Yeah no shit and like I’ve heard , they would be playing something like this and there would be 6 people in the whole fuckin place . I can’t wait for the invention of the Time Machine ! OK , let’s set our destination settings here .. OK. Let’s do the weather z, it’s a rainy Monday Night 10:0Opm. October. Late October the greater Los Angeles area . Hollywood. WEST Hollywood in the year 1977 at a place called the Starwood. Ok everybody , seat belts buckled. And T minus 5. , 4 , 3 , 2, 2, IGNITION !
I thought someone was out of tune, goofing around before the real take was to begin. Took me a minute to get my bearings. Lends a whole new appreciation to how their sound was crafted, like a few tints in a polychrome print creating an organic whole of high complexity.
Guess you haven’t listen to many albums. not to mention even back then, Van Halen, queen and what have you would lay down scratch tracks and then re-record everything. Don’t be a dinosaur
I feel like Eddie died and left us with lots of surprise gifts that we're still unwrapping. This is so good and refreshing to hear. Ed's rhythm guitar is amazing and Mike and Al sound great too. Natural swing.
Massive agree, He influenced me more as a rhythm player. His riffs were all top notch. Funny thing. I love Diver down as a Van Halen album. I know it's largely hated as a cover album but the playing on it by Eddie is so relaxed and he's clearly just jamming. His rhythm playing is just so comfortable and cool. Very good album IMHO. Luv and Peace.
The first time I saw Van Halen live in the 1980's, the next day Jim Dennis - the manager of the music store where I worked - asked me, "What did you notice?" I was a little overwhelmed by the question, but Jim said, "He is a GREAT rhythm player. He was always in tune, and always in time." So yeah, since then I have been aware of what a great rhythm player Eddie was.
This could be the defying sound of how good VH were as a three piece band …this is the Brown Sound defined and simply unmatched playing live in a room just awesome. Please Alex open the Vaults. No Tribute Show then please give us more Music most of the Diehard VH Fans know the music exists and wants to hear it. Donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society in Ed’s name.
American Cancer Society is a scam. There's already a cure. Donald Trump told you what it is. That's why they freaked out and said it's only for horses... and it was a lie. Cancer is $$$
Listen closely, it's not layered tracks. Ed said in the beginning it was just him and Alex. That he had to fill up space. He's bouncing back and forth between the parts!
Never ceases to amaze me how "in the pocket" Ed's rhythm parts sit - dude is always locked in. As exceptional and innovative as his lead work is, this is great hearing what a human metronome he is.
Actually: NOT a metronome (I realize that you meant that as a compliment, not a description, but: it is, indeed, inaccurate to the way that Ed played (as well as how the band played together!). Ed "swung" EVERYTHING!!!! EV-RY-THING! (even when you, as a listener, are NOT NOTICING it!)! This means that: he was never "solid gridded" (which has, now, become the ONLY standard!!!! 😡😡🤬 and the accepted idea of "perfection" 🙄🙄🤦🖕). His rhythms, melody lines, leads, everything he played!, swing! They are "just loose" in precisely the correct way. It is WHY their grooves are SO HARD and FEEL SO RIGHT! ...so: If you learn Ed, you will find that ALL of his parts are "the opposite of metronomic" - which, as most commenters have been saying: is one of the things which makes this band and these albums and their shows, SO, out-and-out, GREAT and induplicable! 🤘🤘 EVH 4E!🔥
Ed played musically, and nobody could play his fast Boogie feel so well as him like Im The One, Hang 'em High, Hot for Teacher, Sinners Swing - so cooking... You can play the notes but it's nis feel that makes it.
@@clemclemson9259 Really, "bro"? Because what's weird to me is that so many people don't demonstrate even the most basic high school writing skills which we all learned so that we could communicate effectively and not look like illiterate idiots.
@@davemenard5089 I had to go search that. I’m with Wolfgang: disappointed because I’m a big fan of Steven Wilson. It’s not necessary to voice every opinion.
Rhythm Guitar 101. He was the best. The foundation is the most important part of a home and this is a SOLID foundation. I think it's the greatest rhythm track of that era.
Agreed. This rhythm riff is sooooo much fun to play. There are a ton of subtleties in there... it's definitely worth a "deep dive" for guitar nerds. Long live The Mighty Van Halen 🔥💪😎
This is the actual album cut. Whether this was a SEPARATE recording or someone took the album stems and just added them all together with a room verb, I don't know. But it's def the actual take on the first album. Notice how at 2:00 he hits the top E string too hard and it goes sharp? That's just one thing that's on the album exactly like this take. Ahhhhh okay, now that I hear the ending, it IS the album track and I am pretty sure it's an actual recording from the room because it seems unlikely someone would have the whole ending then go do a fake room mic recording. I had no idea 1) there was an ending to this song and 2) they decided to fade it and 3) someone made a recording of just the room mic mix. Very nice to hear it more raw like that and w/o overdubbed guitars and vocals. Those two-note "chords" he hits are so frikkin in tune.... they just growl.
