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For a guy who claims to have learned every single Clapton solo, EVH sure doesn't show it, so I have to question his ranking as a "Guitar God"
especially when it comes to guitar solos. Others may disagree at will.
VH1
-Running With The Devil:
10 seconds of an admittedly suitable (melodic, fits the song) solo, but it's 10 seconds long, unless you count the outro in which he
basically repeats the first one, then it's 20 seconds.
-Eruption:
Where'd this come from? And why didn't he do anything like this in a song? Admittedly it's full of tricks and technique, but it
does have a composed feel to it.
-You Really Got Me:
Basically Dave Davies' original solo (or a typical Pentatonic/Chuck Berry solo) with a few of Ed's tricks thrown in.
-Ain't Talkin Bout Love:
A pleasantly melodic Sitarish line on two strings. What happened to the last part? Sounds like he couldn't do the pull-offs and just
threw in a dive bomb.
-I'm The One:
Two solos that are actually very good, and they fit the song. Technical AND melodic. If Ed influenced future shredders it'd hafta be
with these two solos.
-Jamie's Cryin:
Solo1: Mmmmm; Rhythm. Hey it worked for CCR in Proud Mary, right?
-Atomic Punk:
Nothing really spectacular here, but it does fit the song's lyrical theme (Post-Apocalyptic Urban Underground Street Punks)
-Feel Your Love Tonight:
Hey, it fits and is melodic. How rare for Ed. It's nothing ground-breaking of influential IMO.
And people whine about Kirk using a Wah? Ed musta been a Star Trek fan: set "Phasers to overdose".
-Little Dreamer:
Short and sweet. Nothing uncommon for the time.
Ice Cream Man:
-Pagannini!? In a I-IV-V jam? Sounds like Ed's fighting for something and coming up a little short.
On Fire:
-Thrash musta been spawned from this track. Technically scalar solo. It fits the rhythm patterns, of course, as a good Thrash Solo should
be scalar, however this is not a "typical" Van Halen track (only one of its kind as far I recall)
Summary:
-First album did actually have some promise to it, and at the time it was so totally different from everything else that people rushed
to learn the guitar parts. However, I still don't see how EVH can be considered a great lead player from this album. He didn't do anything
different from previous guitarists like Clapton and Page and Hendrix, except use a Phaser and more gain.
================================================== ====================
VHII
-You're No Good:
Bends and dives with a few hammer-ons and taps. At least try to do a melody.
-Dance The Night Away:
No solo. Just a sustained/feedbacking note. And that Phaser.
-Somebody Get me A Doctor:
And while you're out, grab Ed a Mel Bay lesson book.
Seriously, though, some flash and some technical riffing, and enough melody to fit the song.
-Bottoms Up!
A short Pentatonic hammer fest. But is it inspirational?
The second one starts off okay but then goes straight to hell with wanking hammers and taps.
-Outta Love Again:
Starts off sounding like Page, then closes with a quick descending scalar pattern. Nothing special.
-Light Up The Shy:
Dives and double-stops and bends and short fast runs.
-Spanish Fly:
Sloppy.
-D.O.A.
Ehhh.
-Women In Love....:
A buncha hammer-ons that vaguely follow the melody. Nothing that was not done before.
-Beautiful Girls:
Bends, fast hammers, dive bombs. Nothing different from Jimi, Jimmy, or Eric, thus nothing to legitimize Eddie's
Hero Status.
Summary:
-Once again, there's nothing on this album that cements EVH's "Guitar God" status.
================================================== ====================
Women And Children First
-And the Cradle Will Rock:
Ehhh. Best part is the harmonized bends just before the "Junior's grades" line. The next part is just double-stops. Page already did that
and he gets slammed for it.
Maybe if he had a Floyd on his Tele?
-Everybody Wants Some:
More double-stringed (Octavier?) sliding like Ain't Talkin Bout Love
-Fools:
Pinchy squealy bendy hammery meedly yawny.
-Romeo Delight:
Meedly bendy phasery
-Tora! Tora!:
What's it supposed to be, a bullfight?
