Pelican Parts Forums - Eddie Van Halen

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[QUOTE=cabmando;11055498]Too bad you found one of the artists that influenced Eddie to be boring. Some of EVH's playing style came from Jimmy Page.
Defend people from my time? If I was doing that, I'd be all over myself for mentioning Jimmy Page because EVH IS from my time. I have tinnitus partly because of Van Halen and partly because those old school Kenwood 6x9's with an amp and EQ pumping Van Halen through them just sounded so damn good. I just have a good grasp of reality and who was truly influential. I'm sure Eddie influenced others as he well should because he was incredibly gifted. But "the most influential"??

Now.... back to Eddie... one of the greats for sure.

Great vid, thanks....

I think that his finger-tapping style on the strings coupled with a distinctive sound / guitar tune set him apart just as Hendrix and Page had in that generation. I'm not a guitarist so I don't know if he 'invented' that or not, but no one can argue that he made it his own.

Further my opinion is he and his band changed rock music like no other contemporary at that time

Quote:

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler (Post 11055678)

If you look into it, his tapping was inspired by him watching Jimmy Page at a concert.
"Van Halen says he was inspired to start doing the finger-tapping trick on a Led Zeppelin concert, where he saw Jimmy Page playing guitar with one hand and having the other hand in the air."

More: "The traditional way to play the guitar would be to use only one hand on a guitar neck. Van Halen started using both hands on a guitar neck and popularized the two-handed tapping technique. This technique erupted thanks to Eddie van Halen’s showcase piece “Eruption” for Van Halen’s debut album."

Eddie is credited with being the creator of the two hand tapping technique.

https://seeitlive.co/van-halen-guitar-tapping/

After living through the disco era, VH was a hell of a breath of fresh air when they started charting. It reminded everyone that rock was going to make it, after all.

Eddie was the most melodic of the guitarists that used/copied his technique. I attribute that to his classical upbringing.

Tapping is the least of his contributions to guitar and really only recognized as a big deal by non-guitar players or non-VH disciples. Anyone can tap. And although Eddie always told the story about figuring out from watching Jimmy Page, he got it from an LA local guitarist named Terry Kilgore. In fact, if you dig up the old demo Gene Simmons produced around 1976, there is no tapping on it. Ed didn't see Terry Kilgore do it until after that demo was made, but well before Ted Templeman discovered them at the Starwood and then signed them.

Anyway, Ed's tone and swing-style rhythm (right hand mostly) are what set him apart from all others. Literally billions of dollars have been spent and amp companies have opened and closed trying to figure out his tone. It's been figured out now by a few boutique builders, but Ed told some tall tales about it in the early interviews in an effort to throw others off. And don't forget the super Strat. Millions of super Strats were made by just about every company in an effort to cash in on Ed's popularity. His guitar is the ricketiest POS you could ever imagine. But he was the first guy to put a humbucker in a Strat and then use a Floyd Rose. More impressive, IMHO, is how he was able to make the first three albums without a Floyd Rose and keep the guitar in tune. Pure genius.

Anyway, ignore his solos. Check out his rhythm playing on Dirty Movies, Sinner's Swing, Drop Dead Legs, Girl Gone Bad, Hang Em High, The Full Bug. You can spend years trying to get that groove down.

Here is little Van Halen from back in the bar band days (b4 recording contract). Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i0uYMQDH9mo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Oh, and Beautiful Girls. That's probably the quintessential song for VH's CA beach, party, fun attitude and the swinging guitar work is just beyond. I auditioned for my old VH tribute by just having to show that I could play that intro correctly. It's not flashy or fast, but it has such a groove.

Harmony Park, Anaheim & Golden West Ballroom, Huntington Beach CA 1974

awesome cloudy memories, I was "On top of the world, oh yeah"

What Rick said. I don't know if it's true but it helps my argument. :)

Either way, I still think Eddie is the GOAT.

DWB,
Don't get me wrong in what I'm writing here. I think Eddie was great. I've just never been a fan of titles like "most influential" or "greatest of all time" because there was someone who came before them that influence them. Without those who came before, would Eddie have been Eddie? Who knows?
If you get a chance, watch that Les Paul/Eddie video I posted.