@@bigbanana531 yeah, I finally listened to the whole thing and I came to the conclusion that it must be a real mix of the room mics cuz it def is the album cut and I had no idea they had a definite end part but of course they would because all the tunes would prob be played live a few times before the albums were done. Anyway, it's definitely something hearing it in a more practice room kind of setting. Basically how you'd hear it if you were standing out in the hallway listening to them inside the recording room. I found the Eruption one too. Eddie was just a fireball of badassery back then. Even now I listen to some of it and just go wow, that's really good. His creativity was extremely high.
I was about 17 when I discovered Van Halen in Australia (first album so probably 1978). No one knew about them in my small town, at least until I told them. A lot of older players wrote Eddie off as "all flash" but these tracks prove how much groove and soul he had and not just him but the entire band. These were the days when bands were forged in the fire of a thousand gigs and it showed when they set up and played live in the studio. I hope the young bands of today can still do this. It's the key to greatness for a rock band for sure, as this recording proves. Love live EVH.
Incredible! A testimony to their raw talent. Eddie's lead guitar playing is so incredible it's easy to overlook what a phenomenal rhythm player he was.
On the finished album this on the mixing desk was a fade out…Love the way here you get to hear it rounding off in the studio the way they used to do it LIVE.
@@joerenner8334 yeah its awesome hearing him lay down just the rhythm track and focusing on the composition. he still throws in the lead riff occasionally and it doesnt slow him down at all. but its just so solid and tight, makes you really appreciate his rythm playing and composition skills. everything hes doing is tasteful and serves the song. his timing is impeccable.
"advanced for 77-78"? I hope you're talking about Ed's own development as a player over time as measured against himself. Because really if you're suggesting better rhythm playing by guitar players in general after the 1970s........I completely disagree with that thought. Most of Ed's work was done in the 1980s but the fact is I consider him among the players of the1970s. This era and back all the way into the 1950s produced better rhythm playing than what came in the hair metal era and even to this day it's exceedingly rare to hear anyone who comes up with something that matches, much less tops, the very innovative era before the guitar playing of the 1980s. What really separates Eddie from others in the 1980s is found in how it may be his incredible solo playing that WOWs people he never failed to understand that the song, that is the backing track for his solos, is even more important. Too many bands in the 1980s didn't understand this and it was all about guitar solos, tricks over extremely weak rhythm playing in so very many cases.
This made my real music loving heart happy…a lot of junk on TH-cam but this stuff keeps me coming back with faith. Where’s the two thumb like button?!!
Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. There's one part where I heard. It sounds like Edward saying " ready guys? " Like this is the the time let's show him what we got
Eddie Van Halen is the greatest hard rock guitarist of all time. This might be my favorite song by Van Halen. It`s off their first record which is by far their best in my opinion.
No opinion dude...its a FACT. Debut LP was by far their best AND the best debut ROCK album by ANY band since 1972 at least. Maybe the best of all time....
This Sunset sound studio B..the big room..and the room sound was so tight! What a band! This is the effect of playing live hundreds of times, total confidence and their debut album!!
Eddie said many times that he didn't "know" what he was doing. Only doing what he heard in his head and finding ways to re-create it on guitar or keys. I too skipped the formality of learning the "right way" to write and play music, but Eddie was leaps above and beyond me for creativity. And as many great guitarists that have come along, he is the only one that did that very thing for decades and was super successful at nearly every turn. I will always want to hear more of his amazing talent
No clicks, no protools, no quantization, no autotuning, nothing to fix any flaws and yet it still swings and is perfection. There is a difference in music today and the reason it all sounds the same.
You're telling me. I have a drummer from France record on my music, so i'll get a click with the count in so he feels where beat one, but both of us lock into the groove and do one take per part. Whether I'm doing a bass track, synth, or my rhythm tracks, I'll do each part in one take and not quantize that shit at all. Gotta keep the inherent groove, and it's there even when I'm locking into a drummer in person without a metronome. Some people dont have a good sense of groove, and clicks and quantization cant save them. Worked with a local drummer who could NOT lock into a groove what so ever, and it was brutal working with him
@@mirkomarkovic3438- click tracks were not in use in 1978 . That’s Edward just feelin the energy as it flows through him. Edward was an absolute genius
poor tone loc if only he knew this existed it would have changed everything God damn this is dirty and the bass hits hard as fuck shit I'm saving this shit
Thanks for posting this. I love hearing a raw recording of a great band. Just goes to show you that there's no studio tricks needed to make these guys sound kickass. They just did it all.
I know that people call this metal but I'm not really sure there are so many different influences but they got everything going on in Van Halen from funk to disco to rock to remix of '50s rock songs shit they redid Roy Orbison they did dancing in the streets I think that was Martha and the vandals The man was a guitar genius but Michael Anthony with his high falsetto voice in the background and his goddamn base was just banging I love metal but I don't really categorize them as actual metal there's something else they're I don't even know what but it's not metal at least there's so much more not taking anything away from metal but God damn they were funky at least when Michael Anthony was there shout out Michael Anthony
@@rellis881 no I don't either, but it was a catch all descriptor at the time. Or maybe Heavy Rock sometimes. What attracted me to VH was the joyfulness of it, it's the opposite of dark angry metal, it's really uplifting, mood enhancing rock, with humour. I miss it.
