Van Halen is the name of the band. Eddie Van Halen is the guitar player. His brother Alex is the drummer. David Lee Roth was the original lead singer. He was later replaced by Sammy Hagar, who introduced Eddie in this video. Eddie actually played guitar on Michael Jackson's Beat It. Van Halen had a lot of great songs including: Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, Dreams, Hot For Teacher (video), Jump, Beautiful Girls, Dance The Night Away, Panama, Best of Both Worlds, Why Can't This Be Love, and many more!
@@JackHunter-n6t Never gets enough recognition; Anthony's bass licks and vocal harmonies are such an enormous part of the Van Halen sound and success of the band. Great presence on stage as well.
Every song was great, even Ice Cream man . I burned up the cassette in my El Camino . I got the stereo back after it was stolen out of the El Camino. I should not have blasted it at school . Everyone could hear it . What was I thinking putting the 6×9s on the roof
I was heartbroken when he passed. He was the soundtrack to my youth. So beyond human, so beyond talented. He was LITERALLY one of a kind. Rest in peace, my friend! Stacy, you need to react to more Van Halen songs, PLEASE!
Yeah... if Eddie decided to show up alone and just play for two hours, that entire audience would have been there for it, and bragged about it for decades to come.
When Ted Templeman signed VH to Warner Bros, to him Ed was the star and he felt he was a John Coltrane level musician, one of the reasons Eruption was released as a single to the guitar magazines
True. There probably would have been a riot if he didn't do it. 😂 And He is the leader of the band... even if the fands weren't expecting it, the other guys had no choice. 😂
You mentioned the smile. Eddie was not only a singular talent, but he truly loved what he did. It is a great thing to see that much joy when a person finds their purpose. He was born to play and the world benefited from his gift.
I’m 52 years old. Your reactions to my childhood music are priceless, especially Phil Collins. I’m in tears, literally. I just cannot believe your generation doesn’t know these icons. Thank you so much.
I'm about your age, VH my second concert in the late 70s (and several more times after). I'm really shocked she has no idea who he is/was as well. It's just shocking. VH was a huge part of all middle aged rock fans, everyone knew who he/VH was.
@parrishblackmon3524 why did you put a question mark after the statement "I'm a basket case." ? It's a statement, not a inquiry. I see people doing this and it gets me every time.
Thank you Stacey for reacting to Van Halen - Eruption. I was 18 in 1978 when this song 1st came out and I had very similar reactions that you are having and I still listen in awe to this day. So glad young people like you are enjoying stuff like this that I've been listening to for 47 years. Rock on.
Just imagine being a young kid in 1978 and hearing this for the first time. It blow my mind! Along with the rest of the world. He was the most influential guitarist to ever live! He changed the way the guitar was played, and he did it better than anyone in history. His greatest attribute was that he made the guitar sound NOTHING like a guitar. His rythm and timing was spot on, in everyone of his solo's! RIP Eddie You will never be forgotten!
I was 19 years old, I played guitar in my own band, and then I watched Eddie do 'Eruption' in Paradiso / Amsterdam...man, I was numb for days, wondering if I should go on playing...of course I did, but Eddie was untouchable... (and he was Dutch, like me! Hahaha!)
@@erickarreman6119 Pretty much the same: We were all playing the classics, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Nugent, etc. and then this comes along. The musical shift had begun.
Eddie was a master of his craft. He broke new ground in so many ways with the guitar it was unreal. He surely loved playing the guitar. R.I.P. Eddie... We miss you
Van Halen's debut album hit the airwaves in 1978 and changed rock and roll forever. EVH is still considered one of the top 5 guitar players of all time.
Sitting here crying after watching this truly genuine reaction and reading the comments that echo so many of my feelings about Eddie. He literally wrote the soundtrack to my teens and inspired me in so many ways as a musician and person. Thank you for loving and respecting one of the greatest innovators in modern rock/metal music of all time.
Now I feel old hahah . Grew up with this band . Pure 🔥 Cant believe people now are asking who these guys are. Sound of my youth . Rest in peace brother 🇨🇦🤘🫡
FYI the actual recorded songs Eddie plays here are 316, Eruption, Cathedral, Mean Street (intro) and Spanish Fly. With a bunch of Eddie noodling in between.
This is an important note. It's one hell of a medley. I've heard it said that much of Edward's technique dovetailed with his starting out playing drums. It's very percussive. The intro to Mean Streets is basically a drum part. And he finds those harmonics by slapping the strings in a way that might not be intuitive to other guitar players.
@rwam3 yeah, EVH did start out on the drums. You can also hear the wind instrument influence as the Van Halen father, Jan, was a pretty mean player himself. He does the solo on 'Big Bad Bill'.
@@princeofpcos9804 Interestingly, Jan also had an alcohol problem, and was also a musical genius. It's interesting how much genetics plays a role in musicians.
@@MrJest2 thank god for alcohol and drugs or else rock music would sound as lame as Taylor Swift with distortion. The Beatles are a perfect example of this. Bubblegum pablum for tween girls. Then they went to America. Discovered drugs. Instantly better songwriting.
Eddie was a prodigy and a hugely influential guitarist, Eddie was always smiling and played unlike anyone before him. He made it look so easy, cool and fun. RIP Eddie
You watch his fingers and think "that shouldn't make the amazingly cool noises that makes, it looks like hes just flailing wildly." yet every single movement is pure precision. perfectly timed. perfectly placed. pure genius. There will never be another like him.
Yes, Eddie was a huge influence when he blew everyone's mind in 1978 by playing Eruption, and every teenager who picked up a guitar in the world wondered, "What in the world is that?" Revolutionized guitar playing but all it is also goes back to their songwriting abilities because it's integral to the whole thing and he was brilliant at it. Both singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Haggar were inspired by his abilities and came up with some iconic tunes!
Eddie Van Halen was an incredibly groundbreaking guitar player but Van Halen, the band, has an incredible catalogue of songs. I would start with Running With The Devil, Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, or Jaimie's Crying. Eddie rarely overplayed and totally served the song. They had a lot of radio hits back in the late 70's and 80's.
The more I listen to this, the more I tear up, realizing even more that we have lost a true Rock-God, a game-changer. Also, there's only one Eddie Van Halen, who can play Eruption. He's a legend and I am glad you reacted to him.
@kimherman549 Same here , Neil hit me hard for over 2 weeks. I was surprised, but it made sense for several reasons. EVH was less impact , but more lasting. Nearly every time I see him now, it hurts alot. A master composer of our times.
@@LevelUpBooster-2024 yeah, I sensed something was wrong when he stopped updating his blog (which I read regularly). Unfortunately, I learned of his passing by my high school age son. After he came home from school, he went to his room as usual; after only a few minutes, he came out and just hugged me out of the blue, and said “mom, I’m so sorry, Neil has passed away”. 😭
Van Halen was one of the greatest bands on the planet. I couldn’t help getting a bit teary watching Eddie. So glad I got to see him live before he passed on. 😢
Van Halen was my first concert. My brother took me to see them, an entire state over, on the Balance tour. My grandfather had passed the week of the concert and my aunts and uncles volunteered to delay the funeral so that we could see them live. The concert was the only thing that transported me out of that very sad headspace. I remember thinking that I was in the presence of something truly special. It was like witnessing Mozart live. The entire vibe was like an outdoor BBQ or pub. I got to see them twice on that tour. On one stop, Sammy climbed the venue's speaker stack and got stuck. He yelled for Ed to get him down. It was hilarious and great fun. I still have my concert tickets and tour booklet stored in a protective binder. R.I.P. Ed. 🎸 Some fun songs from that same concert that you watched (available on TH-cam): "Van Halen - 5150 (LIVE) (SUPERSCALED) 🇺🇸" - Crosscut Films "Van Halen - Summer Nights - Live In New Haven, USA - 1986" - Herbert Toth Channel "Van Halen - Best Of Both Worlds (Long Version) - 1986 - Live Without A Net" - Rock Remastered
This solo incorporated elements from various guitar pieces and intros from the Van Halen catalog. "Eruption" was from their first album and is probably his most well known solo and makes up the bulk of this one, but "Cathedral" was represented as well as the intro to "Mean Streets" and a handful of other tracks. He generally played these solos with a basic blueprint of where he wanted to go, but never charted them out, leaving plenty of room to improvise from point A to point B. He spent much of his free time noodling around, writing riffs and songs and recording stuff in his home studio. Always tinkering with his guitars to see what kind of sounds he could wrestle out of them, he became the man every kid in high school wanted to be. Sadly, he didn't cope with his stress and anxiety in the most healthy ways and struggled with substance abuse and alcoholism for most of his career. He finally was able to beat his demons, but succumbed to cancer a few years ago, likely due to his heavy smoking, though he himself blamed holding his guitar picks in his mouth when doing his two hand tapping.
