The website Yardbarker is about to get some serious love from Van Halen fans.
Staff writer Jeff Mezydlo just posted a list of the 25 underrated band members he feels deserve more love and Michael Anthony placed at the very top.
Mizydlo set up the list by saying, “Not everybody in any prominent band will receive their just due. That does not mean they are any less a contributor to the success of those groups. Here’s a look at some notable performers who probably have been underrated during their careers.”
Here’s what he had to say about Anthony:
We know about the brothers Van Halen, “Diamond” David Lee Roth and then Sammy Hagar, but the band’s bassist during its classic lineup(s) does not get as much credit as he should. Those high-pitched background vocals found in many Van Halen hits, all Anthony. Plus, who can forget his legendary baseline from ” Runnin’ With The Devil.” Plus, he was perhaps the most down-to-earth member of the band.
Here’s the rest of Mezydlo’s list. You can read his entire article HERE:
2 Roy Bittan (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band)
3 Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
4 Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
5 John Deacon (Queen)
6 John Entwistle (The Who)
7 Ace Frehley (Kiss)
8 Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)
9 Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
10 George Harrison (the Beatles)
11 Topper Headon (The Clash)
12 John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
13 Alex Lifeson (Rush)
14 Ray Manzarek (The Doors)
15 Mick Mars (Motley Crue)
16 Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
17 Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon)
18 Gina Schock (The Go-Go’s)
19 Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
20 Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
21 Ralph Tresvant (New Edition)
22 Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones)
23 Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney)
24 Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)
25 Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
Jeff Mezydlo has written about sports and entertainment online and for print for more than 25 years. He grew up in the far south suburbs of Chicago, 20 minutes from the Mascot Hall of Fame in Whiting, Ind. He’s also the proud father of 11-year-old Matthew, aka “Bobby Bruin,” mascot of St. Robert Bellarmine School in Chicago. You can follow Jeff at @jeffm401.