@@Victor-E- Don't get me wrong I like dark heavy music I love alternative I like a lot of metal but Van Halen was something different Van Halen is music that they could put on in a club and people can dance to it people have always been able to and danced to Van Halen calling Van Halen metal is like calling Billy squier lol metal which I don't know his full catalog but I really like stroke and my kind of lover when I was in middle school Van Halen you could really dance to I'm not a dancer I'm just saying I think that because he was actually such a rock god that the other rockers just wanted them in their club but if I'm not mistaken their father which started their whole music thing I think he played polka and some other stuff he was a hell of a musician from everything I've read in his own right and put the boys on the path to music when Sammy Hagar joined the group it took another more adult path some of that shit was just fucking amazing The music was still fun but it was so mature and thought-provoking Eddie's keyboard playing was really showcased although he's the guitar God his keyboard playing is no joke I just hate it that they kicked Michael Anthony to the curb I'll never stop saying that him with Sammy Hagar singing those two and their friendship and those two just being Buddy's and big kids is just the coolest thing
Man, I don't know where you get these sources from, but a thousand thanks! Please tell me you've got more content and you'll keep posting it on your channel, because it's a real delight!!
Hey people, there is no plate on VH1, it is the Sunset chamber. Also, the delay is on here…Ed used 1 or 2 EP-3s as a preamp into 12301. A 300ms slapback is present here.
1:23 Never noticed that until now…I’ve have noticed however that Alex sometimes deviates from his bass drum beats in places you’d expect him to maintain the same beat.
@@maximusfrank2835 Yeah right, so tell me why Alex changed from the 16th note pattern to a regular beat for one bar only in the second half of the first bridge (which is essentially going into the verses groove and then back into the bridge groove), but stays on the 16th for the whole of the second bridge?
The Opening Drum Roll, just cuts open the Groove, and Eddie and Michael just Fill it up with Bounce, and a hit of Swing. Each Player in their Space.....the Sound is MORE than the sum of its Parts! VH is just Timeless!
One of things that made VH stand apart was that Eddie played his riffs partly on the beat and slightly off the beat to give it that weird style. Malcolm Young also employed this rythmn trick on most ACDC songs. Non musicians may not know what they're hearing but musicians can tell when there's a slight time gap between a chord being struck and a up or down beat coming in nano seconds later. They arent perfectly together as your ears want to think they are.
When you record it yourselfe like I do Alex’s drums is 30 ms before the click, bass is 30 ms after the click and the guitars and vocals are 60 mss after the click. That’s the van Halen timing.
@@hanshaan4610 Actually what it is is called playing behind the beat. Listen to Back in black and how Malcolm's chord come in before the kick drum. Not every time but it happens repeatedly through the song. Also found on many other songs on that album.
This is nothing new. Many great guitarists do this. Alex Lifeson from Rush is a master at this. It's why covering his guitar is so difficult. You can get close but never 100%. It's the coolest thing ever. Playing around the beat. Can't be transcribed. It's too organic.
Imagine being dave Lee or Sammy and just getting to listen to this all the time in rehearsals. Amazing. Such a great band. Nothing beats a tight band. A tight band with genius in their midst is something else.
Ludicrously tight band, so much chemistry and empathy in how they played together. The tempo pushing and pulling faultlessly. Alex and Mikey filling the gaps and then staying out the way when Eddie starts flying. Absurd.
You can hear the rawness in the room!!! It’s really sad that Van Halen as a band is no more, but catalog will live forever!!! Privileged to have seen them 6 times live from 1984-2008.
It sounds like the drummer is plodding slowly along and the guitarist is wasted. The bass line is repetitious. This isn't being done as a recording, just running through it.
First album....which means they've been playing these songs together live for probably a few years. They are second nature at this point. Just like the Beatles on their first album. They're well oiled machines at this point and it sounds like it! Also, the "No budget, get it done, QUICK" aspect of these recordings has an effect too. Puts you on the spot to do your best.
One of the real issues was, the first couple VH albums were recorded on tape to be reproduced on albums. A groove of an album only has so much dynamic movement. I was listening to Women and Children on CD the other day, wow could you hear a lot of stuff like from this recording.
Imagine walking into a bar in the 70’s and hearing this. 😮
Blows my mind.
Fr man too badass
Underappreciated. That's why it took him 5 years to get signed
Yeah no shit and like I’ve heard , they would be playing something like this and there would be 6 people in the whole fuckin place . I can’t wait for the invention of the Time Machine !
OK , let’s set our destination settings here .. OK. Let’s do the weather z, it’s a rainy Monday Night 10:0Opm.
October. Late October the greater Los Angeles area . Hollywood. WEST Hollywood in the year 1977 at a place called the Starwood. Ok everybody , seat belts buckled. And T minus 5. , 4 , 3 , 2, 2, IGNITION !
I did, at the Ice Palace in So-Cal in 76, i believe they were still called "Mammoth" at the time
Those chords are crazy. I never heard just how odd the chord voicings are on the album. Thats insane.
When you sing it, you know how weird the card progression is
REALLY CRAZY LOL!
Eddy's the king of that.
Eddie hated playing repetitive things so he messed around like that.