It is so fun to watch peoples facial expressions as there brain tries to process it all . Eddie was the first at many new things and a true legend and KING of the hammer ons . I was lucky enough to catch Van Halen twice live in the 80,s and they were SO good ! Just awesome to see younger generations discover this man and his many talents .. RIP Eddie you will be missed Sir ! Great reaction !
The song he does in the blue light during his solo is called Cathedral. Basically what he is doing is turning his volume knob and chopping up the sound of the guitar to make it sound like a cello or violin depending on what you hear. I'm glad you got to enjoy the greatness that is Edward Van Halen
Added a Digital Delay pedal to get the echo. He hits the note with the left finger on the string while the volume nob is turned down. Then he quickly turns the volume up. Repeat for each note. Yngwie Malmsteen does it as well.
This is from their first album, which is one of the greatest debut albums ever, along with Boston for example. But yeah, both on that album and therefore on the radio, and what they were doing several years later at this live show, was it was about to continuously transition into their massive cover of The Kinks song, "You Really Got Me". But they did this amazing definitive version of it for a lot of people.
The best Van Halen song I can recommend to you Stacey is called I'm The One from their debut album in 1978, it will blow your mind, I promise. The "blue section" from this solo is where Eddie made his guitar sound like a cello. Eddie was a genius playing guitar taking into account that he couldn't read sheet music so he just did everything in his head and by ear and made sounds that even Jimi Hendrix didn't do. He is the GOAT and there'll never be another like him. Sadly missed but never forgotten, R.I.P. Eddie.
Eddie is and always will be one of the greatest guitarist of all time. His innovations and technigues are unmatched. Ive been a professional musician for well over 30 yrs now. When Van Halen first came out they literally blew me away. I truly think every guitarist is indebted to his pure mastery of an instrument. RIP Edie...there will never be another like you 💯🙏 Awesome reaction btw...if you enjoyed this then pls checkout Tender Surrender by Steve Vai. He is another beast on guitar 💯🫶
Hello, dear Stacey... this is a special time: you have come to my house to share an excellent Van Halen song... Bravo!! I send you a big greeting from many places: Viña del Mar, Chile... yes... here you also have a follower who is very grateful for your attitude towards appreciating music from a long time ago... thank you... that's how we get along It tells how it surprised us, when we were young, the music that sometimes reached our ears first. EXCELLENT REACTION, DEAR FRIEND. A fraternal hug for you...
The david lee roth days have always been my favorit, but this solo is just out of this dam world, awesome video and hope the new year is going great for everyone
Amazing reaction. Eddie van Halen was born in the Netherlands. He is a national hero here!!! And Sammy Hagar was not wrong, Eddie is the best guitar player ever.
@mightyV444 Lifeson is the most spontaneous and inventive player I've ever heard. Solos like the one in "The Analog Kid" and the wonderful textures on albums like "Roll The Bones" and "Power Windows." But mighty...we Rush fans are an honest bunch and I'm saying this in the interest of honesty...Edward Van Halen is the greatest damn guitarist that ever was.
This guy......AMAZING!! I think one of the main reasons we was soooo good was because he LOVED it. He FELT it! In his bones. You see so many guitarists nowadays that can finger tap, but he was one of very few at this time that did it. And he absolutely MASTERED it!! RIP Eddie.
And now you've seen the virtuoso. No one does to a guitar what he does. Builds them himself, makes sounds people have never heard, and does it looking like the coolest dude on the planet. That section using just the volume knob w his right hand sounding like an organ/cello is stupid cool to me. Saw them live 4 times and he always gets all the time he wants for solo. Also if you've ever heard "Beat it" by Michael Jackson, that was him.
Van Halen was my first concert, i was in high school in 79 and saw Van Halen with David Lee Roth in Seattle. he blew a lot of minds. and was once married to an actress Valerie Bertinelli she does some work with the food channel, but used to do sitcoms, anyway she gave him a child also a really good guitar player named Wolfgang.
Van Halen is the name of the band. He started with his brother Alex ( drums)and over the years they had a few members. But the core of the band form 1974-1985 had Michael Anthony on bass and David Lee Roth on lead vocals. Eddie deserves a lot of the spotlight but his brother and Michal Anthony are widely regarded as some of the musicians on their respective instruments. The singer that introduced him is Sammy Hagar who replaced DLR. Also, Eddie's son, Wolgang has his own band and his carrying his dad's legacy through music. R.I.P EDDIE 🙏
In 1983 Van Halen's song "Jump" was used in the "Supercross" series as an opening song which was a perfect song to open the races with. Eddie Van Halen had a special bond with his guitar, you can tell he put all his energy into playing and is on the highest level in his craft. That's one happy guitar, right there! ha ha Amazing, unworldly, masterful are a few words that could come somewhat close to describing his ability. I love the passion people like this have to bring their craft above a level no one thought possible! Great reaction Stacey!
Thank you for reacting to this musical masterpiece. Van Halen's music has been such a huge part of my life since I first heard their debut album I really can't describe how much his music has meant to me over the years, I still get goosebumps and teary eyed everytime I hear any of his tunes. God I miss the man,anyway thank you again VAN HALEN FUCKING ROCKS😊😊😊🎉🎉
Imagine for a moment, its 1979, you are 13 years old and you already heard great guitar players and bands. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Then you put on the record player this album by a new band called "Van Halen", and this young guy plays "Eruption" as the second song on the album! Your mind just melts and your jaw drops to the floor in amazement. The world of rock music will NEVER be the same again ! - Eddie Van Halen was a genius guitar player and a great person. God bless him for opening up our minds to what was possible to do on a guitar.
You would enjoy that whole show-- it's available on youtube. It's called "Live Without A Net", and might be the single greatest 80's concert ever captured.
I almost forgot how much I miss Eddie van Halen. 😢 Eddie single-handedly changed guitar playing for every guitarist after him, whether they know it or not. He introduced so many new techniques to the guitar playing community. And not just that. His timing was perfect, he had a huge influence when it comes to guitar manufacturing and amp manufacturing as well. Plus… he and his brother Alex (on drums) spent their childhood in Nijmegen, my hometown. They never forgot how to speak in Dutch (although, in all honesty, Alex was a little better at it. But he was also older). I love this man. Everyone who was there when that first album came out will never forget how they listened to ‘Eruption’ (totally different from what you just heard btw) and were completely blown away by it. It marked the beginning of a new era. 🧡🧡🧡
EVH, 1955-2020. The King. He pretty much invented tapping,which can be seen here, yet it revolutionized the art of shredding. Period. Changed rock music and took it to the next level. Saw VH play at The Starwood in Hollywood in '78 and within a month I heard songs from their debut album on the radio. And I'm like, "Hey! I just saw these guys!" Saw them again at The US festival in '83 and again in '86 at The Forum. From $5.00 to $20.00 to $40.00 for each show sequentially. Wow. Just wow.🤘😎🤘
I saw Van Halen Live 16 times and they blew my mind every time...And Yes, Ed is the Coolest guy ever...From the cigarette behind the low E string, The Greatest looking guitar Ever, his guitar tone, his Mastery of the guitar and of course his smile...Man that smile, it was like he knew the secret to Everything but wasnt quite ready to tell us mere mortals...Man I miss him...
