Geddy Lee / Eddie Van Halen

[patjnev]

What a talentless arse!

 

 

OH yah that is a classic clip! Spammy almost throws up trying to drink that JD. Then says " If I didn't know any better I would swear someone pissed in that bottle" I'm happy to say I didn't buy a VH album again until the Karnal one .

[Xanadoood]

Oh really, i'm sorry but to say he is one of the best bassists in rock is absolute garbage, he really shouldn't solo as he makes a fool of himself, show me something he can do on the bass that's worthy of that comment other than playing root notes! This is a recent clip, equally awful;

 

 

 

Here is one off the top of my head. There are others. Pay attention to the bass.. He is poppin all over the fretboard. After watching live clips of VH for years, you have to ignore Eddie and Roths histrionics and really focus on what Al and Mike were doing underneath. They can fuckiin play their asses off. Anthony was much more than just a root note player.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2015 by Xanadoood

[Bard]

I wish I could find a clip of the '05 Other Half show in Devore, CA. That was Mike fresh outta VH and no longer under Eddie's yoke of control, and he busted some bass moves we'd never seen him do on any VH tours, and we'd seen a LOT.

 

I love EVH, but don't kid yourselves, that band is all about the EVH show. Even now with his son and his brother filling out 3/4 of the band. I guess it's a given, he's the guitar god and all, but...Cannonmouth is an essential part of the VH sound, and it shows CLEARLY since '07 with that kid and Ed filling backing vox on songs that absolutely require Mike Anthony's presence..

[LedRush]

The story is true, though perhaps somewhat tamer than some here think...straight from Geddy's mouth.

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/rushs-geddy-lee-answers-your-twitter-questions-20141114

 

Did Eddie Van Halen really pour a beer into your tape recorder in 1980? What's the story with that?

Oh, that's an interesting memory. We were at a hotel bar in Leicester and one of the guys in our road crew had his beat box playing. And the guys in Van Halen were a little inebriated and we were on our way to getting inebriated. So I think some beer was spilt, yes.

[troutman]

Michael Anthony is a great bass player. Not a shredder, but he sure can keep a beat and accent EVH's performance. Listen to the intro of Little Guitars for example.

 

I love his playing on this tune!! :haz:

 

 

[kevind2112]

Aranoff is a monster drummer. :)

 

But he's not in the same league as Peart.

 

I just don't think there's anyone who is.

 

Aranoff is absolutely in the same league as Peart, and probably a much more well rounded drummer.

 

I love Peart, and he, along with Steve Smith, are the main reasons I started playing drums. But we need to stop putting him up on this ridiculous pedestal. I can think of a dozen drummers off the top of my head who are much more well rounded and have better feel and approach (and chops) than Neil. Neil would be the first person to acknowledge his limitations. That's exactly the reason why he started taking lessons so late in his career. He was very one dimensional in his playing for years. Yes, he plays some great fills and can play in odd times, but his musical "vocabulary" was very much lacking, and relegated to "rock drums". He's improved that vocabulary over the years, but like I said, there are tons of drummers who have better chops and are more well rounded. (Notice I'm trying very hard to avoid saying anyone is "better" than him. The word "better" is way too subjective).

 

Listen to Arnoff, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, or any other of dozens of drummers.

 

Also, (while I'm here, lol) Michael Anthony is a VERY underrated bass player. His playing on VH albums is simplistic, but that's what the music calls for. He is a great bass player.

 

Whew, I feel better now :)

Edited May 27, 2015 by kevind2112

[LedRush]

Aranoff is a monster drummer. :)

 

But he's not in the same league as Peart.

 

I just don't think there's anyone who is.

 

Aranoff is absolutely in the same league as Peart, and probably a much more well rounded drummer.

 

I love Peart, and he, along with Steve Smith, are the main reasons I started playing drums. But we need to stop putting him up on this ridiculous pedestal. I can think of a dozen drummers off the top of my head who are much more well rounded and have better feel and approach (and chops) than Neal. Neal would be the first person to acknowledge his limitations. That's exactly the reason why he started taking lessons so late in his career. He was very one dimensional in his playing for years. Yes, he plays some great fills and can play in odd times, but his musical "vocabulary" was very much lacking, and relegated to "rock drums". He's improved that vocabulary over the years, but like I said, there are tons of drummers who have better chops and are more well rounded. (Notice I'm trying very hard to avoid saying anyone is "better" than him. The word "better" is way too subjective).

