Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 06/09/2026 7:17:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
"So many people copied him"
two side by side pictures of Eddie Van Halen (left) and The Jesus And Mary Chain's William Reid (right) performing live on stage Eddie Van Halen and The Jesus And Mary Chain's William Reid perform live. CREDITS: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty (L), Dave Simpson/WireImage/Getty (R) The Jesus And Mary Chain guitarist William Reid has said Eddie Van Halen “ruined rock guitar”, labelling him one of “the worst guitar players in the world”.
Reid criticised the late musician during a new interview with Stereogum, where his brother and bandmate Jim Reid was asked about a new generation of bands being influenced by shoegaze music.
“Shoegaze, I’ve got a problem with that just because it doesn’t actually exist. ‘Cause it was some clown at the NME made that up,” he responded.
Jim went on to discuss his own guitar style and his instinctive approach to making music. “Not having a lot of equipment actually forces you to be more inventive,” he explained.
“I can play guitar, but only just. It’s kinda deliberate. I play guitar to the level that I need to play guitar. And sometimes knowing too much about making music gets in the way, and it ends up back to Eddie Van Halen again, do you know what I mean?”
William then weighed in: “I think guitar players should never learn scales. I think the worst guitar players in the world, like Eddie Van Halen… I can’t stand Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing.”
Elaborating on his dislike of Van Halen, he continued: “I think he ruined rock guitar all through the ’80s and ’90s ’cause so many people copied him.
“And I just couldn’t get any of that playing as fast as you fucking can and cramming as many notes in one second as you could. And I listen to Peter Hook‘s bass riffs, and I think that’s a thousand times better than anything Eddie Van Halen could ever conjure up.”
This August will see The Jesus And Mary Chain support Hollywood Vampires on their UK headline tour. Shows are scheduled for The O2 in London, the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, the AO Arena in Manchester, and the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. Find any remaining tickets here.
The Scottish group’s eighth and latest studio album, ‘Glasgow Eyes’, was released in March 2024.
Speaking to NME ahead of releasing the record, Jim Reid discussed whether he saw the influence of the Mary Chain in current music.
“I like to hear other people say it really,” he told us. “It’s not like I sit there checking out new bands going, ‘They’ve been listening to us’. It’s nice when you get name-checked, it’s always nice, it always has been. That was the point of the Mary Chain at the beginning.”
Last year, Slayer’s Kerry King listed Eddie Van Halen among who he believed to be the best guitarists. Following the latter’s death in 2020, aged 65, NME hailed the musician as “a fire-fingered colossus”.
“Famed for popularising the ‘tapping’ technique that revolutionised heavy metal and credited with placing the genre at the heart of the American mainstream thanks to the 80 million album sales of his band Van Halen, he was considered amongst the greatest guitarists in history, the man who turned the fine art of the guitar solo into a firework display,” the obituary continued.
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Here’s another shoegaze band you might like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwe1HbS2lSc
mmmm Someone has an unhealthy fixation on Eddie Van Halen.
They guy says he can barely play but contends the other guy ruined guitar playing. gimme a break!
Regadless what you think of VH (or EVH), that's so hyperbolic it's silly.
WTF is he talking about? I’m not into Van Halen, but Eddie’s talent was unmistakable.
CC
IOW, he can't effing play, so he hates on those that rule Guitar God Elite. Dude, just say you don't like metal, I mean, I used to not like old country, but I know that Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, and Roy Clark were virtuosos and respected their talent and influence. And they were rapid note players as well. Didn't appreciate jazz til later on either, but I wouldn't ever say Al Di Meola and Pat Metheny sucked ass. Jealousy and envy are not very Jesus-like, or even Mary-like, for that matter. If it wasn't for grunge being called alternative, I would have never heard of these cats; the only reason I've heard anything by them is when I play a 90's alternative playlist on Apple Music. And they suck. From their Wiki:
"That's why we started using noise and feedback. We want to make records that sound different." They began playing live in early 1984. In the early days William Reid's guitar would be left out of tune, while Dalglish's drum kit was limited to two drums, and Hart's bass guitar only had three strings, down to two by 1985; in Hart's words, "That's the two I use. I mean what's the f^$%!ng point spending money on another two? Two is enough." That's talent, gang.
