Edward is back!

[eddie78]

Edward Van Halen is the last of the elite guitar players (Page, Hendrix, Beck, Clapton, Van Halen).
No other player since has combined virtuosity, brilliant riff & songwriting, innovation & stage presence like he has.
Those that followed in his wake, from Malmsteen to Vai, haven't had a fraction of the impact, that he did.
Arguably, Randy Rhoads was next in line, though he never got the chance to realize his full potential.

Having said this, and in light of the recent clips we've all had the pleasure of enjoying, do you believe Edward will match the brilliance he displayed during the late 70's & early 80's, or will he infuse the classic material with his more current approach?

Does Ed want to be the same player he was in 1978, if even for just this tour?
Or wil Ed's creative & restless nature force him to alter the old material in subtle & not so subtle ways onstage?

[Nickdfresh]

He ain't that "back."

He sounds good, but still a bit off...

[eddie78]

Fair enough.
I just wish he'd ditch the sustainer.
"Romeo Delight" sounded brilliant, though...
Beautiful Girls was deff within the old school spirit.

[bueno bob]

Woot! I woke up this morning and realized, you're RIGHT! It IS 1978 all over again!

[David Lee Rocks]

when I saw those clips of the rehearsal It kinda reminded me of the first time I saw them in 1979, dont know why, maybe its because they appear to be hungry again, excited, and wanted to be there

[bueno bob]

When I saw those rehearsal clips, I saw a band gearing up for a greatest hits tour...with a visual eyesore for a bass player, who does an admittedly acceptable job.

Not much else...

Of course, that's, eh, "personal opinion" and an immediate first impression...nothing I can back up with FACTS just yet...

[fryingdutchman]

Ed's "back"....but how long will he stay?

I admit, he sounds better than he has in years....but like Nick said, it still needs polish.

Something tells me that I'm going to be VERY glad I saw one of the early shows (10/1 Philadelphia), as the quality may slip later in the tour...

[jhale667]

Re: Edward is back!

Originally posted by eddie78
Edward Van Halen is the last of the elite guitar players (Page, Hendrix, Beck, Clapton, Van Halen).
No other player since has combined virtuosity, brilliant riff & songwriting, innovation & stage presence like he has.
Those that followed in his wake, from Malmsteen to Vai, haven't had a fraction of the impact, that he did.
Arguably, Randy Rhoads was next in line, though he never got the chance to realize his full potential.

Having said this, and in light of the recent clips we've all had the pleasure of enjoying, do you believe Edward will match the brilliance he displayed during the late 70's & early 80's, or will he infuse the classic material with his more current approach?

Does Ed want to be the same player he was in 1978, if even for just this tour?
Or wil Ed's creative & restless nature force him to alter the old material in subtle & not so subtle ways onstage?

This may be the first thing you've ever said that I almost agree with...
except, having seen Rhoads live as a kid, I can tell you there is NO "arguably" about it.
That guy was also the total package as a guitarist, and was taken far too soon.
From watching the YouTube clips, it totally looks like Ed is getting his chops back up to a level we haven't seen in years. I for one am glad to see it. :D
But I'm not getting the people who are bagging him for not playing shit exactly note-for-note...he never did!! For those he never saw him in the day, watch the old stuff, even then he'd improvise and change things up, while staying true to the original spirit of the album...

[Diamondjimi]

I think Ed's game will step up after the first show when the impact of this "regrouping" hits him in the face. Estatic audiences every fuckin night .

I don't like the stupid sustain gizmo. It's a crutch . Gimme the fuckin fire . His over useage of hammer-ons gets a little old .

That said , I'm still grateful for him sobering up and pulling his head out of his ass and doing the right thing by calling Dave.....

Gimme the fokkin fire !

[franksters]

sometimes you guys make me laugh when I read these comments like ''ed is back'' or even better '' he sounds good but still a bit off''

killer!!! who says??? from who??? I try to imagine someone saying this about ED on national TV...Now that would be not just a little bit off...

But here the same statement almost sounds like it comes from such a fine connaisseur or a guitar prodigy!

it would be sooo fuckin hilarious to see someone tell that to ED himself, but none of the fine connaisseur would have the balls to tell him that, or the other stupidity ''Edward were you ever threatened by ynwvie''

Edward Van halen as inspired more guitar player than anybody else on earth by his sound, talent, ect...

And please don't tell me that Clapton or Beck did that.

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by fryingdutchman
Ed's "back"....but how long will he stay?...

Until the pusher returns his calls!

[blonddgirl777]

Franksters... summer's over...
Put some pants on that girl!

[jhale667]

Originally posted by franksters
sometimes you guys make me laugh when I read these comments like ''ed is back'' or even better '' he sounds good but still a bit off''

killer!!! who says??? from who??? I try to imagine someone saying this about ED on national TV...Now that would be not just a little bit off...

But here the same statement almost sounds like it comes from such a fine connaisseur or a guitar prodigy!

it would be sooo fuckin hilarious to see someone tell that to ED himself, but none of the fine connaisseur would have the balls to tell him that, or the other stupidity ''Edward were you ever threatened by ynwvie''

Edward Van halen as inspired more guitar player than anybody else on earth by his sound, talent, ect...

And please don't tell me that Clapton or Beck did that.

Dude, you know I love ya, but...:D
I'm not bagging on him here, but Ed said himself he was more into keyboards and was "over the guitar-hero thing" (paraphrasing, but I have the quote around here somewhere) during the Spamela years.
Any real guitarist would agree there wasn't quite as much to salivate over during those years (assuming you could even tolerate Spammy - or Gary) guitar-wise. Now it seems like he wants to rip everyone a new ass again. I'm all for it, personally. :D

[eddie78]

Originally posted by franksters
sometimes you guys make me laugh when I read these comments like ''ed is back'' or even better '' he sounds good but still a bit off''

killer!!! who says??? from who??? I try to imagine someone saying this about ED on national TV...Now that would be not just a little bit off...

But here the same statement almost sounds like it comes from such a fine connaisseur or a guitar prodigy!

it would be sooo fuckin hilarious to see someone tell that to ED himself, but none of the fine connaisseur would have the balls to tell him that, or the other stupidity ''Edward were you ever threatened by ynwvie''

Edward Van halen as inspired more guitar player than anybody else on earth by his sound, talent, ect...

And please don't tell me that Clapton or Beck did that.

Brilliant post!

This is why the retarded Yngwie post bothered me so much.
Ed was the total package as a player, Malmsteen had chops.
There it is!

old school VH had the greatest fucking guitar tone on the planet, the mind boggling left hand strength, the phrasing, the attitude, the albums, the stage show, etc.
Yngwie could sweep pick arpeggios.

Guys like Ed & Rhoads were the whole package.
Great songs, layered with great parts & melodies.
The solos were the icing on the cake!
"Hear about it later" is genius, from the intro to the overdubs to the lead break. It's amazing & far beyond simple riff rock.
Same with Randy on something like "Revelation" or "Over the Mountain."
These guys are musicians & songwriters, not just guitar players.
They have a gift combined with the talent that few have.

It just blows my mind that so many VH fans can't understand this & post silly things like, "Was Ed jealous of Yngwie?"
It's like...whaaaaaa?

[jhale667]

What cracks me up is most of us agree with you- and you don't even get it ...:D