Eddie Van Halen will forever be known as the man who came after Hendrix. An innovative spirit who pushed the limits of what was possible. Long live the King of the Strings 5150
When it comes to EVH, you can argue many things(in regards to his talents), but no matter how many videos I've ever seen of Eddie, he is always SMILING. You can tell he lived for playing guitar and it was his life and what he was most comfortable doing. Now off stage, he had his fair share of issues, problems, etc(as we all do), and I've seen him pissed off in more than a few interviews, but never once on stage. We should all be so happy doing what we do, but very few of us get that privilege, RIP Eddie, as you always made it look so easy.
This will be the 4th time I’ve watched "Your Reaction”, to Eruption. I’ve seen this solo live 3 times, in my life, and I’m just 53. On Utube I’ve watched this way over 100 times. Aileen Senpai, and you, are the only ones, that right away love his "Smile”, and charismatic aura. Others do too. But you both point it out before he plays one single note. That’s what Eddie really did. His presence won you over, then his God Mode ability, while playing, made you want to be his best friend for life. He was "That Kool”!! Rip Eddie(THE GOAT)!!
I first heard Van Halen 1 in 1980 and within 20 seconds of the needle dropping on side 1 I was instantly a MASSIVE fan. I'm a drummer, but Eddie is the musician who is most special to me and was a big part of my decision to go into a career in music. He was one in a billion. Besides being one of the best guitarists of all time, Eddie is also a piano/keyboard player, and a backup singer. By the way, the drummer Alex is Eddie's older brother. They moved to the US from Holland when they were very young. Their father was a pro clarinet player who mostly played in big band-style bands. The family paid for their trip to the US by playing music on the ship during the trip. They were very poor, but always had instruments around and also musicians coming to the house (that their Dad played with) for jams, etc. For a sample of how they were live, check out "Unchained" LIVE version from the 80s. Love your reactions!
The legend of Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar is almost biblical: “In the beginning, Eddie Van Halen went to Charvel and bought a Boogie Bodies neck and body. He installed thereupon a PAF humbucker and Stratocaster tremolo, then cut by hand a pickguard from blackest vinyl and painted the body with black and white stripes, representing the forces of darkness and light. He plugged the magnificent creation into his Marshall plexi amp, and proclaimed ‘Let there be rock!’ And it was good.” He created his own style of which there was no guitar in existence to match him. So …. LOL…. He created one!! 😂🤘🏻🎸 I grew up in the 80’s saw them live in concert in 1983. And the chemistry between Eddie and David Lee Roth was nothing shy of incredible. And Eddie Van Halen will forever in my humble opinion be the greatest guitarist of all time. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Eddie was young, he would play with his back to the audience afraid other guitarists would copy him. He and Alex, his brother on drums, were both classically trained pianists who played in competitions and won. One Xmas a drum set was supposed to go to Eddie and the guitar to Alex, his older brother, but Alex grabbed the drums, forcing Eddie to the guitar, and the rest was history! Their Father played the clarinet and played for a band on a boat to finance their immigration from the Netherlands to California, and neither boy spoke English at first. You can hear the Father play, Jan Van Halen, on "Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now" off their Diver Down album. Eddie never had to worry about anyone copying his style, but his son, Wolfgang Van Halen knows all his Father's songs and can play them. Van Halen had David Lee Roth as lead singer from 1978-1984, and then Sammy Hagar from 1986 to 1994. While they were titled Heavy Metal, they were the brightest of the bunch, nothing dark, and they intimidated other bands who toured with them. David Lee Roth said what was most important was practice, not performance, and coming from a Jazz and Blues background, he was capable of keeping up with the Van Halen brothers. Michael Anthony was great on bass and backup vocals, which Sammie Hagar acknowledges about the man. I first heard them in 1982 when they covered Roy Oribison's "Pretty Woman" when it hit Kasey Kasems "Top 40" on radio when I was 14, and I was hooked on their music from then on.
Oh, Stace. This is gonna be a fun rabbit hole. VH has been one of my favorite bands my whole life. Can't wait to watch you discover them. Love that you immediately caught his smile. One of the many signatures of Eddie. Van Halen put out a lot of albums with Eddie-only songs on them. The live Eruption solos were a way for him to incorporate a bunch of them into the show without inflating their playlist by playing each individually. 8:00 is the climax of the album version of Eruption (from their first album). 10:00 the "blue portion" is from Cathedral (from Diver Down). 13:10 is the intro from a song called Mean Street (which is one of my favorite songs of theirs, from Fair Warning). 16:00 then he goes back into fiddling around with the end of Eruption and just, well, "Eddie stuff." If you want to see more of his personality, I _highly_ recommend you bring up Summer Nights from this same Live Without a Net tour. Smiles galore, and just a super fun and upbeat song anyway.
@ 10:00 He is hitting each note on the fret board a millisecond before turning the volume knob from silent to sound and back down repeatedly for every single note with his right hand, not an added effect, it’s all him, @ 10:35 not easy, to make a guitar sound like a violin to a cello in one long continuous run. The guy was simply amazing
@@Easy_Skanking. 👍 Correct my friend, very good, “with it” is the perfect description. Obviously It’s still him doing this technique, and doing it so well. Good cherry on top of my comment, by you 👏
It's such a simple technique, but it is difficult to master the way he did. Everyone can understand the basics of it, but having that timing down perfect was something that only he could do.
I love love love your reaction. He changed guitar playing overnight. This was recorded 30 years ago, and people still can't believe the sounds he got out of a guitar.
I absolutely love when younger generations discover the music that made my generation, but I swear it almost took me out when you said who is he? lolol. Thank you for sharing this journey, because I can't have my "first time" again, but it's awesome seeing yours.
Hi Stacey! I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and grew up listening to and playing Van Halen songs both on and off stage. The guitar solo that you watched was an amalgamation of multiple songs that he played on each of their records. Eruption was the second song on the first side of their first album from 1978, and is a subset of this live performance at just 1 minute and 42 seconds long. To say that it blew everyone away is the understatement of the century! He literally changed how people played guitar. The lead singer you see in this video is Sammy Hagar. He took over as the lead singer when David Lee Roth, Van Halen's original lead singer, was ejected from the band. People who listen to Van Halen are EXTREMELY opinionated about which singer was the best for the band. I suggest that you listen to their albums in the order that they were released and decide which you like better. It's a rabbit hole for sure, but one that leads you on an amazing journey of music that changed the world.
11:44 "he's making sounds with the guitar I've never heard before and didn't think were possible" is the best way to sum up what everyone has said since 1978 when Van Halen 1 came out
Couldn’t agree more, I’m 32 and remember hearing him as a young kid for the first time…. I thought the same thing when hearing eruption “what’s making this sound?”
Absolutely agree, I’ve said those exact words myself first time I heard Eruption as a kid. Changed my life and I’ve had an obsessive passion of music ever since
Also, he married teenage angel Valerie Bertinelli, for many, many years, which is pretty admirable for a couple of top tier stars. They built a real family.
He can tickle the ivories as well. He started out as a kid playing the piano and won several national competitions against thousands of other kids. He played intricate pieces and did it all by ear, to his teacher's surprise. 0-/ e_edp
So cool to see kids reacting to Eddie. I grew up when this music was new. Started playing guitar because of Eddie. Still play every day. Eddie was special. As a player, he had everything. Rhythm, chops, soul, songwriting. Thanks for making me smile...
Fascinating, and on target, reaction to this amazing performance. He was the most influential guitarist of all time (Jimi was in another time context). Not just in technique advances, but also in technology. His guitar and amp mods led the way for much of what we see in the guitar industry today. His Frankenstrat led to development of Charvel, Jackson, PRS, ESP and other modern "superstrat" guitars. Yes, his smile. Like the greatest artists, he absolutely loved what he was doing and was able to convey / share that with the audience. We feel it. For other astounding technical guitar playing check out Shawn Lane and Guthrie Govan.
The sound he was getting during the "blue" section that sounded like a cello was him turning the volume knob up and down in time with his other hand on the frets, wild! Always amazes me 😝 Edit: I see others have already commented about this but yeah that's my favorite part!
