Rest in peace. I was never a big Van Halen fan, or a fan of that rock music. But people have said how his guitar skills were a cut above any others, and for that, you have to credit his commitment to excellence. He will have his place in rock music history.
Go look now on iTunes, VH is dominating.
I've never heard of "Eruption." I've probably listened to a total of 9 seconds of "hair metal" and "guitar shredding" in my entire life -- I can turn it off in a hundred milliseconds. I credit it with keeping my reflexes sharp for these past decades.
As great as his solos were, VH was damn good on rhythm as well.
Just listen to this
I’m the One - Isolated guitar track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd68eSet6jc
Saw the very first tour, they were warm up for Ozzie Osborne and black Sabbath....when Van Halen left the stage we left the arena.
The changing of the the rock n roll old guard to new was obvious and inevitable.
Ahh...bummer man...fk. ok this is a serious drag for me. Eddie....i dont care Eddie is still awesome. 1984 sold out in 2 hours in Albuquerque so they did a 2nd show that also quickly sold out.
Some trivia...The coolest part of Michael Jacksons mega hit song Beat It was the guitar solo done by Eddie. I knew it was him the first time i listened to it closely.
What a drag it is getting old.....
I liked Eddie, thought he was a very good guitar player.
But changed music? Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore were doing this stuff in the 1960s, and Hendrix broadened it. I never found one thing VH did that was novel. Excellent guitar playing, but following others and standing on the shoulders of giants.
Not a knock, just reality.
I was never a big fan of Eddie’s, and I honestly prefer Van Hagar over the early stuff.
That being said, I’d be a fool to deny the impact Eddie had on rock music, particularly metal. (My personal guitar heroes are along the lines of Clapton, Page, and Jeff Beck.) I was very sad to see that he’d passed.
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.
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”.
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Nice article. Thanks for posting. Thanks for posting the entire thing too.
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:^)
4L8r
...the solo EVH came up with was so memorable and well-phrased...
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Thats what separates him from other shredders and virtuosos—he had great taste. Some players just have an instinct for playing lines that grab you. He had it in spades, plus an innovative technical approach that let him express it in a way that was really exciting. He also was one of those guys who could almost “speak” through his instrument; that is, there was no technique barrier between what he wanted to play and his ability to play it. Two other guys that come to mind who had that are Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. Also Danny Gatton but nobody but guitar junkies have heard of him.