RIP Eddie Van Halen

[zisme]

sad. f*ck cancer

he was never a huge influence on me personally. i do like the first vh album, but i haven't delved into their catalogue as of yet. saving it for a rainy day perhaps

there's no denying what a force he was. RIP

[Chocol8]

I was sitting in a dorm in college sometime on a weekday (iirc) evening

SNIP

I looked up when Eruption was released, if the internet is right it was a Friday, February 10 1978.

If it was released for sale on Friday, your memory is probably correct and you heard it on the radio on Thursday February 9th.

I remember we used to hear songs on the radio with “exclusive sneak peaks” the day before albums were released, and then the House of Guitars would reopen at midnight so you could buy it “before anyone else.” I would assume the same thing happened in most markets.

[Frozensoda]

He wasn’t one of my favorites, but god damn that boy changed the rules for the guitar. If it wasn’t for him, the 80s would’ve sounded vastly different.

[DonM]

Say it ain't so...

Appears that it is so.
Cancer is nobody's friend.

Neither are cigarettes. That’s what caused the cancer.

[dearlpitts]

We used to go to partys in west covina they would play at back in the 70,s.been listening to that killer guitar for along time. Another one just joined the super band in here after. And I was thinking eventually he was going to put something new out. Darn.

[toomanycats]

Who else had this poster on their bedroom wall in the 80s?

[Perfect Stranger]

POINT:
I'm not sure if everyone posting EVH photos with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth is iconic, or moronic. I guess they understand that cigarettes killed him....I'm not sure. One thing for sure....the American Heart Assoc., The American Lung Assoc....and all the other anti-smoking groups will be missing a HUGE marketing opportunity if this situation is not promoted.

[Chocol8]

POINT:
I'm not sure if everyone posting EVH photos with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth is iconic, or moronic. I guess they understand that cigarettes killed him....I'm not sure. One thing for sure....the American Heart Assoc., The American Lung Assoc....and all the other anti-smoking groups will be missing a HUGE marketing opportunity if this situation is not promoted.

They need to market to younger people who don’t know or don’t care about Eddie. It’s mostly too late for smokers who were VH fans.

[toomanycats]

Meanwhile, Keef continues exemplifying the exception that proves the rule.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Who else had this poster on their bedroom wall in the 80s?


Eddie-Van-Halen.jpg

I had Natassja Kinski

[mozz]

I have to agree with many of the posters here, when i first heard VH on the radio, i was like, wow, amazing, no way i can ever play that fast. Nobody knew he was tapping on the fretboard. I was 16, just got my drivers license and was in a garage band trying to play freebird and sweet home alabama. KISS was big, Frampton comes alive etc. VH 1 is a great album but i think ,my favorite was Fair Warning, after that i never really followed them except all the Van Hager they drowned the airwaves with. I did at one point modify my 86 strat with locking tremolo, a single Dimarzio super distortion, single volume control. You had to have super strat in the 80's.

All the VH songs i ever heard are now going through my head since yesterday at 330pm.

[Rollin Hand]

POINT:
I'm not sure if everyone posting EVH photos with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth is iconic, or moronic. I guess they understand that cigarettes killed him....I'm not sure. One thing for sure....the American Heart Assoc., The American Lung Assoc....and all the other anti-smoking groups will be missing a HUGE marketing opportunity if this situation is not promoted.

They would not be able to do this without Ed's OK, or the OK of his estate. Also, let's wait until the body's cold.

Yul Brinner filmed an anti-smoking PSA after he found out he was terminal. It was released after his death.

[solteroblues]

Eddie was never one of my influences, I'm really a bit young to have really grasped what he was doing. The first rock song/video I EVER remember seeing was DLR's California girls, so that was obviously in that transistional period, so VH wasn't on my radar. Later, when I started really listening to rock more, it was the Van Hager that was popular, and I honestly didn't like much if any of their stuff. I would hear I loved Hot For Teacher and You Really Got Me, but Eruption was lost on me. Sure it was unbelievable, but it was also just a little weird and out there for me. Not to mention out of my grasp of ever being able to play anything like it, as I can barely play some AC/DC songs lol. But this is very sad news, and he will be missed.

[Perfect Stranger]

POINT:
I'm not sure if everyone posting EVH photos with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth is iconic, or moronic. I guess they understand that cigarettes killed him....I'm not sure. One thing for sure....the American Heart Assoc., The American Lung Assoc....and all the other anti-smoking groups will be missing a HUGE marketing opportunity if this situation is not promoted.