Basically punk retreads that stole from the Ramones, then glommed on to a more soft-Pumpkins style later in the 90's. And still sold less than a million records after 8 releases. VH sold more than 10 million copies in the United States of their debut album alone, receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and making it one of the best-selling albums in the country. I don't go out of my way to hate on stupid bands that over emphasize their importance, but this one pissed me off. Rock and Roll rant done.
He didn’t name his band after Jesus, Mary, Joseph, or anyone else religious. So there was no sham about his music.
Eddie Van Halen didn’t ruin anything, but if you think he was fast (which he was), just listen to Shawn Lane. He was one of the greatest guitarists most people have never even heard of. As an example, near the end of his song ‘Get You Back’ he plays some arpeggios that sound nearly impossible to play, but they’re not just acrobatics, they actually sound good and serve the song musically.
I never cared much for Van Halen either - I’ll take Zappa over anyone as a guitarist. But saying he was not good is just stupid - millions of people consider him one of the greats, so great he was. As has been said - everyone has their own opinion and standards - this goober’s opinion is at the far left tail of the curve.
Suggest you listen to "Spanish Fly", and acoustic number off Van Halen II. He also plays a great slide acoustic on "Could This be Magic" from Women and Children First, and as for drama, that album again has a great example of dramatic chord progression and build up on "In a Simple Rhyme". Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work on that song is restrained and atmospheric, while the arrangement is unhurried, making it a reflective closing moment on a record known for its high-energy anthems and the power chord virtuosity of "Romeo Delight". Hell, that whole album is a great example of Eddie and the band's progression musically with a diverse sound set.
I didn’t see yngway malmsteem on that list (though I just skimmed it, but did a word search on page and didn’t see it)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=98itlclVUss
Saw him open for acdc and was blown away.
That opinion puts you so far ahead of that loser, and most pop music retards, that you have my respect as a Van Halen diehard.
Thanks. I like it.
I have to give credit to Gen-Z for rediscovering the genre and bringing it back.
I did.
He’s over rated.
If you want to hear a great guitar listen to Walter Trout, Jimi Hendrix or Duane Allman. Even Clapton, especially with Cream.
I can see the point. When singers cram multiple notes where one belongs, ruining the tempo but massaging their own egos, it pisses me off (Maria Carrey, Whitney Houston, etc.). But music, like art, is perceived differently by everyone.
Later in life I developed appreciation for the more minimalist guitar approach, like Lindsey Buckingham's brilliant work on "The Chain".
I listened to several of this guy's songs and got the impression of The Ramones...on barbiturates.
Check his work out on this:
Sometimes a simple , minimalistic approach is best . This guy in J&MC admitted he was not a good guitarist . I agree with him that guys like Van Halen are overrated and over-mimicked . Speed isn’t everything . Eddie gets ranked higher by “ experts “ than say Chet Atkins for chrissakes ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EgB__YratE
I like some of the “ shoegaze “ bands such as Cocteau Twins and Spacemen 3 .
EVH was probably the most technically virtuosic player who could also write a great pop song.
You can’t compare EVH with Adkins, for anyone to try and rate one over the other shouldn’t be calling themselves an expert. Different genres, different styles, both incredibly influential and talented. Ironically, Adkins fast picking style was initially rejected by traditional country music lovers of the time, “he plays a bunch of notes so fast”. Anyone that casually dismisses EVH as overrated and uses Jimi, Allman, and Clapton as examples is stuck in a get off of my lawn view of music. All were huge influencers and talents, especially Jimi. I don’t particularly care for reggae, but I think that Marley was one of the best songwriters of his time. I hate 80s new wave, but recognize that Gary Neuman’s arrangements were ahead of the time. You don’t have to enjoy something or someone to appreciate talent, think Tom Brady.
Buckingham’s “I’m So Afraid” was such a personal statement for him. YouTube followed that up with a version done many years later “Live from Boston” (that whole show’s a keeper), and you can see how mental illness had changed him as he veered into some dark Clapton-esque territory.
For all their fame and fortune I feel far better off unwealthy with intact sanity. For the most part LOL.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.