Growing up with Van Halen

**Top Jimmy** · 01.29.00, 06:11 PM

So many great tunes. So many great memories. Edward is a hero to me. So many tunes define the time and space of my youth like "Jump","Unchained"," Dance the Night Away",etc. Van Halen music has brought me inspiration in down times of my life and great energy boosts when I'm tired. We are truely blessed to have a band like this and a artist like Edward Van Halen.

**Glenn** · 01.29.00, 07:49 PM

Top Jimmy, you're the king. Couldn't agree with you more. No point fighting over who's best, because peoples lives are intertwined in this band. It's hard to name favorite songs, solos etc, cause there are just so many. For that, we're lucky.

**hain23x** · 01.29.00, 09:42 PM

to me, van halen always seemed to have something extra that most other bands were missing,, i'm not sure what it was but when i was about 12 years old, these guys tripped me out, and i've been trippin' ever since......i have a love hate with this band and i guess that's what makes them my favorite.... but the first time i heard them was 'fair warning' and yall know how that thing starts....holly sh#$!!!! saw em with dave and about 6 times with sammy, i really miss dave being a part of THIS THING OF VAN HALEN ,,,, i really hope eddie doesn't walk onstage with sammy tonight at sundance......

**Glenn** · 01.29.00, 09:46 PM

Hain, the more you mention this Sundance thing, the more you're freaking me out. What time will this thing be over so we can get word on what happened (or didn't)?

**POJO_Risin** · 02.02.00, 01:27 PM

I guess that's the one thing that makes this so hard. For most of us, we've grown up with the band. Some of us since before the 1985 break-up. I mean, listen to the way we talk about the break-up, and the relationships, and that whole thing. I mean, it sounds like we are talking about a family. So yeah, it has been a pleasure growing up with this band, and I hope that it continues down the line...at least until Wolfie starts his own band....

You'll have to bear with me...I'm getting a bit misty eyed.

**Brett** · 02.02.00, 02:12 PM

Van Halen, despite everything, has one of the strongest fan bases in rock history, as evidenced by the success of this site and forum.

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**redfire** · 02.02.00, 02:55 PM

I literally grew up with Van Halen.My brother is 8 years older than me and he listen to them constantly when he was 10 and up and that was in 1984.And all the lyrics tied in with the undescribeable "lessons" the music taught me gets Van Halen my respect and admiration.

**Schoen** · 02.03.00, 01:53 PM

Everyone on this site has grown up listening too and seems to have followed this band very closely. I think VH fans are the most loyal. The band has gone through 3 lead singers and look at the following the band still has. I think that the only band that might have a stronger fan base is the Greatful Dead.
I think that this is a great web site because it puts all of the fans together and we get to hear everyone elses opinions.No matter who the lead singer is I think most of us will still be here supporting the band.

**homeunit** · 02.03.00, 04:13 PM

I think your right Schoen. It's funny, I remember when I first heard Top Jimmy, (no pun intended), I was listening to the solo and being blown away by the rythme under the solo. After that I actually started really listening to Eds rythme playing, and man, he is incredible, I almost like his rythme playing more than his lead stuff, and I love his lead stuff. Good post, it triggered a whole bunch of great memories.

**Lead Synth** · 02.06.00, 10:54 AM

Eddie is a way underrated rhythm player IMHO.

It's just so...good, and it's like he's not even trying...arrgh!

Van Halen's music has touched me in a very special, deep way. But I can say that about other bands, too. With VH, there's something more than the music. It *is* like they are our family members! When Gary quit, I moped around like a friend had just moved away.

Did anyone else see the latest Rolling Stone, the one that has the (vomit) Backstreet Boys with their pants around their ankles on the cover? In the Loose Talk thing, they quote Sebastian Bach saying, "I love Gary. He's a really nice guy, but you can't be a really nice guy and be the lead singer of Van Halen." Reading something like that makes me feel both pissed off, and warm and fuzzy at the same time...guess I'm just another obsessed fan. Oh well, all I meant to say is =VH= Forever...

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**BigBubba** · 08.30.00, 09:58 AM

eddie is a wicked rythym player! listen to rythym parts behind most of the solos on 5150 and balance especially the song 5150. hes amazing!

well ive been growing up with van halen ever since before i was a year old! i still remeber my dad puttin on the 1984 record and the first songs i ever heard in my life were jump and ill wait...... and ive always heard them and liked their songs when i was younger growing up then when i was 14 and i re-discovered the band i was like shit! these songs are vh!!! ive heard em a million times and they rock! now im a totally hardcore vh fanatic and theyve changed my life drastically... musically and emotionally....i mean shit... when i saw em live and the intro kicked in and eddie started playin unchained it was right there, i knew i was gonna play guitar and be a rocker.... and lots of their songs always touch me when im happy or sad or whatever! theyre the perfect band!

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*Might As Well Go For A Soda!* - Kim Mitchell '84
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[This message has been edited by BigBubba (edited August 30, 2000 at 10:00 AM).]

**Georgie** · 08.30.00, 02:57 PM

If you just look at VHLinks alone, there are three different generations of fans. We have fans everywhere between 14 and 50. Good music never dies. When you have reached as vast an audience as VH, you are in a league with The Beatles,Stones, and Led Zeppelin.

**billy007** · 08.30.00, 06:30 PM

Y'know, BigBubba, I've heard your story of hearing "Jump" when you were but a wee lad several times now, but it's starting to hit home. I often play the video for eric007, who is four, he likes to try to do Dave's moves 'n stuff, and often I pick up jack007, who is almost 1 year, 5 months and when the band shouts "Jump" I toss him up in the air. Well, now when he hears the song (even without the video), he will crawl up on me and get into position!

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