Oooooh, someone is taking on an Eddie Van Halen guitar piece are they? You have my interest…

Back in the late 70s music was in danger of going stale. Punk was a flash of defiance from the youth that had built up from the early part of the decade in the USA at a societal level, exploding in the mid 70s in the UK with a more politically charged focus. Disco was mainstream, and the post-punk New Wave was barely getting going. Into this mire of directionless panic stepped four young men with a goal. Van Halen.

Van Halen. People always think of that synth-led 1980s anthem Jump. A lot of folk don’t know – and this is their loss – that Edward Van Halen was an innovative player who helped create the Hollywood Metal scene that spanned the 1980s. In fact, Van Halen led it, inspiring the Motley Crues, Ratts and Bon Jovis of the world.

From their early days, the track Atomic Punk stood out. Eddie‘s guitar work, with that crazy buzz-saw effect of slashing his guitar pick up and down his strings, added to brother Alex Van Halen‘s drums and the jaw-dropping synchronicity with muscle-man Michael Anthony‘s bass playing, all laid the groundwork for the madcap frontman David Lee Roth to caper, leap high, and scream like a whistling kettle during his breathless performances. Far heavier than Jump – or what came after. This is a challenge to master.

Medusa Glare have, thankfully, stayed true to the structure and orchestration of the song. Recorded at Roundhead with that most omni-present among the omni-present of producers Scott Seabright twiddling the knobs and dials (mastered at Kog by Chris Chetland) we have as close to the original timbre of the instruments as we’d want too. And thankfully Medusa Glare can play, so they have hit the performance side of it out of the park.

Vocally, of course, we’re going to get a different performance to Roth‘s but this one works just as well. With Medusa Glare being a rock band, we’ve got vocals that come from that family, with a vocalist who understands what it needs to sound like. This is where critical thinking comes in when considering releasing a cover: can we make this a tribute? Can we make this with the effervescence of the original? Can we make it instantly identifiable but still make it ours? That is where deciding on a cover for release can fall over. Medusa Glare has captured this song, stuck true to the essence of it (that riff is legendary), and made it their own version.

I hope the guys do this live, as it kicks ass. You’ll definitely enjoy it if you pop online to the Spotify store and give it a listen. Why don’t you do that? This is a great cover. Well done Medusa Glare. You continue to release quality.