I thought someone was out of tune, goofing around before the real take was to begin. Took me a minute to get my bearings. Lends a whole new appreciation to how their sound was crafted, like a few tints in a polychrome print creating an organic whole of high complexity.
Van Halen Anthology should be a thing. Nothing but tracks like this…isolated elements, instrumental mixes, demos, live recordings, etc.
Fuck yea. MORE EDDIE!!
I'd buy that in a heartbeat.
would be as good as their albums
YES, pick it apart to deconstruct Eddie's genius! DR'S vocals are just the icing on an already-fantastic cake!
M.A., so underrated as a bass man/vocalist….
If only the bass was this deep on the finished album!
Exactly! I’m listening through large 12 inch powered speakers, and it sounds like you’re in the room!
And ALL their albums for that fact. Balance was the best sounding album they put out
Yeah bro!
I hear no bass at all on the room mics and I dont think mike used an amp in that room.
Man I know right!
This is MAGIC. Thank you!!!
What chords is he playing in the verse? They sound so extraordinary and different
The next lesson Ben!!!...Theres GOLD right here!!!
WOW. I miss when albums sounded like a band playing in a room together.
Amen. Analog recording onto magnetic old fashion tape cant be beat for depth and warmth. Digital too cold and shallow.
That's because that's how they actually recorded this album...
Here’s some more live in one room music, but it’s not a pro band unfortunately.
th-cam.com/video/ZggXFKblZEE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=cfqnxD4v24K1wfWn
Peep my page. Only live stuff! New records made from the heart with smoking guitar, bass, drums
Guess you haven’t listen to many albums. not to mention even back then, Van Halen, queen and what have you would lay down scratch tracks and then re-record everything. Don’t be a dinosaur
Eddie had that special touch, that groove and feel that will never be duplicated or matched. His rhythm playing and phrasing were second to none!!!
I feel like Eddie died and left us with lots of surprise gifts that we're still unwrapping. This is so good and refreshing to hear. Ed's rhythm guitar is amazing and Mike and Al sound great too. Natural swing.
The best lead guitar players are always the best damn rhythm players .
As much as he is a lead guitar god - Eddie never gets enough credit for his amazing rhythm skills!
Massive agree, He influenced me more as a rhythm player. His riffs were all top notch.
Funny thing. I love Diver down as a Van Halen album. I know it's largely hated as a cover album but the playing on it by Eddie is so relaxed and he's clearly just jamming.
His rhythm playing is just so comfortable and cool.
Very good album IMHO.
Luv and Peace.
When you're the only guitar player in the band you do it all
This is one of those Boomer comments when people believed there was a difference between "lead guitars" and "rhythm guitars".
The first time I saw Van Halen live in the 1980's, the next day Jim Dennis - the manager of the music store where I worked - asked me, "What did you notice?" I was a little overwhelmed by the question, but Jim said, "He is a GREAT rhythm player. He was always in tune, and always in time." So yeah, since then I have been aware of what a great rhythm player Eddie was.
@@PBeetheFox Gen X. There was a difference in a lot of bands way back. Hendrix blurred the line forever.
This could be the defying sound of how good VH were as a three piece band …this is the Brown Sound defined and simply unmatched playing live in a room just awesome. Please Alex open the Vaults. No Tribute Show then please give us more Music most of the Diehard VH Fans know the music exists and wants to hear it. Donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society in Ed’s name.
American Cancer Society is a scam. There's already a cure. Donald Trump told you what it is. That's why they freaked out and said it's only for horses... and it was a lie. Cancer is $$$
@@cedarbay3994 At what point do you hear a second guitar? Genuinely curious.
@@MikeCarlyleWMass Maybe he doesn't realize that Eddie could play rhythm and lead at the same time.
...and he wanted to be a drummer...
Listen closely, it's not layered tracks. Ed said in the beginning it was just him and Alex. That he had to fill up space. He's bouncing back and forth between the parts!
The playing, the writing and tone are so good it's ridiculous.
What a groove. Eddie will be remembered until we go extinct.
If they don't know Ed, they don't know rock-'n'-roll.
Never ceases to amaze me how "in the pocket" Ed's rhythm parts sit - dude is always locked in. As exceptional and innovative as his lead work is, this is great hearing what a human metronome he is.
All guitarists should start out as drummers. Eddie did.
Mike is locked in super tight too!
Actually: NOT a metronome (I realize that you meant that as a compliment, not a description, but: it is, indeed, inaccurate to the way that Ed played (as well as how the band played together!).
Ed "swung" EVERYTHING!!!! EV-RY-THING! (even when you, as a listener, are NOT NOTICING it!)!
This means that: he was never "solid gridded" (which has, now, become the ONLY standard!!!! 😡😡🤬 and the accepted idea of "perfection" 🙄🙄🤦🖕).
His rhythms, melody lines, leads, everything he played!, swing!
They are "just loose" in precisely the correct way. It is WHY their grooves are SO HARD and FEEL SO RIGHT!
...so: If you learn Ed, you will find that ALL of his parts are "the opposite of metronomic"
- which, as most commenters have been saying: is one of the things which makes this band and these albums and their shows, SO, out-and-out, GREAT and induplicable! 🤘🤘
EVH 4E!🔥
Ed played musically, and nobody could play his fast Boogie feel so well as him like Im The One, Hang 'em High, Hot for Teacher, Sinners Swing - so cooking...
