1979 EVH Interview, discussing 'Angel Eyes'

[VHscraps]

8255664928_04309704f2_n.jpg

This is for DLR Bridge, who remembered I mentioned this interview in a thread about 'Angel Eyes' a year or two ago - it's a 1979 interview, probably done just after VHII was recorded. EVH talks about the song 'Angel Eyes', which was recorded for VHII (I don't know if this is the version we all know, I'd guess it is).

I don't have a scanner here at the moment, so I took images of the article on my phone. I can't upload them in readable size - the forum says anything above the size of the cover image (above ) is too large! WTF?! Before the site update it used to be possible to embed quite large images.

Nevertheless, dudes, I will link to full size image files on an external site (as below), and if you want to read them you will have to click on those. It might still be difficult to read in parts, but the section where he discusses 'Angel Eyes' is at the bottom of the third image, which carries over onto the next page (fourth image).

What Ed said is this:

Q: Do you play acoustic guitar on the album?

EVH: Yeah. There's one song that we still might do which is an acoustic song called 'Angel Eyes'. It's a real neat song that Dave wrote. He wrote the melody and the chord changes because he plays acoustic guitar, somewhat. He used to do solo stuff before he joined the band. That's where 'Ice Cream Man' came from, too. He used to play that acoustically at The Ice House in Pasadena. And on 'Ice Cream Man' we just said do that and we'll come in half-way through.

I think the reason we might not put 'Angel Eyes' on it [VHII] is because it is too much of a change. It's a total acoustic song, and I think people or critics or whoever might look at it like, 'Oh, they had to stick one on there just for the hell of putting it on.' So, we probably won't. If we do put it on, that ain't why we'd do it. It's just a good song. Later on when we're doing different things it'll fit better.


Image 1 (cover)

Image 2 (page 1)

Image 3 (page 2)

Image 4 (page 3)

Image 5 (page 4)

[78/84 guy]

Well Ed, it's later ! Much later. Put it on the next album.

[FORD]

8255664928_04309704f2_n.jpg

This is for DLR Bridge, who remembered I mentioned this interview in a thread about 'Angel Eyes' a year or two ago - it's a 1979 interview, probably done just after VHII was recorded. EVH talks about the song 'Angel Eyes', which was recorded for VHII (I don't know if this is the version we all know, I'd guess it is).

"The version we all know" would be a much earlier recording, from the very first Van Halen demo at Cherokee studios way back in 73 or 74. The other songs from that demo, "Take Your Whiskey Home" and "In a Simple Rhyme" had evolved considerably by the time VH officially recorded them for WACF, so it's possible that Angel Eyes had probably come a long way from that early demo. My guess would be the lyrics had been considerably refined by 1979. And - like many of the songs that resurfaced on ADKOT - would probably be written again from scratch if they decided to put it on the next record.

Truth is, I always thought the song sounded like it ended too soon anyway.... like they just stopped when Dave ran out of words.....



...have to admit though, to being curious as to what the 1979 version might have been. Or as to what they would do with the song in 2013. This literally being a song that Dave wrote about a girl when he was a teenager... how does it translate to a man pushing 60?

[Zing!]

Thanks Scraps - never read that interview before!

[DLR Bridge]

Awesome Scraps!! Thank you!

[DLR Bridge]

This literally being a song that Dave wrote about a girl when he was a teenager... how does it translate to a man pushing 60?

If he still can't "find the words to say", then it still translates!