RIP Eddie Van Halen

[Dr. Gonzo]

Eddie Van Halen's probably the most influential guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. As a guitar player... this is some pretty devastating news tbh.

I will now be blasting Van Halen albums all day long.

[Harry]

RIP.

I was never a huge van Halen listener but the style is so recognisable. 

[Harry]

This really drives home the time gap since music was consistently amazing.

[Dr. Gonzo]

36 minutes ago, Harry said:

This really drives home the time gap since music was consistently amazing.

Wait... what?

Here's EVH's isolated guitar track from "I'm the One" off Van Halen I... it's pretty incredible & something I want to post on here in this thread now that he's dead:

rest in power Eddie

 

[Harry]

3 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Wait... what?

Here's EVH's isolated guitar track from "I'm the One" off Van Halen I... it's pretty incredible & something I want to post on here in this thread now that he's dead:

rest in power Eddie

 

For me music back then was just bloody amazing and original and great. Music was everything in that era.

These days not so much. Music is not all bad but the 2010's music is just not o on the same level of originality or awesomeness imo

[Dr. Gonzo]

I think this is possibly the best music video ever

 

 

[Mel81x+]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think this is possibly the best music video ever

 

 

What a fucking intro. When I was younger I was convinced at times that this song was done by Steve Vai on guitar and not Eddie. But then I figure you have to be uber-crazy to work with Roth and Eddie takes pole position for the guitar work as Vai was inspired by him.

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Mel81x said:

What a fucking intro. When I was younger I was convinced at times that this song was done by Steve Vai on guitar and not Eddie. But then I figure you have to be uber-crazy to work with Roth and Eddie takes pole position for the guitar work as Vai was inspired by him.

Didn’t Vai play guitar in David Lee Roth’s solo band (which tbh I’ve not heard much of)?

I really don’t know who came first. I think they both started their careers as guitarists around the same time - although I think at that point Vai was transcribing songs for Frank Zappa (another insane genius).

In terms of innovative shredders, I think that period of the late 70s meant EVH, Vai, and Randy Rhodes were all contemporaries of another tbh. But I do think EVH was the first to come out and popularise shredding like a guitar god and make that cool.

I mean this was the second song off their first album: 

I also think Eddie’s contribution to the guitar world just goes beyond being an incredible player...

... he’s pretty much the reason “super strats” were ever made. All from him modifying the absolute hell out of his strat (including changing the neck shape and radius of his fretboard). Grover Jackson, of Jackson guitar fame, developed compound radius fretboards after making aftermarket necks to Eddie’s specs before Charvel/Jackson was really a thing. The modifications he made to his Marshall Plexis were the first step towards the amps he worked to design with Peavey and Fender... the 5150/6505 amps (literally my favourite guitar amps).

In the genre I play... how many times do you see a “super strat” (I bought one)... and the 5150/6505s is an absolute standard if you’re looking at high gain amps.

From my perspective, it’s hard to think of anyone who made more of an impact on guitar, as a player and as an innovator... other than Jimi Hendrix. And probably Les Paul, although I’m not as familiar with his work - but he was a pioneer in the use of delay... and his name is attached to one of the most popular guitars in the history of the world.

 

[Mel81x+]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Didn’t Vai play guitar in David Lee Roth’s solo band (which tbh I’ve not heard much of)?

I really don’t know who came first. I think they both started their careers as guitarists around the same time - although I think at that point Vai was transcribing songs for Frank Zappa (another insane genius).

In terms of innovative shredders, I think that period of the late 70s meant EVH, Vai, and Randy Rhodes were all contemporaries of another tbh. But I do think EVH was the first to come out and popularise shredding like a guitar god and make that cool.

I mean this was the second song off their first album: 

I also think Eddie’s contribution to the guitar world just goes beyond being an incredible player...

... he’s pretty much the reason “super strats” were ever made. All from him modifying the absolute hell out of his strat (including changing the neck shape and radius of his fretboard). Grover Jackson, of Jackson guitar fame, developed compound radius fretboards after making aftermarket necks to Eddie’s specs before Charvel/Jackson was really a thing. The modifications he made to his Marshall Plexis were the first step towards the amps he worked to design with Peavey and Fender... the 5150/6505 amps (literally my favourite guitar amps).

In the genre I play... how many times do you see a “super strat” (I bought one)... and the 5150/6505s is an absolute standard if you’re looking at high gain amps.

From my perspective, it’s hard to think of anyone who made more of an impact on guitar, as a player and as an innovator... other than Jimi Hendrix. And probably Les Paul, although I’m not as familiar with his work - but he was a pioneer in the use of delay... and his name is attached to one of the most popular guitars in the history of the world.

 

Eruption is my favorite Van Halen song and while they are all super in their own mark I think this song in particular showcases the madness of playing melodies in tap fashion which is incredibly insane for its time. It's become more common place now but back then it was so fresh that it blew people's minds when it came out.

As for innovation they all have their places around the guitar spectrum

EVH/Steve Vai/Randy - This is what I like to call the golden era for shredders. There is so much similarity in how EVH and Steve play while Randy's style is mutated from his love for classical music. He's not at the same insanity bracket as Yngwie because you can actually appreciate so much more about Randy's style of music as I get tired of listening to YM after a few minutes but with Rhodes you get that melody 'push' in the middle of the songs with special notes designed to create the disengagement from the main structure to the ends or the solo pieces.

Both EVH and SV changed the landscape of guitars one on the side of pure restructuring while the other went with Ibanez and created what I think is a superb guitar in the JEM series. I read an article on Vanity where Steve and EVH both bonded once Steve left David's band after working with Zappa and Eddie told Steve something to the effect of "I didn't think I'd like you as much I thought I would" haha. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Mel81x said:

Eruption is my favorite Van Halen song and while they are all super in their own mark I think this song in particular showcases the madness of playing melodies in tap fashion which is incredibly insane for its time. It's become more common place now but back then it was so fresh that it blew people's minds when it came out.

As for innovation they all have their places around the guitar spectrum

EVH/Steve Vai/Randy - This is what I like to call the golden era for shredders. There is so much similarity in how EVH and Steve play while Randy's style is mutated from his love for classical music. He's not at the same insanity bracket as Yngwie because you can actually appreciate so much more about Randy's style of music as I get tired of listening to YM after a few minutes but with Rhodes you get that melody 'push' in the middle of the songs with special notes designed to create the disengagement from the main structure to the ends or the solo pieces.

Both EVH and SV changed the landscape of guitars one on the side of pure restructuring while the other went with Ibanez and created what I think is a superb guitar in the JEM series. I read an article on Vanity where Steve and EVH both bonded once Steve left David's band after working with Zappa and Eddie told Steve something to the effect of "I didn't think I'd like you as much I thought I would" haha. 

It’s also crazy to think that Eddie and Randy were neighbors... who sometimes hung out and would go to each other’s shows (when Randy was in Quiet Riot - a band that imo are total shite ). I think Randy & Quiet Riot opened for Van Halen once.

Apparently there was a “rivalry” between them - but according to people who knew both of them, they were mostly friends and it was more of a friendly rivalry.

I don’t really believe in heaven... but the thought of those 2 being able to write crazy songs together in heaven is a cool one that makes me smile.

[Dr. Gonzo]

I’m also going to leave this here... this is a fairly long video from a guy who mostly makes videos for guitarists.

But I think this one of his videos is one even non-guitarists can appreciate & is a pretty great tribute to Eddie Van Halen.