You can play the notes but it's nis feel that makes it.
Ed started on drums first!
Sounds incredible!! I would love to have the whole album this way!!
Me to😅
Oh, yeah!
Damn, this is such a good groove. They were such a tight band. Eddie and Michael lay back in the pocket so well. 💯
It's kinda cool to hear Ed play through a full song without ripping into a solo and lots of extras.
there are dozens of VH songs that don't have solo's
@@bonzology322Dozens?
@@bonzology322 So no capital at the beginning, and no period at the end of the sentence. Yet there is an improper apostrophe in "solo's."
what a weird comment bro@@fretbuzz59
@@clemclemson9259 Really, "bro"? Because what's weird to me is that so many people don't demonstrate even the most basic high school writing skills which we all learned so that we could communicate effectively and not look like illiterate idiots.
Amazing rhythms and melodies were the actual genius of EVH. Anybody can shred, but Ed's rhythms were way ahead of everyone else.
He does a lot more than shred in his solos. The other’s shred but Eddie carry’s a ton of substance.
He was much better in the early days. Very liquid and on time. All the time.
Edward had the package. More interesting than the notes he played was the way he played them, such incredibly strong tone produced by his hands.
💯 and Steven Wilson’s comment when Ed passed is such a dumb take
@@davemenard5089
I had to go search that. I’m with Wolfgang: disappointed because I’m a big fan of Steven Wilson. It’s not necessary to voice every opinion.
Holy shit. That swings, rocks and grooves all at the same time. Phenomenal guitar playing but also sweet bass playing and drumming. What a band!
it's got swank
Damn that guitar tone and the way he plays the chords... wow.
Evhs chord voicing was and still is so original.
I love this room sound!!!! Makes the song sound more live and real.
damn you can really how tight Alex is in the studio. man sounds amazing. thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you so for not words.
@@allemander That very funny!
Boy, Eddie sure could work those dynamics like no other
Magical Ed and his singing guitars. #1
That shows what a great rhythm guitarist Eddie was. Not enough credit is given for that
You're the 1st person in human history that claims the EVH wasn't given enough credit. On anything, Ever..
because it's an easy way to get likes@@HyperInflation2020
@@HyperInflation2020at least they didn't use the word that begins with "under" and ends with "rated"😅
Your comment is underrated.
@@HyperInflation2020 Your comment is underrated.
This was a killer rythym band as evidenced here. Eddie had atomic timing and that engine of Michael and Alex is shown off here.
More please.
Rhythm Guitar 101. He was the best. The foundation is the most important part of a home and this is a SOLID foundation. I think it's the greatest rhythm track of that era.
Agreed. This rhythm riff is sooooo much fun to play. There are a ton of subtleties in there... it's definitely worth a "deep dive" for guitar nerds. Long live The Mighty Van Halen 🔥💪😎
Eddie was the best rhythm player ever
This is far more than Rhythm Guitar 101. This is a masterclass.
Been listening to this over and over. Damn, these guys are tight!
Must have seen VH 50 times before they sighed in the 70’s and never saw this live. First time I heard it was on the LP. They were saving it.
I've read various places that they wrote it in the studio.
@@exactmerobyeah, I think that's right - they wrote it in the studio.
Tell more about your times seeing them
That's so sick West Shore Man!!! I wish I could have experienced that!!!
007
This is the actual album cut. Whether this was a SEPARATE recording or someone took the album stems and just added them all together with a room verb, I don't know. But it's def the actual take on the first album. Notice how at 2:00 he hits the top E string too hard and it goes sharp? That's just one thing that's on the album exactly like this take. Ahhhhh okay, now that I hear the ending, it IS the album track and I am pretty sure it's an actual recording from the room because it seems unlikely someone would have the whole ending then go do a fake room mic recording. I had no idea 1) there was an ending to this song and 2) they decided to fade it and 3) someone made a recording of just the room mic mix. Very nice to hear it more raw like that and w/o overdubbed guitars and vocals. Those two-note "chords" he hits are so frikkin in tune.... they just growl.
this is real, it was leaked from the studio, along with outtakes, guitar tracks and alternate versions of songs.
@@bigbanana531 yeah, I finally listened to the whole thing and I came to the conclusion that it must be a real mix of the room mics cuz it def is the album cut and I had no idea they had a definite end part but of course they would because all the tunes would prob be played live a few times before the albums were done. Anyway, it's definitely something hearing it in a more practice room kind of setting. Basically how you'd hear it if you were standing out in the hallway listening to them inside the recording room. I found the Eruption one too. Eddie was just a fireball of badassery back then. Even now I listen to some of it and just go wow, that's really good. His creativity was extremely high.
I was about 17 when I discovered Van Halen in Australia (first album so probably 1978). No one knew about them in my small town, at least until I told them. A lot of older players wrote Eddie off as "all flash" but these tracks prove how much groove and soul he had and not just him but the entire band. These were the days when bands were forged in the fire of a thousand gigs and it showed when they set up and played live in the studio. I hope the young bands of today can still do this. It's the key to greatness for a rock band for sure, as this recording proves. Love live EVH.
