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9K views 66 replies 24 participants last post by  andy7jem 
#1 ·
I was just on the sweetwater forum and replied to a thread about influences and since this is my favorite forum by far I thought I would share my thoughts on this issue. Yes, I believe that Eddie Van Halen has gone off the deep end but thinking about it seriously, this is the guy who inspired me to go get a guitar and go for it almost 30 years ago!!!!!! I'm 44 now and Eddie is the guy who created the "spark". Aside from Chuck Berry, this guy changed my life forever. If I had never heard eruption or running with the devil I might not have ever picked up a guitar. WOW...................... Yes, my tastes have changed over the years and yes Eddie has gotten freaky and wacked out but man, it does not change the fact that this is the noise that changed my life. If we all take a minute and think about that one person who set us on the path to being guitar players and how much that changed us....How many people have you influenced by being a musician? Some of the guys on this forum are genuine celebrities and how are they reaching out. I guess what I'm saying is yes, our hero's may all be f^&#ed up but they still changed the world.......just my two cents.
 
#3 ·
I would like to add a few things to this discussion.

EVH is deffinatly one of the best guitar players that I'm aware of, but more than this I like his 'thinking'. I watch the Fender NAMM video where Edward talks about his guitars, and although he has strayed from this path in his life time, he says something that I think people should keep in the back of their minds a little more.

Keep it simple.

Trying to rember this in day to day life is something that I think people could do with rembering. Some of the best things, the things that work the best, are the ones that are simple.

I also believe that 'Amsterdam' from the album Balance is the best song in the world.

Chris
 
#5 ·
I think almost everyone in this forum should respect Eddie, no matter how crazy he sounds nowadays.

I have heard that he was the one to basically save almost the entire guitar industry. In the 70's, disco (cough, puke, cough) was killing every instrument that wasn't electronic. Then Van Halen appeared. Hearing Eruption prompted millions to pick up the guitar again, resulting in a huge increase in guitar equipment sales and saving many guitar companies from bankrupcy.

If you think about, the 80's they were the prime time for high quality shred guitars. There were tons of American and Japanese produced axes available. A majority of these companies can probably credit EVH with buying them a few more years of business.
 
#12 ·
I think almost everyone in this forum should respect Eddie, no matter how crazy he sounds nowadays.

I have heard that he was the one to basically save almost the entire guitar industry. In the 70's, disco (cough, puke, cough) was killing every instrument that wasn't electronic. Then Van Halen appeared. Hearing Eruption prompted millions to pick up the guitar again, resulting in a huge increase in guitar equipment sales and saving many guitar companies from bankrupcy.

If you think about, the 80's they were the prime time for high quality shred guitars. There were tons of American and Japanese produced axes available. A majority of these companies can probably credit EVH with buying them a few more years of business.
Guitar was doing fine in the 70's. It's all a matter of taste, I would prefer if EVH had never picked up a guitar because I don't listen to any guitarists post 1980, he killed guitar for me in the same way kurt cobain killed it for you.
 
#8 ·
Appreciate the music the man made/makes.

He truly was the one who got me to the next level of wanting to play the guitar, and for that ... i owe.
After what you have invested, I think you're paid off ;) :razz:

(great pic!)
 
#14 ·
My guess is disco would have died regardless. $hit gets old eventually, no matter what it is! Prog rock, corporate rock, metal, grunge, techno, emo, next wave... eventually it all gets tired. Thank GOD the Internet arrived!
If you listen closely, Ed and VH transcended most of the music around at the time. LOTS of imitators popped up!
I said it before and I'll say it again: Chuck Berry, Hendrix, and EVH are IMO the three most influential rock guitarists ever. The way things are now, I doubt you'll see another Ed!
 
#25 ·
I like Eddie a lot, but I was already very into the guitar by the time VH came out. The first time I heard Eddie I though that what he was doing was mostly stunt work to ber honest, and that he couldn't hold a candle to Steve Howe or Al DiMeola, both of whom I was really into at the time. I do like his playing, and love the albums like everyone else, but I never had that worship thing for him. Respect, yes sir. Awe...not really. I'd still rather listen to "The Clap" than "Eruption" any day. But that's just me, and I was playing for hours every day in '72.
 
#27 ·
So I was listening to Van Halen/Van Halen..."Eruption" was fantastic as an instrumental. Fairly groundbreaking and technically marvelous. It should have changed the way guitarists thought and played. However if you listen to Quiet Riots' "Battle Axe" retardedly played by Carlos Cavazo, 5 years later, Eddies' influence obviously didn't reach far enough unfortunately. Why would anyone put out a guitar based instrumental that inferior, after "Eruption"? It's all too funny to me...Just a random thought...:D
 
#39 · (Edited)
At least this thread has made it two pages so far. :lol: Maybe if V/H would put out some new material we'd actually have something new to talk about.

Otherwise, it's the "same ol same ol"..... If anyone speaks badly of EVH your ripped a new one by those who think he invented or saved rock guitar. Or just the opposite occures. So Either way it's almost inevitable..... :lol:

Who knows, maybe this thread will just go silent from lack of interest as opposed to the usual of getting locked down!

Hey, that wasn't too broad a statement was it? :lol:
 
#44 ·
Every decade has had it's guitarist-extrordinair as far back as I can recall-
and to put it in perspective, in 1978 when EVH came onto the national scene:

I was fresh out of college and the first time I heard eruption was in a dorm room at 3am after we had just played a gig in my Zeppelin tribute band in New Haven ,CT. It was at Post College in some girls dorm room and I was *ahem* ...sitting in a beanbag chair enjoying ignitable materials through a water-filled multi-hosed device with ice in it...when lo and behold! This guitar came through the speakers hanging from chains from the ceiling and I thought....whoa- what the hell is that?

For me it was a defining moment - just like seeing Zep in '72 at Madison Square Garden with floor seats...magical.

EVH may be alot of things - you may love him or hate him -but 100 years from now your grandchildren's children will be reading about EVH in their school books.
-jemaholic
 
#55 ·
I can agree to that. In hindsight I must have use too strong of language in my original post (or I should have tried harder to track down and quote the article I was referencing).

Note to self...always include disclaimers where applicable in posts in the hope of avoiding arguments based on semantics.
 
#59 ·
If you want to talk influential, how many people here have heard of Danny Cedrone?

He's the guy who played with Bill Haley & the Comets, amongst others. His name doesn't get mentioned much, but imho he is one of the most influential players ever. Who hasn't heard Rock Around The Clock?

Chuck Berry gets alot more attention, but I think Danny Cedrone can stand right next to him when it comes to shaping the history of rock guitar.

Sorry to derail the thread folks, but I think that Danny Cedrone gets nowhere near the praise he deserves. I'm willing to wager that many people reading this have never heard of him, but most have probably heard him play.

Rock on!
 
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