Eddie Van Halen Sucks Now

[famac]

You know, after so many years of playing the guitar, it's shocking that Eddie is still unable to put a decent melodic structure into his solos. They are just a bunch of tricks anyone can do stuck together in the same old pattern.

There's just not a drop of thought in it.

In the old days, all of the tapping was novel, and sometimes you would get that blistering burst of hard fast playing. But now, it's all harmonics, tapping, and a few tentative notes while the pick-up is set to bridge.

It makes you wonder if Eddie is only as good as who he's playing with, and does someone with that handle deserve such accolades?


Maybe that's why Rolling Stone dug him a ditch on their last 100 Greet Guitarists poll.

[L.S.D.]

Originally posted by famac
You know, after so many years of playing the guitar, it's shocking that Eddie is still unable to put a decent melodic structure into his solos. They are just a bunch of tricks anyone can do stuck together in the same old pattern.

There's just not a drop of thought in it.

In the old days, all of the tapping was novel, and sometimes you would get that blistering burst of hard fast playing. But now, it's all harmonics, tapping, and a few tentative notes while the pick-up is set to bridge.

It makes you wonder if Eddie is only as good as who he's playing with, and does someone with that handle deserve such accolades?


Maybe that's why Rolling Stone dug him a ditch on their last 100 Greet Guitarists poll.

You fucking suck. Lets see you do what hes accomplished jackass.

[famac]

Witty!

[ALMOSTsaved]

I disagree. Eddie did great on the new songs in my opinion. It wasn't entirely, inspired. But God Damn, Sammy dropped the ball on the lyrics. I wasn't surprised.

[famac]

Yes the lyrics suck too. I think if Ed took some time to develop his solos more, it would benefit the songs. A solo should only be in a tune if it propels it forward somehow.

[street_lethal]

In the pre Van Halen 1 days(club boots i've heard) and through I'd say 1984 I think Eddie's playing was brilliant. He took a turn on 5150 and went full throttle on the harmonic taps and tapping. He did them before 5150 but threw them in there here and there. The FUCK album and the two tunes he did with Roth in '96 I thought guitar wise were very good.

I always thought his rhythm playing was great except for the stuff I have heard off the new three tracks. With each new track I hear it gets worse and worse. I think for the first time Eddie got caught up in trying to sound like what he thinks is hip now, trying to go for a heavier sound. That's what bothers me the most off the new tracks is that it sounds like they're trying to be something they're not. I wouldn't even care if it sucked but sounded totally original, I'd give them some credit. But it sucks and it's not original. Maybe he's just totally exhausted himself as a guitarist and is dried up for new ideas.

[famac]

Don't forget the fifth, seventh and twevth fret simple octave played between every verse.

That is so tired and doesn't even sound cool!

[street_lethal]

Originally posted by famac
Don't forget the fifth, seventh and twevth fret simple octave played between every verse.

That is so tired and doesn't even sound cool!

Yeah but he always did the octave stuff if you think about it, but now he does it like you said between every verse.

What it comes down to is that in the old days he didn't rely on tapping to play fast he could play fast without tapping. Now it seems that he has to tap in order to play a fast lick.

[famac]

Even if the guitar playing is lackluster, nothings more insulting than "we're going to make it up to you big time"

Like there was a huge clamor to get Sammy back in Van Halen.

"Who's we?"
"Who's we?"

Should have been the harmony in the backround of IAT.

[L.S.D.]

Van Hagar had fans too. Hes talking to us.

[Terry]

Well, Ed just reached a certain point where he stopped concentrating on getting new sounds out of his axe, ostensibly to focus on songwriting.

But his style is just tired and repetitive. What was astonishing 25 years ago has been run into the ground.

Ed did more than anyone since Hendrix to redefine and expand the parameters of rock guitar from 1978 to 1984, but what has he done lately?

[L.S.D.]

Originally posted by Terry
Well, Ed just reached a certain point where he stopped concentrating on getting new sounds out of his axe, ostensibly to focus on songwriting.

But his style is just tired and repetitive. What was astonishing 25 years ago has been run into the ground.

Ed did more than anyone since Hendrix to redefine and expand the parameters of rock guitar from 1978 to 1984, but what has he done lately?

What do u expect him to do? He hasnt doen enough for the instrument? He is a musician who is mor focused on song writing, and I think that is more important than flash. So if dave came back, would his sound still be tired.

[ALinChainz]

I don't think it would be tired at all.

We haven't been that long without Van Hagar, the new songs don't sound like anything special to me at all.

Dave was the force that pushed Ed, and the albums prove that. Ed pushed back, but that to me was the dynamic. The albums put out with Sam had way less edge, more synth, more radio friendly, pop sound to them.

I think Dave would have definitely energized VH in more positive way than what I've heard from them now.

[BIGBADZERO]

Hey famac let's hear your chops.

[street_lethal]

Originally posted by Terry
Well, Ed just reached a certain point where he stopped concentrating on getting new sounds out of his axe, ostensibly to focus on songwriting.

But his style is just tired and repetitive. What was astonishing 25 years ago has been run into the ground.

Ed did more than anyone since Hendrix to redefine and expand the parameters of rock guitar from 1978 to 1984, but what has he done lately?

His style has gotten repetitive but that also can also be contributed to the millions of guitarist who ripped him off and beat his style into the ground. You have to remember when he first broke onto the scene NOBODY played like that. In the 80's everybody was trying to play like him. So the tricks he created wore thin because all the clones were doing them.

He is still to me the #1 innovator of all time on the instrument. He surpassed Hendrix in my opinion(here comes the flames, lol).

We're talking more about whether he kept his chops up over the years. In the last several years I don't think he has. He probably doesn't even care about it as much as we do. He to me was always more about great songwriting first then great solos second.

To his credit, I think the solos in some of the Sam crap... Mine all Mine, AFU, Pleasure Dome, The Dream Is Over, Judgement Day, Baluchitherium were great, although the stuff he did with Dave were his best. Mean Street, Push Comes To Shove, Ice Cream Man, Little Dreamer, I'm The One, the intro to Little Guitars, Eruption, Spanish Fly, D.O.A., Outta Love Again, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Romeo Delight, Hear About It Later, On Fire, Girl Gone Bad, Jump, Hot For Teacher, House Of Pain, all brilliant.