10 Classic Songs With Killer Guest Stars
2. Beat It - Michael Jackson
When it comes to perfect albums, you'd be hardpressed to find something as classic as Michael Jackson's Thriller. Standing at a tight 9 tracks, the album had so many hooks that over half of the track listing ended up becoming mainstays on the radio. Though Jackson may have been known as the master of R&B, he had a rock and roll soul that was itching to surface.
After Quincy Jones told Jackson that he needed stronger material, he went home and wrote "Beat It," which would be his first crossover into rock territory. While Jackson's backing band at the time was comprised of many of the members of Toto, he knew he needed something a little bit more flashy to send the song into the stratosphere. Enter Eddie Van Halen.
When working on his own band's album 1984, Eddie took time out of his home studio to drop in some lead lines on Jackson's tune. Though the song already had a firm rock foundation, this stands as one of Eddie's greatest solos, where he puts in every trademark of his skill set, from fast tremolo picking to the two handed tapping technique he helped perfect.
Jackson would later try to recreate his rock credentials with Slash a few years down the line, but when looking for a guitar partner, you can't really do much better than Eddie.