October 6, 20205 yr Popular Post 15 minutes ago, Nicole44 said: RIP. Damn Man I bet 1978-1983 was a great time to be a teen. From the stories y’all are telling. It was the best. I'm not saying that because I'm a nostalgic old guy. It was the best. We were able to grow up without internet, got to roam the streets without "helicopter" parents and the music kicked ass.
October 6, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, dcar00 said: Jensen Co-Axial 6x9's FTW. 1 hour ago, dcar00 said: Jensen Co-Axial 6x9's FTW. The Crutchfield Catalog! I sold CUTCO knives the summer of '86 so I could buy a Yamaha amp, cd player, equalizer and tuner, a Nakamichi cassette deck, and Polk Audio speakers. One of these days I will scan all of the ticket stubs from the 80s, which include a Van Halen show at Reunion where i was standing on Section 13 Row 1 Seat 1 when the stage was rushed. Right in front of both Eddie and Dave. Then Lisa Claire jumps up on the chair next to me and shoves her tongue down my throat. Van Halen had that effect on teenage girls.
October 6, 20205 yr My older brother bought the first VH album when I was 6. After I heard it I wanted a guitar for Christmas. I wanted to be Eddie Van Halen. I listened to that album non stop. That Christmas morning I did not get a guitar under the tree. Then there was a knock at the door and "Santa" was there with a guitar and said sorry I forgot this. I played and played. I eventually switched to the bass when I was in a band and the other guitar player was just flat out better than me. Turned out I came to be a pretty good bass player and got into Rush. But we played those songs form the early VH albums. They were staples for us. I still play today and it's all due to Eddie Van Halen.
October 6, 20205 yr This was my first live experience of Van Halen. I crammed 6 other kids into my 65 Mustang (that's a lot even then for that car - we were skinny I guess) and drove down from Denton. Still tryin' to cop those licks. I'll never get 'em like Eddie.
October 6, 20205 yr 1984 was the first cassette tape I bought with my own money. My dad made me throw it away because of the smoking angel, but I fished it out later, sliced a hole in my mattress and there the cover stayed for 10 years. Still have it. My first defiance of authority was due to VH.It was my first cassette also. Well, I bought 1984 and Midnight Star’s No Parking On The Dance Floor at the same time but let’s forget that little detail.
October 6, 20205 yr 6 minutes ago, Moby Ric said: My older brother bought the first VH album when I was 6. After I heard it I wanted a guitar for Christmas. I wanted to be Eddie Van Halen. I listened to that album non stop. That Christmas morning I did not get a guitar under the tree. Then there was a knock at the door and "Santa" was there with a guitar and said sorry I forgot this. I played and played. I eventually switched to the bass when I was in a band and the other guitar player was just flat out better than me. Turned out I came to be a pretty good bass player and got into Rush. But we played those songs form the early VH albums. They were staples for us. I still play today and it's all due to Eddie Van Halen. Exact same thing at the same age. Minus the guitar. But I got my first at age 12 (an EVH copy “Olympic” guitar). Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Rip76
October 6, 20205 yr 7 minutes ago, Moby Ric said: Turned out I came to be a pretty good bass player and got into Rush. Wait, you were in Rush? And I thought Geddy Lee played bass for Rush. You're not Geddy Lee, are you?!!!
October 6, 20205 yr 3 minutes ago, Chad Fuck said: This was my first live experience of Van Halen. I crammed 6 other kids into my 65 Mustang (that's a lot even then for that car - we were skinny I guess) and drove down from Denton. Still tryin' to cop those licks. I'll never get 'em like Eddie. Sammy - "All I'm supposed to be thinking about is right now. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Yestday is history and history sucks..." Damn, I could hardly type that without falling apart. I already miss you EVH. Even more than your guitar, I'll miss that infectious as fuck perpetual Eddie smile. Yeah, history sucks.
October 6, 20205 yr Just now, Sbbruin said: Wait, you were in Rush? And I thought Geddy Lee played bass for Rush. You're not Geddy Lee, are you?!!! No but I have had the privilege of meeting Geddy. Very cool guy. But I don't want to talk about him right now cause I WILL FUCKING LOSE IT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HIM!!!!!
October 6, 20205 yr 3 minutes ago, Moby Ric said: No but I have had the privilege of meeting Geddy. Very cool guy. But I don't want to talk about him right now cause I WILL FUCKING LOSE IT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HIM!!!!!
October 6, 20205 yr Don’t cry. Spark one up while jammin out on your porch, then go fuck. It’s what he would have wanted. RIP legend.