-Loss Of Control:
Hey more Thrash. Anthrax and Mustaine musta been listening [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
So what's the solo supposed to be, a chromatic exercise?
Nothing inspirational solo-wise here.
Second solo is basically just double bends.
-Take Your Whiskey Home:
First solo - Very short Pentatonic bluesy bendy solo. Nothing "earth shaking".
Second solo - a little better, but not something that wasn't done before.
-Could This Be Magic?:
What the...?
-In A Simple Rhyme
No melody, just scalar riffing and bends.
Summary:
-No solos that seemed new or fresh as far as I'm concerned. Listening to Clapton or Zeppelin from the preceding or
even same years (1978-80), you hear the same things, if not better.
================================================== ====================
Fair Warning
-Mean Street:
More scalar riffing that loosely follows a melodic path, but mostly it's just flash.
Outro is just bends and whammy.
-Dirty Movies:
Intro is nice and melodic, with a tasteful amount of technical stuff.
No solo, just backing slides.
-Sinner's Swing:
More chromatic tapping stuff, nothing to indicate he was an exceptional lead player.
-Hear About It Later:
Main solo is just flashy tapping and such like he did before on other tracks.
Outro is basically filler.
-Unchained:
A little bit of melody, a little bit of trickery.
Outro solo is nothing to write home about. Maybe to someone who is just starting out on guitar and has a limited record collection,
but nothing that wasn't done better earlier.
-Push Comes To Shove:
Sounds like he tried to take it somewhere but got lost on the way.
That damn tremolo became a crutch real fast [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
-So This Is Love?:
Again, nothing that wasn't done before.
-Sunday Afternoon In The Park:
It's an 808.
-One Foot Out The Door:
Meedly wanky hammery tappy diving - this is influential how?
Summary:
-Some high points, but nothing, again, that was not done better earlier.
================================================== ====================
Diver Down
-Where Have All The Good Times Gone!:
Harmonics, dives, scrapes, sustained chords.
-Hang 'Em High:
Double-bends and such. Typical 70's rock stuff that Nugent, Skynrd, and others were doing.
-Cathedral:
Pretty, but nothing special. Iommi smoked him on things like this.
-Secrets:
This may be where Satch got his inspiration from, as it definitely reminds me of "Surfing With The Alien", and may be Ed's best solo.
-Intruder:
(intro to Pretty Woman) - buncha neat trem tricks and such - Steve Vai's birthday?
Killer bass riff, though.
-(Oh) Pretty Woman:
No solo
-Dancing In The Street:
Neat keyboard-ish stuff in the background.
So what does he do in this one that's so ground-breaking and inspirational, besides miss the last note?
-Little Guitars (both):
Tremolo picking at its finest. However, Ed is not praised for his Flamenco skill.
And is it me or does that opening distorted riff sound like something from a Van Hagar tune - Finish What Ya Started? Dreams?
-Big Bad Bill:
Clarinet solo.
-The Full Bug:
Harmonica solo is better.
-Happy Trails:
Really, no solo?
And have a few more drinks, fellas [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Summary:
-One good guitar solo.
================================================== ====================
1984
-1984:
Keyboard
-Jump:
Yawn. A bit smoother than some of his other solos, but still the same stuff - off-key tapping and the same scalar run.
-Panama:
More tremmy tappy, and a little melody
-Top Jimmy:
What IS that?
-Drop Dead Legs:
Almost went for a Billy Gibbons thing, but went for the trem abuse and a non-melodic chromatic scalar pattern instead.
-Hot For Teacher:
A good one, actually. Technical but it suits the song.
-I'll Wait:
The Clapton influence finally shows. Make that two good ones in the same album.
-Girl Gone Bad:
This one was almost a good one, but he threw too many "out" notes in it and killed it.
-House Of Pain:
Cut out some of the dives and it'd be great. As it is, it's still a bit wanky.
Summary:
-How did EVH's soloing be so inspirational to keep him on top for so long? Is it the "brown sound"? The Floyd Rose? The tapping?
