Blueblood80

October 6th, 2020 at 3:52 PM ^

Just saw this come across my phone and was hoping it wasn’t true.

Wasn’t ever a huge fan of Vanhalen’s style music but I always thought Eddie was extremely talented!

RIP to one of best “tapstyle” players ever!

drjaws

October 6th, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^

Chicks take of their clothes and throw themselves at him 5 at a time after a show ... and he’s treating them like meat?

go simp somewhere else 

Sopwith

October 6th, 2020 at 3:54 PM ^

[In Wonder Years voice-over] And another piece of my childhood was gone.

To everything, turn, turn, turn

There is a season, turn, turn, turn

[Closing credits]

EDIT: someone please do a health check on Angus Young.

robpollard

October 6th, 2020 at 5:11 PM ^

I just read an interview with Angus (in Rolling Stone) today. AC/DC has a new album and ironically one of the things that got the group back together was the deaths of his older brothers, Malcolm and George (both died a few months apart in 2017 or so). The other band members, Brian (who had to fix his hearing and was a bit peeved at being unceremoniously replaced for a run of concerts by Axl Rose in 2016), Cliff (who ended the tour feeling he was too old for this shit) and Phil (who had a criminal situation and some addiction issues) all attended the funeral and got along well, were in reasonably good health, and decided to do one (last?) album. And they had fun doing it.

So if any good comes of Eddie dying before his time, maybe it will be Van Halen (the band) will finally let Warner Bros into the 5150 vaults and release some of the unreleased music that's supposedly there.

I have the feeling, though, there's not nearly as much there that's releasable as some, including Eddie, had said; Eddie was a genius, but he didn't have the organizational drive of, say, Prince. How one the biggest bands in the world went from 1978-1985 without apparently recording, professionally in a ready-to-release format, a single full live show is beyond me.

Germany_Schulz

October 6th, 2020 at 3:58 PM ^

Rock God. 

So much of my youth centered around his music - - it was like you could listen to what might be described as modern-day (1980s) Beach Boys music with a "California-vibe" and dream about how cool the beach, your friends and your style was -- all via Van Halen. 

Eddie - Eruption was genius. 

Go Blue. 

 

robpollard

October 6th, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^

Shocked, but not surprised, as he had battled cancer (and other issues) for a long time.

My favorite band of all-time, and my favorite musician.

I am very sad.

rob f

October 6th, 2020 at 4:11 PM ^

Damn 2020.

Eddie is one of my favorite guitarists ever. Never having played guitar myself, I have no idea technically how sound he may or may not have been, but as far as "shredders" go, his fingers could shred with the best, and other than Frank Zappa, there's few guitarists I'd rather listen to when it comes to guitar solos.

Fuck cancer.

Rest in Peace, Eddie Van Halen.

robpollard

October 6th, 2020 at 5:28 PM ^

D.O.A is an absolute rocker that I think I have heard played on the radio precisely 2 times.

So, to make up for that, I have listened to this recording of that song form 1977 more than a few times when I need to get pumped up. The energy is just fantastic and it sounds like Eddie wants to break out of your speakers.

It also shows:

- how many songs Van Halen already had by 1977, before their first album was released

- how important their producer, Ted Templeman, was to their sound (this is a fun recording, but the studio version is even better in that it builds tension, has a bit of space, & doesn't go to the out-of-control stutter dun-duh-duh-dun-dun-DUH-dun-duh-duh-dun-dun until the end; live, Eddie was just erupting all over the place)

- DLR did his own thing (which I personally loved the vast majority of the time)

mGrowOld

October 6th, 2020 at 4:23 PM ^

I was a freshman at CMU (had to go there for a short time to get the old GPA up) when Van Halen I was released.  To say that album got played a LOT in my dorm would be an understatement.  What an fantastic collection of songs and each one deserved full volume it seemed.  

Saw them multiple times through the years and they always put on one hell of a show.  RIP Eddie, you were amazing.

WindyCityBlue

October 6th, 2020 at 4:34 PM ^

I, too, have seen VH multiple times over the years.  I've seen just about every incarnation of them, including Chicken Foot.  I gotta say, the best was DLR solo about 15 years ago.  He played all VH songs (except for A Little Aint Enough for Me) and I think his guitarist was Reb Beach (former Winger) at the time, so they could definitely keep up with most of EVH stuff. 

San Diego Mick

October 6th, 2020 at 4:59 PM ^

RIP Eddie!

 

Loved Van Halen, Van Hagar not so much.

Saw them in 1984 at the Joe on their last tour with DLR and in 1986 with Hagar and their first tour with him, also at the Joe.