heymisterk Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I love him; always have. He frustrates the hell out of me because he is so...well, fast. The thing about Eddie is that his speed and technique has purpose: For all his amazing speed and style, his stuff never loses its sense of purpose or - most importantly - the melody. The problem I have with most "speed" players is that they don't have a sense of either. My guitar teacher is a huge fan, and that's saying something. (Though we often argue about whether Sammy or David was the better lead singer; I won't tell you which one I prefer for fear of people leaving this thread in disgust.) As a result, I have started to rediscover Van Halen. I remember watching the 5150 concert on MTV over and over again on VHS and being absolutely mesmerized... Please post your faves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cú Chulainn Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaleb Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I still think he's the most copied guitarist ever: both playing and tone wise. There's so much gear out there designed to do "Brown Sound". That is no small feat. He ushered in a new level, much more than Hendrix did IMHO (I still think Jimi's God though! But if he's God, then Eddie and Leslie West are the living legends). Every rock guitar player in the 80s copied him one way or another. He even brought on a new kind of guitar. He might be the Einstein of guitar. The modern-day Bach. My appreciation for him goes beyond his lead playing. He's one of my favorite rhythm guitarists, and he gives me faith in playing in a power trio every time I listen (for all the KISS, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Tesla, AC/DC, and what-not I listen to, more guitars sound desirable). He filled the space without double tracking or rhythm tracks (Alex's drumming style helps a ton). As far as which era I prefer, I definitely prefer Roth era (well, the first four albums) over Van Hagar. But in the Hagar years, they were much better live and I like the way Sammy related to the audience in his down-to-earth manner as opposed to Dave's somewhat redundant circus antics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I'm in. There is a helluva lot more to him than speed, too. His phrasing, even his thought pattern in developing licks always made me think. I had years of gigging behind me, even if many too young to legally do so, when I first heard Eddie and Dave. Loved the attitude as well. Heck yea..... I'm in. I like the new album, too. Stay Frosty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cú Chulainn Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I had years of gigging behind me, even if many too young to legally do so can you be too young to gig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 can you be too young to gig? I think the age-restriction of the venue is what he's referring to. Bars, Pubs ect. -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 can you be too young to gig? I was out four nights a week in bars, one of them a girlie bar, when I was 15. It was a pain in thea ss for the band, lots of stern looks and I couldn't take a leak without someone following me all over the place. So yes, you can be too young to gig. That was the 70's, I'm sure it hasn't gotten any better. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fungus Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I remember the first time I heard running with the devil. I told 2 of my buddy's right then and there that Van Halen was going to be big! I also had the privilege of serving in the Army with a guy whose wife went to high school with eddie. She had some good stories about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 He completely changed me as a player. I'd have to list him as one of the heaviest influences in my sound. Still one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-IUB62zDlA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heymisterk Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 All great posts. My first guitar was actually a USA-made Kramer; a 16th birthday present from my parents. It was used and it showed, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. However, I quickly learned that there was a lot more to Eddie than the tapping and harmonics. Murph talked about this thought process and developing his licks and leads; Kaleb talked about his rhythm playing being a key component, and I couldn't agree more. This song sums up all that is magical about Eddie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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