Eddie Van Halen Dead @ 65

[LikeLinus]

I think you misunderstand- Eddie and Alex went to a Zeppelin concert at the LA Forum around 1972 and they saw Page do a pull-off slide move down the neck. Eddie couldn't do that, so he simulated it with tapping. The rest is history. He's stated this in many interviews.

I don't think I misunderstood and you didn't seem to read the article. It quotes Eddie and references the same song and show. Feel free to post an article where Eddie says he couldn't play the guitar solo that Jimmy Page played and so he had to use tapping to simulate it. He took the technique and realized it could be applied a certain way.

Props to Pacfanweb for posting that video where he explains it. Here are more articles.

"But it was watching Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum in the early 1970s that changed his guitar playing forever. A light bulb went off as Jimmy Page played the solo from Heartbreaker, using both hands to tap out notes on the neck of the guitar.
For Page, it was an opportunity to showboat - but Eddie took the technique and refined it, enabling him to play a seemingly impossible flurry of notes and pinched harmonics.
"It's like having a sixth finger on your left hand," he explained in 1978 "Instead of picking, you're hitting a note on the fretboard."
The approach was so revolutionary that Alex encouraged his brother to play with his back to the audience so other bands wouldn't steal it before Van Halen had a record deal."

This is from the BBC. If you notice the "he explained in 1978", it is a link and direct quote from Eddie himself.

5 Eddie Van Halen Songs That Prove He Was About More Than Just Speed

Eddie Van Halen revolutionized the guitar. “Revolutionized” may be a strong word, but it’s accurate. The iconic guitarist, who died Oct. 6 at the age of 65 from throat cancer, was one of only a handful of guitarists to pick up the instrument and make the entire guitar community place...

www.dallasobserver.com

"Thankfully for Eddie Van Halen, most people had no idea how he was able to play so fast. During an event hosted by the Smithsonian Museum of American History, he claimed to have witnessed Jimmy Page at the Los Angeles Forum playing his guitar solo on “Heartbreaker” with only his left hand, as his right was up in the air. Van Halen realized at that point that one could simply do that, but with both hands, allowing for an expanded range of notes and much faster playing, a technique later to be called “tapping.” “I never heard anyone do [with that technique] what I did, which was actual pieces of music,” Van Halen had said.

 

[spacejamz]

Eddie was an amazing talent, but I always thought Roth was a hack who wrecked the music for me. I'm in the minority that thought the Hagar version was better.

I must be in the even smaller minority that likes the music from both singers equally (at least I don't favor the songs from DLR over SH or vice versa)....

Not sure why have you to like one more than the other....

 

[Pacfanweb]

I don't think I misunderstood and you didn't seem to read the article. It quotes Eddie and references the same song and show. Feel free to post an article where Eddie says he couldn't play the guitar solo that Jimmy Page played and so he had to use tapping to simulate it. He took the technique and realized it could be applied a certain way.

Props to Pacfanweb for posting that video where he explains it. Here are more articles.

"But it was watching Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum in the early 1970s that changed his guitar playing forever. A light bulb went off as Jimmy Page played the solo from Heartbreaker, using both hands to tap out notes on the neck of the guitar.
For Page, it was an opportunity to showboat - but Eddie took the technique and refined it, enabling him to play a seemingly impossible flurry of notes and pinched harmonics.
"It's like having a sixth finger on your left hand," he explained in 1978 "Instead of picking, you're hitting a note on the fretboard."
The approach was so revolutionary that Alex encouraged his brother to play with his back to the audience so other bands wouldn't steal it before Van Halen had a record deal."

This is from the BBC. If you notice the "he explained in 1978", it is a link and direct quote from Eddie himself.

5 Eddie Van Halen Songs That Prove He Was About More Than Just Speed

Eddie Van Halen revolutionized the guitar. “Revolutionized” may be a strong word, but it’s accurate. The iconic guitarist, who died Oct. 6 at the age of 65 from throat cancer, was one of only a handful of guitarists to pick up the instrument and make the entire guitar community place...

www.dallasobserver.com

"Thankfully for Eddie Van Halen, most people had no idea how he was able to play so fast. During an event hosted by the Smithsonian Museum of American History, he claimed to have witnessed Jimmy Page at the Los Angeles Forum playing his guitar solo on “Heartbreaker” with only his left hand, as his right was up in the air. Van Halen realized at that point that one could simply do that, but with both hands, allowing for an expanded range of notes and much faster playing, a technique later to be called “tapping.” “I never heard anyone do [with that technique] what I did, which was actual pieces of music,” Van Halen had said.

