Van Halen
Van Halen has been around since the early 1970s. At that time, the lineup of the band was Alex Van Halen on the drums, Eddie Van Halen on the guitar and backup vocals, Michael Anthony on bass and backup vocals, and David Lee Roth as the lead singer. Mark Stone was with Van Halen during the early years, but quit and was soon replaced (by Michael Anthony) before they went into the studio to record the first album. “Van Halen” was the first studio album that was released in 1978. This album started a whole new wave of music and style that would continue on and still be around this present day. Eddie Van Halen had such a unique guitar playing style, and he played lead guitar and solos that were not very common at that time. Yes, Jimi Hendrix and many others played some awesome lead guitar too, but Eddie was the guy that created the whole 80’s wave of the long-haired, good ol’ rock n’ roll solos. There are many bands that were influenced by Van Halen like Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Alice In Chains, (my favorite guitar player being) John 5, and so many more bands and guitar players. Having instrumentals on their albums was a really cool feature that did not happen very often. Eruption is the second track on “Van Halen,” and this instrumental was pretty popular. This track showed Eddie’s unique style of playing the guitar. Using styles such as finger picking and hammering, this is where Eddie created solos and lead guitar riffs that had not been heard before. Alex Van Halen did not do much when it came to recording, but would add different things for live performances. For example, Alex would put a bass drum behind the one he has already creating kick drums that were twice the length. Alex Van Halen is still a great drummer and listening to live albums and drum solos will prove this (or listen to one of my all time favorites Hot For Teacher on the “1984” album).
I grew up listening to all the Van Halen albums and I am definitely a fan. I think the sound that these guys produce was and still is original and you can always tell when Eddie Van Halen is playing guitar. I would enjoy sitting in and working with Van Halen. I know they are at the point that song structure would be up to them, but I would not care. I could learn a lot from these guys. Eddie Van Halen owns his own studio (5150), so I am sure he knows some secrets and techniques that would be very helpful.
References:
Eddie Van Halen Bio. (n.d.). ClassicVanHalen.com - The Front Page. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://www.classicvanhalen.com/bios_evh.shtml
EDDIE VAN HALEN BIOGRAPHY (1955–). (n.d.). Full Issue. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from www.fullissue.com/index.php/eddie-van-halen-biography-1955–.html
Eddy, C., & Simon & Schuster. (n.d.). Van Halen: Biography | Rolling Stone Music. Rolling Stone | Music News, Reviews, Photos, Videos, Interviews and More. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/van-halen/biography
Van Halen (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)
(Link is correct, but won’t hyperlink, you will need to write it or copy/paste)
Van Halen Biography. (n.d.). Buy Electric Guitar & New Musical Instruments on Sale for Cheap - ActiveMusician. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://www.activemusician.com/Van-Halen-Biography--t8i3148
Van Halen Biography. (n.d.). Entertainment News | Entertainment Photos | Entertainment Video | Starpulse.com. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Van_Halen/Biography/
Van Halen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen
White, D. (n.d.). Van Halen biography - profile of Van Halen. Classic Rock - Bands Songs Artists CDs DVDs MP3s Lyrics and History of Classic Rock. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from http://classicrock.about.com/od/glos
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