I miss Eddie so much. The greatest of all time. I'm 54 now and happily go to see Van Halen play 8 times over the years. Like many, Eddie is the reason I started playing guitar, but the thing that amazes me about him is something you picked up on: he's always smiling. He truly enjoyed playing music. And he was always like that every time I saw him play; always smiling. Damn.
VAN HALEN is a Classic, American, Hard Rock, balls to the wall, party band Deluxe. This guy, Eddie Van Halen wrote this in 1978. He literally changed the game. No one had ever heard anything like it. It sounded impossible. He really changed how people play the guitar. He’s the reason the band is called VAN HALEN. Those guys were true Rockstars. This is the later version of the band with Sammy Hagar (singer) after David Lee Roth (original singer) left the band. Wait till you see THAT GUY! 😆 Dave is like a walking cartoon combined with what you see when you close your eyes and think Rockstar. He’s a great frontman, entertainer. Killer Hard Rock band, World Famous with a LOT of badass songs. I’ll help start things off with suggesting one of their heavier, badass tunes, Mean Street. Everyone knows this band. Have fun! Ok, another one to get a good look at Dave. Panama official music video. Hot For Teacher too. You’re going to see these anyway. Ha Ha! Cocaine and Whiskey for everyone! Famous party animals. Again, Eddie freaked everyone out. I got to see this band live in concert 5 times! You get your moneys worth for sure. Good times! 😁👍
Great reaction Stacey!! The one, the only King Edward Van Halen(RIP)! Was fortunately able to witness one of his solos live, and it truly didn't disappoint! His solo is comprised of various 'songs' over the group's history. The opening soft, melodic piece when he's seated is called '316' (which is his son Wolfgang's birthdate). A couple points are from an instrumental from their first album called 'Eruption', and the part where he's dialing the volume knob, making the guitar sound like a violin a track called 'Cathedral'. In between all that is various noodling & acrobatics, which are improvised. He truly was a master of that instrument! HIGHLY recommend checking more Van Halen (the man and the group - his brother, Alex, is the man on the drums). Cheers from Canada, eh!
I have been listening to this for 47 years and everyone who does a reaction videos are blown away. I have never heard anyone else who has been able to play it.
Van Halen is the name of the band. The drummer is Eddies brother Alex Van Halen. That is where the name of the band originated. The first Van Halen was Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Michael Anthony. In 1985 Roth left the band and Sammy Hagar stepped in as lead singer. Sadly we lost Eddie in 2020 but his Iconic music and sound will live forever. By the way I’m Brandon. I talked to you about this reaction on twitch the other night. This was my senior project in high school. I had to learn it and play it in front of my school at the end of the year. I’ve played guitar for 35 years now l started playing at the age of 5. Awesome content!!! Keep it up ❤🎸
Went to see JOURNEY looooong time ago at the Opera House here in St Louis (only 3500 seats). Some group called Van Halen was the opening act (had never heard of them). Think it was their first national tour. Needless to say the general reaction was OMFG!!.
VAN HALEN was Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alex Van Halen (drums), David Lee Roth (vocals), and Michael Anthony (bass guitar). From 1978 to 1984 they were THEY biggest rock band in world. Alex just published his autobiography and stated that "when Dave (Roth) left in 1985 the magic went with him." Hagar joined in 1985. "Van Hagar" went on to have much success in the 90's...but it was never the same. Huge catalog of albums & songs...by both versions of the band.
I subscribed! What a fantastic in depth review of Eruption! You're an awesome content creator. Maybe my generation's music is rediscovered. Encouraging! 😊
This is from the "live without a net" concert . Its from about 1985 in New Haven Connecticut. For rockers back then this vhs cassette was a standard in your collection.
There is actually a disagreement on who "tapped" first. Some say it was done first in the 1950's it just wasn't popularized until extensively used by EVH.
Any meaningful debate honestly can't exclude Roy Clark. I think he can't be involved in the Hard Rock discussion. That aside, G.O.A.T. discussions can't exclude him.
Roy Clark is a guitar god, no doubt about it. His catalog is well worth the time to listen to and study. However, "tapping" has been around for a very long time and many guitar players had used it as a musical accent. EVH was the first to use tapping as the primary way to play the guitar for an entire song.
Van Halen is the band. I was fortunate to meet the band at a meet and greet in 1978. All of them were super cool, including Eddie. I saw them live 6 times over the years (many people have seen them many more times than I have). But easily one of the 3 greatest guitarists of all time. Great to see your appreciation for this performance!!
I'm in my 50's now. I have always loved watching this video. I get a little more sentimental since he has passed away. Fortunate to see VH 4 or 5 times, with Sammy, and with David. So lucky to experience such talent and charisma from Eddie.
Van Halen- Eddie Van Halen: guitar/keyboard, Alex Van Halen: drums, Michael Anthony: bass, David Lee Roth: vocals. When David Lee Roth was kicked out, Sammy Hagar took over vocals. After Eddie passed away his son Wolfgang took over. Van Halen David Lee Roth era only! Eddie Van Halen...guitar legend. R.I.P Eddie
Van Halen is the name of the band. Eddie Van Halen is the guitar player. His brother Alex is the drummer. David Lee Roth was the original lead singer. He was later replaced by Sammy Hagar, who introduced Eddie in this video. Eddie actually played guitar on Michael Jackson's Beat It. Van Halen had a lot of great songs including: Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, Dreams, Hot For Teacher (video), Jump, Beautiful Girls, Dance The Night Away, Panama, Best of Both Worlds, Why Can't This Be Love, and many more!
Michael Anthony on bass.
@@JackHunter-n6t Never gets enough recognition; Anthony's bass licks and vocal harmonies are such an enormous part of the Van Halen sound and success of the band. Great presence on stage as well.
Minor correction, he played the solo on Michael Jackson's Beat It. The rest of the guitar work was done by Steve Lukather of Toto.
Every song was great, even Ice Cream man . I burned up the cassette in my El Camino . I got the stereo back after it was stolen out of the El Camino. I should not have blasted it at school . Everyone could hear it . What was I thinking putting the 6×9s on the roof
@@TehFrenchy29 I agree. I didn't mean to slight him. I love Michael Anthony! It's just that my comment was getting rather lengthy. 😃
I was heartbroken when he passed. He was the soundtrack to my youth. So beyond human, so beyond talented. He was LITERALLY one of a kind. Rest in peace, my friend! Stacy, you need to react to more Van Halen songs, PLEASE!
_"I was heartbroken when he passed"_ Same bro... same😢😞
I cried when I heard he had crossed over.
Amen brother !!!
He left us way too soon. There was a lot of genius-level music in this man.
They didn't LET him do this solo. The audience DEMANDED it.
Yeah... if Eddie decided to show up alone and just play for two hours, that entire audience would have been there for it, and bragged about it for decades to come.
When Ted Templeman signed VH to Warner Bros, to him Ed was the star and he felt he was a John Coltrane level musician, one of the reasons Eruption was released as a single to the guitar magazines
True. There probably would have been a riot if he didn't do it. 😂
And He is the leader of the band... even if the fands weren't expecting it, the other guys had no choice. 😂
@@jeffreywillis4258 Ed was doing his stand alone solo since the club days, it wasn’t ten minutes long but he was doing it since at least ‘76
You mentioned the smile. Eddie was not only a singular talent, but he truly loved what he did. It is a great thing to see that much joy when a person finds their purpose. He was born to play and the world benefited from his gift.
I’m 52 years old. Your reactions to my childhood music are priceless, especially Phil Collins. I’m in tears, literally. I just cannot believe your generation doesn’t know these icons. Thank you so much.
Can I get validation? I’m a basket case?
59 same.
44 here, and I’m thrilled she’s discovering GREAT music!! It’s never too late! 🎸
I'm about your age, VH my second concert in the late 70s (and several more times after). I'm really shocked she has no idea who he is/was as well. It's just shocking. VH was a huge part of all middle aged rock fans, everyone knew who he/VH was.
@parrishblackmon3524 why did you put a question mark after the statement "I'm a basket case." ? It's a statement, not a inquiry. I see people doing this and it gets me every time.
