I'm starting to get a little worried. The Red Sox won the big one, the Patriots can't do any better as a franchise, I've fathered four sons and have a beautiful, virtuous woman who loves me back and now my ultimate all time favorite band Van Halen has re-united with front man David Lee Roth. Now of course I would love to see Osama's body dragged out of a cave by Green Berets on CNN or Fox News but while that is out of my hands I can enjoy the things in America that give me a break from the reality of a dangerous world.

Music has always been a venting mechanism for me (and about 259,000,000 other Americans) and growing up in the 1980s meant you either liked the techno 80's stuff or hard rock genres.
I've always been a fan of the guitar. It's an instrument that has dominated music for some 50 years now. The reason the guitar dominated? A little thing called distortion. As soon as the innovative players learned that torn speakers actually sounded kind of unique and possibly useful under strict control, that progressed to the design of pedals that emulated overdriven valve amplifiers. Basic english? The electric guitar sounded cool.
To compare rock players in guitar history to one another is usually quite unfair and even dumb. Without B.B. King there would be no Chuck Berry. Without Berry there would be no Jimi Hendrix.  Without Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page..there would be no Eddie Van Halen.



Eddie Van Halen has made perhaps as big a mark on guitar history as anyone to have ever played electric guitar. 
Today, we can go on and say without Van Halen there would be no Stevie Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen or even the "drop-D" sound thus the basis of the 1990s "Grundge" bands. Edward Van Halen is credited with many of the changes to rock and roll and for this accusation there is no higher compliment for a rocker. Back to the opinion of who is "The Best", the only truth in any art is opinion and music is no different. My truth is that Eddie Van Halen is the most gifted rhythm and lead guitarist to have ever played.
At 15 he played lead guitar for KISS in the song "Christine Sixteen". At 18 he shocked his guitar idols who knew everything had changed the moment they heard "Eruptions" off of the debut album "Van Halen". Guys like Richie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Brian May, Pete Townshend, Toni Lommi, Mick Ralphs and several other wildly successful guitar "gods"
knew this new guy Van Halen was an instant force who had raised the bar beyond where any had ever been.

You really Got Me 

Running With The Devil

Jump

Panama


Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird was awesome but only because he obsessed over basketball. You know, a true gym rat. First to practice, last to leave. Marvelous Marvin Hagler never came close to getting knocked out in over 60 professional matches because he obsessed over training. Bruce Lee..we all know his dedication aka obsession with perfecting the art of fighting.
I put Edward Van Halen into this catagory. Here is a guy who would tour and rehearse, tour and rehearse. Play a three hour concert and then after the show would often go back to the hotel to practice or perfect something..anything on the frets, for hours many times found asleep with the guitar on his chest.
The rewards of this aren't small. Van Halen is the #19 all-time selling recording artist with over 80 million albums sold. All these things though, won't make everyone agree with me that he is the greatest. Know what? I don't care who agrees with me. Most of them weren't there while I was driving to the beach blowing my speakers out on most summer days listening to the hard work that made Van Halen sound like fun gone insane.

Combining Eddie's greatness with the strange chemistry of the band is what provides the phenom status.  Band mates like David Lee Roth. Roth who is sort of...well...how can I describe him? OK..he's a mixture of Al Jolsen, Tarzan, a UCLA male cheerleader, Ian Gillian, Foster Brooks, Mickey Rooney and some hyper attention addict with nun-chucks dying for people to know he can use them. Know what? I'm right on and way off. Let's try this again.
 He is an R-rated muppet come to life, pseudo-intellectual adventurer who happens to know how to perform and write real catchy songs. Just forget it. Roth , as Eddie describes him, is not a rock musician, he's a rock star. In the 1980s there wasn't a bigger sex symbol on the planet.

 1982             2007
 
Today he looks like an old Jewish guy with a metal detector and bad hair weave on Delray Beach but there is still something under the hood. There will be in his last breath. He's gone deep into the Amazon alone, climbed the most treacherous Himalayan mountains, been a talk radio host, recently drove an ambulance in Manhatten and was a certified EMT and in between..has been and remains a rock star.

Ed's brother Alex is the drummer and although he started out as "under-rated" its tough to describe him as that now. VH Trivia* Alex started out on guitar and Eddie on the drums.
I have always liked the way Alex played but he got better with each album. I don't have him in the Buddy Rich or even Neil Peart status but that's just me. He can hold his own with just about anyone and his hard hitting showcase style is perfect for the band.

UpDate* (9/4/07) How can I forget the man Van Halen didn't invite? Bassist Michael Anthony who played with the Van Halen brothers when they were "Mammoth" in Pasadena, California. He was a steady presense, loyal band member and carried the high notes in the chorus as well as the Mariahesque highs on the nights when Roth's vocals were overcome by the whiskey and exhaustion. I'm very sorry that 25% of the real Van Halen band won't be playing in front of me but if anyone can replace him, it is a Van Halen. (Time will tell)

I have absolutely no opinion of Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie' son and current bass player. Who could? He hasn't been heard yet. Knowing how demanding Ed, Dave and Alex are, I'd say he is a safe bet. I still wish Michael Anthony was playing (and singing) and haven't heard the explanation why he isn't but...the Van Halen kid is about to inherit a turn key operation from the old man which ought to be interesting for years to come.

Anyway,  I've always felt slighted that I never saw the band. I've seen Roth without VH and VH with Sammy Hagar and on October 30, 2007 I might live to see my favorite band reunite.

here is the tour press conference