October 6, 20205 yr 32 minutes ago, CooterBrown said: It was my first cassette also. Well, I bought 1984 and Midnight Star’s No Parking On The Dance Floor at the same time but let’s forget that little detail. dude, ain't nothing wrong with a little old school funk in the playlist. "Freak-A Zoid's please report to the dance floor!"
October 6, 20205 yr 8 minutes ago, hundredTT said: Don’t cry. Spark one up while jammin out on your porch, then go fuck. It’s what he would have wanted. RIP legend. I tried not to. Utter failure.
October 6, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, Jive Turkey said: 2020 sure as fuck ain't done. wish i still had my 1984 cassette. RIP to a genius. a legit fucking genius. Still have the vinyl that I bought the day it released.
October 6, 20205 yr 33 minutes ago, Sbbruin said: Wait, you were in Rush? And I thought Geddy Lee played bass for Rush. You're not Geddy Lee, are you?!!! You bastard. You beat me to it.
October 6, 20205 yr I've already linked this clip, but LISTEN. The dude is still wet behind the ears. He's super young. He is channeling every bit of Jimi he knows how to do, but HE IS DOING THINGS JIMI DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DO. God damn he was other-worldly. Yeah, he didn't "invent" tapping. He just made it musical. There's a point where he's totally Jimi-ing with massive feedback in front of his double stacked speaker cabinets, and he bends a note into perfect pitch. It's like he's using a lever to move a boulder in a field. It moves slowly but eventually it gets there. Dead nuts on. His ear was fucking perfect. He might have made mistakes, but I'll bet what we thought were mistakes weren't, and what we thought was perfect wasn't perfect to him. What a fucking loss. Laphroaig, here I come.
October 6, 20205 yr 13 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: I've already linked this clip, but LISTEN. The dude is still wet behind the ears. He's super young. He is channeling every bit of Jimi he knows how to do, but HE IS DOING THINGS JIMI DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DO. God damn he was other-worldly. Yeah, he didn't "invent" tapping. He just made it musical. There's a point where he's totally Jimi-ing with massive feedback in front of his double stacked speaker cabinets, and he bends a note into perfect pitch. It's like he's using a lever to move a boulder in a field. It moves slowly but eventually it gets there. Dead nuts on. His ear was fucking perfect. He might have made mistakes, but I'll bet what we thought were mistakes weren't, and what we thought was perfect wasn't to him. What a fucking loss. Laphroaig, here I come. The end of Eruption transitioning into You Really Got Me is other worldly. All time rock and roll riff that brings it like very few others do. Everytime I hear that my blood pressure goes up, get chill bumps and i want to rock out like a fool. EVERY. TIME.
October 6, 20205 yr 49 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said: You bastard. You beat me to it. Geddy Lee posting here would be so absurd I could almost believe it.
October 6, 20205 yr Jamming along (poorly) to VH in the basement and sobbing. My wife is trying to explain what’s wrong with Dad to the kids.
October 6, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, hundredTT said: Don’t cry. Spark one up while jammin out on your porch, then go fuck. It’s what he would have wanted. RIP legend. Learned the phrase "Puff, puff, pass" as a 13 year old at the Summit during the 1984 tour. I didn't partake but I was definitely in a contact high.
October 6, 20205 yr I was 14 and remember exactly where I was when I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit for the first time and also what I did all day after KC died. Seems like y'all had a similar connection to VH's first record. I remember VH through MTV videos of 1984 and Van Hagar. I always wondered what kind of mega impact they had since they were just unlike anything in the 70s so I really appreciate y'alls stories on what it was like first hearing them and going to their shows. Very few artists seem to bring an entire generation together in mourning.
October 6, 20205 yr 29 minutes ago, HornsOverIthaca said: Geddy Lee posting here would be so absurd I could almost believe it. I'm sure he's a big Horns fan. As for EVH, "Jump" was never my fave VH song, but the video used to crack me up simply because Eddie seemed so stoned and happy in it. Here's hoping he's still smiling upstairs with his guitar in his hands. Damn -- this is 36 years old . . .
