Ok . .what the FUCK happened?!

[gslinger]

2

[gslinger]

EVH's work area

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by gslinger
I first saw Van Halen live in 1977 in a small club venue where they played the night for $500 "full turnkey". Amazing musicians, all 4 of them. Ungodly loud...they didn't just play to the crowd, they slammed their music in your face for two hours and made ya listen!

--------------

Here's a cool mid 70's pic of Eddie complete with those white patent leather shoes again. Look at the neck on his guitar. It's a piece of crap...looks like he found it in the trash somewhere and it had been left in the rain for a week!

Holy cow, new bell bottoms and Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull to boot!

Great pic, which I had totally forgotten about ever seeing.

I caught them in '78, BTW... Fox Theatre in Atlanta. My first "real" concert, and what a way to start. Not sure anybody has ever quite lived up to that show in all the years passed.

[Lou]

The Diver Down picture could not have possibly been from the US Fest. Think about it...Diver Down was released in 1982 and the US Fest was in 1983.

I believe it was the Tangerine Bowl in 1981.

[MAX]

Hey gslinger,

You are awesome!!! Thanks for sharing all of your insight and knowledge. Like I stated earlier, I was lucky enough to see them once in '84 but guys like yourself are so greatly appreciated. Thanks again my friend.

[RogueHorseman]

Having lived in and around the music industry for much of my life, and knowing first hand it is more often than not part and parcel of the trade... I think the fact all those pics have empty alcohol cans scattered all over is perhaps quite foretelling as to "what happened"...

[gslinger]

I started music very young in the acid-rock SFrisco/Jefferson Airplane/Hendrix/Joplin era and saw them all. In '69 I stood 10ft from Jimi Hendrix and watch him play at a concert when I was 14. Every great band has different memorable attributes, but IMO there has never been a hard-rock band that had the explosive stage performance and perfect blend of 4 incredibly gifted musicians as early Van Halen I. We all talk about Eddie and Dave, but Michael and Alex were brilliant musicians also. I mean IMO there wasn’t an iota of a weak link in this group when they hit it big time.

[gslinger]

Originally posted by MAX
Hey gslinger,

You are awesome!!! Thanks for sharing all of your insight and knowledge. Like I stated earlier, I was lucky enough to see them once in '84 but guys like yourself are so greatly appreciated. Thanks again my friend.

-------------
Thanks, not trying to impress anybody with a bunch of BS, just sharing. I'm learning a ton off you guy's also Ok, and this site is soooooo damn "Dave style" funny it's great therapy!

[guwapo_rocker]

but Michael and Alex were brilliant musicians also. I mean IMO there wasn’t an iota of a weak link in this group when they hit it big time.

Agree big time....and although I love to make fun of
bass player smurf...Mike's backing vocals were a huge
part of the Halen sound!!!

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by gslinger
I started music very young in the acid-rock SFrisco/Jefferson Airplane/Hendrix/Joplin era and saw them all. In '69 I stood 10ft from Jimi Hendrix and watch him play at a concert when I was 14. Every great band has different memorable attributes, but IMO there has never been a hard-rock band that had the explosive stage performance and perfect blend of 4 incredibly gifted musicians as early Van Halen I. We all talk about Eddie and Dave, but Michael and Alex were brilliant musicians also. I mean IMO there wasn’t an iota of a weak link in this group when they hit it big time.

Wow, Hendrix at 14... THAT is something.

Could not agree more with early VH, progressing through to 1984, being on top of the game.

Even taking Michael as an example... people like to dismiss him, but his backing vocals were very much a "signature" part of the Van Halen sound. It would NOT have been the same without him.

All four brought their own unique, innovative style to the band and as a whole... gosh, the synergistic effect was nothing short of revolutionary.

[redblkwht]

Simply unreal pictures, the axe pics are awesome!!
YOUR THE MAN!

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by gslinger
I started music very young in the acid-rock SFrisco/Jefferson Airplane/Hendrix/Joplin era and saw them all. In '69 I stood 10ft from Jimi Hendrix and watch him play at a concert when I was 14. Every great band has different memorable attributes, but IMO there has never been a hard-rock band that had the explosive stage performance and perfect blend of 4 incredibly gifted musicians as early Van Halen I. We all talk about Eddie and Dave, but Michael and Alex were brilliant musicians also. I mean IMO there wasn’t an iota of a weak link in this group when they hit it big time.

Wow, Hendrix at 14... THAT is something, indeed.

Could not agree more with early VH, progressing through to "1984", being on top of the game.

Even taking Michael as an example... people like to dismiss him, but his backing vocals were very much a "signature" part of the Van Halen sound. It would NOT have been the same without him.

All four brought their own unique, innovative style to the band and as a whole... gosh, the synergistic effect was nothing short of revolutionary.

[freak]

Originally posted by guwapo_rocker
Agree big time....and although I love to make fun of
bass player smurf...Mike's backing vocals were a huge
part of the Halen sound!!!

It went with Dave's baritone well. They had a surprising amount of harmony going on.

Musically, all of them were a perfect match.

[gslinger]

I'm not talking about Michael's singing, in his prime I would put his bass playing up against anyones!....that MF could flat play. I saw Michael play two years ago with Spammy in the Spammy & Dave Tour and he could still hold his own. Frankly, Micky is really the only know variable of VH at present.

Lot of people cut down Alex, but same applies, in his prime I could count on 1 hand the number of drummers in the world that could handle Alex's massive drum setup with 4 base drums. Hell even the guy that designed Alex's drum setup back then try to talk him out of that monster setup and we wouldn't hear of it....i.e. competitive deal between he and Eddie.

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by gslinger
...and we wouldn't hear of it....i.e. competitive deal between he and Eddie.

"we"?