How can anybody here, claim that Eddie Van Halen can no longer play?

[cwsmith17]

This is the most ridiculous thing that anyone could think. Eddie changed the way people played the guitar. He is a living legend. I think that Eddie is a complete asshole, but that aside I believe he is just as good now as he was back then, if not better. What the hell do you think?

[Roth kills Sam]

As usual, your lame ass is starting some homo thread that is utterly ridiculous. Everyone except you and your mom knows Eddie hasn't played a note worth spit since 1985. He has been entertaining to everyone that loved VH much in the way the "fat" Elvis was entertaining to the people that loved the young Elvis. He is a damn comic of himself and he is completely without integrity. If you can't hear the lifelessness in Ed's playing now, go f*** a cow.


Oh yeah: eat me

[Terry]

Take a good listen to Fair Warning.

Then listen to the Van Hagar catalog.

Outside, of Humans Being and 5150 the song, Ed has wasted away his talent. By the time OU812 came around, Ed was no longer even special anymore, and Van Hagar were pretty much indistinguishable from all the other hair bands that were inspired by classic Van Halen in the first place.

Ed peaked in 1981. Couple of neat things on Diver Down and 1984.

Ed's pinched harmonic horse whinny vibrato arm dives, natural harmonic whammy bar antics, low E tremolo growls and such permeating every solo......it's like he's become a parody of what he used to be.

Face it: Eddie started phoning it in about 20 years ago, and got away with being lazy because he could. And it might not have been such a waste of a great soloist if Ed had been churning out great songs.

With Van Hagar, I hear neither great songs nor great guitar work. Tough to say Eddie is still just as good as he ever was when he fails to move me to anything other than boredom. Wasn't always that way, either. I still get off on the shit he did when Roth was in the band to this day. And I won't preclude myself from digging what Eddie does just because Roth isn't there, either, if he manages to come up with some stuff worth listening to.

[ashstralia]

nailed it, terry.

[Roth kills Sam]

Dude Terry: You pretty much nailed it. Although I don't COMPLETELY agree with you, your assessment is dead-on and insightful. Ed was clearly already in "repeat often" mode with regard to his main, standard licks even with Dave. It seemed he was more into finding funny sounds rather than keeping his edge and pushing himself to stay on top of his own skills. By the time 5150 came squirting out of hell's anus, there is NO WAY Ed could pull off even his own solos from the early years. No way. Anyone who thinks so is nuts. Did you see him live on 5150? What a clown boy. I digress.... Anyhow, Ed is just a really good guitar player now, but just a shell of himself

[Panamark]

Great Post Terry ! I couldnt agree more.

[POJO_Risin]

The LyingDutchman1...

I can't really say any more that's been said already...other than to say what's done is done...and Ed is and has been done for years...

Human's Being a great Ed Tune? Did I miss something? Did he play something on there that I, nor anyone else that plays CAN'T play?

c'mon man...that's just not a tune worth mentioning guitarwise...

as far as his virtuosity...well...again...there isn't really much to say as far as creativity goes once you get past the last Roth album...he overplayed his solo....and quite honestly....got by on his leap into stardom after that point.

Oh, I know, we'll have some idiots come one here and say that's blasphemous...but wake up and smell the lack of creative effort...

[Lou]

I hate Humans Being. I think the lyrics are stupid and the whole middle section is a rip-off of Panama. I never understood why even Roth fans like this song.

[POJO_Risin]

It just goes to show you how pussified Eddie the fucking liar has become...

in the day...that would have been B side shit that would have shown up somewhere in Japan...

Now it's considered good because it's got a heavy side to it...even though my dog could play it with her legs all cut off...

ridiculous...just ridiculous...

[madraoul]

Ed ran out of shit after Fair Warning. Dave was the only thing keeping the band interesting. Why else would a guitar hero take up keyboards? By the way, what's up with Ed's "Chopsticks" approach to the keyboards? Keith Emerson must be really impressed.

[TMR]

Originally posted by cwsmith17
This is the most ridiculous thing that anyone could think. Eddie changed the way people played the guitar. He is a living legend. I think that Eddie is a complete asshole, but that aside I believe he is just as good now as he was back then, if not better. What the hell do you think?

