10 Most Underrated Band Members

10. Michael Anthony - Van Halen

For anyone even remotely interested in Van Halen, it all really comes down to the two brothers or David Lee Roth. While Roth had a charismatic stage presence that was unmatched in rock history, Eddie Van Halen's guitar prowess wrote the new handbook of rock guitar for the next generation. Each member brought innovations to their respective instruments that Michael Anthony tends to look more like a sideman than anything else.

On the other hand, Anthony's musical chops are what gave the band their distinctive character. Sure, there was perfection coming from Eddie's amplifier, but the low ending provided by Anthony's bass playing gave the band that all-important groove. To put it bluntly, Eddie's tapping riffs were essential, but if the song didn't have Anthony's bass laying down the pocket, it wouldn't mean a damn thing.

Even more important than Anthony's nimble fretwork were his backing vocals, which gave the band almost a second lead singer. There's no denying Roth's natural frontman mannerisms, but Anthony's soaring backing vocals help propel the melody of the song. It almost felt like 3 different melodies would be coming through at once from Anthony's backing vocals, Eddie's guitar, and Roth's lead. While he may now have been replaced with Eddie's song Wolfgang, Van Halen is still missing one of its integral puzzle pieces.