VH in the studio, '83, working out GGB.

[Wruff_ajax]

Ed, Al, Mike. 1983.
Chops galore...

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

Ed, Al, Mike. 1983.
Chops galore...

Was listening to this last night. Awesome stuff. So much clarity and articulation in Ed's playing on that tour. And I loved the tones Al got from the Simmons pads on the DD tour and 1984 album. But, for whatever reason, the tones he chose for the 1984 tour, 5150 album and tour, i didn't care for much.

The last true brown sound variation from Ed here.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

Ed, Al, Mike. 1983.
Chops galore...

My favorite tune from the amazing 1984 album.

[japeape]

The guy was a genius, listen to those strange & beautiful guitar parts.

How did he think of some of those lines?
They all fit, but some of it is so outside and wonderfully strange.

His chordal ideas were really taking flight, and i loved that other solo he just threw in there.

THIS was when Ed should have made a solo/instrumental record, while Dave did his thing.
Ed was still Ed, but his ideas were almost jazz fusion mixed with melody.
He was so great right at this point, before he kinda put on the brakes and reeled his playing in.

[evhintexas]

Nolo Contendere

[RRvh1]

Ed, Al, Mike. 1983.
Chops galore...

I just commented on this video in the Random Shit thread, via snowdog posting this clip. My comments there sum up my thoughts, although I'll add here that there are some killer shots of Edward and his guitars in that photo montage!

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

The guy was a genius, listen to those strange & beautiful guitar parts.

How did he think of some of those lines?
They all fit, but some of it is so outside and wonderfully strange.

His chordal ideas were really taking flight, and i loved that other solo he just threw in there.

THIS was when Ed should have made a solo/instrumental record, while Dave did his thing.
Ed was still Ed, but his ideas were almost jazz fusion mixed with melody.
He was so great right at this point, before he kinda put on the brakes and reeled his playing in.

This was also the last tour where he still noodled and broke new ground during his extended concert solo. I still wish he had kept exploring his "piano tapping" ideas with the flip up tray on the back of his guitar. It was cool he revisited it for his solo on Judgment Day, except he chose to play the least interesting bit. The piece of music he played using the technique on the 1984 tour had some really interesting and melodic parts to it.

[RickyW]

man! never heard this before, amazing stuff,

[track 5]

Some of that shit is just stupid. Mother fucker the way they were just dicking around.Ed, mike and Al just stay locked in. The runs he does are amazing. First part I don't think he ever hits the rose much or even at all. I may go back and listen again. Before some one calls me out. LOL. Out.

[track 5]

The first part we are sure is Van Halen? Not one single touch of the Floyd rose at all. Ever. Not trying to be a dick here, but that is amazing. Love it. Now I'm listening to second part. Obvious whammy bar shit. Sound like Ed. And with some tapping notes we have heard before. Out.

[japeape]

This was also the last tour where he still noodled and broke new ground during his extended concert solo. I still wish he had kept exploring his "piano tapping" ideas with the flip up tray on the back of his guitar. It was cool he revisited it for his solo on Judgment Day, except he chose to play the least interesting bit. The piece of music he played using the technique on the 1984 tour had some really interesting and melodic parts to it.

Brother JD, you done nailed it.

Gotta agree, and i just love both the high octane blues improv & tray tapping segments
of the fantastic 1984 solo spot.

I think the period around Diver & 1984, were ripe for an EVH instrumental solo album.
Why not?

The guy was THE Guitar Hero at that point in time, and VH was a house hold brand.

[bsbll4]

The first part we are sure is Van Halen? Not one single touch of the Floyd rose at all. Ever. Not trying to be a dick here, but that is amazing. Love it. Now I'm listening to second part. Obvious whammy bar shit. Sound like Ed. And with some tapping notes we have heard before. Out.

It's all definitely VH. He may have been using a hardtail guitar for some reason, because it sounded like he switched guitars a couple of times during that video. I watched it the other night. Way too many Eddie-isms during the playing to be anyone else. There's some guys that can sound like Ed, but no one sounds that much like Ed.

[bsbll4]

Some of that shit is just stupid. Mother fucker the way they were just dicking around.Ed, mike and Al just stay locked in. The runs he does are amazing. First part I don't think he ever hits the rose much or even at all. I may go back and listen again. Before some one calls me out. LOL. Out.

That to me was the most amazing part of this. They stop in the middle of a song, pick back up at various parts, and the whole time it's like they are hitting a power switch on a stereo system going on and off like it's nothing. It's incredible to listen to, especially Ed and Al. When they play here it's like two (or three) bodies being directed by one mind.

[Wruff_ajax]

Yeah, listening to this I thought about how Ed and Al are so inseparable. Other than the occasional one-off appearance on snl or something by Ed then Al is as much (more!) a part of Ed's rig as anything. Al's an essential element of Ed's sound. When they're playing music together they're of one mind.

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

Yeah, listening to this I thought about how Ed and Al are so inseparable. Other than the occasional one-off appearance on snl or something by Ed then Al is as much (more!) a part of Ed's rig as anything. Al's an essential element of Ed's sound. When they're playing music together they're of one mind.

Simply the best.