You tell me, cuz I can't figure it out.
================================================== ====================
especially when it comes to guitar solos. Others may disagree at will.
VH1
-Running With The Devil:
10 seconds of an admittedly suitable (melodic, fits the song) solo, but it's 10 seconds long, unless you count the outro in which he
basically repeats the first one, then it's 20 seconds.
-Eruption:
Where'd this come from? And why didn't he do anything like this in a song? Admittedly it's full of tricks and technique, but it
does have a composed feel to it.
-You Really Got Me:
Basically Dave Davies' original solo (or a typical Pentatonic/Chuck Berry solo) with a few of Ed's tricks thrown in.
-Ain't Talkin Bout Love:
A pleasantly melodic Sitarish line on two strings. What happened to the last part? Sounds like he couldn't do the pull-offs and just
threw in a dive bomb.
-I'm The One:
Two solos that are actually very good, and they fit the song. Technical AND melodic. If Ed influenced future shredders it'd hafta be
with these two solos.
-Jamie's Cryin:
Solo1: Mmmmm; Rhythm. Hey it worked for CCR in Proud Mary, right?
-Atomic Punk:
Nothing really spectacular here, but it does fit the song's lyrical theme (Post-Apocalyptic Urban Underground Street Punks)
-Feel Your Love Tonight:
Hey, it fits and is melodic. How rare for Ed. It's nothing ground-breaking of influential IMO.
And people whine about Kirk using a Wah? Ed musta been a Star Trek fan: set "Phasers to overdose".
-Little Dreamer:
Short and sweet. Nothing uncommon for the time.
Ice Cream Man:
-Pagannini!? In a I-IV-V jam? Sounds like Ed's fighting for something and coming up a little short.
On Fire:
-Thrash musta been spawned from this track. Technically scalar solo. It fits the rhythm patterns, of course, as a good Thrash Solo should
be scalar, however this is not a "typical" Van Halen track (only one of its kind as far I recall)
Summary:
-First album did actually have some promise to it, and at the time it was so totally different from everything else that people rushed
to learn the guitar parts. However, I still don't see how EVH can be considered a great lead player from this album. He didn't do anything
different from previous guitarists like Clapton and Page and Hendrix, except use a Phaser and more gain.
================================================== ====================
VHII
-You're No Good:
Bends and dives with a few hammer-ons and taps. At least try to do a melody.
-Dance The Night Away:
No solo. Just a sustained/feedbacking note. And that Phaser.
-Somebody Get me A Doctor:
And while you're out, grab Ed a Mel Bay lesson book.
Seriously, though, some flash and some technical riffing, and enough melody to fit the song.
-Bottoms Up!
A short Pentatonic hammer fest. But is it inspirational?
The second one starts off okay but then goes straight to hell with wanking hammers and taps.
-Outta Love Again:
Starts off sounding like Page, then closes with a quick descending scalar pattern. Nothing special.
-Light Up The Shy:
Dives and double-stops and bends and short fast runs.
-Spanish Fly:
Sloppy.
-D.O.A.
Ehhh.
-Women In Love....:
A buncha hammer-ons that vaguely follow the melody. Nothing that was not done before.
-Beautiful Girls:
Bends, fast hammers, dive bombs. Nothing different from Jimi, Jimmy, or Eric, thus nothing to legitimize Eddie's
Hero Status.
Summary:
-Once again, there's nothing on this album that cements EVH's "Guitar God" status.
================================================== ====================
Women And Children First
-And the Cradle Will Rock:
Ehhh. Best part is the harmonized bends just before the "Junior's grades" line. The next part is just double-stops. Page already did that
and he gets slammed for it.
Maybe if he had a Floyd on his Tele?
-Everybody Wants Some:
More double-stringed (Octavier?) sliding like Ain't Talkin Bout Love
-Fools:
Pinchy squealy bendy hammery meedly yawny.
-Romeo Delight:
Meedly bendy phasery
-Tora! Tora!:
What's it supposed to be, a bullfight?
