10 Most Underrated Cover Songs In Hard Rock
8. Ice Cream Man - Van Halen
Van Halen's early songs are part of the foundations of modern rock. Throughout their first few records, each tune had the potential to be a single cut. Though they may not have needed to include cover material on their records, the band blew up other people's tunes to absolute mammoth proportions.
Most fans of the band are probably quick to point out the band's take on "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, but the real charm comes towards the tail end of their debut with "Ice Cream Man." This take on an old blues tune by John Brim starts off as a bit of a novelty tune, with most of it dominated by David Lee Roth strumming away on his acoustic guitar. Once the band comes in though, the track is given a pure shot of life, with Eddie Van Halen providing the ideal companion to Roth's vocal ad libs.
As soon as the solo kicks in, Eddie delivers some of the most intense fretwork of his entire career, as he stretches his fingers to lengths that leave many guitarists with tendinitis. Even when not performing their own stuff, this song perfectly captured everything that was great about early Van Halen.