Eddie Van Halen dead at 65 from metastatic throat cancer

[Dmitry]

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Wow. There's goes a biggie from my youth. I was an early rider on the Van Halen bus, being an early buyer of their first album and seeing them on tour at a tiny (<7,000) concert venue with only about 1,000 of us in the crowd.

[felser]

RIP.  The original group with David Lee Roth was highly entertaining at times, and Van Halen was a very imaginative and extravagent guitar player.

[mjazzg]

RIP.  I saw their first UK concert, promoting the first album too. Rainbow Theatre, north London. Blew me away.

[EKE BBB]

R.I.P. 

[HutchFan]

Very sad news. 

[CJ Shearn]

Wow! A shocker! RIP

[Mark13]

Probably the only rock-god of Dutch origin. His band making it big in the US filled the nation with pride. I like what they did.

RIP

[Dave James]

One of a kind.  No one played guitar like Eddie.  Not even close.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/arts/music/eddie-van-halen-dead.html?

Edited October 6, 2020 by Dave James

[catesta]

I've always been fan and always will be. Lots of drama over the years, no doubt, some of it pertaining to Hagar and Michael Anthony showed a lack of class by Eddie at times, but in the end it was all about the music and Ed's magical shredding ability.

RIP sir, you're in the books.

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by catesta

[Hardbopjazz]

wow. 65 is young. 

[felser]

1 hour ago, Mark13 said:

Probably the only rock-god of Dutch origin.

The original Spinal Tap.   Not rock-gods here, but one extremely iconic song and many decades of varying but generally interesting music (and Moontan and the first live double are GREAT albums).   

 

[JSngry]

Eddie van Halen was the first player I ever heard favorably compared to Jan Hammer in terms of stylistic similarities.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

44 minutes ago, catesta said:

Lots of drama over the years, no doubt, some of it pertaining to Hagar and Michael Anthony showed a lack of class by Eddie at times,

Lack of class is putting it mildly. Eddie was an incredible guitarist but he had a massive ego. I've read enough stories of people's encounters with him to realize that he is not a guy that I would have wanted to sit down and have a beer with. Life is too short to deal with people like that.

Edited October 6, 2020 by bresna

[Rabshakeh]

Sad to see him go. A genuine paradigm shifter.

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Eddie van Halen was the first player I ever heard favorably compared to Jan Hammer in terms of stylistic similarities.

I'm not at all sure who comes out of this comparison better off.

[felser]

55 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

Sad to see him go. A genuine paradigm shifter.

I'm not at all sure who comes out of this comparison better off.

Regardless of what else he did, good or bad (and I'm not a big fan overall), Hammer certainly made his mark on those first three Mahavishnu Orchestra albums, to their and his benefit.

[Rabshakeh]

18 minutes ago, felser said:

Regardless of what else he did, good or bad (and I'm not a big fan overall), Hammer certainly made his mark on those first three Mahavishnu Orchestra albums, to their and his benefit.

Definitely. And that Billy Cobham album too. I like Jan Hammer’s early 70s stuff a lot.

I’m just not sure that I’d necessarily want to be compared to him if I were a shredding pop metal guitarist, or vice versa. 

[AllenLowe]

a little unsettling as I had throat cancer (not metastatic fortunately) last year.

I actually liked his playing when he just played.

[Dan Gould]

Why Van Halen, the band and the musician, didn't exactly thrill me:

I only really knew of them from 1984 and that #1 hit became so ubiquitous and is one of the most annoying tunes in rock history, IMHO.

most importantly, reading the NYT obit I recognize the reason his guitar playing annoyed - the lack of the blues-rootedness of Clapton et al.

Anyway, RIP. 

[Dmitry]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/exclusive-sammy-hagar-recalls-20-years-of-madness-with-van-halen-11942/no-title-311-26241/

 

God damn....I had no idea.

That's why I don't like reading biographies of famous crazy, drunk, and drugged out artists [yes, Miles]. It absolutely puts a big negative perspective on my consequent appreciation of their oeuvre.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Dmitry

[catesta]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Why Van Halen, the band and the musician, didn't exactly thrill me:

I only really knew of them from 1984 and that #1 hit became so ubiquitous and is one of the most annoying tunes in rock history, IMHO.

most importantly, reading the NYT obit I recognize the reason his guitar playing annoyed - the lack of the blues-rootedness of Clapton et al.

Anyway, RIP. 

Eddie often talked about being influenced by Clapton and Hendrix and went on to say while learning he would play everything Clapton did note for note. What made him great was that he didn't bring that with him to VH and was an original. He was capable of of going in many different directions and showcased that throughout his career and ended up being the one that so many rock, metal and guitarists in general cited as an influence.

[catesta]

3 hours ago, Dmitry said:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/exclusive-sammy-hagar-recalls-20-years-of-madness-with-van-halen-11942/no-title-311-26241/

 

God damn....I had no idea.

That's why I don't like reading biographies of famous crazy, drunk, and drugged out artists [yes, Miles]. It absolutely puts a big negative perspective on my consequent appreciation of their oeuvre.

Hagar buried that shit in recent years and hoped to have a relationship with both VH brothers. Based on some interviews I heard, he had some communication with Ed but I don't think they ever re-established a true friendship.

Still, both Sammy and Michael have shown nothing but respect and class on his passing.

[Rooster_Ties]

17 hours ago, AllenLowe said:

I actually liked his playing when he just played.

Wasn’t a fan of the rubato stuff like “Eruption” — primarily because a LOT of a-tempto (rubato) stuff just doesn’t do it for me.

But other than the possibility of too much of that, I would have loved to have heard more all-instrumental “band” type material with Eddie.

Like if he’d done some Joe Satriani type stuff.

I’m not enough of fan to have ever owned any Van Halen (or Satriani), but I’ve been around enough people (primarily in college) who liked that stuff, that I’ve heard a bit. And even now, I’m often game for some Satriani-type stuff when I’m on the treadmill in the gym.

I never cared for Diamond Dave, but the Van Hagar version of the band was ok (meaning better). If I stumble on any Van Hagar on the radio, I usually won’t switch channels. Not high praise, I realize, but it’s just a commercial type of music that doesn’t draw me in repeatedly.

That said, Eddie was clearly a monster player, but also not just a busy shredder either. He was ‘musical’ about it, and could make a guitar sing.

I’m more into Gilmour, or Paul Kossoff (Free) — and Hendrix especially (Jimi was my very first musical love, in high school in the mid-80’s). And lately, Allan Holdsworth.

But Eddie was about the best in his genre, not only technically, but musically too.

[JSngry]

Square business , check out post Mahavishnu Jan Hammer and listen for similarities to Van Halen's playing. There might be more than you expect.

[Rabshakeh]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Square business , check out post Mahavishnu Jan Hammer and listen for similarities to Van Halen's playing. There might be more than you expect.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Rabshakeh