I think you are a loser! Hopefully, you can get out of the 70's and come back to reality.

[Brett]

Pojo, I'm interested in hearing you do the "Humans Being" leads. Make me a recording. I gotta hear this. If anyone can do them, it shouldn't take you but a few minutes bro.

[pardo]

Yeah, I agree with Terry's post too. Especially the part about Elvis!

One thing that I can point out - Edward isn't nearly as good with a pick as he was back in the day. He used to have a really really articulate style where he'd make certain notes jump out (not with pinch harmonics). He could pick runs like a mofo and did a lot of cool stuff.

Post '85, he tended to pick the first note of a phrase and slur the rest. Which can be cool - but he turned his back on a really cool aspect of his playing which is too bad. The whammy'd harmonics and stuff ain't enough substance for me. Especially considering how dominant he once was.

Here's the short answer. Watch Edwards solo at '82 Largo. Then watch "316" on RHRN.

[Panamark]

An old friend of mine, (an impartial observer) summed it up nicely. (After watching that fucking Van Hagar clip where Ed has short hair and a goatee)

"Well you can see that its Eddie, but he's just playing the guitar, he
isnt being Eddie anymore."

I like that analogy. Ed used to rip in the real Van Halen. Then he slacked off bigtime in Van Hagar.

Brenty Brents. I think Pojo is referring to the basic riff in Humans Being. I agree with him, its easy to play. But you know what sucks most about that song ?

Shine on Shine on...

The crappy Hagar Factor...

The only song that Van Hagar has recorded that promised a thin sliver of some testicular fortitude, and then Spammy does that Shine on shit.. Instantly fucked up Hagar tune...

[Wayne L.]

I think Eddie Van Halen is one of the last great important & influential rock guitarist in the history of rock & roll joining other great legendary rock guitarists before him like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page. I know Eddie can still kick ass after all these years with his guitar virtuosity which will never be surpassed but I'm not expectingthe EVH of 78/79/80 unless you're an idiot.

[bru87tr]

ed can play.... when he is motivated and inspired! you think sammy can motivate and inspire him ?

bov1 he was inspired cause he hates dave so much. the worst brings out the best in ed and when hes happy and thinking of love songs thats not exactly something thats gonna win the world over for best guitarist of 2004!

[Brett]

I hope he's not saying that Marky Mark, because there are plenty of Dave-era tunes with rather easy main riffs. So I hope that wasn't the point, but maybe it was.

[Terry]

EVH is just a waste of talent.

Less said about his keyboard use, the better.

When he made the big time, he just went on auto-pilot, and the rest of the band followed. From about '83 on, he just got lazy.

Sloth is the culprit here.

Lost sight of who he was and where his talents lay, and didn't really have anyone to challenge him after Dave left.

Sammy Hagar and the Van Hagar reunion present no challenge. Reuniting with Roth in 1996 was, and the sisters backed down.

[GAR]

I want to listen to the 9th or 10th Van Halen "unreleased" album thats in the can, before making an assessment if the dude could still play.

don't base his today skills on yesterday's effort.

[pardo]

GAR, I hear what you're sayin for sure. But if you look at the downward trend his playing has taken after '85, then its easy to extrapolate that his playing is now crap. But I hope you're right and he's recaptured some of the brilliance.

And Terry, I think Edwards playing on 1984 was amazing. But yeah, in seeing a few boots from '84, you can tell he was starting to rely on his tapped harmonics and whammy more than rippin it up.

I'm not really a fan of shredding. But I love when Edward ripped it up!

Waaaaa heeeeeee!!!!

[L.S.D.]

Originally posted by Roth kills Sam
Dude Terry: You pretty much nailed it. Although I don't COMPLETELY agree with you, your assessment is dead-on and insightful. Ed was clearly already in "repeat often" mode with regard to his main, standard licks even with Dave. It seemed he was more into finding funny sounds rather than keeping his edge and pushing himself to stay on top of his own skills. By the time 5150 came squirting out of hell's anus, there is NO WAY Ed could pull off even his own solos from the early years. No way. Anyone who thinks so is nuts. Did you see him live on 5150? What a clown boy. I digress.... Anyhow, Ed is just a really good guitar player now, but just a shell of himself

And what is dlr now?