Thank you Stacey for reacting to Van Halen - Eruption. I was 18 in 1978 when this song 1st came out and I had very similar reactions that you are having and I still listen in awe to this day. So glad young people like you are enjoying stuff like this that I've been listening to for 47 years. Rock on.
Just imagine being a young kid in 1978 and hearing this for the first time. It blow my mind! Along with the rest of the world. He was the most influential guitarist to ever live! He changed the way the guitar was played, and he did it better than anyone in history. His greatest attribute was that he made the guitar sound NOTHING like a guitar. His rythm and timing was spot on, in everyone of his solo's! RIP Eddie You will never be forgotten!
I was 19 years old, I played guitar in my own band, and then I watched Eddie do 'Eruption' in Paradiso / Amsterdam...man, I was numb for days, wondering if I should go on playing...of course I did, but Eddie was untouchable... (and he was Dutch, like me! Hahaha!)
I saw him play it at arrowhead stadium in kc in 1978 never seen nothing like that ever
@@erickarreman6119 Pretty much the same: We were all playing the classics, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Nugent, etc. and then this comes along. The musical shift had begun.
Eddie was a master of his craft. He broke new ground in so many ways with the guitar it was unreal. He surely loved playing the guitar. R.I.P. Eddie... We miss you
Van Halen's debut album hit the airwaves in 1978 and changed rock and roll forever. EVH is still considered one of the top 5 guitar players of all time.
Pra mim até hj não tem ninguém melhor que o Eddie van halen depois da morte do Eddie pode fechar a livro da guitarra.
Sitting here crying after watching this truly genuine reaction and reading the comments that echo so many of my feelings about Eddie. He literally wrote the soundtrack to my teens and inspired me in so many ways as a musician and person. Thank you for loving and respecting one of the greatest innovators in modern rock/metal music of all time.
RIP Eddie. He passed in 2020. The GOAT.
And then some.
Yess, RIP EVH, the GOAT!!! We miss ya, but at least we still have your music!
Now I feel old hahah . Grew up with this band . Pure 🔥 Cant believe people now are asking who these guys are. Sound of my youth .
Rest in peace brother 🇨🇦🤘🫡
FYI the actual recorded songs Eddie plays here are 316, Eruption, Cathedral, Mean Street (intro) and Spanish Fly. With a bunch of Eddie noodling in between.
This is an important note. It's one hell of a medley. I've heard it said that much of Edward's technique dovetailed with his starting out playing drums. It's very percussive. The intro to Mean Streets is basically a drum part. And he finds those harmonics by slapping the strings in a way that might not be intuitive to other guitar players.
@rwam3 yeah, EVH did start out on the drums. You can also hear the wind instrument influence as the Van Halen father, Jan, was a pretty mean player himself. He does the solo on 'Big Bad Bill'.
@@princeofpcos9804 Interestingly, Jan also had an alcohol problem, and was also a musical genius. It's interesting how much genetics plays a role in musicians.
@@MrJest2 thank god for alcohol and drugs or else rock music would sound as lame as Taylor Swift with distortion. The Beatles are a perfect example of this. Bubblegum pablum for tween girls. Then they went to America. Discovered drugs. Instantly better songwriting.
@@rwam3 iirc the band started out with Eddie on drums and Alex on guitar
Eddie was a prodigy and a hugely influential guitarist, Eddie was always smiling and played unlike anyone before him.
He made it look so easy, cool and fun.
RIP Eddie
You watch his fingers and think "that shouldn't make the amazingly cool noises that makes, it looks like hes just flailing wildly."
yet every single movement is pure precision. perfectly timed. perfectly placed.
pure genius. There will never be another like him.
And supposedly he was three sheets to the wind in this clip, so this is Eddie in pure Drunken Master mode.
@@seamusburke639 oh dude he was hammered lol and still a beethoven level musician
Yes, Eddie was a huge influence when he blew everyone's mind in 1978 by playing Eruption, and every teenager who picked up a guitar in the world wondered, "What in the world is that?" Revolutionized guitar playing but all it is also goes back to their songwriting abilities because it's integral to the whole thing and he was brilliant at it. Both singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Haggar were inspired by his abilities and came up with some iconic tunes!
Imagine how we felt as young teenagers when the first Van Halen album hit. We never heard anything like Eddie before and we were stunned. R.I.P. Eddie
What a MONSTER🎸🤘he was...
Left us wayy too soon.😢🙏
Eddie Van Halen was an incredibly groundbreaking guitar player but Van Halen, the band, has an incredible catalogue of songs. I would start with Running With The Devil, Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, or Jaimie's Crying. Eddie rarely overplayed and totally served the song. They had a lot of radio hits back in the late 70's and 80's.
by far the best reaction i’ve came across . you actually have a heart for this stuff i can tell and the video was enjoyable ! thank you 🙏🏻 🎸🔥
The more I listen to this, the more I tear up, realizing even more that we have lost a true Rock-God, a game-changer.
Also, there's only one Eddie Van Halen, who can play Eruption. He's a legend and I am glad you reacted to him.
Agreed 😞I was crushed when Neil Peart passed away, and then Eddie? 2020 was a 💩 year and a huge loss to the music world.
@kimherman549
Same here , Neil hit me hard for over 2 weeks. I was surprised, but it made sense for several reasons.
EVH was less impact , but more lasting. Nearly every time I see him now, it hurts alot.
A master composer of our times.
@@LevelUpBooster-2024 yeah, I sensed something was wrong when he stopped updating his blog (which I read regularly). Unfortunately, I learned of his passing by my high school age son. After he came home from school, he went to his room as usual; after only a few minutes, he came out and just hugged me out of the blue, and said “mom, I’m so sorry, Neil has passed away”. 😭
Van Halen was one of the greatest bands on the planet. I couldn’t help getting a bit teary watching Eddie. So glad I got to see him live before he passed on. 😢
Absolutely one of the legends on the guitar. He has a unique sound, so glad we were able to enjoy this performance with you. Fantastic reaction!
Van Halen was my first concert. My brother took me to see them, an entire state over, on the Balance tour. My grandfather had passed the week of the concert and my aunts and uncles volunteered to delay the funeral so that we could see them live. The concert was the only thing that transported me out of that very sad headspace. I remember thinking that I was in the presence of something truly special. It was like witnessing Mozart live. The entire vibe was like an outdoor BBQ or pub. I got to see them twice on that tour. On one stop, Sammy climbed the venue's speaker stack and got stuck. He yelled for Ed to get him down. It was hilarious and great fun. I still have my concert tickets and tour booklet stored in a protective binder. R.I.P. Ed. 🎸
Some fun songs from that same concert that you watched (available on TH-cam):
"Van Halen - 5150 (LIVE) (SUPERSCALED) 🇺🇸" - Crosscut Films
"Van Halen - Summer Nights - Live In New Haven, USA - 1986" - Herbert Toth Channel
"Van Halen - Best Of Both Worlds (Long Version) - 1986 - Live Without A Net" - Rock Remastered
This solo incorporated elements from various guitar pieces and intros from the Van Halen catalog. "Eruption" was from their first album and is probably his most well known solo and makes up the bulk of this one, but "Cathedral" was represented as well as the intro to "Mean Streets" and a handful of other tracks. He generally played these solos with a basic blueprint of where he wanted to go, but never charted them out, leaving plenty of room to improvise from point A to point B.
He spent much of his free time noodling around, writing riffs and songs and recording stuff in his home studio. Always tinkering with his guitars to see what kind of sounds he could wrestle out of them, he became the man every kid in high school wanted to be.
Sadly, he didn't cope with his stress and anxiety in the most healthy ways and struggled with substance abuse and alcoholism for most of his career. He finally was able to beat his demons, but succumbed to cancer a few years ago, likely due to his heavy smoking, though he himself blamed holding his guitar picks in his mouth when doing his two hand tapping.
It is so fun to watch peoples facial expressions as there brain tries to process it all . Eddie was the first at many new things and a true legend and KING of the hammer ons . I was lucky enough to catch Van Halen twice live in the 80,s and they were SO good ! Just awesome to see younger generations discover this man and his many talents .. RIP Eddie you will be missed Sir ! Great reaction !
