Has EVH played anything decent since 1984 ?

[Panamark]

Lets take out half the 5150 album, cos we know Dave had
input on that. But has EVH played anything as great as 1984
or better since that album ??? IM guessing no....
Whats your thoughts guys ? IS there one thing thing post
1984 that was as interesting as the harmonic intro to top jimmy ??

For the love of god, dont say the electric drill. That was totally
lame.

[WOAHYEAH]

Q: Has EVH played anything decent since 1984 ?

A: Can't Get this Stuff No More & Me Wise Magic :D

And I guess anytime he plays Jump, Panama, You Really Got Me, Unchained, Aint talkin bout Love, or Runnin' with the Devil live, because by the sounds of things, those are the only classic songs he'll touch

[academic punk]

what was so impressive about the playing on 5150? that's the only post-roth VH I ever bought (and it sucked), so i don't know much about the other stuff, but from what I did hear on MTV or thje radio, he seemed soemwhat reinvigorated at the time of FUCK.

I think Ted Templeman's influence - who produced the six pack and returned to the head of Ed's console for the first time post 1984 on FUCK- was just as crucial to ed's playing as Dave's, maybe even moreso.

[Roguesgirl]

Originally posted by WOAHYEAH

Q: Has EVH played anything decent since 1984 ?

A: Can't Get this Stuff No More & Me Wise Magic :D



I was just about to say the same thing. Love those tunes. :cool:

[Lou]

Yeah--all the RECYCLED riffs written in the Roth days like "A.F.U." (which you can hear on one of those San Francisco '84s, I forget which one), Judgment Day (part of the 1984 solo) and others which don't come to mind but you can hear on some 1983 and 1984 shows.

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Lou
Yeah--all the RECYCLED riffs written in the Roth days like "A.F.U." (which you can hear on one of those San Francisco '84s, I forget which one), Judgment Day (part of the 1984 solo) and others which don't come to mind but you can hear on some 1983 and 1984 shows.


Right on Lou! I was gonna say similar to what you posted. Aside from MWM and CGTSNM....I have said this before...If you could take the singing out of Amsterdam..it is a pretty good cut there from Ed. I would listen to that riff alone.

[Matt White]

Originally posted by WOAHYEAH
Q: Has EVH played anything decent since 1984 ?
And I guess anytime he plays Jump, Panama, You Really Got Me, Unchained, Aint talkin bout Love, or Runnin' with the Devil live, because by the sounds of things, those are the only classic songs he'll touch

EXACTLY!!!
Couldn't say it any better than that.

[academic punk]

Originally posted by Lou
Yeah--all the RECYCLED riffs written in the Roth days like "A.F.U." (which you can hear on one of those San Francisco '84s, I forget which one), Judgment Day (part of the 1984 solo) and others which don't come to mind but you can hear on some 1983 and 1984 shows.


Hmmm...good point! And I'd bet that that was all down to Ted Templeman saying, "Hey, Ed, remember this one? That was pretty cool...why not construct a song around that riff?"

"Aw, but I like this new synth ballad more. I don't want to recycle the past."

"Well, either do it, or I'm calling Dave and telling him you begged him to come over."

"Yes, Sir!!!"

Which also brings to mind the opening of.....is it "Standing on Top iof the World"? isn't that the riff they used at the end of Jump?

[Terry]

MWM and CGTSNM:

MWM was a decent composition. Throwaway solo. Same for CGTSNM, with a better solo.

Hard pressed to think of anything Ed did after 1984 that didn't sound like I'd heard it done before, and better.

5150 - Maybe the title track
OU812 - AFU was so-so. Nice to hear some effort, but nothing astounding.
FUCK - Parts of Pleasuredome.
BALANCE - Aftershock was so-so.

About the only thing Ed's done post-Dave that stood out to me was Primary on Van Halen 3. Can't say why.

The guy just got stuck on the pinched-harmonic whammy bar dives and those two tapped artificial harmonic tones (heard during the intro of Good Enough and on every album afterward)...just irritating. And his recorded tone post-Roth sounds fucking terrible. This mid-range slush that was at it's worst on 5150 and FUCK.

Lou hit it spot-on that EVH began recycling himself after Roth left. What was Source of Infection if not a rip-off of Hot For Teacher from start to finish, and a poor one at that?

Ed just got complacent in the mid-1980s. Too many meaningless accolades from Guitar Mags went to his head, and the man just stopped trying, unless you consider tailoring your sound for top 40 radio a sign of growth (that includes Jump as well).

[degüello]

The guitar work on 5150, the song, is his best post-1984 material.

[buckshotjenkins]

ending the album 5150 is a track called INSIDE. i like the song minus stupid tupperware party lyrics and sammy on there. (i know-96.7% of it.) though i love when al says "ALIMONY! and ed proceeds to play an angry sounding choppy bluesy solo that i is totally unique. to me he actually sounds angry and not very notey...........as i've said pleasure dome is great bar none; my favorite solo up until that point of van hagar. his use of the "wang bar" is still the bomb. dream is over is a smoking solo too, and cool riff to come back into it with. the solos in don't tell me are laid back and cool. i can split admitting talent pretty well from feelings that someone's a moron. ed rips. many good moments. any show where i was guaranteed a seat close enough to watch his hands work, i'd be there. the guy from creed or nickleback could sing for all i care. then i could marvel at ed and attempt to injure the above said singers.