Cool! It’s always so interesting hearing a song you know so well without the vocals. You hear things you normally wouldn’t. What a great band!
And just hearing instruments helped me realize how innovative and unique Roth’s vocals were to raise the song to a higher level
Incredible! A testimony to their raw talent. Eddie's lead guitar playing is so incredible it's easy to overlook what a phenomenal rhythm player he was.
EVH is a great rhythm guitarist!! No one ever talks about his rhythm playing!! ❤
A great lead guitarist has excellent lead timing. That makes him qualified to play rhythm too. EVH had timing, which is where all his flair came from.
One of the greatest rhythm players EVER.
People ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HIS RHYTHM PLAYING!!!! trying to make out it's some lesser-known insight.... 💩
I love this. The dynamics are so clear
Damn, this is like kissing the prettiest girl in school.
Btdt
We need more music / bands like this...just playing for the pure enjoyment. No messages, just rock n roll!
Just a suggestion... check out "The Warning".
On the finished album this on the mixing desk was a fade out…Love the way here you get to hear it rounding off in the studio the way they used to do it LIVE.
US Festival 83 - had this ending
Live recording is where it's at. You can't get that groove any other way.
Still sounds like 2 guitars at times. Wow
stereo reverb.
Nah eddies technique is what he's talking about. Playing riffs in between the rhythm parts and such
@@kevinr.3542 Eddie could play his own rhythm guitar. Amazing.
@@joerenner8334 yeah its awesome hearing him lay down just the rhythm track and focusing on the composition. he still throws in the lead riff occasionally and it doesnt slow him down at all. but its just so solid and tight, makes you really appreciate his rythm playing and composition skills. everything hes doing is tasteful and serves the song. his timing is impeccable.
Master of string harmonics....
Always loved the fills coming out of the pre-chorus parts. This song has ALL the groove
Such chemistry between the three, this is pure gold .
Unbelievable!!!
No fade out!!
Kewl ending!!!
OMFG!!!
Holy WOW
I need this for every Van Halen song!
Classic Van Halen at its best ! This is why they were the kings
Just the rhythm tracks are captivating enough. Those rhythm parts Eddie is playing are pretty advanced for 77-78, every aspect of this song is a hook
"advanced for 77-78"? I hope you're talking about Ed's own development as a player over time as measured against himself. Because really if you're suggesting better rhythm playing by guitar players in general after the 1970s........I completely disagree with that thought. Most of Ed's work was done in the 1980s but the fact is I consider him among the players of the1970s. This era and back all the way into the 1950s produced better rhythm playing than what came in the hair metal era and even to this day it's exceedingly rare to hear anyone who comes up with something that matches, much less tops, the very innovative era before the guitar playing of the 1980s. What really separates Eddie from others in the 1980s is found in how it may be his incredible solo playing that WOWs people he never failed to understand that the song, that is the backing track for his solos, is even more important. Too many bands in the 1980s didn't understand this and it was all about guitar solos, tricks over extremely weak rhythm playing in so very many cases.
I think he means more advanced than your typical radio songs of the 70's. @@stevejewell9263
This made my real music loving heart happy…a lot of junk on TH-cam but this stuff keeps me coming back with faith. Where’s the two thumb like button?!!
a LOT of junk that is a fact
Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. There's one part where I heard. It sounds like Edward saying " ready guys? " Like this is the the time let's show him what we got
Eddie Van Halen is the greatest hard rock guitarist of all time. This might be my favorite song by Van Halen. It`s off their first record which is by far their best in my opinion.
Saw the Invasion Tour in 1980. Great show and I totally agree. The first album was the best.
Most bands first albums are their best albums.
No opinion dude...its a FACT. Debut LP was by far their best AND the best debut ROCK album by ANY band since 1972 at least. Maybe the best of all time....
@@chezchezchezchez 100% agree. Van Halen and Montrose were easily the best debut rock albums since 1972,
@@steveludwig4200 Boston enters the chat...
Ed was so clean. Each lick and riff so distinct.
Oh man. Please release every VH tune sans vocals. There are so many goodies in there to enjoy.
Magnificent guitar tone!
This Sunset sound studio B..the big room..and the room sound was so tight! What a band! This is the effect of playing live hundreds of times, total confidence and their debut album!!
Eddie said many times that he didn't "know" what he was doing. Only doing what he heard in his head and finding ways to re-create it on guitar or keys. I too skipped the formality of learning the "right way" to write and play music, but Eddie was leaps above and beyond me for creativity. And as many great guitarists that have come along, he is the only one that did that very thing for decades and was super successful at nearly every turn. I will always want to hear more of his amazing talent
He plays it like he played it 1000 times...Controlled perfection!! Tasty last chord!!!!
He probably did play it 1000 times
@@cambell9 no, this song was written in the studio. The other ones on VH1 had all been around for some time.
Love the judicious use of phasing on the rhythm track. Genius.
Micheal and Alex are locked in a solid groove. Sweet
This is the least to be expected from a bassist and a drummer, or not?