He can make his guitar sound like thunder, cellos, organs and human screams. I've never heard anything like it. Wow!
He had also made elephant and horse noises with it! 😄
There are short videos of that here on YT 😊
The song he does in the blue light during his solo is called Cathedral. Basically what he is doing is turning his volume knob and chopping up the sound of the guitar to make it sound like a cello or violin depending on what you hear. I'm glad you got to enjoy the greatness that is Edward Van Halen
Added a Digital Delay pedal to get the echo. He hits the note with the left finger on the string while the volume nob is turned down. Then he quickly turns the volume up. Repeat for each note. Yngwie Malmsteen does it as well.
Its a fake reaction channel bro. She dont care about your explanation.
One of the best guitar players of all time. Love the reaction and thanks for all you do.
This is from their first album, which is one of the greatest debut albums ever, along with Boston for example. But yeah, both on that album and therefore on the radio, and what they were doing several years later at this live show, was it was about to continuously transition into their massive cover of The Kinks song, "You Really Got Me". But they did this amazing definitive version of it for a lot of people.
The best Van Halen song I can recommend to you Stacey is called I'm The One from their debut album in 1978, it will blow your mind, I promise. The "blue section" from this solo is where Eddie made his guitar sound like a cello. Eddie was a genius playing guitar taking into account that he couldn't read sheet music so he just did everything in his head and by ear and made sounds that even Jimi Hendrix didn't do. He is the GOAT and there'll never be another like him. Sadly missed but never forgotten, R.I.P. Eddie.
Eddie is and always will be one of the greatest guitarist of all time. His innovations and technigues are unmatched. Ive been a professional musician for well over 30 yrs now. When Van Halen first came out they literally blew me away. I truly think every guitarist is indebted to his pure mastery of an instrument. RIP Edie...there will never be another like you 💯🙏
Awesome reaction btw...if you enjoyed this then pls checkout Tender Surrender by Steve Vai. He is another beast on guitar 💯🫶
Hello, dear Stacey... this is a special time: you have come to my house to share an excellent Van Halen song... Bravo!!
I send you a big greeting from many places: Viña del Mar, Chile... yes... here you also have a follower who is very grateful for your attitude towards appreciating music from a long time ago... thank you... that's how we get along It tells how it surprised us, when we were young, the music that sometimes reached our ears first.
EXCELLENT REACTION, DEAR FRIEND.
A fraternal hug for you...
He's a legend for a reason.
Thank you for your service and analysis.
He influenced an entire generation of guitarists. His tapping on the neck of the guitar was new and revolutionary.
He didn't invent it, but he did popularize it. After he did it, everyone began to learn how to do it.
2 future generations, his contemporary generation .. and probably 1 previous generation. More to come as long as these videos live on.
@@Wowzersdude-k5crevolutionized would be more of the word.
The david lee roth days have always been my favorit, but this solo is just out of this dam world, awesome video and hope the new year is going great for everyone
Amazing reaction. Eddie van Halen was born in the Netherlands. He is a national hero here!!! And Sammy Hagar was not wrong, Eddie is the best guitar player ever.
Nah, Alex Lifeson is. Eddie had said so himself! 😄
@@mightyV444 Eddie was just being nice. "Better" is totally subjective. I prefer to say "My favorite guitarist" because no one can say I'm wrong.
@mightyV444 Lifeson is the most spontaneous and inventive player I've ever heard. Solos like the one in "The Analog Kid" and the wonderful textures on albums like "Roll The Bones" and "Power Windows." But mighty...we Rush fans are an honest bunch and I'm saying this in the interest of honesty...Edward Van Halen is the greatest damn guitarist that ever was.
@@StanFlahautAFD - Oh yes, I do know Eddie was just being humble! 😊
I would say David Gilmour but it's a way different style.
This guy......AMAZING!! I think one of the main reasons we was soooo good was because he LOVED it. He FELT it! In his bones.
You see so many guitarists nowadays that can finger tap, but he was one of very few at this time that did it. And he absolutely MASTERED it!! RIP Eddie.
And now you've seen the virtuoso. No one does to a guitar what he does. Builds them himself, makes sounds people have never heard, and does it looking like the coolest dude on the planet. That section using just the volume knob w his right hand sounding like an organ/cello is stupid cool to me. Saw them live 4 times and he always gets all the time he wants for solo. Also if you've ever heard "Beat it" by Michael Jackson, that was him.
this is not the Frankenstrat but a Kramer guitar
Van Halen was my first concert, i was in high school in 79 and saw Van Halen with David Lee Roth in Seattle. he blew a lot of minds. and was once married to an actress Valerie Bertinelli she does some work with the food channel, but used to do sitcoms, anyway she gave him a child also a really good guitar player named Wolfgang.
Van Halen is the name of the band. He started with his brother Alex ( drums)and over the years they had a few members. But the core of the band form 1974-1985 had Michael Anthony on bass and David Lee Roth on lead vocals. Eddie deserves a lot of the spotlight but his brother and Michal Anthony are widely regarded as some of the musicians on their respective instruments. The singer that introduced him is Sammy Hagar who replaced DLR. Also, Eddie's son, Wolgang has his own band and his carrying his dad's legacy through music. R.I.P EDDIE 🙏
Wow! What a fantastic detailed description you gave! It was as Eruption itself. Great job! Welcome to the 80s!
In 1983 Van Halen's song "Jump" was used in the "Supercross" series as an opening song which was a perfect song to open the races with. Eddie Van Halen had a special bond with his guitar, you can tell he put all his energy into playing and is on the highest level in his craft. That's one happy guitar, right there! ha ha Amazing, unworldly, masterful are a few words that could come somewhat close to describing his ability. I love the passion people like this have to bring their craft above a level no one thought possible! Great reaction Stacey!
Thank you for reacting to this musical masterpiece. Van Halen's music has been such a huge part of my life since I first heard their debut album I really can't describe how much his music has meant to me over the years, I still get goosebumps and teary eyed everytime I hear any of his tunes. God I miss the man,anyway thank you again VAN HALEN FUCKING ROCKS😊😊😊🎉🎉
Imagine for a moment, its 1979, you are 13 years old and you already heard great guitar players and bands. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
Then you put on the record player this album by a new band called "Van Halen", and this young guy plays "Eruption" as the second song on the album!
Your mind just melts and your jaw drops to the floor in amazement. The world of rock music will NEVER be the same again !
- Eddie Van Halen was a genius guitar player and a great person. God bless him for opening up our minds to what was possible to do on a guitar.
I consider myself lucky to have heard him play live multiple times. RIP Eddie - you were one of a kind.
You would enjoy that whole show-- it's available on youtube. It's called "Live Without A Net", and might be the single greatest 80's concert ever captured.
I almost forgot how much I miss Eddie van Halen. 😢
Eddie single-handedly changed guitar playing for every guitarist after him, whether they know it or not. He introduced so many new techniques to the guitar playing community. And not just that. His timing was perfect, he had a huge influence when it comes to guitar manufacturing and amp manufacturing as well.
Plus… he and his brother Alex (on drums) spent their childhood in Nijmegen, my hometown. They never forgot how to speak in Dutch (although, in all honesty, Alex was a little better at it. But he was also older).
I love this man. Everyone who was there when that first album came out will never forget how they listened to ‘Eruption’ (totally different from what you just heard btw) and were completely blown away by it. It marked the beginning of a new era. 🧡🧡🧡
EVH, 1955-2020. The King. He pretty much invented tapping,which can be seen here, yet it revolutionized the art of shredding. Period. Changed rock music and took it to the next level. Saw VH play at The Starwood in Hollywood in '78 and within a month I heard songs from their debut album on the radio. And I'm like, "Hey! I just saw these guys!" Saw them again at The US festival in '83 and again in '86 at The Forum. From $5.00 to $20.00 to $40.00 for each show sequentially. Wow. Just wow.🤘😎🤘
Saw them at the US Festival in 83 as well! My very first concert.
@@iamrickrock Probably one of your best concerts ever! That show still ranks in my top 5. What a great time to be alive!
