Influences: Eddie van Halen

There is no one like him, he truly spawned modern hard rock, launching a million new players

I would be remiss if I didn’t spill some ink talking about the great one, Edward van Halen.

I didn’t really get into Van Halen until I began playing guitar, but when I did get into it, I fell hard. Far too many people toss around the acronym GOAT¹ on a whim, but in this case it is justified. Eddie entered the consciousness with the release of the eponymous album “Van Halen²” where we first were introduced to the wizard himself. Before that, he played a bunch in So Cal, playing parties, events, country clubs and other venues. The fans knew they were on to something big, and with the break out album, the rest of the world got on board the ride.

Eddie didn’t play by the rules, he explored and extrapolated what the instrument could be, coloring outside the lines. Others has done some legato runs, and played fast, but no-one had pushed the boundaries like Eddie did. The instrumental that everyone knows, Eruption, on the album it leads into “You Really Got Me” a blistering one-two punch that sets the stage for some of the most in your face rock and roll.

Eddie explored the edges of what the instrument is capable of, not quite inventing tapping, but certainly defining a generation of guitar virtuosity, spawning millions of copycats and essentially creating the rise of hard rock in the 1980’s.

Eddie was constantly fiddling with the instrument. Cutting things out, changing hardware, always trying to take it to a place. His “Frankenstrat” was a mash up of various parts, a Charvel neck, a Fender body, a clumsily routed cavity for the bridge pickup. Te paint was Schwinn rattle can bicycle paint. It is ugly, but Eddie made it work brilliantly.

In an interview, when asked how he developed his style, he remarked that his early playing he was held back by not being able to afford pedals and effects, so he spent countless hours trying to coax new and innovative sounds, tones, and vibes from his gear.

The early album(s) had a sound that was distinct, the “Brown” tone, a combination of Marshall heads that were modified, and then run at a higher voltage using a Variac. This, delivered the base tone, and then some magic on the boards by producer Ted Templeton yielded that sound. Of course, as time went on, their success led to an expansion in the palette to play with, and Eddie never stopped growing as a player.

Some of my favorite songs:

Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love

Ice Cream Man (I once could play this solo, but alas, I no longer have the finger reach to pull it off)

And really, far too many more. The one thing about the arc of his career is that he never stopped pushing the envelope, delivering new sounds, new songs, and new techniques.

Alas, Eddie was a life-long heavy smoker, and was diagnosed with throat cancer, passing away during the initial phase of Covid19. He is missed, but his legacy will burn on brightly.

As a side note, his only son, Wolfgang van Halen, is now creating music. While he is not a clone of Eddie, he is truly a gifted musician, and his band, Mammoth, just released their second album (I got my copy on vinyl on August 3). Wolfgang is carrying the torch!

I think I will tune down a half step, dial up a brown tone, and rock out to some early VH today!

1. Greatest of All Time

2. Colloquially referred to as VH1

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