His drum sound was so important to Eddies guitar sound. Like Ginger Baker says in this video your job is to make everyone else sound good. Steve Vai said when he first heard Van Halen it wasn’t just Eddie incredible guitar playing he noticed but also the sound of the drums and how hard Alex was hitting them. He said it brought an intensity to the band and it was the perfect complement to Eddies guitar playing. To play Alex’s drum part and to play like Alex is 2 completely different things. Also the sound of his drums especially his snare drum has a unique sound. Like Eddie said when you hear him play you know it’s him.
This is probably my favorite interview with Alex. I love hearing him speak from a fellow musician's point-of-view on Ginger Baker (also one my favorite drummers). One things sure, Alex could have been a first-class radio announcer with one of the coolest sounding speaking tone in his voice.
You can tell Alex Van Halen and the Late Great Eddie Van Halen were a Chip Off the Same Block . Alex is Highly Intelligent, Extraordinarily Talented, Witty and One of The Greatest Rock and Roll Drummers to Ever Play ▶️ !✔❤ When you Heard Alex play Drums 🥁 on a Song , 🎵 You knew Instantly that it was Him ( Alex Van Halen ) !!!✔❤ He is Extraordinary, and a Musical 🎼🎶 PHENOMENON ✔❤ My favorite Drummer of All Time ✔❤❤❤❤
What people don’t understand is that Alex is just as inspiring on drumming too drummers as his Brother Edward was too Guitarists . I’m a Guitarist and Alex is one of my Favourite Drummers and of course so is his Brother for me on Guitar. 😊
umm, . . . Louie Bellson, Ed Shaughnessy, Rufus Jones, Stu Martin... and more...Buddy Rich to... All very REAL double bass drum players before it became popular with rock drumming in the later 60's...
In 1991 Alex van halen still had a strong dutch accent. It's very nice to hear it I believe he didn't speak ant Englsih when he immigrated to The United States
Great sound bites from some great drummers. AVH was the first drummer who ever made me rewind for another listen to how the drums were chatting along with the bass, both conversing with the guitar and all of it interlaced, holding the delicate structure of Song together. His swing, syncopation and improv jazz feel combined with athletic inventiveness and stubborn innovation place him-for myself, at any rate- at or near the very top of the drumming heap. If you replace Al's drumming with anyone else's, Van Halen loses 50% of its personality. We all know that Eddie Van Halen marched to the beat of a different drummer, and that different drummer was Alex Van Halen.
Alex like Ginger understood the role of drums in a band. Solid as ice when keeping the beat. Fluid as water when doing a roll or playing a solo. Light as steam when knowing when not to over play.
Jazz drummers are my favorite drummers. It’s not because they’re “better” they’re just more imaginative with what they play. Mitch Mitchell was the first drummer I noticed that had that approach. You listen to him, Ginger, or Buddy Rich and Tony Williams. They sound totally different from your traditional rock or metal drummers.
Ginger and all those muderflukers of the bebop era were heavely into heroin and it amazes me how they were able to reach such level of proficiency and perfom alive like they did
Ginger is dead on. Think about blink 182. First drummer, they were decent but still mediocre. They got Travis, and the rest is history. Nothing changed except the drummer.
Same with the Beatles. Listen to their Decca audition tape with Pete Best. It’s no wonder they weren’t signed. Ringo, though not flashy, was rock solid and understood the dynamics that AVH discussed, making the songs better.
