“Eddie put the smile back in rock guitar at a time when it was all getting a bit broody,” his fellow guitar ace Joe Satriani told Billboard magazine in 2015. “He also scared the hell out of a million guitarists because he was so damn good.”
I saw VH at least 4 times over the years and even once with Sammy. I was lucky to see VH early on tour with their first album opening for Black Sabbath. I’m a Sabbath fan but Van Halen blew Sabbath away that night. I never will never forget that young guitar player with the red Strat with back and white stripes. The guy was amazing. That intro to Eruption was so good. What I remember the most about Eddie Van Halen from all the TV shows, concerts, and videos that I have seen, is that he was always smiling from ear-to-ear while playing his guitar. In his happy place. He was truly a musical genius, seemed to be a good Dad, and good guy. RIP EVH.
Eddie was unique and a true original. I don't think there was, or will ever be, a better rock guitarist than EVH.
Well, this morning, for the first time in my life, i listened to 2 Van Halen songs. Not a big fan, what i hear on the radio satisfies my VH urges. Still, extremely talented player. Not many players have had the influence he had on guitar. RIP Eddie
EVH was a composer. He was articulate and approached the guitar three dimensionally. He played the whole thing. And he did so freely with pure joy and that’s what his playing always communicates to me.
One of my first books from 1982 (missing the cover). By the title you can tell it was completely useless.
I hesitate to eulogise a musician whose records I never bought and whose musical genre is not one I ever got into. But EVH was a seismic ground-breaking talent who dramatically extended the capabilities of the guitar as an instrument. And he performed with such obvious enjoyment and creativity. So he is an incredibly sad loss as so many have said here. I'll just remember the WTF moment when I first heard his Beat It solo on the radio....................
I never aspired to play like him, but sure respected his talent and the songs VH put out. He made rock fun, and could out-play many shredders without getting ego involved in it.
This hurts. I suspected this was coming because a couple months ago I read a NYT interview with David Lee Roth in which he said something along the lines of how Eddie wasn’t doing well. But I held out hope that maybe things would turn around. He’s one of my favorite guitarists, not because of his blazing speed, but because of how great his phrasing was. Yes, he could and did play lightning fast, but it was tasteful and (almost) always done in service of the song. And he played with so much joy. Every time I watched him play, he looked like he was having the time of his life. That came through in his music. Those early Van Halen albums, from the debut all the way through and including 1984, are so great and so FUN. What a legacy. Think of how many people decided to pick up guitar because of him. 65 is way too young. But he certainly packed in a lot of living in those 65 years. RIP.
If it weren't for Eddie I would not be playing Guitar today. He was for sure my inspiration back in the day. I went to every one of his concerts when they came to town when I was younger. I bought a Kramer Guitar which costs a few bucks back then and the first song I learned on it was "Ain't Talkin bout Love" RIP Eddie