 

Listen to Arnoff, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, or any other of dozens of drummers.

 

Also, (while I'm here, lol) Michael Anthony is a VERY underrated bass player. His playing on VH albums is simplistic, but that's what the music calls for. He is a great bass player.

 

Whew, I feel better now :)

 

Sure, some of those guys may be better than Neal, but would they be as good as Neil?

[Bard]

Most drummers universally identify the professor as the modern master. :)

[Syrinx]

Actually in my experience most drummers don't think very highly of Neil's playing when up against many other greats. They respect him for what he has done and he is arguably one of the most influential drummers of the last century but there are many out there who are technically more proficient and have better feel.

[Bard]

That's def not my experience.

 

The only guy I know that gets equitable kudos in my musician circles is Ginger Baker.

[New Digital Man]

With respect anybody that thinks Michael Anthony is a great bass player, one of the best in rock, can shred or anything else is living in a fantasy world and certainly has no concept of what makes a great bass guitarist although I concede that he does what is required of him in VH ! Many people who enjoy a bands music are convinced that the members of that band are 'the best' on their instrument which in truth is rarely the case, and this is normally propagated by non-musicians who are not really qualified to give a educated view anyway! Edited May 27, 2015 by New Digital Man

[New Digital Man]

Read the comments posted for this racket, i'm embarassed for him

 

 

 

I rest my case!

Edited May 27, 2015 by New Digital Man

[Captain Avatar]

Actually in my experience most drummers don't think very highly of Neil's playing when up against many other greats. They respect him for what he has done and he is arguably one of the most influential drummers of the last century but there are many out there who are technically more proficient and have better feel.

 

I find it to be about 50/50, depending on the drummer I'm talking with. Rock drummers will always sing Neil's praises, which makes sense. Typically it's jazz guys who immediately, and proudly, tell me that Neil sucks. They seem to get a high out of cutting the man down, which I'm sure is partly based on the fact that they get sick of hearing "Neil Peart is THE BEST!," but is probably also due to a bit of envy. They will point out that guys like Dave Weckl, etc. are so much better than Neil. I'm sure from a technical standpoint that's true. I personally find much of the jazz, swing, "in the pocket" drumming to be quite boring to my ears and will take Neil's "sucky" drum fills any day of the week.

 

Just to put this in a bit perspective, Neil only probably "sucks" compared with a very small percentage of drummers. I know a guy who's been playing drums professionally for about thirty-five years...plays with lots of bands...plays on lots of records and is a local studio musician...can hop on a drumset and join in with a typical band in seconds without having rehearsed with them at all. Anyway, I was just at his house on Sunday and talked him into playing along to Tom Sawyer (he grew up idolizing Neil and still loves Rush). He did a great job, but screwed up about five or six times, having to stop for a second, listen to where the beat was, and then join back in again. He missed a few fills and simplified the song a bit here and there. Just want to point out that, compared with the vast majority of drummers, Neil's a monster player and far better. As Geddy likes say, Neil's the best f-ing musician he's ever played with.

[kevind2112]

With respect anybody that thinks Michael Anthony is a great bass player, one of the best in rock, can shred or anything else is living in a fantasy world and certainly has no concept of what makes a great bass guitarist although I concede that he does what is required of him in VH ! Many people who enjoy a bands music are convinced that the members of that band are 'the best' on their instrument which in truth is rarely the case, and this is normally propagated by non-musicians who are not really qualified to give a educated view anyway!

 

With respect back, I have been a musician for most of my life, and I'm by no means a Van Halen or Michael Anthony "fan boi". Also, no one ever said he's the "one of the best in rock" or anything of that magnitude. However, your blatant disregard for him as a bass player is misplaced. The one video you presented of him was a "show piece" which is part of the Van Halen show. It's not inclusive of what he actually is as a bass player. Do yourself a favor and look up some of his other live work with the Waboritos or Chickenfoot. His playing is very tasteful, and he shines when it's appropriate. Not to mention, he still has amazing vocal capabilities.

 

I'm not saying he's a bass god or anything else ridiculous like that. But, he's better than people give him credit for because he was "stuck" in the Van Halen machine.