You'd be surprised by how many bass players aren't very good at locking in with the drums lol@@saulocpp
I've played with a lot of bass players. Very few can groove with the drummer.@@saulocpp
Indeed. And Eddie was just as tight droppin right into that deep pocket. So good.
@@marsailmar1You need to play with better musicians then.
No clicks, no protools, no quantization, no autotuning, nothing to fix any flaws and yet it still swings and is perfection. There is a difference in music today and the reason it all sounds the same.
Pretty sure this is played to a click
And there weren't any flaws.
@@mirkomarkovic3438.. but no ProTools grid to block in everything in a neat little robotic box..!
You're telling me. I have a drummer from France record on my music, so i'll get a click with the count in so he feels where beat one, but both of us lock into the groove and do one take per part. Whether I'm doing a bass track, synth, or my rhythm tracks, I'll do each part in one take and not quantize that shit at all. Gotta keep the inherent groove, and it's there even when I'm locking into a drummer in person without a metronome.
Some people dont have a good sense of groove, and clicks and quantization cant save them. Worked with a local drummer who could NOT lock into a groove what so ever, and it was brutal working with him
@@mirkomarkovic3438- click tracks were not in use in 1978 . That’s Edward just feelin the energy as it flows through him. Edward was an absolute genius
Amazing. Tight. Perfect.
Man..... feels like you're in the room with them! NICE! I LOVE THE ENDING! CLASSIC VAN HALEN!
poor tone loc if only he knew this existed it would have changed everything God damn this is dirty and the bass hits hard as fuck shit I'm saving this shit
Thanks for posting this. I love hearing a raw recording of a great band. Just goes to show you that there's no studio tricks needed to make these guys sound kickass. They just did it all.
Metal of the time wasn't known for its rhythm and timing, butt this is just so in the pocket!
I know that people call this metal but I'm not really sure there are so many different influences but they got everything going on in Van Halen from funk to disco to rock to remix of '50s rock songs shit they redid Roy Orbison they did dancing in the streets I think that was Martha and the vandals The man was a guitar genius but Michael Anthony with his high falsetto voice in the background and his goddamn base was just banging I love metal but I don't really categorize them as actual metal there's something else they're I don't even know what but it's not metal at least there's so much more not taking anything away from metal but God damn they were funky at least when Michael Anthony was there shout out Michael Anthony
@@rellis881 no I don't either, but it was a catch all descriptor at the time. Or maybe Heavy Rock sometimes. What attracted me to VH was the joyfulness of it, it's the opposite of dark angry metal, it's really uplifting, mood enhancing rock, with humour. I miss it.
@@Victor-E- Don't get me wrong I like dark heavy music I love alternative I like a lot of metal but Van Halen was something different Van Halen is music that they could put on in a club and people can dance to it people have always been able to and danced to Van Halen calling Van Halen metal is like calling Billy squier lol metal which I don't know his full catalog but I really like stroke and my kind of lover when I was in middle school Van Halen you could really dance to I'm not a dancer I'm just saying I think that because he was actually such a rock god that the other rockers just wanted them in their club but if I'm not mistaken their father which started their whole music thing I think he played polka and some other stuff he was a hell of a musician from everything I've read in his own right and put the boys on the path to music when Sammy Hagar joined the group it took another more adult path some of that shit was just fucking amazing The music was still fun but it was so mature and thought-provoking Eddie's keyboard playing was really showcased although he's the guitar God his keyboard playing is no joke I just hate it that they kicked Michael Anthony to the curb I'll never stop saying that him with Sammy Hagar singing those two and their friendship and those two just being Buddy's and big kids is just the coolest thing
@@rellis881 Van Halen is Big Bad Bill and Unchained and everything inbetween. Van Halen is a genre of it's own.
No one thought of this as Metal at the time. Hell, I don't personally know anyone over 30 who thinks of it as Metal now. lol
Man, I don't know where you get these sources from, but a thousand thanks! Please tell me you've got more content and you'll keep posting it on your channel, because it's a real delight!!
Great song. All the changes make this so rich, and what DLR came up with was gold.
Pure gold!
What did David come up with?
@@chezchezchezchez
The lyrics.
@@oldschooldude7729and the melody of course…
@@chezchezchezchez The melody and the lyrics. Which are outstanding. DLR VH is the ONLY VH.
Hey people, there is no plate on VH1, it is the Sunset chamber. Also, the delay is on here…Ed used 1 or 2 EP-3s as a preamp into 12301. A 300ms slapback is present here.
Not gonna argue cause Sunset is famous fog that, but didn’t he mention years later not liking the plate echo on VH1? Or did he say plate echo “sound”?
@@bradraymer796 He did mention. Subsequent records all featured the EMT. He was mistaken about VH1.
Ed is turning the 300ms on & off in real-time here, correct?
@@gregvincent5821 I don't think so. It is just set pretty low. Always a possibility. He does click the Phase90 in and out.
His flashy solos were what first got him noticed, yet it was his inventive rhythms that kept us tuned in.
Damn in some ways that's like hearing it for the first time
the guy in top back ground reflecting on the glass doing the sound board looks really mystic
I always that they left alex' mistake in the first bridge in, where he stops the 16th pattern too early and then goes back to it after half a bar.
