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RIP Eddie Van Halen


DrDawkinstein

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https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/06/eddie-van-halen-dead-dies-cancer-65/

 

Amazing self-taught guitarist who Gene Simmons stopped from joining KISS and told him to start his own band.

 

Laid down the classic riff and furious lick in Michael Jackson's Beat It.

 

Battled some bad substance abuse in the 2000s, but fought through and got cleaned up.

 

Van Halen >> Van Haggar

 

RIP Eddie

Edited by DrDawkinstein
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Not my favorite player, but undeniably one of the most influential of modern times.  Every '80's guitarist did the fret-hammering thing (which he famously hid from the audience before the band got signed).

 

I still remember the exact time & place I was when I first heard "Eruption."  It was like, what the heck is this?  Mind-blowing at the time.

 

R.I.P.   

 

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Eddie was one of the greatest ever. The variety of licks and riffs through the years were unreal. Women and Children First and Mean Street have some incredibly underrated tunes. Sad but he will not be forgotten any time soon.

 

I'm taking whiskey to the party tonight and I'm looking for somebody to squeezeeee. 

 

RIP Eddie Van Halen

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10 minutes ago, Success said:

Not my favorite player, but undeniably one of the most influential of modern times.  Every '80's guitarist did the fret-hammering thing (which he famously hid from the audience before the band got signed).

 

I still remember the exact time & place I was when I first heard "Eruption."  It was like, what the heck is this?  Mind-blowing at the time.

 

R.I.P.  

 

I remember hearing a documentary on the radio about EVH (before I was really into them and heard Eruption), and the intro was the tapping section of Eruption.  I thought it sounded cool.  Then when I got Van Halen (I) and heard it after "Running with the Devil..."

 

2 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

 

Van Miller >> Van Halen >> Van Haggar

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Van Cherone (I don't even know a single song from that album).

Edited by Doc
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30 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Van Halen >> Van Haggar

 

I was a huge VH fan at the time of the breakup and subsequent release of 5150.  I was pissed.  I refused to listen to the album for about a year.

 

Long story, short - I caved.  I listened.  I loved it.  I loved OU812 and F.U.C.K. All great albums.

 

What I realized is that they were two completely different bands.  There wasn't any need to compare the two.  Both eras/lineups made fantastic music and their albums were completely different.  My VH II mood is far different than my 5150 mood.  But whichever one I'm in the mood for, when I listen, I'm in my glory.

 

The most important common denominator is the man we're remembering today.

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3 hours ago, Success said:

I still remember the exact time & place I was when I first heard "Eruption."  It was like, what the heck is this?  Mind-blowing at the time.

 

Ditto. I was a teenager at a party. They played the whole album, and I was blown away from start to finish.

 

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Wow.  This is one of those celebrity death notices that hits really hard for me.

 

He had a scare with cancer several years ago and lost a piece of his tongue, etc., but I thought it was gone.

 

I didn't know it had been back.

 

His guitar playing is totally unique and a one-off.

 

He did *so much more* than hammer ons and pull offs.

 

I feel like we never got nearly as much music as we should have from him because of his alcoholism, which he never really beat.

 

Just really bad news all around for me.

 

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35 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

The Gene Simmons thing, was it a rub @ EVH @ the time OR: Was it that he was too good. ??

 

I never heard that story.

 

RIP

 

Too good.

 

Supposedly around 1982 when Ace left KISS.

 

There have been two versions I've heard. One went that Eddie was frustrated with VH and Gene told him to stick it out. Another goes that they took Eddie to lunch to ask him to join and he declined.

 

Unfortunately, some googling for interviews to link to the story show that Gene is the only one who tells it. Eddie doesnt remember ever having that conversation, but also admits he could have been effed up enough to not remember. So who knows. True or not, they were all very close friends and I like what it adds to LA Rock lore of that time.

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Man...this news absolutely sucks.....Van Halen represents the soundtrack of my High School years.....From the 1st album....Fair Warning....and on and on......even liked them with Sammy.......the VH logo with both my sons name ( like his, with Wolfgang ) is still my only tattoo...RIP King Edward !!

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EVH has been a massively influential human. Even beyond his guitar playing, I would see how his DIY attitude and experimental approach to his equipment inspired people around me in areas beyond music. Even the paint job on his guitar seeped it's way into graphic/Pop art. 

An incredible person.

 

 

 

 

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