They would not be able to do this without Ed's OK, or the OK of his estate. Also, let's wait until the body's cold.

Yul Brinner filmed an anti-smoking PSA after he found out he was terminal. It was released after his death.

Sure, they could wait a year or two, I suppose. Makes no nevermind to me. I haven't smoked in in 30 years.

[jimbocaster]

Who else had this poster on their bedroom wall in the 80s?


Eddie-Van-Halen.jpg

Count me in...in addition to the fluorescent pot leaf.

RIP Eddie

[rrobbone]

My brother sent me a text yesterday to see if I had heard. He's a bit older than I am, and he was describing my four year old face as he played the debut album for me. He said he could tell I was ruined for anything else right there.

Van Halen wasn't the first album I ever owned (Quiet Riot's Metal Health, if you must know), but they were the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ones.

Years later, brother would buy me a set of the complete (for the time) Van Halen catalog on CD for my Xmas present. Those are the only CDs I never sold or traded away.

I have memories of riding around with him in his friend's clapped out '67 Mustang with Judas Preist blaring at something that must've been greater than full volume somehow, all the while sliding around a slice of plywood that substituted for a back seat in that jalopy - with aggressive manoeuvers being gleefully announced by shouting, "lane change!" No seat belts, inertia slinging me from one side of the car to the other, Painkiller ruining my hearing all the while. I remember being airbourne in that car on many occasions, usually while crossing the intersection of Gibbs-Sprawl and Farm Road 78 at speeds not recommended. I know now that I survived all of life's bullshit thusfar because of my training by my brother's nutty friends. BTW, the 'Stang's name was Rhiannon. How much more of that time period can you get?

I had VH rolling non-stop in the shop yesterday, and I couldn't help but think about all the times they were on in the background during my childhood. That, and how much I really need to make myself a stripe-y guitar like Ed's, finally. I'll look for some basswood next time I roll on the lumberyard.

I hope rock and metal will see more times like the late 70's and early 80's.

[tonebender]

RIP EVH

[fullonshred]

I was sitting in a dorm in college sometime on a weekday (iirc) evening

SNIP

I looked up when Eruption was released, if the internet is right it was a Friday, February 10 1978.

If it was released for sale on Friday, your memory is probably correct and you heard it on the radio on Thursday February 9th.

I remember we used to hear songs on the radio with “exclusive sneak peaks” the day before albums were released, and then the House of Guitars would reopen at midnight so you could buy it “before anyone else.” I would assume the same thing happened in most markets.

This is likely correct. It seemed more like a weekday evening rather than a Friday (which we always counted as weekend). I think there were 4-5 of us hanging out in the room, and we were all like WTF when they played it.

[LightWingStudios]

Just goes to show you that smoking 3+ packs a day, being an alcoholic, a heroin and coke addict doesn't usually work out all that well.

Let us not forget he also turned Valerie Bertinelli into an addict during their time together.

That said, throat cancer is a REALLY shi**y and painful way to buy the farm.

[Partscaster]

Bless him. He accomplished living the great life he sought. And leaves his legend as a Guitar Legend. A successful life. A fun life. Years worth of hours jamming across the ether like few get to experience. Salute.

[Raindog]

Who else had this poster on their bedroom wall in the 80s?


Eddie-Van-Halen.jpg

I had Natassja Kinski

Mine. In the 70s, though. In the 80's, Uncle Sam and my wife didn't approve of such nonsense.

[helsinkirocks]

He was never one of my personal favorites, but no denying his impact and unique style.

[aullucci]

I can't think of anyone who looked/looks happier when playing his guitar. Everybody gets guitar face like they're somehow in pain, but he always looked like he was having the best time up there. That big dumb grin.

[Rollin Hand]

I can't think of anyone who looked/looks happier when playing his guitar. Everybody gets guitar face like they're somehow in pain, but he always looked like he was having the best time up there. That big dumb grin.

Yep. I saw them three times (1993, 1995-ish, 2012, and Ed smiled even when melting faces.

He was especially good in 2012, playing the classic stuff. I thought the roof was going to fall in after Hot for Teacher.

[Rollin Hand]

Glad to hear today that Ed and Sammy made peace. Life is too short for the petty stuff.