• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

RIP Eddie Van Halen

Some say "Eruption" was the greatest guitar solo ever. One of my college roommates tried to convince me of this and I didn't understand at the time.

In an amazing coincidence, I got lunch at Dairy Queen today as "Eat It" by Weird Al was playing. That song was a parody of a Michael Jackson song on which Eddie performed.
 
Some people can pick up an instrument and create actual music. Others just create noise. Van Halen was one of the latter. Sorry Eddie, we won't all miss you. Nice hair though.
 
landtuna said:
Some people can pick up an instrument and create actual music. Others just create noise. Van Halen was one of the latter. Sorry Eddie, we won't all miss you. Nice hair though.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? Eddie Van Halen was probably the 5th greatest rock guitarist of all time, after Hendrix, Page, Clapton, and Beck. I wasn't a huge fan of Van Halen as a band, especially while they were "Van Hagar," but that was mostly the fault of their obnoxious lead vocalists than Eddie.
 
landtuna said:
Some people can pick up an instrument and create actual music. Others just create noise. Van Halen was one of the latter. Sorry Eddie, we won't all miss you. Nice hair though.
Click to expand...

That's kind of mean.

I am not a "hard" rock fan, as where I lived during the later 60's to the early 90's were not areas where rock was anything more than a niche music that appealed to a very small group.

But I have listened to some of the work of Van Halen and other of the highest rated guitarists and find the guitar work absolutely astounding. I can say the same thing for other skilled and talented musicians such as Mick Fleetwood on drums to name one example.
 
KeithE4 said:
Are you kidding? Eddie Van Halen was probably the 5th greatest rock guitarist of all time, after Hendrix, Page, Clapton, and Beck. I wasn't a huge fan of Van Halen as a band, especially while they were "Van Hagar," but that was mostly the fault of their obnoxious lead vocalists than Eddie.
Click to expand...

Some of us would put him ahead of Beck and maybe tied with Page. Just brilliant.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Some of us would put him ahead of Beck and maybe tied with Page. Just brilliant.
Click to expand...

There will always be differences of opinion as to which order those five should be placed. Suffice it to say that they are/were all great.
 
DavidEduardo said:
That's kind of mean.

I am not a "hard" rock fan, as where I lived during the later 60's to the early 90's were not areas where rock was anything more than a niche music that appealed to a very small group.

But I have listened to some of the work of Van Halen and other of the highest rated guitarists and find the guitar work absolutely astounding. I can say the same thing for other skilled and talented musicians such as Mick Fleetwood on drums to name one example.
Click to expand...

Why is it mean to say I didn't think much of his 'music'? We all critique various people's talents, both living and dead. The fact that he could finger a guitar faster than the next guy does not make him better. What was his contribution to guitar music compared to Les Paul?

As far as drums.....go to YouTube and look up a drummer named Sina. Watch a few of her video's then tell me Mick Fleetwood is better. Oh, I think she is still a teenager now. And BTW, I am a big fan of Fleetwood but he is far from the 'best'.
 
landtuna said:
Why is it mean to say I didn't think much of his 'music'? We all critique various people's talents, both living and dead. The fact that he could finger a guitar faster than the next guy does not make him better. What was his contribution to guitar music compared to Les Paul?

As far as drums.....go to YouTube and look up a drummer named Sina. Watch a few of her video's then tell me Mick Fleetwood is better. Oh, I think she is still a teenager now. And BTW, I am a big fan of Fleetwood but he is far from the 'best'.
Click to expand...

Get one of the live videos of Go Your Own Way where there are some closeups of Mick during the Lindsey Buckingham improvisations. The song itself is a challenge (and there are a number of articles in magazines like Rolling Stone on the required drum technique for that song) but the accompanyment of the guitar solos and, on several of the videos, the drum solo wraps to the song are just out of this world.

Les Paul was less of a great guitar player and more of a guitar innovator in the era when the electric guitar was created. He developed techniques and guitar mods that even caused his name to be on instruments and the ones he used to be worth small fortunes.

