RIP Eddie Van Halen.

[Pappy Boyington]

We lost a legend today.

Eddie Van Halen, Hall of Fame Guitarist Who Revolutionized Instrument, Dead at 65

 

[BrokenBoy]

What band was he a member of?

 

[Judge]

Indeed, Eddie was a Rock Legend.

Right up there with fellow rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Dave Stewart, Pete Townshend, Mark Knopfler, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck. The best of the best.

RIP Eddie.

 

[unperson]

Jump! Ya might as well...

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

And every aspie can relate with Waldo....

 

[4gottenLoreKali]

Wow, this year can bow down and do things to me I can't describe on a PG-13 forum.

We lost a titan and visionary of rock guitar today. While I never cared much for their music save for a couple bangers here and there, Eddie's work in Van Halen was nothing short of innovative. So many of my favorite metal musicians have poured their hearts out in tribute posts to him, a testament to his influence and legacy. Truly a masterful guitarist who made an impact on music during his career that almost all musicians only dream of. I imagine this impact will only grow exponentially in the coming centuries.

Also, it absolutely blows my mind to think about how Eddie outlived Dimebag Darrell. I imagine he and his idol are "gettin' their pulls" off some Black Tooth Grins in the great big jamming space in the sky right now.

And for those who are still ignorant of just how important EVH was... well, this song's for you.

Rest is peace to a real one.

 

[SusanLR]

Seems only yesterday, I saw him perform.
Young, handsome, great guitarist. Rest in Peace.
Will never forget.

 

[FreeDiver]

If you were lucky enough to grow up to 80's music. You'd remember this song "jump" was their number 1 hit of the 1980's

 

[Streetwise]

What band was he a member of?

Van Halen!

 

[menander]

And every aspie can relate with Waldo....

Haha! Poor Waldo. But looks like he came out ok I always loved Alex, "relaxing."

 

[Statest16]

I read that,he was young,quite sad,I was an eighties kid,so I surely remembered him

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

My friend's mom grew up in the same city and went to the same high school. She said that the Van Halen's would throw epic parties at their house when she was a kid, and went to some of them.

 

[tree]

 

[Aeolienne]

Right up there with fellow rock guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Dave Stewart, Pete Townshend, Mark Knopfler, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck. The best of the best.

I wonder if a woman will ever be included in a list of the world's greatest rock guitarists...

 

[Judge]

I wonder if a woman will ever be included in a list of the world's greatest rock guitarists...

Couldn't help but notice that you didn't mention any. Got any in mind?

I've always liked Ann and Nancy Wilson, but I'm not sure their abilities put them into that bracket.

 

[Pappy Boyington]

I wonder if a woman will ever be included in a list of the world's greatest rock guitarists...

Possible but not likely.

There's a reason that there are more male geniuses than female, it's because there are more men who are drooling idiots. Psychologists have know for some time now that women's IQ's tend to cluster around average. Evolutionarily speaking, this makes sense because nature can't gamble on a stupid mother whereas nature can gamble on the male side because stupid men simply have few or no kids, and there's the benefit of taking that intelligence gamble of producing the occasional genius.

 

[Aeolienne]

Can someone explain to me the significance of standing with one's back against the record machine? Is it some obscure 80s cultural reference?

 

[Magna]

Standing with one's back against a record machine: The "record machine" would be a "jukebox" commonly found in bars during that era. I would interpret that line to mean that the singer was "scoping the room". He wasn't facing the record machine in which case he'd be looking at the song selections and not the rest of the bar, patrons, etc. He's looking all around the bar instead of at the record machine.

@Aeolienne Great female rock guitarists? Someone said Nancy Wilson of Heart. I would agree.

The section from 2:28 where she crouches to 2:32 when she kicks off the song literally gives me shivers (aka frisson):

Also, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Her Fender Telecaster guitar sound is iconic.

Also, Poison Ivy, the guitarist of The Cramps is highly regarded as is St. Vincent, Joan Jett and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls.

What about bass guitar?

Kim Deal's bass sound and her voice are also iconic and unmistakable.

Other female rock bass players: Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Josephine Wiggs, Meshell Ndegeocello. The list goes on.

Finally, one of the unsung heroes of Rock, male or female is Carol Kaye. A master studio musician who has played on over 10,000 songs and was THE musician responsible for key parts of many of the most famous songs in Rock music. She came up with the bass line of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys, for example.