Exactly. Eddie never "couldn't do what Page did". That's a simple technique.
He absolutely could do that, just like he showed in the video I posted. That was only 3 years ago, but he damn sure could do it 45 years ago, too.
Just seeing Pagey do it live gave him the idea of using both hands.

Far as tapping goes, lots of folks over the years like to claim EVH didn't "invent" it, and have posted examples of others doing it years before.
Well, as he says in the video, he never said he DID invent it....but nobody ever did it like he did.
There had been guys who used both hands, and tapped a note here and there, but nobody ever did it as extensively and simply as a part of his playing and not some "special trick".
If they had, you'd find loads of video of others ripping it up prior to EVH, but you can't because nobody (essentially) did it, yet after EVH you can find loads of players doing it.

And still nobody else sounds like him, despite learning all his techniques.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I must be in the even smaller minority that likes the music from both singers equally (at least I don't favor the songs from DLR over SH or vice versa)....

Not sure why have you to like one more than the other....

You don't. But there are "Dave or the grave" folks that were super jealous of the band's continued success with Sammy, and some Sammy fans that didn't care for Dave.
And since we're talking the biggest hard rock band there is, (especially in America) that naturally led to some rivalry stuff, since both singers were still alive and kicking and the band was at its peak during the change.

They had more hits with Sammy, but sold more records with Dave....and it's not even close. The airplay and sales greatly favor the original 6 pack.

But, having Sam on board exposed VH to a new generation of teens and basically made them part of another generation's "soundtrack of their youth". Not many bands get to do that.
Plus, being more melodic-based with Sam, that enabled VH to survive and thrive in the hair band era, probably a bit better honestly. They wrote some ballads that were huge hits, and that fit right in without actually making VH a hair band. Still had some edge to them and they were still VH with EVH playing, but the actual content put them at the top of that era as well, still showing everyone how it was done.
But they never wore makeup or dressed like girls like the hair bands (and Dave solo) did. Still rocked.

 

[LikeLinus]

Far as tapping goes, lots of folks over the years like to claim EVH didn't "invent" it, and have posted examples of others doing it years before.

And still nobody else sounds like him, despite learning all his techniques.

Yeah, I pointed that out as well. Jazz and then eventually Blues players were using it decades before, but with a different technique.

Put me in the group of Dave being the better era. I don't have a problem with Sammy and saw him with VH, but Dave's voice just fit the band so well and those albums were awesome. There aren't many bands who can switch singers like that and still succeed to the level they did. So you have to give them all credit. It's personal preference.

 

[IronWing]

you should check out Marc Maron's interview with DLR, and even Joe Rognan's with DLR...that dude, of course, has some stories about the VH family--apparently the patriarch was just a fucking genius.

and for all the DLR haters, just listen to that guy speak real for about 5 minutes. Your mind will be blown. That guy is, quite strangely, a living Aristotle or some this. Yeah, I know, that sounds lame, but I don't say things lightly. That guy is a fricking savant. He must be the coolest dude to talk to, about just about anything, because he's a fricking life genius.

Do you have a link to the interview?

I always wanted DLR to do a cover of this song:

As for Sammy, I never cared for his voice.

 

[DigDog]

was he though?
1. no drug references in his songs.
2. no known drug issues in the public media "Eddie Burns Down Tourb Bus" and such
3. works out
I'm not saying "compared to Ozzy", but compared to your typical r&r band. Sammy said he would "drink wine by the case" oooh. I wouldn't compare him to anyone from D12.

 

[IronWing]

I'm not following you. Wasn't Eddie the drunk that cost the band tens of millions in lost revenue because he couldn't stay sober for a few weeks of touring after signing a contract that specified that he had to stay sober?

 

[DigDog]

you obviously know your van hallen more than i do. Well, let me put it this way: he didn't look trashed.

