Whispers of the Past

Or... Another childhood hero passes into memory. Eddie Van Halen, legendary guitarist, died October 6 after a long battle with throat cancer.

In middle school in the late 1970's, Van Halen was the most amazing thing to listen to. Finger tapping, classical inspired riffs, heavily overdriven guitar. Unbelievable stuff. And totally new. Or at least new in the widespread popular sense, as one might discover later.

The legend of Eddie is probably a bit overstated, as all legends are, but that doesn't diminish his stature. Eddie invented finger tapping. Which might be news to Steve Hackett of Genesis, who was finger tapping on Supper's Ready in the early 70's. And he invented classical inspired guitar riffs ala Eruption. Which might be news to Steve Howe of Yes, who was doing the same in the early 70's.

But...  And this is a huge but...  It is undeniable that Eddie Van Halen popularized these aspects of guitar playing far beyond anything that the various Steve's (and others) had been able to accomplish previously. EVH had an influence of absolutely mammoth proportions on future guitarists. And that is where the legend is born (and validated). Who didn't want a red (or black) pseudo-Strat with white (or yellow) abstract tape lines? I know I did. And I couldn't even play guitar.

Looking back on those early VH records, the combination of Eddie's guitar work, David Lee Roth's vocals and charismatic stage presence, Michael Anthony's solid bass work and terrific high-end backing vocals, and Alex Van Halen's solid drumming, were an example of a case where everything came together in a perfect storm of late 70's hard rock, and probably made the whole greater than the sum of the parts. This "hard rock" would seem tame by today's standards, but those weren't the standards of the day.

Van Halen as a band certainly had waaaaay more than its share of interpersonal drama, but it would be a shame to let their later years overshadow what they were at their peak. If you have paid any attention to their recent-years reincarnations, it is almost too easy to fall into the trap of "yeah but back in the day they used to be good...", which is fair in an objective sense. Sammy Hagar was terrific. Everything after that (including returns of David Lee Roth) was... meh... at best. Painful at times. But I digress...

The best compliment I could give to Van Halen (as a band), perhaps, is that when you go back and listen to Van Halen and Van Halen II, as I am doing as I type this, the popular hit songs are great, yes. But everything else on the albums is terrific. End to end. It's the perfect example of the brilliance of many bands in their early years, with a raw energy and style that is hard to replicate afterwards...

I was going to list some of those lesser known gems from VH1 and VH2, but having listened to them again end to end just now, it's all of them. Simple genius. Spanish Fly is the genius of Eddie. Women In Love is the genius of all of them. Just to list a couple of favorites... Feel Your Love Tonight. Ice Cream Man. DOA. And on, and on....

Which isn't to say that there wasn't great Van Halen music after this. Much of the "Van Hagar" stuff with Sammy Hagar was terrific, and Right Now is a song that resonates particularly well these days. Check out The Circle's quarantine version (Hagar and Anthony, with Vic Johnson and Jason Bonham [John Bonham's son]...).

I have a very clear and totally random Van Halen memory that Brother Dave might remember (but probably not). It must have been a summer evening somewhere around 1980. We were at the River, and our neighbor Rob H had access to his family's ~20 foot Boston Whaler (motor boat). We took the boat out to the end the Sassafras, to Betterton, near the Bay. We docked at a public pier there and went into a waterfront place that had coin operated pool tables and a juke box (and wasn't a bar, so minors could come in...). I distinctly remember playing Dance the Night Away from Van Halen II on the juke box while we shot some pool...

Which is a memory, I guess, because Dance the Night Away has always been my favorite Van Halen song. Listen to the original version, or the remastered version if you can; both are great.

And if you want to listen to a forgotten gem, check out Women in Love. It showcases all of what made early VH great. Or so says me. :-)  I guess the point, from my vantage, is that all the technical mastery in the world doesn't mean much if the music isn't beautiful, and doesn't move you when you listen to it. And for all of Eddie's technical skill, that means less to me than the beauty of the first 30 seconds of Women in Love. But that's just me I suppose.

PS - A freebie. Check out Toto doing Africa, covid version.

And as long as we are doing Covid versions of classics... Doobie Brothers Listen To the Music. And Black Water.

PSS - In my memory lane ramblings I seem to have strayed from the original point. Eddie Van Halen was an innovator, a pioneer, and yes, a guitar legend. He will be missed, but his place in rock and roll history is assured. More importantly, his music will live on. Rest in peace.

Stay safe. Be well. Vote against the Fourth Reich.