 

Anyway, I'm not going to continue to defend my opinion of Mike, or Neil for that matter. That's what's fun about opinions. We all have one! :)

[Bard]

With respect anybody that thinks Michael Anthony is a great bass player, one of the best in rock, can shred or anything else is living in a fantasy world and certainly has no concept of what makes a great bass guitarist although I concede that he does what is required of him in VH ! Many people who enjoy a bands music are convinced that the members of that band are 'the best' on their instrument which in truth is rarely the case, and this is normally propagated by non-musicians who are not really qualified to give a educated view anyway!

 

I'm edjumacated. :)

 

You clearly haven't seen Mike riff his A game. You Tube videos don't count, sorry.

[Xanadu]

With respect anybody that thinks Michael Anthony is a great bass player, one of the best in rock, can shred or anything else is living in a fantasy world and certainly has no concept of what makes a great bass guitarist although I concede that he does what is required of him in VH ! Many people who enjoy a bands music are convinced that the members of that band are 'the best' on their instrument which in truth is rarely the case, and this is normally propagated by non-musicians who are not really qualified to give a educated view anyway!

 

With respect back, I have been a musician for most of my life, and I'm by no means a Van Halen or Michael Anthony "fan boi". Also, no one ever said he's the "one of the best in rock" or anything of that magnitude. However, your blatant disregard for him as a bass player is misplaced. The one video you presented of him was a "show piece" which is part of the Van Halen show. It's not inclusive of what he actually is as a bass player. Do yourself a favor and look up some of his other live work with the Waboritos or Chickenfoot. His playing is very tasteful, and he shines when it's appropriate. Not to mention, he still has amazing vocal capabilities.

 

I'm not saying he's a bass god or anything else ridiculous like that. But, he's better than people give him credit for because he was "stuck" in the Van Halen machine.

 

Anyway, I'm not going to continue to defend my opinion of Mike, or Neil for that matter. That's what's fun about opinions. We all have one! :)

 

I was watching something with Sammy Hagar when he was talking about when he first started working with MA in VH, and he basically was saying that MA is a much better bass player than most people think because he was so limited in VH.

[Syrinx]

Maybe rock musician circles but if you include the jazz greats and crossover artists, not so.

[goose]

I've never seen a forum where threads always get so sidetracked.

 

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Nonsense! Am I right, Earl?

 

 

 

[The400Boys]

Interesting that the topic was started ten years ago and has come back. Here are my comments:

1 Reading all the posts has been like watching the WWE. While the educational value is questionable, the entertainment value is not.

 

 

2

QUOTE (Duck @ Dec 26 2010, 01:11 PM)

- Eddie wrote a song called the "Pleasure Dome." Listen to it. It is a homage to Rush's Xanadu and there is a riff taken almost directly from the Rush material -- not to mention the subject matter.

 

 

Uh........no.

You do realize that both songs are rip-offs of the poem "Kubla Khan," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, right?

 

 

I have not heard the EVH piece but the Coleridge poem is pretty famous. I would suggest calling them "retellings" and not "rip-offs" any more than if you tell one of Grimm's Fairy Tales. "Rip-off" suggests passing off someone else's work as your own.

 

3 Rush vs Van Halen

 

Anyone who enjoys listening to DLR with "Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad/I'm hot for teacher" is probably less interested in sublime emotions or philosophy in lyrics penned by Peart

Edited October 17, 2020 by The400Boys

[LeChuck]

I have not heard the EVH piece but the Coleridge poem is pretty famous. I would suggest calling them "retellings" and not "rip-offs" any more than if you tell one of Grimm's Fairy Tales. "Rip-off" suggests passing off someone else's work as your own.

I had never heard 'Pleasure Dome' either until the other day. I wasn't expecting there to be any obvious connection beyond the name .. but the chord changes in the beginning do sound too similar to Xanadu to be a coincidence. Neat!

[RushFanForever]

Here's the related story posted on Ultimate Classic Rock in 2015.

 

35 Years Ago: Van Halen and Rush Begin Beer-Fueled Backstage Beef

 

Around this time, FM were opening for RUSH from the archived tour dates here, and probaby had a night off from the June 16, 1981 concert.

 

Ben Mink discusses Eddie Van Halen in his recent podcast interview with Talkin' Blues here around the 20:14 mark.

 

The above event is in relation to Ben meeting Eddie.

Edited January 1, 2021 by RushFanForever