I was at this at show, New Haven Ct.. I was 15 and it was my first concert and I was never the same again!! ⚡️🎸⚡️🎸⚡️🎸⚡️
Eddie, the absolute GOAT!!!
I saw Van Halen Live 16 times and they blew my mind every time...And Yes, Ed is the Coolest guy ever...From the cigarette behind the low E string, The Greatest looking guitar Ever, his guitar tone, his Mastery of the guitar and of course his smile...Man that smile, it was like he knew the secret to Everything but wasnt quite ready to tell us mere mortals...Man I miss him...
Eddie Van Halen will forever be known as the man who came after Hendrix. An innovative spirit who pushed the limits of what was possible. Long live the King of the Strings 5150
Love this reaction to the music I grew up with.
Thank you, Stacey!❤
When it comes to EVH, you can argue many things(in regards to his talents), but no matter how many videos I've ever seen of Eddie, he is always SMILING. You can tell he lived for playing guitar and it was his life and what he was most comfortable doing. Now off stage, he had his fair share of issues, problems, etc(as we all do), and I've seen him pissed off in more than a few interviews, but never once on stage. We should all be so happy doing what we do, but very few of us get that privilege, RIP Eddie, as you always made it look so easy.
This will be the 4th time I’ve watched "Your Reaction”, to Eruption. I’ve seen this solo live 3 times, in my life, and I’m just 53. On Utube I’ve watched this way over 100 times. Aileen Senpai, and you, are the only ones, that right away love his "Smile”, and charismatic aura. Others do too. But you both point it out before he plays one single note. That’s what Eddie really did. His presence won you over, then his God Mode ability, while playing, made you want to be his best friend for life. He was "That Kool”!! Rip Eddie(THE GOAT)!!
I first heard Van Halen 1 in 1980 and within 20 seconds of the needle dropping on side 1 I was instantly a MASSIVE fan. I'm a drummer, but Eddie is the musician who is most special to me and was a big part of my decision to go into a career in music. He was one in a billion. Besides being one of the best guitarists of all time, Eddie is also a piano/keyboard player, and a backup singer. By the way, the drummer Alex is Eddie's older brother. They moved to the US from Holland when they were very young. Their father was a pro clarinet player who mostly played in big band-style bands. The family paid for their trip to the US by playing music on the ship during the trip. They were very poor, but always had instruments around and also musicians coming to the house (that their Dad played with) for jams, etc.
For a sample of how they were live, check out "Unchained" LIVE version from the 80s. Love your reactions!
The legend of Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar is almost biblical: “In the beginning, Eddie Van Halen went to Charvel and bought a Boogie Bodies neck and body.
He installed thereupon a PAF humbucker and Stratocaster tremolo, then cut by hand a pickguard from blackest vinyl and painted the body with black and white stripes, representing the forces of darkness and light. He plugged the magnificent creation into his Marshall plexi amp, and proclaimed ‘Let there be rock!’ And it was good.” He created his own style of which there was no guitar in existence to match him. So …. LOL…. He created one!! 😂🤘🏻🎸 I grew up in the 80’s saw them live in concert in 1983. And the chemistry between Eddie and David Lee Roth was nothing shy of incredible. And Eddie Van Halen will forever in my humble opinion be the greatest guitarist of all time. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
When Eddie was young, he would play with his back to the audience afraid other guitarists would copy him. He and Alex, his brother on drums, were both classically trained pianists who played in competitions and won. One Xmas a drum set was supposed to go to Eddie and the guitar to Alex, his older brother, but Alex grabbed the drums, forcing Eddie to the guitar, and the rest was history! Their Father played the clarinet and played for a band on a boat to finance their immigration from the Netherlands to California, and neither boy spoke English at first. You can hear the Father play, Jan Van Halen, on "Big Bad Bill Is Sweet William Now" off their Diver Down album. Eddie never had to worry about anyone copying his style, but his son, Wolfgang Van Halen knows all his Father's songs and can play them.
Van Halen had David Lee Roth as lead singer from 1978-1984, and then Sammy Hagar from 1986 to 1994.
While they were titled Heavy Metal, they were the brightest of the bunch, nothing dark, and they intimidated other bands who toured with them.
David Lee Roth said what was most important was practice, not performance, and coming from a Jazz and Blues background, he was capable of keeping up with the Van Halen brothers. Michael Anthony was great on bass and backup vocals, which Sammie Hagar acknowledges about the man.
I first heard them in 1982 when they covered Roy Oribison's "Pretty Woman" when it hit Kasey Kasems "Top 40" on radio when I was 14, and I was hooked on their music from then on.
Oh, Stace. This is gonna be a fun rabbit hole. VH has been one of my favorite bands my whole life. Can't wait to watch you discover them.
Love that you immediately caught his smile. One of the many signatures of Eddie.
Van Halen put out a lot of albums with Eddie-only songs on them. The live Eruption solos were a way for him to incorporate a bunch of them into the show without inflating their playlist by playing each individually.
8:00 is the climax of the album version of Eruption (from their first album). 10:00 the "blue portion" is from Cathedral (from Diver Down). 13:10 is the intro from a song called Mean Street (which is one of my favorite songs of theirs, from Fair Warning). 16:00 then he goes back into fiddling around with the end of Eruption and just, well, "Eddie stuff."
If you want to see more of his personality, I _highly_ recommend you bring up Summer Nights from this same Live Without a Net tour. Smiles galore, and just a super fun and upbeat song anyway.
@ 10:00 He is hitting each note on the fret board a millisecond before turning the volume knob from silent to sound and back down repeatedly for every single note with his right hand, not an added effect, it’s all him, @ 10:35 not easy, to make a guitar sound like a violin to a cello in one long continuous run. The guy was simply amazing
There is a delay at a specific tempo to an 8th note in addition.
I wore this VHS tape out back in the day learning "Cathedral".
@@Easy_Skanking Yup, the "Echo" effect is crucial in getting those cello-like volume swells.
@@Easy_Skanking. 👍 Correct my friend, very good, “with it” is the perfect description. Obviously It’s still him doing this technique, and doing it so well. Good cherry on top of my comment, by you 👏
It's such a simple technique, but it is difficult to master the way he did. Everyone can understand the basics of it, but having that timing down perfect was something that only he could do.
I love love love your reaction. He changed guitar playing overnight. This was recorded 30 years ago, and people still can't believe the sounds he got out of a guitar.
I absolutely love when younger generations discover the music that made my generation, but I swear it almost took me out when you said who is he? lolol. Thank you for sharing this journey, because I can't have my "first time" again, but it's awesome seeing yours.
Hi Stacey! I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and grew up listening to and playing Van Halen songs both on and off stage. The guitar solo that you watched was an amalgamation of multiple songs that he played on each of their records. Eruption was the second song on the first side of their first album from 1978, and is a subset of this live performance at just 1 minute and 42 seconds long. To say that it blew everyone away is the understatement of the century! He literally changed how people played guitar. The lead singer you see in this video is Sammy Hagar. He took over as the lead singer when David Lee Roth, Van Halen's original lead singer, was ejected from the band. People who listen to Van Halen are EXTREMELY opinionated about which singer was the best for the band. I suggest that you listen to their albums in the order that they were released and decide which you like better. It's a rabbit hole for sure, but one that leads you on an amazing journey of music that changed the world.
11:44 "he's making sounds with the guitar I've never heard before and didn't think were possible" is the best way to sum up what everyone has said since 1978 when Van Halen 1 came out
Couldn’t agree more, I’m 32 and remember hearing him as a young kid for the first time…. I thought the same thing when hearing eruption “what’s making this sound?”
Absolutely agree, I’ve said those exact words myself first time I heard Eruption as a kid. Changed my life and I’ve had an obsessive passion of music ever since
Eddie "The Vard" Van Halen blew socks off all of us. ❤😊 Love and peace in this universe and beyond.
❤❤❤❤❤ this lady is gorgeous herself
Also, he married teenage angel Valerie Bertinelli, for many, many years, which is pretty admirable for a couple of top tier stars. They built a real family.
