Eddie Van Halen's sheer guitar mastery evident in first known live recording of "Runnin' With the Devil"

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      It's been over two weeks since the death of Eddie Van Halen, but his passing is still hard to come to grips with for his loyal fans.

      As far as guitar heroes go, he may have been the most heroic ever.

      The sheer, unshakeable talent he brought to the world of hard rock in the seventies never fails to impress.

      Here's a good example I just came across, an audio recording of what has been billed on YouTube as the first known live recording of "Runnin' With the Devil", the second single from Van Halen's self-titled debut album of 1978.

      Apparently recorded at the Pasadena Convention Centre on May 29, 1976, it clearly shows why the band--featuring a 21-year-old Eddie--would take the world by storm two years later.

      "A little something here that's gonna be on the radio pretty soon," announces David Lee Roth by way of introduction, "if everything goes right with it."

      Everything went right, alright. 

      R.I.P. EVH.

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