October 6, 20205 yr Popular Post I've been primarily a keyboard player most of my life. The Van Halens started on piano, and - this is beyond mind-blowing -he got so good at it that he won the Long Beach City College piano competition for three years in a row, and he never really learned how to read music! He would simply listen and imitate, and then go to the competition and just play what he heard. Again, 3 years in a row. Even if this wasn't Van Cliburn level, I still scratch my head at that. He got bored of the piano - again, bored of the piano. So he bought a drum set and started playing drums. Then one day he heard Alex playing a surf rock solo on it and decided to take up the electric guitar around age 13. To say the rest is history would demean the word history. I fancy myself a pretty good musician, after all I've been doing it from all my life as well. There are few people in popular music that I can't look at what they do and go "well I can get there it just would take a while in some of the toughest cases." But there are a few that I can't understand how somebody could be so good and it's impossible for me to even begin to figure out how they can do what they do. Edward was one of them. Way too many people in rock are called brilliant when they're not. He hasn't been called brilliant nearly enough. RIP.
October 6, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, Cheeseweasel said: It was the best. I'm not saying that because I'm a nostalgic old guy. It was the best. We were able to grow up without internet, got to roam the streets without "helicopter" parents and the music kicked ass. Spot on
October 6, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, Chad Fuck said: This was my first live experience of Van Halen. I crammed 6 other kids into my 65 Mustang (that's a lot even then for that car - we were skinny I guess) and drove down from Denton. Still tryin' to cop those licks. I'll never get 'em like Eddie. Yeah, that show in the West End was something else. Sammy and the band kept their word.
October 6, 20205 yr 2 minutes ago, phdhorn said: Way too many people in rock are called brilliant when they're not. He hasn't been called brilliant nearly enough. Yeah, that puts a bow on it. He was truly next level. No, he was other-worldly. I get your point, even if I'm too lazy to pursue the top levels of playing any more. I can hear a keyboardist and except for the great jazz soloists or top classical players I can see my way to getting close, with enough practice. On guitar, not so much, but I know I could get to "passable bar band blues lead guy" if I put my mind to it. Eddie? Off limits. Not a fucking chance. For the sports fans: the average Austin professional guitarist is pitching A ball, and EVH was Mariano Rivera.
October 6, 20205 yr listening to On Fire. there is more great varied guitar work on this one somewhat forgotten song from VH than all 80's hair metal rock songs combined.
October 6, 20205 yr No more Eddie Van Halen and the Eddie Van Halen Band. Bummer. Any pothead in high school in early 1978 can tell you exactly where they were when they first heard that music. Usually screaming from a 8 track tape, played thru a Pioneer Supertuner and Jensen speakers. I was in Robbie Hickam's 76 Trans-Am in the high school parking lot. There were about 20 people gathered around her car, listening. No idea how he was doing that but it was fuckin' AWESOME!Did your pioneer supertuner have the green LOUD button or not?
October 7, 20205 yr The greatest American Rock n' Roll band of all time. The most influential guitar player of all time. Fucking sad day, boys. Fucking sad day.
October 7, 20205 yr 2 minutes ago, Deej said: Great rhythm player. I feel those that don't pay attention don't notice. He had that Billy Gibbons style rhythm, so damn good.
October 7, 20205 yr Only time unfortunately that I saw them was the Fair Warning tour in 1981 at Reunion Arena. That was a hell of.a show with Iron Maiden opening up for them. Saw it with my best friend to this day who saw a concert at Shoreline in the Bay Area with Alice n Chains opening up for VH. What I wish that I could’ve been at that event as I never saw ANC. Honestly believe that Sammy brought more to the table than Dave ever did from a musical aspect.
October 7, 20205 yr 13 minutes ago, Buzzrock said: Man, Unchained is just a monster song. Just posted about this tour on my only time seeing them. They opened with this song in Dallas in ‘81 at Reunion. It truly is strong!!
October 7, 20205 yr one of the worst things about this, from an interview he did with Billy Corgan (asking the question below) in Guitar World back in 1996 One of the things that struck me after listening to all your albums is your fearlessness -- you've never been afraid to go where you've wanted to go. You 've played blues, you've played crazy music, you've played synthesizer music… I think my desire to do my own thing came from my dad. He was a real soulful guy. He played sax and clarinet like a motherfucker. Unfortunately, he was also an alcoholic who died when he was 66. But he lived a full life. My mom, on the other hand, is 80, but she doesn't live. So I'm trying to find a balance between them. I don't want to be like my mom and live to be 80, and not live. And I don't want to die at 66 like my dad.
October 7, 20205 yr 19 minutes ago, Topper13 said: He had that Billy Gibbons style rhythm, so damn good. agreed. mean street is very zztop ish guitar and song.
October 7, 20205 yr still have all my cassettes and 8 tracks of VH up until Hagar joined. Fair Warning was a game changer for me and to this day i still consider it to be EVH’s best work. i’m blasting it right now, in fact...though in digital format. sigh...
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