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Eddie Van Halen dead at 65

I picked up Van Halen later on, my first CD was the Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and then I went back and generally I preferred the Hagar records but the very best songs were with DLR

In 9th grade Music class we were given an assignment to report on a musician/band and I chose VH. In the age before the Internet I mostly just used liner notes and my imagination for that one
 
ELC is spot on with his comments. EVH was so influential. True innovator. Everybody wanted to play like EVH.

I only got to see them once, in Charlotte, 1991. What a show! One of the first rock concerts I ever went to. I am a rare breed though. I like Dave and Sammy. Usually I find people love one and hate the other, but I love them both. It's almost like to different bands.
 
ELC is spot on with his comments. EVH was so influential. True innovator. Everybody wanted to play like EVH.

I only got to see them once, in Charlotte, 1991. What a show! One of the first rock concerts I ever went to. I am a rare breed though. I like Dave and Sammy. Usually I find people love one and hate the other, but I love them both. It's almost like to different bands.

Would you say you had the best of both worlds ?
 
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You can argue for days over who was actually the best player, but I think you'll get little argument over who was the most influential. EVH inspired so many kids to pick up a guitar so they could play like EVH. Most (like me) never even sniffed his talent, but a few did, and every heavy metal/hard rock/hair rock guitarist owes a debt to EVH. Even those (again, like me) who draw on other influences because we long ago realized we would never be able to play like EVH owe him a debt because EVH is the reason we wanted to play guitar in the first place. He was a guitar god, THE MAN when I grew up.

Glad I got to see them when they first reunited with Roth, even though DLR couldn't sing and Wolfie was on bass. It was just a glimpse of what I'd missed, but it took me back to a good place.

RIP EVH.

+1
 
You can argue for days over who was actually the best player, but I think you'll get little argument over who was the most influential. EVH inspired so many kids to pick up a guitar so they could play like EVH. Most (like me) never even sniffed his talent, but a few did, and every heavy metal/hard rock/hair rock guitarist owes a debt to EVH. Even those (again, like me) who draw on other influences because we long ago realized we would never be able to play like EVH owe him a debt because EVH is the reason we wanted to play guitar in the first place. He was a guitar god, THE MAN when I grew up.

Glad I got to see them when they first reunited with Roth, even though DLR couldn't sing and Wolfie was on bass. It was just a glimpse of what I'd missed, but it took me back to a good place.

RIP EVH.

+ a Shit Ton. Man, this really sucks. Van Halen was the first major rock band that I ever saw in concert -- their first tour with Sammy Hagar in 1986 (The 5150 album). Bachman Turner Overdrive opened for them. What an awesome experience.

I wore out a Van Halen greatest hits CD during a deployment to Bosnia in 1996. Probably listened to "Unchained" no fewer than 500 times. An unbelievable talent and just an incredible loss.
 
I enjoyed this Rick Beato


First album, first side, first song is Running with the Devil. Imagine your first reaction to that intro. Makes a statement.
 
ELC is spot on with his comments. EVH was so influential. True innovator. Everybody wanted to play like EVH.

I only got to see them once, in Charlotte, 1991. What a show! One of the first rock concerts I ever went to. I am a rare breed though. I like Dave and Sammy. Usually I find people love one and hate the other, but I love them both. It's almost like to different bands.

Definitely two different bands. The evolution was evident in 1984 and 5150. Keyboards (blech) and a totally different guitar sound, even if the style remained largely unchanged.

I liked some of the Sammy stuff, especially 5150, which was a hotly anticipated album at the time. But Sammy was different. He was the party until we pass out persona. DLR was the party all night, don't sleep all weekend cuz I'm coked out of my skull, fuck all your GFs, and you'll still like me on Sunday persona. And the music of VH, complete with the dirty brown sound of EVH's guitar and DLR's random rants about poontang or junior's grades were just unlike anything they were able to present with Sammy. But as with almost every band that sticks around longer than 10 years, they evolved.
 
Definitely two different bands. The evolution was evident in 1984 and 5150. Keyboards (blech) and a totally different guitar sound, even if the style remained largely unchanged.

I liked some of the Sammy stuff, especially 5150, which was a hotly anticipated album at the time. But Sammy was different. He was the party until we pass out persona. DLR was the party all night, don't sleep all weekend cuz I'm coked out of my skull, fuck all your GFs, and you'll still like me on Sunday persona. And the music of VH, complete with the dirty brown sound of EVH's guitar and DLR's random rants about poontang or junior's grades were just unlike anything they were able to present with Sammy. But as with almost every band that sticks around longer than 10 years, they evolved.

DLR was an entertainer more than a singer. As cheesy as he could be, he was always entertaining. Hagar was a rock singer. VH was great with both but I definitely prefer the DLR version of the band.
 
DLR songs are cynical, jaded, heart-broken songs. Van Hagar hits are about the positive aspects of love.
 
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