By the second half of 1984 the original Van Halen dream was fading fast; but their album named after that year was one a hell of last gasp and proved to be their final record with David Lee Roth before the dawn of the Van Hagar era. But that final year of the classic lineup also witnessed a one-off occurrence for Eddie Van Halen outside of the band; he played Beat It with Michael Jackson onstage.
By then the song and Eddie's guest guitar solo had been in the collective consciousness of popular music for two years, and it had lost none of its impact, hitting the No.1 spot in April of 1983. The Van Halen guitarist's histronic solo wasn't so much jaw-dropping as beamed from another reality. It remains a feat of prowess for pretenders to this day but back then the idea of Eddie performing it live with the biggest popstar in the world seemed a pipe dream.