-Loss Of Control:
Hey more Thrash. Anthrax and Mustaine musta been listening [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
So what's the solo supposed to be, a chromatic exercise?
Nothing inspirational solo-wise here.
Second solo is basically just double bends.
-Take Your Whiskey Home:
First solo - Very short Pentatonic bluesy bendy solo. Nothing "earth shaking".
Second solo - a little better, but not something that wasn't done before.
-Could This Be Magic?:
What the...?
-In A Simple Rhyme
No melody, just scalar riffing and bends.
Summary:
-No solos that seemed new or fresh as far as I'm concerned. Listening to Clapton or Zeppelin from the preceding or
even same years (1978-80), you hear the same things, if not better.
================================================== ====================
Fair Warning
-Mean Street:
More scalar riffing that loosely follows a melodic path, but mostly it's just flash.
Outro is just bends and whammy.
-Dirty Movies:
Intro is nice and melodic, with a tasteful amount of technical stuff.
No solo, just backing slides.
-Sinner's Swing:
More chromatic tapping stuff, nothing to indicate he was an exceptional lead player.
-Hear About It Later:
Main solo is just flashy tapping and such like he did before on other tracks.
Outro is basically filler.
-Unchained:
A little bit of melody, a little bit of trickery.
Outro solo is nothing to write home about. Maybe to someone who is just starting out on guitar and has a limited record collection,
but nothing that wasn't done better earlier.
-Push Comes To Shove:
Sounds like he tried to take it somewhere but got lost on the way.
That damn tremolo became a crutch real fast [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
-So This Is Love?:
Again, nothing that wasn't done before.
-Sunday Afternoon In The Park:
It's an 808.
-One Foot Out The Door:
Meedly wanky hammery tappy diving - this is influential how?
Summary:
-Some high points, but nothing, again, that was not done better earlier.
================================================== ====================
Diver Down
-Where Have All The Good Times Gone!:
Harmonics, dives, scrapes, sustained chords.
-Hang 'Em High:
Double-bends and such. Typical 70's rock stuff that Nugent, Skynrd, and others were doing.
-Cathedral:
Pretty, but nothing special. Iommi smoked him on things like this.
-Secrets:
This may be where Satch got his inspiration from, as it definitely reminds me of "Surfing With The Alien", and may be Ed's best solo.
-Intruder:
(intro to Pretty Woman) - buncha neat trem tricks and such - Steve Vai's birthday?
Killer bass riff, though.
-(Oh) Pretty Woman:
No solo
-Dancing In The Street:
Neat keyboard-ish stuff in the background.
So what does he do in this one that's so ground-breaking and inspirational, besides miss the last note?
-Little Guitars (both):
Tremolo picking at its finest. However, Ed is not praised for his Flamenco skill.
And is it me or does that opening distorted riff sound like something from a Van Hagar tune - Finish What Ya Started? Dreams?
-Big Bad Bill:
Clarinet solo.
-The Full Bug:
Harmonica solo is better.
-Happy Trails:
Really, no solo?
And have a few more drinks, fellas [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Summary:
-One good guitar solo.
================================================== ====================
1984
-1984:
Keyboard
-Jump:
Yawn. A bit smoother than some of his other solos, but still the same stuff - off-key tapping and the same scalar run.
-Panama:
More tremmy tappy, and a little melody
-Top Jimmy:
What IS that?
-Drop Dead Legs:
Almost went for a Billy Gibbons thing, but went for the trem abuse and a non-melodic chromatic scalar pattern instead.
-Hot For Teacher:
A good one, actually. Technical but it suits the song.
-I'll Wait:
The Clapton influence finally shows. Make that two good ones in the same album.
-Girl Gone Bad:
This one was almost a good one, but he threw too many "out" notes in it and killed it.
-House Of Pain:
Cut out some of the dives and it'd be great. As it is, it's still a bit wanky.
Summary:
-How did EVH's soloing be so inspirational to keep him on top for so long? Is it the "brown sound"? The Floyd Rose? The tapping?
You tell me, cuz I can't figure it out.
================================================== ====================
but that is what makes Eddie Eddie
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