Eddie Van Halen’s opinion on The Who

Eddie Van Halen fell in love with Rock and Roll as a teenager in the 1960s, when he discovered the genre and began listening to many English bands that were part of the so-called “British Invasion.” Their songs and albums achieved great commercial success in the United States, where Eddie had immigrated from the Netherlands with his brother Alex and the rest of his family. Throughout his career, he shared his opinions on many of those bands, including The Who.

What was Eddie Van Halen’s opinion on The Who

Eddie Van Halen was a fan of The Who and even once listed their live album “Live at Leeds” (1970) as his favorite album of all time. According to Van Halen’s bassist Michael Anthony, the guitarist could play that album note for note. “When I jammed with Eddie and Alex that first time, they played some of their original stuff. They were going through these time changes, and I’m like, ‘Whoa! What a trip! He could play the whole ‘Live at Leeds’ album, playing it note for note. It was just as good, if not better than Townshend!” the bassist told Professor of Rock

Eddie had previously said that Pete Townshend was an inspiration to him, especially when it came to rhythm guitar. “Pete Townshend was an influence as a rhythm guitarist. (…) It was just the power and intensity, and again, simplicity. You know, nothing was very complicated. Like, listen to ‘My Generation’ (Sings the main riff). Even the later stuff on ‘Who’s Next’, it’s all very power-chord based,” he said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2011. During Van Halen’s early years of success, Eddie said the great bands didn’t rely on gimmicks. They had personalities, and that’s what he wanted for the band’s career, citing The Who as an example.

He said:

“We’re looking at it as a lifetime thing, like the Stones. We’re not out there for the quick buck. A lot of acts burn themselves out by playing all those stadium shows; they overexpose themselves. They just grab the bucks and go for it. I don’t care about money. We need it to survive, but I can survive with whatever, musician soup, if I have to. We put our all into the music and the production. Look at the greats: Elvis, the Who, the Stones — they have no gimmicks. They’re personalities.”

“And that’s what we are, too; or that’s what we need to keep striving for. It was kind of scary when all these bands were doing a glitter trip a few years ago. We had to gamble: Should we go that way or just bet on ourselves? It’s a lot easier to have a gimmick. But if you lay your personality on the line and they don’t like you, you’re gone. So far we’ve gone the personality way, and it’s worked. And that’s how a band lasts — being real. We’re not bullshitting people; we’re not a circus,” Eddie Van Halen told Jas Obrecht in 1980.

Pete Townshend is a fan of his playing and Eddie played The Who songs a couple of times

A few days after Eddie Van Halen’s passing in 2020 at the age of 65, The Who shared a rare video of Van Halen playing “Won’t Get Fooled Again” in the studio with Sammy Hagar back in the 90s. “We can’t let today go by without playing this video of Van Halen in the studio playing some ‘Oo. Not the best quality but the sound is good. R.I.P. Eddie,” the band said. Pete Townshend described him as “master teacher and a guide” for many guitarists.

“I was once asked by Michael Jackson to play electric guitar on the ‘Thriller’ album. I said I couldn’t do it but recommended Eddie, who called and we chatted. He was utterly charming, happy about the connection, but told me how much he was enjoying playing keyboards. His smile was just classic. A man in his rightful place, so happy to be doing what he did. It’s completely tragic that we have lost him. He was not just an innovative and stylish player with great taste. He was also a laidback virtuoso showman who just blew us all away every time. Every shredder today has lost their Master Teacher and Guide.”

He continued: