Eddie Van Halen said he would have liked to record with Joe Cocker, praising the British singer’s vocal power. The unrealised collaboration matters because it illustrates Van Halen’s interest in working beyond his own band’s line-ups and genres.

The article contrasts Cocker’s distinctive, expressive style with Van Halen’s hard-rock sound, while noting Eddie’s successful partnerships with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. Van Halen named Cocker as the other vocalist with whom he would most like to make a record, but the project never happened; Cocker died in 2014 and Van Halen in 2020.