I did say tthat originally because .. when EVH and DLR split, which was a tragedy to me, Eddie tried to blame it on David, and David - who was always very professional and correct towards Eddie, and basically went along with what he thought was publicity - in an interview said "Eddie isn't happy unless he's unhappy".
Being a ex- guitar player myself, i could totally relate to being a perfectionist and spending hours being unsatisfied of your results, maniacally practicing.
That, plus the baby face, led me to believe that Eddie was *relatively* sober, when compared to everything else that was going on at the time. You know, Guns N Roses getting expelled from their hotels because they had destroyed the rooms. Plus, all the junkies have a drug slant in their music, either praising it or demonizing it, and he didn't.

 

[Spacehead]

Do you have a link to the interview?

Unfortunately the Marc Maron interview is premium only($$$) now
It was pretty good.

https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1034-david-lee-roth

 

[13Gigatons]

Five great albums is more then most rock bands can put out these days. Most can barely put one album out.

Didn't like Van Hagar very much.

 

[Svnla]

I didn't know until now that EVH was half Dutch and half Indonesian and it was a pain in the behind for him to grow up in US because of being poor, unable to speak English, and half and half.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Yeah, I pointed that out as well. Jazz and then eventually Blues players were using it decades before, but with a different technique.

Put me in the group of Dave being the better era. I don't have a problem with Sammy and saw him with VH, but Dave's voice just fit the band so well and those albums were awesome. There aren't many bands who can switch singers like that and still succeed to the level they did. So you have to give them all credit. It's personal preference.

Yeah, I gravitate towards the Dave stuff since that's what I grew up with. But I liked the Sammy era as well.
And true, few bands have ever changed singers like that and continued a high level of success, especially if the original guy was still alive.

Genesis is one example, but they weren't particularly successful with Peter Gabriel singing. They were really kind of unknown, for the most part.

AC/DC did it, but Bon Scott died, and they were WAY more successful with Brian Johnson. But they hadn't peaked with Bon, yet.

Not sure anyone had their singer quit at the band's peak and then the band got another guy and kept it right there.
Sure didn't work the second time they tried it, but Gary Cherone, while a nice guy and good singer, was a bad fit for VH, plus it was 12 years later and things had changed in the music world. Bands don't get re-boots in their 40's. Gotta stick with one of the older singers at that point.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I didn't know until now that EVH was half Dutch and half Indonesian and it was a pain in the behind for him to grow up in US because of being poor, unable to speak English, and half and half.

I think the mixed race thing was a bigger deal in Holland. His mom was considered a second-class citizen there because she was Indonesian. That's actually why they left.
The issues in the US were mostly due to the language barrier, I believe. Don't think too many folks cared about his mom's heritage, even back then.
But showing up as a little scrawny dude who couldn't speak English, that almost surely caused some issues back then.

 

[13Gigatons]

AC/DC did it, but Bon Scott died, and they were WAY more successful with Brian Johnson. But they hadn't peaked with Bon, yet.

I really only like the Bon Scott albums. Back in Black was OK but that was were I lost all interest in that band.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I really only like the Bon Scott albums. Back in Black was OK but that was were I lost all interest in that band.

Yeah, a lot of people say that, myself included, but the fact remains that they sold more records starting with Back in Black.
Funny thing is, a big portion of their average setlist over the years has been from the Bon Scott era, even with all those albums they made since then.

I guess the difference between them and Van Halen are two: First, Dave LEFT the band...he didn't die. AC/DC had no choice if they wanted to continue. You didn't have the "Bon Scott Band" out there touring at the same time as the new AC/DC.
So there's that.
Second, AC/DC wasn't that big when he died. They were still rising. I don't know how big they would have become, but Van Halen was one of, if not THE biggest rock band in the world when Dave left.
Those were huge shoes to fill. Now Sammy was a big solo artist before VH, but that's no guarantee it was going to work.
If the records hadn't been good, they wouldn't have stayed where they were, but they WERE good and VH stayed in the elite of rock for Sammy's tenure, while Dave gradually faded away.
So like the Sam era or not, there's no arguing with all those #1 hits they produced. He delivered, and VH remained. If they had hired Patty Smyth like Eddie wanted to in the first place, that might not have happened.