goose Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Yah I don't know I mean I have played Ed's licks and I have played Al's and while Eddie has written some bad ass riffage Alex is just like ....water ya know . water flowing in a stream. I have to struggle so much with Eddie. Ed's riffs are populated with plenty of fills and stuff while Alex just lets it flow . Damn I knew I would mess this up , It is so hard to describe. But that is the best way to describe it . Eddie just seems he is not happy unless he plays every fill every second of every song. Some tapping here , a artificial harmonic there, A scratch, pick slide, hammer on pull off. Alex is just minimal ( that's really going to get me in trouble lol ) . He just grabs the whole song directs it. long flowing lines , minimal frills and fills. and besides I still think when Eddie first heard the opening to The Spirit of Radio he knew .....He f***ing knew that was a hall of fame riff and maybe pounded a wall somewhere. Or that is how I imagined it . Eddie has a technique he made all his own but 8 times out of 10 I'm playing a Rush song on my guitar . In fact I was just tonight."Water flowing in a stream". Perfect! That perfectly describes his solo in Main Monkey Business. Pure artistry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBlaze Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist?It's like asking if pie is better than cake. There is no "better" only which you like more. Edited June 25, 2016 by JohnnyBlaze 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist?It's like asking if pie is better than cake. There is no "better" only which you like more.Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist?It's like asking if pie is better than cake.There is no "better" only which you like more. I think it is possible that one guitarist can be more creative and possess more talent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBlaze Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist?It's like asking if pie is better than cake.There is no "better" only which you like more. I think it is possible that one guitarist can be more creative and possess more talent.I don't know. Was Monet more creative and talented than Rembrandt? Look at Picasso. I'm sure you know people that say, "His stuff looks like kid's paintings. I could've done that!" Then you know folks that believe he was a genius. Frank Zappa. Edited June 25, 2016 by JohnnyBlaze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist?It's like asking if pie is better than cake.There is no "better" only which you like more. I think it is possible that one guitarist can be more creative and possess more talent.I don't know. Was Monet more creative and talented than Rembrandt? Look at Picasso. I'm sure you know people that say, "His stuff looks like kid's paintings. I could've done that!" Then you know folks that believe he was a genius. Frank Zappa.Since I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, I recognize talent by the absence of it in myself. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that Eddie was a more ambitious guitarist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Something to keep in mind with Eddie - in 1978 when that first Van Halen album came out, there had never been anything like it .. His playing was revolutionary .. Eddie didn't grow into anything ... He was a 22 year old kid who exploded onto a music scene at scared time in music history, and he took it over, guitar-wise .. Imagine a 22 year old unknown walking into a room full of all the guitar players of the day - Page, Iommi, Blackmore, Joe Perry, Ace, Angus Young, Clapton, Alex, Uli Roth etc etc - pick your guy .... Eddie went in and made a lot of those guys take notice, like him or not 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Like I said. Ambitious. ;) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Something to keep in mind with Eddie - in 1978 when that first Van Halen album came out, there had never been anything like it .. His playing was revolutionary .. Eddie didn't grow into anything ... He was a 22 year old kid who exploded onto a music scene at scared time in music history, and he took it over, guitar-wise .. Imagine a 22 year old unknown walking into a room full of all the guitar players of the day - Page, Iommi, Blackmore, Joe Perry, Ace, Angus Young, Clapton, Alex, Uli Roth etc etc - pick your guy .... Eddie went in and made a lot of those guys take notice, like him or not:goodone: The VH debut album turned the rock world on its head. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) I think I have mentioned this before somewhere on this forum but in a Guitar Player magazine back when GUP and Diver Down were riding the charts, Alex and EVH were giving a run down of their respective albums in separate articles.EVH was rattling on about rattling tremelo springs,fading the volume knob "violining",in other words all his tricks,which to be fair were amazing,but how many times do you want see a magician pull the rabbit out of the hat.Alex on the other hand described how emotional his approach was to Afterimage and described how he was almost in tears playing the solo,the lonely solo on Red Sector,how he constructed the gripping solo on Between the Wheels,yet was able to just play the first thing that came into his head on Kid Gloves(I challenge Eddie to play that one).GUP was a changing album for me as a guitarist. Sorry, but Eddie could easily pull off Kid Gloves.But would he compose it in the first place? I can only imagine what kind of nonsense Eddie might have crammed into that space. The thing with Eddie's solos is that for every "Push Comes to Shove" moments of solo brilliance, there are too many moments of Hear About It Later moments of pure wankery. For my tastes anyway. This is true. It's all about composition and what a musician writes. I just feel as though a lot of people cite Eruption and the solo in Beat it as all Eddie brought to the table.. The most recognizable part of his style. It's like saying all Peart does is long rolls on the toms( which he is known for ) , but he brings a lot more to his playing. Eddie isn't a " shredder " like Malmsteen and all those instrumental guitar wankers from the 80s. He wrote SONGS .. Songs that are still played on classic rock radio. I think that speaks volumes. Jamie's cryinAin't talkin bout loveRunning with the Devil Cradle will rock Unchained Panama Hot for teacherJump I'll wait When it's love Dreams Right now Summer nights Why can't this be love Edited June 25, 2016 by Xanadoood 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist? I don't. Alex is my fave by far, but Eddie is a much better player. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist? I don't. Alex is my fave by far, but Eddie is a much better player.I think so too, but..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HemiBeers Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I find these kind of comparisons kind of futile. I like what I like because that's what I like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 While I love Eddie's playing in those early days, and the fire he put into his music, I haven't really been impressed by him as a person - Alex, on the other hand, seems like a genuinely positive, nice guy with a great sense of humor .. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirteen Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Whilst I prefer Rush to Van Halen, Eddie created a guitar sound and a style, whereas Alex borrowed and improved on already existing sounds and styles of playing. Eddie was an innovator.Alex is like a guitar-chameleon. Both guys are legit legends. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushman2112 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I'd go...1. John Petrucci2. Eric Johnson3. Joe Satriani4. Eddie Van Halen (Jamie's Crying just started on the radio as I was typing this)5. Randy Rhodes6. Jimi Hendrix7. Alex Lifeson or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Things were different after Eddie Van Halen. How many Rock guitarists can you honestly say that about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas7 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 (edited) But I challenge any of you to play Steve Howe's lead lines. I've attempted the solo in Awaken and almost got a hernia trying to do it. Edited July 1, 2016 by tas7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Can't decide. You are not a true Rush fan! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YYZumbi Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Do you all really think Alex is the better guitarist? Yes! He is the best one of ALL guitar players, both dead and living! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fridge Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Eddie is the better guitar player, but Alex writes (wrote) songs I like better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Permanent-Rush Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Can't decide. You are not a true Rush fan! They are both great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeduck Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: :pokercards: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicky6 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Wow, interesting poll, My 2 fav bands. Rush and Van Halen, in 1996 I would have said eddie, now I say alex is more deverse, hes an underrated guitar player that sadly gets no props among guitar discussions, most don't know him. NoW, eddie was the man and I thought he was the greatest till he got rid of Sammy and by 1996 eddie went goofy and ruined his legacy big time. He went from a quiet guy who played his guitar and didn't say much, to being a real jerk doing Sammy and Michael Anthony dirty.. Alex has more class for sure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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