RIP Eddie Van Halen

Musicman20

A true guitar mastermind. RIP and rock on dude. 

Kebabkid

digitalkettle said:

Kebabkid said:

I've listened to a few VH tunes tonight and things like the into to 'Mean Street' still floor me. However, my favorite off-the-wall solo is Eddie's one on 'One foot out the door' also from the Fair Warning album - it kicks in at 0.55' but boy, did the guy have killer rhythm work and some of the best out there. Still can't believe this

Best album...full stop!

I love this one, too and probably listen to it as much if not more so than VH1 and VH2

Voxman

Very sad, great player. Only 65, throat cancer. 

littlegreenman

One of a kind, thank you Eddie for all that you did. Took that ball and ran it up to allow everything else that came after. Fucking legend...

Parker

Star Fleet with Brian May and Friends was phenomenal....check it out if you want something a little different from when EVH was in his prime. 

roberty

Philly_Q

Tonight I've listened to Fair Warning, maybe the darkest Van Halen album, and Diver Down, maybe the most cheerful.  Happy trails to you, until we meet again...

stickyfiddle

I wouldn’t describe myself as anything more than a very casual fan of VH, but what a monster of a player and seemingly a really great guy too. 

Genuinely one of the tiny handful of guys who single-handedly (no pun intended!)  changed the fundamentals of what guitar playing could be.

RIP

p90fool

I bought the first album when it came out simply because the cover looked like a rock band (I'd never heard of them) and it was jaw dropping.

He changed the way we all thought about guitar, and always cheeky rather than pompous, remained more expressive, more humourous and simply more musical than his legion of imitators. Despite the headline grabbing pyrotechnic style he remains my favourite ever rhythm guitarist, and like all the best rock guitarists really understood pop music.

jeztone2

I’m sure someone else has already said this. But he was like a Tony Stark Character. He redefined the instrument with a box of scraps. He was and remains a genius. RIP. 

proggy

RIP Eddie.

axisus

Shocking and sad, just saw the news on TV. I sat at the computer to 'read stuff' about EVH and honestly felt I was going to shed a tear. I remember my best mate playing me his brothers VH1 &2 albums in the 70s and I was just blown away by the power of the guitar. Let's face it, we all worshipped Eruption, the track that defined electric guitar for .... decades? VH are one of those few bands where I own everything they recorded on vinyl, and also re-bought it all later on CD.

For me, there was no-one cooler than Eddie with his Frankenstrat. RIP Eddie

guitars4you

There is no shortage of great guitar players, both today and from the past - But few are original and bring something else, that is fresh, to the table - From the 'Frankenstein' guitar, to the style of playing, EVH was certainly original and as such well deserving of the 'legend' tag - EVH will missed by many but the legend will always live on and I'm sure influence many more players for many more years - RIP

Kebabkid

stickyfiddle said:

I wouldn’t describe myself as anything more than a very casual fan of VH, but what a monster of a player and seemingly a really great guy too. 

Genuinely one of the tiny handful of guys who single-handedly (no pun intended!)  changed the fundamentals of what guitar playing could be.

RIP

And equipment with modded amps, modded guitars (superstrats, Trems). I also have the Starfleet EP

Parker said:

Star Fleet with Brian May and Friends was phenomenal....check it out if you want something a little different from when EVH was in his prime. I

Leiversalone

The fact that my son is named 'Halen' should tell you how much of an influence this guy has been on my life. Feel like crying. Everybody says they're listening to Van Halen today. I listen to Van Halen every day. It's the best way to make me a better player. Rock in peace King Edward.

elusivelight

Can't quite believe it still. Happened just before I went to bed last night. Sitting in the car park at work having listened to VH1 on my way in and Little Dreamer has just come on and I'm almost in bits. 

I had been mucking about with the guitar when I was 14/15 but when I heard eddie when I was on study leave for my GCSEs I really say up and took notice. 

Rip. 

Greatest ever for me. 

Gassage

I was thinking about this last night- guitar has 9 or 10 deities- the Mount Rushmore players. People who literally trancend the instrument, and whether or not you're fans of their music personally, you still worship them because you know how significant, skilled or important they are.

He is one of those deities. I wasn't a huge listener of his music, but hell, I'm in awe of what he did and how many players he made go and start playing. A sad, sad, day.

Aidanspaghetti

stickyfiddle

Gassage said:

I was thinking about this last night- guitar has 9 or 10 deities- the Mount Rushmore players. People who literally trancend the instrument, and whether or not you're fans of their music personally, you still worship them because you know how significant, skilled or important they are.

He is one of those deities. I wasn't a huge listener of his music, but hell, I'm in awe of what he did and how many players he made go and start playing. A sad, sad, day.

Yep. I was trying to narrow it down to 4 and couldn't quite get there, but Hendrix and EVH were unquestionably the 2 who need to be there. 

This probably deserves its own thread...

welshboyo

RIP to the original and only Guitar Hero - many have tried to emulate him, nobody ever came close - instantly recognisable in a crowd of over wankery in the 80's  - Rock Guitar owes so much to him - not just the style but the gear too.

End of an Era and its sad to think that there won't be anyone else coming along and making such an impact as he did.

He also looked Uber-Cool as he got older IMO (#mancrush)