What's the timestamp for that mistake?
1:23 Never noticed that until now…I’ve have noticed however that Alex sometimes deviates from his bass drum beats in places you’d expect him to maintain the same beat.
@@michaelehlert9 True, he sometimes does that. But here he clearly expected the first bridge to be half as long....
No mistake was made
@@maximusfrank2835 Yeah right, so tell me why Alex changed from the 16th note pattern to a regular beat for one bar only in the second half of the first bridge (which is essentially going into the verses groove and then back into the bridge groove), but stays on the 16th for the whole of the second bridge?
The space between the notes.
Love the ending
That was how they ended the song when they played it live back in the original Dave era.
Fkn best!!!! Miss that energy!!!
The Opening Drum Roll, just cuts open the Groove, and Eddie and Michael just Fill it up with Bounce, and a hit of Swing. Each Player in their Space.....the Sound is MORE than the sum of its Parts! VH is just Timeless!
Such a great groove
One of things that made VH stand apart was that Eddie played his riffs partly on the beat and slightly off the beat to give it that weird style. Malcolm Young also employed this rythmn trick on most ACDC songs. Non musicians may not know what they're hearing but musicians can tell when there's a slight time gap between a chord being struck and a up or down beat coming in nano seconds later. They arent perfectly together as your ears want to think they are.
When you record it yourselfe like I do Alex’s drums is 30 ms before the click, bass is 30 ms after the click and the guitars and vocals are 60 mss after the click. That’s the van Halen timing.
@@hanshaan4610 Actually what it is is called playing behind the beat. Listen to Back in black and how Malcolm's chord come in before the kick drum. Not every time but it happens repeatedly through the song. Also found on many other songs on that album.
This is nothing new. Many great guitarists do this. Alex Lifeson from Rush is a master at this. It's why covering his guitar is so difficult. You can get close but never 100%. It's the coolest thing ever. Playing around the beat. Can't be transcribed. It's too organic.
Imagine being dave Lee or Sammy and just getting to listen to this all the time in rehearsals. Amazing. Such a great band. Nothing beats a tight band. A tight band with genius in their midst is something else.
Ludicrously tight band, so much chemistry and empathy in how they played together. The tempo pushing and pulling faultlessly. Alex and Mikey filling the gaps and then staying out the way when Eddie starts flying. Absurd.
You can hear the rawness in the room!!! It’s really sad that Van Halen as a band is no more, but catalog will live forever!!! Privileged to have seen them 6 times live from 1984-2008.
without DLR slobbering all over the music, you can really get an appreciation for how simple and yet wonderful it is.
F that. It's great to hear these glorious rhythm section tracks, but DLR's melodic and lyrical contributions shouldn't be dismissed as slobbering.
😂
Pure magic...
And let's not forget Alex's drumming. Truly underrated. 🤘
Underrated by whom? He is considered one of the best rock drummers of all time....
True!
@@HorsepowerHouse
@@HorsepowerHouse People in comments sure do love throwing the word "underrated" around.
Unreal!
A music fan's delight. Thank you for putting this up for us.
VH was so natural and badass... they had it all down. And yes ,,, locked in that groove no matter what song.... the epitome of GROOVY😅
This first album and sound is what turned me from country to rock that many years ago 🙌🏼🎸
It sounds like the drummer is plodding slowly along and the guitarist is wasted.
The bass line is repetitious. This isn't being done as a recording, just running through it.
My older sister’s favorite Van Halen song.
Her name is Jamie I guess
Is she hot?
This is a dream come true for me, I don't have to scream at david lee roth "will you shut up so I can hear what Eddie's doing"
One of my favorite guitar tones. EVER!!!!!
If I stare at this picture long enough I can swear they're moving. Just swaying back and forth a little bit.
wow. this is awesome to hear
Ed was known for shredding but was he the best rhythm guitar player of all time ? so good, No one was as melodic playing chords the way he did.
THIS. So true. Just stunning. He and his brother are a well oiled machine here.
Sorry, but no. Jimi was. Listen to Axis: Bold as Love. I rest my case.
seriously, and the phrasing, all the variations, brilliant! although @hippydippy makes a strong case for Jimi
Hendrix was a fantastic rhythm guitarist. Eddie was a star too, but Jimi was sent by the gods or alien leaders somewhere. Facts is facts.
You need to to hear guitar players from other eras. Forest of great rhythm players with musical structures far more challenging than this.
This fing ROCKS!
First album....which means they've been playing these songs together live for probably a few years. They are second nature at this point. Just like the Beatles on their first album. They're well oiled machines at this point and it sounds like it! Also, the "No budget, get it done, QUICK" aspect of these recordings has an effect too. Puts you on the spot to do your best.
One of the real issues was, the first couple VH albums were recorded on tape to be reproduced on albums. A groove of an album only has so much dynamic movement. I was listening to Women and Children on CD the other day, wow could you hear a lot of stuff like from this recording.
SO TIGHT!
Aw man! Delicious sound. My youth, right there, wrapped up in 4 mins of bliss.
Wow. Thee guys locking in the groove.
Eddie Van Halen Played The 1975 Ibanez Destroyer for most of the 1st album.