The heavenly choirs are really going to start rockin' now.
RIP Eddie.

Goddammit! Another one I never got to see live.

If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock n' roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band.

The Righteous Brothers.

I got to see VH about 20x live. But I was a diehard fan long before my folks would let me go to concerts.

Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNg-dgeINY0

As everyone else mentioned, 1984 and 5150 were from my youth! Just the other night, I was coming home at 1AM from the airport. Nodding off here and there, so I turned the radio on and it was VH. The volume honestly went up and the air guitar came out. Was awake for the rest of the trip. R.I.P EVH!!

I was never a Van Halen fan. I did see the 5150 tour but never really got the draw. Just this year I started listening to their first 6 albums and I sort of get it now. He was completely original and he absolutely loved his job. He smiled endlessly. He knew tone (unlike Randy Rhoads who may have been a better player but his tone was questionable at best -- could have been a production issue) and experimented tirelessly. I completely respect that.

I really wish he was known for something other than Eruption though. If I never hear that track again it'll be too soon. Play "Drop Dead Legs" instead, now that's a great track.



May he RIP.

Uhhh... there's plenty he's known for besides Eruption.

quote:

Play "Drop Dead Legs" instead

I dug a guitar out and played it last night. It's the only Van Halen song I've ever learned. Except for the solo, because I suck at playing guitar. Without Eruption though, I don't believe I'd have ever developed an interest trying to play guitar.

Yeah it's a bummer, but sadly not unexpected. I had heard that the cancer treatment wasn't going great for him a few months ago. Thanks to one of those click bait "Famous People who died in 2020" stories, I spent much of my day off yesterday listening to VH on Spotify, not to mention a little Mac Davis and even Helen Reddy, both who passed on the same day last week (and I hadn't heard previously).

Really says a lot when so much of the music I listen to are by artists who are dead...

For anyone interested: Sirius/XM Channel 27 is playing a Van Halen tribute right now.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

I really wish he was known for something other than Eruption though. If I never hear that track again it'll be too soon.

I'm the oddball, I have always thought that Eddie was one of the best rhythm guitarists in rock, along with Malcolm Young, I appreciated his rhythm playing a little more than his lead playing. And Drop Dead Legs is a great example.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

I really wish he was known for something other than Eruption though. If I never hear that track again it'll be too soon.

I'm the oddball, I have always thought that Eddie was one of the best rhythm guitarists in rock, along with Malcolm Young, I appreciated his rhythm playing a little more than his lead playing. And Drop Dead Legs is a great example.

Yep, he was a great song writer and kept tight with the band.

And the D-Tuna is a genius invention.

I always skip over Eruption. I NEVER skip over Drop Dead Legs. That is one of the toughest VH tunes to nail on guitar. That outro rhythm groove is off the hook.

Drop Dead Legs, man. One of my favorite VH songs ever.

I heard a story on the radio this morning and looked it up. Apparently, EVH was a gun owner; to say the least...

The author of a new Eddie Van Halen photo book claims the rock guitar icon once threatened Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst with a gun after a jam session that went south.

Biographer Andrew Bennett writes that Van Halen and Durst met at a party sometime in 2001 after Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland had left the band.

At the time, the band was holding auditions for Borland's replacement. As Limp Bizkit was one of the biggest bands in the world at the time, a record executive suggested Van Halen consider a collaboration.

Durst reportedly reacted like most people would after hearing that suggestion: "That would be hilarious. The greatest guitar player ever plays with the worst band ever."

But as Bennett's story goes, Van Halen was more optimistic, and the two parties set up a jam session at Durst's house in Beverly Hills.

Van Halen showed up with some guitars, amplifiers and other gear, but was bothered by people smoking marijuana in the jam space and left abruptly.

A day went by and Van Halen grew furious with Durst for not reaching out to arrange the return of his gear.

Van Halen's mood soured and he headed back to Durst's place in a military vehicle he had acquired at an auction. When he got out of the large vehicle, he was wearing nothing but jeans held up by rope and ragged combat boots.

With his hair in a Samurai bun and a gun in his hand, he knocked on the door and Durst answered.

Van Halen reportedly recalled to Bennett what happened next: "I put my gun to that stupid f---ing red had of his, and I said, 'Where's my s--t, motherf---er?' That f---ing guy just turned to one of his employees and starts yelling at him to grab my s--t.'

Van Halen continued holding the gun at Durst as people went back and forth from the house, loading his gear into the truck.

https://www.iheart.com/content...after-a-jam-session/

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It was known Eddie collected guns, including full auto stuff. In one magazine interview I remember from decades ago, at the conclusion of the interview, he showed off an Uzi to the writer.

Yeah, this hit me hard as well. The first concert I ever went to was Van Halen, 1979. Saw them 5 more times after that and Eddie never disappointed. RIP Eddie, you always will be one of the best.

Damn!! Damn I didn't know he was sick. I hope the Blue Angels do a fly over for him. I suspect lots of guys were motivated to join with that Dreams video.

I only have six bands with 15 songs on my giant juke box , and V.H. is one of them.

And one of five band that I've enjoyed over 20 years.

I've often wondered if they had a George Martin or a Geoff Emerick to aid in there sucess