He can tickle the ivories as well. He started out as a kid playing the piano and won several national competitions against thousands of other kids. He played intricate pieces and did it all by ear, to his teacher's surprise. 0-/
e_edp
So cool to see kids reacting to Eddie. I grew up when this music was new. Started playing guitar because of Eddie. Still play every day.
Eddie was special. As a player, he had everything. Rhythm, chops, soul, songwriting.
Thanks for making me smile...
In my opinion, the GOAT! R.I.P.
Wonderful spot in van Halen catalog to start with Eruption. I look forward to your journey with them.
Nothing like turning an electric guitar into a cello. One of the best of all time.
Fascinating, and on target, reaction to this amazing performance. He was the most influential guitarist of all time (Jimi was in another time context). Not just in technique advances, but also in technology. His guitar and amp mods led the way for much of what we see in the guitar industry today. His Frankenstrat led to development of Charvel, Jackson, PRS, ESP and other modern "superstrat" guitars. Yes, his smile. Like the greatest artists, he absolutely loved what he was doing and was able to convey / share that with the audience. We feel it. For other astounding technical guitar playing check out Shawn Lane and Guthrie Govan.
The sound he was getting during the "blue" section that sounded like a cello was him turning the volume knob up and down in time with his other hand on the frets, wild! Always amazes me 😝
Edit: I see others have already commented about this but yeah that's my favorite part!
I miss Eddie so much. The greatest of all time. I'm 54 now and happily go to see Van Halen play 8 times over the years. Like many, Eddie is the reason I started playing guitar, but the thing that amazes me about him is something you picked up on: he's always smiling. He truly enjoyed playing music. And he was always like that every time I saw him play; always smiling. Damn.
VAN HALEN is a Classic, American, Hard Rock, balls to the wall, party band Deluxe. This guy, Eddie Van Halen wrote this in 1978. He literally changed the game. No one had ever heard anything like it. It sounded impossible. He really changed how people play the guitar. He’s the reason the band is called VAN HALEN. Those guys were true Rockstars. This is the later version of the band with Sammy Hagar (singer) after David Lee Roth (original singer) left the band. Wait till you see THAT GUY! 😆 Dave is like a walking cartoon combined with what you see when you close your eyes and think Rockstar. He’s a great frontman, entertainer. Killer Hard Rock band, World Famous with a LOT of badass songs. I’ll help start things off with suggesting one of their heavier, badass tunes, Mean Street. Everyone knows this band. Have fun!
Ok, another one to get a good look at Dave. Panama official music video. Hot For Teacher too. You’re going to see these anyway. Ha Ha! Cocaine and Whiskey for everyone! Famous party animals. Again, Eddie freaked everyone out. I got to see this band live in concert 5 times! You get your moneys worth for sure. Good times! 😁👍
Great reaction Stacey!! The one, the only King Edward Van Halen(RIP)! Was fortunately able to witness one of his solos live, and it truly didn't disappoint! His solo is comprised of various 'songs' over the group's history. The opening soft, melodic piece when he's seated is called '316' (which is his son Wolfgang's birthdate). A couple points are from an instrumental from their first album called 'Eruption', and the part where he's dialing the volume knob, making the guitar sound like a violin a track called 'Cathedral'. In between all that is various noodling & acrobatics, which are improvised.
He truly was a master of that instrument! HIGHLY recommend checking more Van Halen (the man and the group - his brother, Alex, is the man on the drums).
Cheers from Canada, eh!
I still cry when i see him. He was and still is one of the best. ❤🤘🎸🍻. RIP
Then hey, have some more emotions: th-cam.com/video/HI3aPJkZmNU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-VYC_OdP9kCd3qPN
Eddie and Frankenstein making magic. Saw this performed live 3x. Epic stuff🎸🔥🔥🔥
Best part is that he was so hammered during show that he barely recalled this solo years afterwards…
RIP
LEGEND
EVH FOREVER
I have been listening to this for 47 years and everyone who does a reaction videos are blown away.
I have never heard anyone else who has been able to play it.
Van Halen is the name of the band. The drummer is Eddies brother Alex Van Halen. That is where the name of the band originated. The first Van Halen was Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Michael Anthony. In 1985 Roth left the band and Sammy Hagar stepped in as lead singer. Sadly we lost Eddie in 2020 but his Iconic music and sound will live forever. By the way I’m Brandon. I talked to you about this reaction on twitch the other night. This was my senior project in high school. I had to learn it and play it in front of my school at the end of the year. I’ve played guitar for 35 years now l started playing at the age of 5. Awesome content!!! Keep it up ❤🎸
Went to see JOURNEY looooong time ago at the Opera House here in St Louis (only 3500 seats). Some group called Van Halen was the opening act (had never heard of them). Think it was their first national tour. Needless to say the general reaction was OMFG!!.
VAN HALEN was Edward Van Halen (guitar), Alex Van Halen (drums), David Lee Roth (vocals), and Michael Anthony (bass guitar). From 1978 to 1984 they were THEY biggest rock band in world. Alex just published his autobiography and stated that "when Dave (Roth) left in 1985 the magic went with him." Hagar joined in 1985. "Van Hagar" went on to have much success in the 90's...but it was never the same. Huge catalog of albums & songs...by both versions of the band.
I'm glad Alex said that. Sammy seems like a decent guy and he's got an interesting rock voice but Diamond Dave epitomized VH.
I am in tears watching my favourite musician ever! Rest in peace, King Edward!
And this is why Van Halen is LEGEND!
Saw this tour Fourth of July weekend at the Forum, was a magic summer
Rest in Peace Eddie , you are missed.
I subscribed! What a fantastic in depth review of Eruption! You're an awesome content creator. Maybe my generation's music is rediscovered. Encouraging! 😊
Sadly, the cigarettes is what took him away from us to soon. He battled throat cancer for years.
It wasn't just smoking. The main part was the picks that he held in his mouth all those years that did it.n
@ that’s what Eddie said it was ,but his ex-wife Valerie Bertenelli said it was from years of smoking 3 packs a day.
This is from the "live without a net" concert . Its from about 1985 in New Haven Connecticut. For rockers back then this vhs cassette was a standard in your collection.
Roy Clark a Country musician created this technique, tapping the strings. He's usually overlooked in the greatest guitarist debate.
There is actually a disagreement on who "tapped" first. Some say it was done first in the 1950's it just wasn't popularized until extensively used by EVH.
Agreed
Any meaningful debate honestly can't exclude Roy Clark. I think he can't be involved in the Hard Rock discussion. That aside, G.O.A.T. discussions can't exclude him.
Roy Clark is a guitar god, no doubt about it. His catalog is well worth the time to listen to and study. However, "tapping" has been around for a very long time and many guitar players had used it as a musical accent. EVH was the first to use tapping as the primary way to play the guitar for an entire song.
@@seanmurphy6034 I agree. Clark was the master of the country and western guitar. He is a GOAT, there's really no debate about that.
Van Halen is the band. I was fortunate to meet the band at a meet and greet in 1978. All of them were super cool, including Eddie. I saw them live 6 times over the years (many people have seen them many more times than I have). But easily one of the 3 greatest guitarists of all time. Great to see your appreciation for this performance!!
He builds his own guitar from parts of different guitars. That's why he named it Frankenstein.
He also used to be married to Valerie Bertanelli.
Turned her into a drug addict. Then he died.
I'm in my 50's now. I have always loved watching this video. I get a little more sentimental since he has passed away. Fortunate to see VH 4 or 5 times, with Sammy, and with David. So lucky to experience such talent and charisma from Eddie.
This is a bunch of his solos/songs combined, the actual Eruption solo is just over a minute and a half long.
Van Halen- Eddie Van Halen: guitar/keyboard, Alex Van Halen: drums, Michael Anthony: bass, David Lee Roth: vocals. When David Lee Roth was kicked out, Sammy Hagar took over vocals. After Eddie passed away his son Wolfgang took over. Van Halen David Lee Roth era only! Eddie Van Halen...guitar legend. R.I.P Eddie
1978. Minds were shattered by this blasting out of the FM. Like, what? How?
He smoked a cigarette... and in the end, the cigarette smoked him.
R.I.P. Eddie. BUT HE STILL LIVES ON IN OUR MEMORIES!!