Posted on 10/08/2020 8:02:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
First time I heard “Running With The Devil” in 1978, I knew I was hearing something unique and new. I bought album the next day and my jaw hit the floor the first time I heard Eruption. I could not believe I was hearing an electric guitar make those notes so fast and so clearly differentiated.
EVH was perhaps not TECHNICALLY the best player, but when combining the whole package — technical playing, originality, use of tech to get new sounds, stage presence, and longevity, EVH makes a solid argument for “GOAT Hard Rock Guitarist”.
Sorry, I’m no VH fan. But I have to acknowledge his obvious skill. It is amazing what he could do with a guitar. If only he’d played real music instead of artificial noise the world, or at least I, would be even more appreciative.
I will say Eddie Van Halen was to guitar what Michael Brecker was to saxophone.
They changed the sound of their implements, but did they change MUSIC?
Not really.
Wow!
Sounds like my cassette tape carrying case in 1977 — although, I also had Rainbow, Rush, and Yes in the case too.
Drop Dead Legs
Oh dang, man, I was right there with you until you mentioned Rush... but, I can’t be too picky. My best friend is a die hard Rush fan and I will cede that the Neil Peart was the GREATEST drummer.
Now, I don’t dislike Rush that much, it’s mostly Geddy’s voice that bugs me.
Now Rainbow and Yes... indeed!
Oh... and totally unrelated, where do you stand on Kiss and Ace Frehley? I am a massive Kiss fan, but I find Ace to be one of the laziest, most uninspired guitar players ever. He’s also a massive jerk when you meet him. (And Gene Simmons is one of the most underrated and overlooked/ignored bass players.)
Sorry but you’re wrong. Many guitar greats recognize he was highly innovative. Adrian Belew, who at the time was working for Zappa and would go on to play for Bowie, and join King Crimson, recognized it right off when he wandered in to see EVH at the Whiskey. He was smooth, he was fast, he was trying new things, he had a deep understanding of the technology and how to manipulate it. He very much changed the world of rock guitar. He moved the posts. Heck even Ritchie Blackmore knows that:
Eddie Van Halen was a brilliant guitarist who started a technique of guitar playing which was emulated by a whole generation of guitarists. He was one of the nicest musicians I ever met in the music business. Very shy and not at all conceited about his ability as a guitar player. Frank Zappa said he reinvented the guitar. I agree. He will be sadly missed but his brilliant legacy will always be remembered. The ultimate guitar hero.
So if Ritchie says EVH was doing stuff he never thought of, maybe you should recognize.
This may be an urban legend, but according to the story, in a magazine interview, Eddie Van Halen was asked, “how does it feel to be the greatest guitar player ever?”, He said, “I don’t know, ask Alex Lifeson”.
I think it’s a race between EVH and Hendrix, as to how many young boys picked up a guitar because of them.
EVH has a lot of patents on guitar technology. He was constantly inventing new tech. He was the ultimate “nerd”, LOL.
He was definitely a musical savant.
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Even before the David Lee Roth departure and Sammy Hagar arrival, the keyboard influence on the album '1984' was foreboding. Eddie Van Halen wasn't limited by his guitar playing but by the singing and songwriting.
Yeah. One of my favorite moments of his came from pre-concert stuff for a show on MTV. Just shows the band hanging around back stage and Sammy says “Eddie can do animal noises on his guitar, Eddie do your elephant” and he does. But what’s remarkable (it’s on youtube if you want to see) is how he does it. Monkeys with the dials and stuff on the guitar, taps a couple of strings, flips a switch and works the whammy bar and strings for this great elephant roar. But the sheer knowledge of how the instrument that goes into this screwing around is amazing.
I laughed so hard at that scene...one of my favorites!
Nice article. Thanks for posting. Thanks for posting the entire thing too.
Can you please make that picture bigger? It’s hard to see on my laptop.
Not much different from when I heard that first rattyazz soundin' album from the Crue.
Damn, we had a great time!!
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Hat's off and a thankyasir ta Mister Ed-ward!! d:^)
"I don't FEEL tardy!"
Eddie was technically proficient but not the most so of his era. His impact was waaaay more than any of those other guys though. He made music that not only wowed you, it grabbed you. Amazing musician that deserves every but of the praise he's getting.
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