[byte]

I like bits and pieces of 5150 (the album), mainly those Ed used the trans-trem Steinberger guitar on. It's really more of a curiosity, the guitar work isn't really up to par with the previous six albums but I would have like to have heard what one of those songs sounded like with a REAL lead singer. I also like the riff from F.U.C.K.'s "The Dream is Over" - oh wait, that's the same one from "Ain't 'Talkin 'Bout Love." My mistake.

[rustoffa]

Maybe, maybe not.

I hold it all in no regard.

[CVHfan]

Balunchitherium from Balance was pretty good. Kind of like listening to a Joe Satriani tune. It was an instrumental. There wasn't anything too fancy, but it was a good instrumental.

[darkknight]

The guitar work on Why Can't This Be Love is pretty awesome.

HA HA. Just kidding.

Actually, I think his tone went to hell after 1984, therefore his playing has been totally uninspiring. The playing on MWM and CGTSNM is the best he's done since, but I still believe his tone wasn't up to par of the old days. Too much fuzzy, midrangey, chorus-y, Eventide crap on it.

[Vinnie Velvet]

From 5150, I'd say the title track.

From OU812----hmmm..none that I can think of. But if you listen closely (as someone pointed out), there are bits and pieces of stuff that Ed has had since 1983!

The Keyboard thing in Mine All Mine is from the stuff Ed played during Dave's 'tai-hi' solo thing.
AFU, he's had since then as well.

From FUCK --- none there. I'd say this album has some of Ed's WORST licks and solos (ie: Spanked, Man on A Mission---even Poundcake---boring stuff).

Balance -- as someone pointed out, the instrumental piece was actually good.

Best of Volume 1 - definitely Me Wise and CGTSNM.

VH3 - blah

And it just gets worse -- three new songs last year.

[rob100]

Enough good stuff until he bought a wah wah. But I have to say I like his playing on a number of songs, especially:

- Summer nights
- Good enough
- Source of infection
- Poundcake
- Without you

The best thing he did in the past 20 years IMO is the last solo on Me Wise Magic.

Come on, the guy is a little strange but he can play.

[rob100]

And believe me, Dave had NOTHING to do with Ed's soloing. Please.

[Carmine]

I was watching Montreal 84, this weekend and was amazed to hear Ed, during a keyboard jam that lead to 1984 and Jump...bust out the entire riff to "Mine all Mine" from OU812. Does anyone know, what other "songs" were hatched while Dave was in the band?

[Carmine]

Originally posted by Vinnie Velvet
From OU812----hmmm..none that I can think of. But if you listen closely (as someone pointed out), there are bits and pieces of stuff that Ed has had since 1983!

The Keyboard thing in Mine All Mine is from the stuff Ed played during Dave's 'tai-hi' solo thing.
AFU, he's had since then as well.



Sorry, didnt see this and I just referenced it below.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Originally posted by Carmine Raguzza.
Sorry, didnt see this and I just referenced it below.

No prob.

Ed plays a keyboard melody during when Dave does his 'sword dance, taichi' solo.

And yes, Mine All Mine is taken straight from that.

[academic punk]

Originally posted by rob100
And believe me, Dave had NOTHING to do with Ed's soloing. Please.


Not true!

Around the time of VHII and WACF Dave was CONSTANTLY on Ed's back (some would call it antagonizing him) saying a solo wasn't good enough, that it needed more. It was this friction and conflict that caused Ed to go beyond his comfort zone, and challenge himself.

Ed has said this himself several times (minus the last sentence). And that's exactly what's being discussed here: without Dave demandning more, Ed allowed himself to become complacent and arguably even pedestrian.

Dave would also suggest a solo's personality and tone for the sake of the live show or video. Dave was EXTREMELY concerned with choreography for the live show, and that's all part of it. Also, left to his own devices in the early days Ed was apt to do Black Sabbath inspired and influenced licks. Not Dave's interest, so he "guided" Ed to more boogie influenced sounds.

And to some extent Dave was doing it simply b/c he was an egotist and a) from many sources, tried to control Ed and VH as a whole (with much success for all of them, both artistically andf commercially), and b) felt out of the loop if he wasn't getting his hand involved in as much of the band as possible.

(come to think of it...a great deal of the six pack was recorded essentially live, on a first or second take as well...so even in terms of spontaneity, Dave helped bring about rawer, more lively performances from Ed...as opposed to the more crafted and polished later work)(which i find less interesting)

[academic punk]

BTW - as a writer working in advertising, I've had experiences with art idrectors where we were constantly at each other's throats, never in agreement on anything. Sometimes this did result in some of our best, most original work, b/c we were trying to compete with each other.

I am currently paired up with someone who I like on a personal level very much. the results aren't anything that I'd put in my portfolio, but I'm happier and prefer these working conditions.

Sound familiar?