense.

Alex van Halen is probably just playing the media game, complaining about this precisely bc he knows it'll get him the coverage and headlines he wants. Fine. Knock yourself out, mate. But he sounds like a brat throwing his toys out of the pram. 🙄
 
zinniabooklover said:
This 👆

Eddie did a decent piece of work, it's a bit showy, a bit predictable, too much 'shredding' for my liking but ... whatever. Yes, it's become a really famous guitar riff but ... so what? Not saying it wasn't a clever move on Quincy's part, bringing in an established rock guitarist. We all know the story and it does make sense.

Alex van Halen is probably just playing the media game, complaining about this precisely bc he knows it'll get him the coverage and headlines he wants. Fine. Knock yourself out, mate. But he sounds like a brat throwing his toys out of the pram. 🙄
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this is very timely
 
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