Absolutely stunned by the accuracy of that cover. I have NEVER EVER seen ANYONE cover any EVH song that well. Even solid/ trained/ paid professionals- even Satriani doing EVH- was lame by comparison. Wow.
It was a mix of messing around with different sounds and getting drunk while noodling all night. Eddie would record literally hundreds of riffs, and then he and either Dave or Sammy would go through picking out which bits sounded good with the other bits. Part of the reason Van Halen III wasn't as good as the rest of their albums is that Gary felt like the new guy and let Eddie do the majority of the composing by himself. Eddie could come up with some amazing riffs but as a songwriter, he really needed outside guidance.
In 1984 everyone groveled to Jump and Panama on this album. Those songs bored me. Never was about hit songs, never followed the crowd. Instead with this album I was constantly playing Girl Gone Bad, Drop Dead Legs ( serious groove), House of Pain, and a bit of I'll Wait on my Sony Walkman cassette player. For the special bands that write full albums, the secret is the non hits are where it's at. There is more for you to bite off of with those songs, it just tastes better, more crunchy yet creamy at the same time. There is also a deeper spiritual connection to those songs as you feel they are yours, as less people know about them or appreciate them. Take for example the album' Among the Living' by Anthrax in 1987. On that album back in the day people ran to " I am the law' , Caught in a Mosh , NFL , or the title track. But the real magic rests in songs like ' Horror of it all ' (simply listen to the instrumental part from around the 6:20 mark of that song to the end, and you can thank me later, as it's a fantastic moment in thrash metalhistory), or the song ' A Skeleton in the Closet ' from that album , and the final track of that album titled ' Imitation of Life ' .. In other words, songs that are overlooked for no apparent reason. The hidden gems eye always enjoyed uncovering, as of course eye enjoyed uncovering them as those songs always brought me By Far the most joy and the most clarity ;- )
This is the number one song I play on guitar lately. I have a different tab that seems more difficult (unnecessarily difficult that is) than what you’re playing. I think you’re playing the same notes but on different strings. I’ve adjusted before with other VH songs where tab showed one thing but sounds better with the same note but different string like like On Fire, or Jamie’s Cryin’. Thanks for this.
Ha! I’ve been playing it wrong for years, apparently. I think I’ve been playing a totally different song! This cover was EXACT - you even hit the nuanced scrapes and warbles ….. I’d say 99.9%. I’m gonna relearn this based on your video. Amazing playing and technique, but I think your ear and auditory focus and memory are exceptional. Excellent post, my good man!! Jolly Good!!!
Woke up, with the Intro to this song in my Head.. ( Love You Tube/ look this stuff up Quick).. Thanks . That monster ,full hand,Thumb-Grip on the neck(E-string), was that always a Van Halen Thing ?
Wtf how is it legal to play like this?! Also thanx cause that verse riff is kinda hard to find online (as in finding the tabs) so thank you alot it really helps out!