[ZahZoo]

Originally posted by Brett
Pojo, I'm interested in hearing you do the "Humans Being" leads. Make me a recording. I gotta hear this. If anyone can do them, it shouldn't take you but a few minutes bro.

I had similar thought when I read this thread... I'd really love to hear a recording of anyone here slamming Ed to understand where they are coming from.

[Lou]

Originally posted by Brett
I hope he's not saying that Marky Mark, because there are plenty of Dave-era tunes with rather easy main riffs. So I hope that wasn't the point, but maybe it was.

Are you a fucking Dave fan or what? You and your butt buddy seenbad keep insisting how you "strongly prefer" the Roth era yet I have never, not once, seen you post something positive about Dave. Unless you think that it was just coincidence that the Roth-era music was better, as it was all Eddie, and Dave just happened to be the singer during that time.

But wow, you are the fucking supreme apologist for Eddie and Van Hagar.

[Brett]

What in god's fucking name are you going on about now Ford Jr.?

Because I said there are a ton of easy riffs from the Dave era, that means I don't like Dave? No you stupid twit, it comes from 20 years of guitar playing that I think that.

How the fuck is that a slight at Dave or Van Halen you retard?

The Beatles have some pretty fucking easy riffs too, I guess I hate them as well. Man you're just stupid.

[pardo]

Lighten up Francis.

[Brett]

Lube wants to play, we will play Pardo. I'm not going to let some pre-pubescent toad talk to me like he has the slightest fucking clue what he's talking about.

Lube has a chip on his shoulder so big, he'd need a fucking crane to move it. Twit.

Thanks for your concern Sgt. Hulka.

[Lou]

Hey Brett, give me something positive about Dave, which you never seem to do. You're always on here basically trying to defend Van Hagar. I don't think it's that hard of a challenge.

[Brett]

Excuse me? You think I need to prove something to you pissant? Now THAT is fucking funny! I knew you could be funny Louie.

[Lou]

Wow, you really can't say anything positive about Dave can you? I knew you were a liar in that regard.

[Brett]

Lube I wouldn't waste my time giving you a real response to anything. You're nothing to me, just some words on a screen, some 23-year old loud-mouthed nobody in Philadelphia. I have no respect for you, you're a silly child. You used to have something to contribute to the VH community, but then your mommy dropped you on your head and you've become a total blithering idiot. You'll never get the wonderful satisfaction of having an honest conversation with me, because you are a flat out stooge.

[Lou]

Originally posted by Brett
Lube I wouldn't waste my time giving you a real response to anything. You're nothing to me, just some words on a screen, some 23-year old loud-mouthed nobody in Philadelphia. I have no respect for you, you're a silly child. You used to have something to contribute to the VH community, but then your mommy dropped you on your head and you've become a total blithering idiot. You'll never get the wonderful satisfaction of having an honest conversation with me, because you are a flat out stooge.

Damn, I hate when that happens.

[Brett]

Well good now you know. When you decide to be less of a little arrogant shit-talking drone, you come talk to me then. I'll be happy to share all my wonderful feelings on Dave that you seem so interested in.

[tjvhou812]

Originally posted by Roth kills Sam
As usual, your lame ass is starting some homo thread that is utterly ridiculous. Everyone except you and your mom knows Eddie hasn't played a note worth spit since 1985. He has been entertaining to everyone that loved VH much in the way the "fat" Elvis was entertaining to the people that loved the young Elvis. He is a damn comic of himself and he is completely without integrity. If you can't hear the lifelessness in Ed's playing now, go f*** a cow.


Oh yeah: eat me

you need to get off the crack

[tjvhou812]

eddie is

the best there was

the best their is

the best their ever will be

[DavidLeeNatra]

Originally posted by tjvhou812
eddie is

the best there was

the best their is

the best their ever will be

keyboard player...? that were the polls and rankings he went in after 1985...

[cwsmith17]

Originally posted by tjvhou812
eddie is

the best there was

the best their is

the best their ever will be

You are damn right.