Van Halen broke a band rule to play on Beat It

[Hot_Street]

When Jones first tried recruiting Van Halen for the project, he was given a gruff response. “This is Quincy Jones,” Paich recalled the conversation starting. “Yeah, sure,” Eddie responded, “and he hung up on him.
Eventually, Van Halen was convinced that it truly was Jones giving him a call. Yet he was reluctant to participate. “Ed didn’t want to do it at first because Van Halen had a no-session-band rule,” Paich explained. “You can’t play on other people’s records.”
Van Halen agreed to take part anyway, then added his own flair to “Beat It.”
“I listened to the song, and I immediately go, ‘Can I change some parts?’” Van Halen said in 2012. “I turned to the engineer and I go, ‘Okay, from the breakdown, chop in this part, go to this piece, pre-chorus, to the chorus, out.’ Took him maybe 10 minutes to put it together. And I proceeded to improvise two solos over it.”

Eddie Van Halen Broke a Band Rule to Play on 'Beat It'

David Paich recalled how Eddie Van Halen broke a band rule to play on Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' during a December 2023 interview.

ultimateclassicrock.com

 

[hasnain321]

Quincy Jones' attempt to recruit Eddie Van Halen for the project faced initial resistance, with Van Halen skeptical about the call. Despite being convinced, Van Halen hesitated due to a no-session-band rule. Eventually, he agreed, bringing his distinctive style to "Beat It." Van Halen not only played the song but also proposed changes, showcasing his musical prowess with improvised solos that added a unique touch to Michael Jackson's iconic track.

 

[Jaburu]

Thats a demo I would love to hear. The "demo" on YT obviously isn't the demo