Quote:

I was just looking at my phone today and I saw the news that Eddie Van Halen had died, and I went, “Oh, my God.” I was in shock. I knew he was battling an illness. I have the same doctor as him. I used to pass messages through her to him, and she would never tell me the condition he was in or whatever. She would say, “What do you want to say?” And I would say, “I send my regards.” So it really was a shock, because he was a good guy. He really was a good man.

It’s always a sad day when somebody like that dies. It’s like when Michael Jackson died. I didn’t believe it at first. It’s such a ****ing loss.

I haven’t hung around with Eddie for quite some time, but I did see him from time to time. The last time I spent any serious time with him was on the last official Black Sabbath tour I did in ’79, when they opened up for us. They were such good guys to be around. We had such fun. Every time I ever saw Eddie Van Halen, it was fun.

I remember seeing Eddie do that finger-tapping thing, and that was the first time I’d ever seen anyone do that. Just when you think nobody can make guitar playing exciting, somebody like that comes out. He was one of them.

That thing with finger-tapping in the Eighties, with the hair bands, everybody was doing that finger tapping. Once you’ve seen the master do it, everyone else comes second. Anybody after Eddie Van Halen was in second, as far as I’m concerned. There were some other good players, and there are some very clever ones, but it’s not just playing an instrument. You’ve got to put the emotion behind you, and Eddie had all that. He made it look so easy.

One thing I loved about Eddie was he always had a big grin on his face, and he looked like he was enjoying every second he was up there. Whether it was showbiz bull**** or not — I don’t think it was — he always looked like he was having the best time of his life up there.

And Van Halen were a force to be reckoned with. They weren’t an easy band to follow. I remember one time, we did a gig in San Antonio; they went on, and the building was jampacked. You couldn’t get away from it. They went on and blew the roof off. And we had to follow them. I mean, it was such a hard gig for us. To follow Van Halen, you’d go, “Oh, ****. No.” And after that tour, they took off.

They were really a great band. I remember I did Monsters of Rock, and I opened up for Van Halen and AC/DC. And that was a great bill. I was smoking in them days, and then they had to follow me. It was poetic justice.

But I could sit and watch Eddie Van Halen play guitar all day. He’s so entertaining as a guitar player. He made it look like it was not difficult. He made it look like it was a natural thing. Everybody else was trying to be Eddie Van Halen, but there is only one Eddie Van Halen. I thought he was brilliant. God only knows, what you have to do to get that good.

Ozzy

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabs (Post 11054611)

Wow they are dyin younger than me now!

Give it another decade, you'll see it happening almost daily.

Eddie was more for my daughter's generation than mine, but he was one hell of a talent.
Hope he's jamming with John & George.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee (Post 11055710)

Anyway, ignore his solos. Check out his rhythm playing on Dirty Movies, Sinner's Swing, Drop Dead Legs, Girl Gone Bad, Hang Em High, The Full Bug. You can spend years trying to get that groove down.

+1.
Drop Dead Legs may be one of their most underrated songs.

Don't forget Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Bucketloads of swing & groove.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammyg2 (Post 11056066)

Ozzy

Wow, what a concert that would be to see in person, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Van Halen in one night.

Honestly, I think his work in Panama is better than Eruption. Eruption is technical and fast, but it doesn't leave room for him to come through.

yes. as a player i totally agree. also, besides his tone and swing, he had a knack for using effects in a subtle and tasteful way and came up with memorable riffs that complimented his style and touch and left your ear wanting to hit repeat. eddie’s playing was really unlike anyone else..but like jimmy and angus. you can’t turn on fm radio without hearing one of eddie’s well crafted riffs......ain’t talking bout love......damn. those 3 guys must have come up with 90% of all the important guitar riffs

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee (Post 11055710)

Just watched it. Wowza. Thanks for sharing.

I tried playing one and never got by the 3rd string so as far as what is hard or not, I have no idea. But my ears unanimously say this guy is special.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flipper35 (Post 11056196)

Honestly, I think his work in Panama is better than Eruption. Eruption is technical and fast, but it doesn't leave room for him to come threough.

i agree. that song makes me drive like a raving maniac.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak (Post 11056232)

i agree. that song makes me drive like a raving maniac.

Interesting! Enter Sandman (Metallica) does the same to me. My right foot just goes to the floor.

Man, I was just starting to get over the loss of Helen Reddy. Now this.