Fleetwood Mac happens to be one of the few rock groups I became enamored of; the marvelous synchronizations of John and Christine McVie with Fleetwood and Buckingham's sometimes wild live excursions was just incredible and the sort of mysterious Stevie all added to the mystique. I became interested in the group because my oldest daughter spent a period in Phoenix and lived in the house next door to Stevie Nick's place in Paradise Valley and they ended up spending a lot of time together... so to understand, i bought some albums and really got into the band: a lot more talent and a lot less show-off than many of the other rock groups at the time.
 
landtuna said:
Why is it mean to say I didn't think much of his 'music'? We all critique various people's talents, both living and dead.
Click to expand...

Whether you meant to be mean or not (and I hope you didn't), "Sorry Eddie, we won't all miss you." comes across badly.

The fact that he could finger a guitar faster than the next guy does not make him better. What was his contribution to guitar music compared to Les Paul?
Click to expand...

I listed the 5 best rock guitarists ever, including EVH. If you want to expand the category, not only should Les Paul be on the "best guitarists" list, so should Chet Atkins and Roy Clark.

As far as drums.....go to YouTube and look up a drummer named Sina. Watch a few of her video's then tell me Mick Fleetwood is better. Oh, I think she is still a teenager now. And BTW, I am a big fan of Fleetwood but he is far from the 'best'.
Click to expand...

I never got the impression that Fleetwood was anything but an excellent drummer who kept a solid beat but was not flashy. I put him in the same category as Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr: Indispensable to their bands, but not raving maniacs like Keith Moon or John Bonham.
 
The Pirate Channel on SW (6925) was full of Van Halen music last night.
But, of course, if you're in to easy listening music, you might not like Van Halen.
 
DavidEduardo said:
...so to understand, i bought some albums and really got into the band: a lot more talent and a lot less show-off than many of the other rock groups at the time.
Click to expand...

I too have been a big fan of Fleetwood Mac and am not disparaging them in the least. My posts were concerning Eddie Van Halen and by extension metal bands in general. I put metal in the same category as rap....junk noise.

I am also guessing the music world will still be talking about Les Paul's contributions far longer than Van Halen's talents.
 
KeithE4 said:
Whether you meant to be mean or not (and I hope you didn't), "Sorry Eddie, we won't all miss you." comes across badly.
Click to expand...

I was addressing VH the guitar player and not EVH the person. Unlike Frank Sinatra who was disagreeable as a singer and person.


KeithE4 said:
I listed the 5 best rock guitarists ever, including EVH. If you want to expand the category, not only should Les Paul be on the "best guitarists" list, so should Chet Atkins and Roy Clark.
Click to expand...

And I would add Mark Knopfler and a few others to that list.

KeithE4 said:
I never got the impression that Fleetwood was anything but an excellent drummer who kept a solid beat but was not flashy. I put him in the same category as Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr: Indispensable to their bands, but not raving maniacs like Keith Moon or John Bonham.
Click to expand...

With the possible exception of Gene Krupa percussion is seldom the leading attraction of any band. Therefore, to be noticed as 'great' the drummer needs way over the top behavior to get a share of the limelight.
 
landtuna said:
With the possible exception of Gene Krupa percussion is seldom the leading attraction of any band. Therefore, to be noticed as 'great' the drummer needs way over the top behavior to get a share of the limelight.
Click to expand...
Don't forget Buddy Rich.

For someone with my taste in music, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, George Benson and Wes Montgomery are among the greatest guitarists.
 
kf4rca said:
The Pirate Channel on SW (6925) was full of Van Halen music last night.
But, of course, if you're in to easy listening music, you might not like Van Halen.
Click to expand...

I haven't tuned into SW since leaving Viet Nam 54 years ago. Too much like listening to scratchy, worn-out 78 RPM LP's.

You might be surprised to learn my personal music library contains a healthy percentage of 'hard' rock but not 'metal' - Kansas and Boston being possibly my most favorites. I am also into a wide range of easy listening songs including Johnny Mathis, Earl Grant and, yes, even Dean Martin.

I can't remember ever listening to an entire VH piece. Kills my ears.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom