What a joke! Eddie Van Halen above Alex Lifeson?

[Tony R]

Cough

[deviator65]

Look I agree with the lad who said apples and oranges and also every guitarist has his own style that only he can produce. there are guitarists who pains stakingly spent hours and hours and years and years trying to copy guitarist like Jimi Hendrix Eddie Van Halen Jimmy Page and Alex Lifeson but me being a guitar player myself I spent years trying to copy these guitarsists as well and what I found is that even if you had them down note for note you would never ever sound like them when you compared yourself to the record and that's because there are so many elements in the way a guitarist plays his own music including dexterity the way they bend the strings they're vibrato and just they're plain old brain that manufactured what you hear the brain transfer to their fingers into their ear. So in my opinion at 58 years old  I consider me at least a pretty good amateur critic. I like music from all genres as long as my ears agree with what I'm hearing that's a good song to me it is all subjective at the end of the day. So let's get it straight. There is no such thing as that person is the number one guitarist it is all again subjective to who you like most casual fans always pick their favorite bands lead guitarist is number one and the real musician won't pick a guitarist in the order of best to worst due to what I earlier described as they all have their own individual innovation and a talent great example I think is Eddie Van Halen versus Billy gibbons from ZZ top. If you're really up on TV then you read the article where he said if he had to pick the best guitarist and one that he could not replicate was Billy gibbons and I think that's one of the smartest things Eddie ever said which confirms what I've been saying. Listen to Alex on Rush debut album working man. That is a classic blistering heavy metal proficient lead that any musician would agree with and do you think Eddie could play that .no he couldn't just like Alex could not play eruption they both would sound terrible and I'm going to conclude this before I sound redundant. And by the way you may have already figured out Rush was,is and always will be my favorite band and I could debate that with anyone for hours but I stopped doing that because you either love themp or hate them and I respect anyone's favorite band because again my friends it's all subjective it's all subjective so quit the silly ridiculous rating of all these awesome guitarist that are number one in their own right. So again it's all purely subjective my friend purely subjective so God bless, peace, rock and roll ,and RUSH FOREVER!!!

[treeduck]

Old threads??

[chemistry1973]

I love Rush. Incredible players.

 

But Van Halen - on a lark - convincingly performed Big Bad Bill. 
 

I don’t think Rush has a curveball like that.

[BastillePark]

2 hours ago, treeduck said:

Old threads??

Only 12 years and 3 months.

Edited March 7, 2024 by BastillePark

[JARG]

Holy necropost, Batman!

 

OK, now that that's out of the way, imo there have been three guitarists who been game changers in popular music.

 

First off, Chuck Berry who showed the world that the guitar could be the focus of attention, sharing melodic and expressive duties with the human voice.

 

Hendrix came along and said, "yes, but look what else you can do with the guitar". He took the guitar to a completely different level.

 

EVH came along and said, "thanks for opening the door, Jimi, but look what else you can do with the instrument".

 

Certainly there have been enormously talented players sprinkled in the mix - Lifeson, Gilmour, SRV, Paul Gilbert, and Billy Gibbons are among my faves - but Berry, Hendrix, and Van Halen are the three true pioneers, imo. Eddie would have to work far less to passingly cover the Working Man solo than Alex would Eruption.

[Weatherman]

11 hours ago, JARG said:

Holy necropost, Batman!

 

OK, now that that's out of the way, imo there have been three guitarists who been game changers in popular music.

 

First off, Chuck Berry who showed the world that the guitar could be the focus of attention, sharing melodic and expressive duties with the human voice.

 

Hendrix came along and said, "yes, but look what else you can do with the guitar". He took the guitar to a completely different level.

 

EVH came along and said, "thanks for opening the door, Jimi, but look what else you can do with the instrument".

 

Certainly there have been enormously talented players sprinkled in the mix - Lifeson, Gilmour, SRV, Paul Gilbert, and Billy Gibbons are among my faves - but Berry, Hendrix, and Van Halen are the three true pioneers, imo. Eddie would have to work far less to passingly cover the Working Man solo than Alex would Eruption.

Yeah, the pioneers aren't always the "best" or most popular players either. They just hear things differently.

They're first.

I acknowledge that Eddie was a genius, but his solos are hard to listen to because of the squeals and mania. His rhythm playing was much easier to digest.

[goose]

On 3/8/2024 at 8:21 AM, Weatherman said:

Yeah, the pioneers aren't always the "best" or most popular players either. They just hear things differently.

They're first.

I acknowledge that Eddie was a genius, but his solos are hard to listen to because of the squeals and mania. His rhythm playing was much easier to digest.

And more interesting, I think.  With his rhythm work there's more space to appreciate the genius in the sound he could get out of a guitar...and the incredible feel he had.  His solos were often so crowded with noodling that the artistry got lost.  

[Rick N. Backer]

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, as they say.  For about 10 years, the majority of guitar players in emerging rock bands were Edward Van Halen clones.

 

I don't personally find Angelina Jolie attractive, but most people REALLY do.  At some point in cases like this, you have to recognize that something or someone may not be your cup of tea, but that your view is an outlier.  Van Halen may not do it for you, but there's probably a good reason he's at or near the top of most people's list as the greatest rock guitarist ever. 

 

Because he was. 

 

 

[JohnRogers]

On 3/8/2024 at 11:21 AM, Weatherman said:

Yeah, the pioneers aren't always the "best" or most popular players either. They just hear things differently.

They're first.

I acknowledge that Eddie was a genius, but his solos are hard to listen to because of the squeals and mania. His rhythm playing was much easier to digest.

 

2 hours ago, goose said:

And more interesting, I think.  With his rhythm work there's more space to appreciate the genius in the sound he could get out of a guitar...and the incredible feel he had.  His solos were often so crowded with noodling that the artistry got lost.  

 

1 hour ago, Rick N. Backer said:

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, as they say.  For about 10 years, the majority of guitar players in emerging rock bands were Edward Van Halen clones.

 

I don't personally find Angelina Jolie attractive, but most people REALLY do.  At some point in cases like this, you have to recognize that something or someone may not be your cup of tea, but that your view is an outlier.  Van Halen may not do it for you, but there's probably a good reason he's at or near the top of most people's list as the greatest rock guitarist ever. 

 

Because he was. 

 

 

Exactly, if a deep dive on technique is done one could argue that Craig Goldy is the vastly superior player.

[Principled Man]

5 hours ago, Rick N. Backer said:

I don't personally find Angelina Jolie attractive, but most people REALLY do. 

 

I am not in the "most people" group, and I like it that way.   She's hideous.  

[goose]

On 3/7/2024 at 10:52 AM, chemistry1973 said:

I love Rush. Incredible players.

 

But Van Halen - on a lark - convincingly performed Big Bad Bill. 
 

I don’t think Rush has a curveball like that.

Tai Shan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony R]

Beauty is subjective, ability isn’t. 
Lifeson at his best, in my opinion, was far more imaginative than EVH could ever be. Technique wise it’s a no brainer. There’s a level above Lifeson in terms of technique that he could never reach and there’s a few electric guitarists that inhabit that space; EVH, Vai, Satriani, Guthrie Govan for starters. However, ALL these pale in comparison to the likes of Segovia and other legendary classical guitarists. 

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

On 3/24/2024 at 5:24 AM, Tony R said:

Beauty is subjective, ability isn’t. 
Lifeson at his best, in my opinion, was far more imaginative than EVH could ever be. Technique wise it’s a no brainer. There’s a level above Lifeson in terms of technique that he could never reach and there’s a few electric guitarists that inhabit that space; EVH, Vai, Satriani, Guthrie Govan for starters. However, ALL these pale in comparison to the likes of Segovia and other legendary classical guitarists. 

 

Agreed, though EVH had his moments with some of his songwriting. Songs like Light Up The Sky and A.F.U. had some adventurous ideas, and overall he had a rhythmic sensibility that was anything but basic. There was a lot of syncopation in his tunes, and due credit to Alex and Michael for effectively navigating that.

[condemned2bfree]

Interesting didn't know some of these.

[Texas King]

No one can say who is a BETTER guitarist between Alex and Eddie because it's impossible to determine objectively. Alex has some strenghts that Eddie doesn't have and Eddie has some strenghts that Alex doesn't have. They're very different types of players. 

Personally, I would say that Eddie, as a player and musician, belongs in the same league with Alex, and Alex belongs in the same league with Eddie but I definitely prefer Lifeson because of the Rush music and his musical versatility. But when it comes to significance and impact in the rock world Eddie is easily the GREATER guitarist and more deserving of being on the "top 10 greatest rock guitarists" lists. 

[BastillePark]

Most of it is opinion, but probably any guitar player with lots of experience could easily say who is the better player as far as technique or unique things they do. The key would be to find someone that is unfamiliar with Van Halen's or Lifeson's or anyone else's work and have them evaluate it. 

 

For a fan who doesn't play to say one or the other is better, is 100% subjective.

[JARG]

2 hours ago, BastillePark said:

Most of it is opinion, but probably any guitar player with lots of experience could easily say who is the better player as far as technique or unique things they do. The key would be to find someone that is unfamiliar with Van Halen's or Lifeson's or anyone else's work and have them evaluate it. 

 

For a fan who doesn't play to say one or the other is better, is 100% subjective.

I'm a guitarist with a fair amount of experience. Alex is, by far, my favorite guitarist. Eddie is, by far, the better player.

 

Sometimes it's the person who isn't as fluent that tells the stories you want to hear, in the way you want to hear them.

Edited March 19 by JARG

[grep]

One of the times I Rik Emmett live, acoustic, he was bantering about technique. He started doing EVH hammer-ons just as good as Eddie ...on his acoustic.  Up and down that neck like it was nothing for him.

It may have been EVH's thing, he certainly made it popular - but other talented guys can do it in their sleep. Like Rik.

 

Edited March 19 by grep

[malm_51]

Really like both these players!! Hey Eddie was great! While Alex was underrated! I really believe Alex is a more complete guitar player!

Edited March 20 by malm_51

[JARG]

1 hour ago, grep said:

One of the times I Rik Emmett live, acoustic, he was bantering about technique. He started doing EVH hammer-ons just as good as Eddie ...on his acoustic.  Up and down that neck like it was nothing for him.

It may have been EVH's thing, he certainly made it popular - but other talented guys can do it in their sleep. Like Rik.

 

Rik, too, is a better player than Alex.

[Texas King]

I'd say that Lifeson has a better sense of melody than Eddie and it's by a fair margin. 

 

 

 

[PurpleHayes]

17 hours ago, JARG said:

Rik, too, is a better player than Alex.

 

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but Rik is also a better singer than Aleksandr.