Alex Lifeson vs Eddie Van Halen

[traeplien]

QUOTE (driventotheedge @ Oct 14 2012, 08:23 AM)

QUOTE (traeplien @ Oct 12 2012, 06:08 PM) If the guitarists in this poll were the ones voting, Hendrix would have smeared all comers. Ask the great guitarists who was the best ever, and you'll have the proper result. This. They all worship at the altar of Jimi, even someone as great as SRV, Clapton, etc. I read or heard an interview with Alex where he said something along the lines of Hendrix going way beyond what anyone had ever done before or since.   Jimi's not my favorite, Gilmour is. But, "greatest" starts and ends with Hendrix IMO. Absolutely. Watch old video's of Jimi and its easy to tell. My personal favorite is Blackmore but Jimi was the best ever.

[Tommy Sawyer]

QUOTE (CygnusGal @ Oct 14 2012, 10:25 AM)

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Oct 13 2012, 12:15 AM) QUOTE (CygnusGal @ Oct 12 2012, 06:50 PM) QUOTE (thirteen @ Oct 12 2012, 07:38 PM) Blackmore via having more fingers hahaha. Nah seriously though I'd give Blackmore the hypothetical win, but damn Django was something real special. Imagine if he had access to all the 'trickery' of today's shredders (delay effects, noise gates etc)? Two fingers of fury. Totally agree.   Blackmore was the finest of them all, imo. He usually gets crowded out in favor of Jimi or Jimmy. Good choice!   Of course, it is all rather superfluous. They are all great players each with their own wonderful and unique style.   Blackmore's way way up there in my book. I think of him as the missing link between Hendrix and Van Halen.   Someone who never gets enough recognition in these types of discussions is Peter Green. Peter Green. Good call. Lindsey Buckingham is a great player too.   Buckingham's awesome

Edited October 17, 2012 by Tommy Sawyer

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Oct 14 2012, 12:32 AM)

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, and I get a real kick out of some of the comments in this thread. Sure Alex is a great guitarist, but the best? Not even close....no chance. Of course on this board, lots of people are going to say that. Also, I'm willing to bet that Ed could easily play most of Al's guitar parts like nothing, not the other way around.

I don't know, but what I think D3strukt is saying is that it's not what you play, it's how you play it. EVH can't touch Alex's emotive style and playing. Alex's style of play moves me, EVH does nothing for me. I don't give a sh!t how hard it is to play.

 

I would love to hear Eddie Van Halen play limelight, good example. Would he nail every note? Yeah. Would he play the solo with anywhere the same feel and soul? No chance..

[Silas Lang]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 16 2012, 11:38 PM)

QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Oct 14 2012, 12:32 AM) I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, and I get a real kick out of some of the comments in this thread. Sure Alex is a great guitarist, but the best? Not even close....no chance. Of course on this board, lots of people are going to say that. Also, I'm willing to bet that Ed could easily play most of Al's guitar parts like nothing, not the other way around. I don't know, but what I think D3strukt is saying is that it's not what you play, it's how you play it. EVH can't touch Alex's emotive style and playing. Alex's style of play moves me, EVH does nothing for me. I don't give a sh!t how hard it is to play.   I would love to hear Eddie Van Halen play limelight, good example. Would he nail every note? Yeah. Would he play the solo with anywhere the same feel and soul? No chance..   Or anything on Hemispheres as another example.   When it comes to music I just never think in terms of the best or the greatest or whatever but I think do there are levels of musicianship. I'm just curious about whether those who say Alex is nowhere close to Eddie would say the same if it was Howe, Blackmore, Hendrix, Page, Green, Clapton, Kossoff, Iommi, etc. I think Alex is in that top tier with those guys with Eddie being on the second level. I would never deny that Eddie was influential with his own sound and style that was new when he burst onto the scene but his playing never did much for me personally. I don't listen to Van Halen for the guitar playing so much but rather the tunes, the riffs and the sound of the band as a whole.

[tas7]

QUOTE (Silas Lang @ Oct 18 2012, 06:40 PM)

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Oct 16 2012, 11:38 PM) QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ Oct 14 2012, 12:32 AM) I've been playing guitar for over 20 years, and I get a real kick out of some of the comments in this thread. Sure Alex is a great guitarist, but the best? Not even close....no chance. Of course on this board, lots of people are going to say that. Also, I'm willing to bet that Ed could easily play most of Al's guitar parts like nothing, not the other way around. I don't know, but what I think D3strukt is saying is that it's not what you play, it's how you play it. EVH can't touch Alex's emotive style and playing. Alex's style of play moves me, EVH does nothing for me. I don't give a sh!t how hard it is to play.   I would love to hear Eddie Van Halen play limelight, good example. Would he nail every note? Yeah. Would he play the solo with anywhere the same feel and soul? No chance..   Or anything on Hemispheres as another example.   When it comes to music I just never think in terms of the best or the greatest or whatever but I think do there are levels of musicianship. I'm just curious about whether those who say Alex is nowhere close to Eddie would say the same if it was Howe, Blackmore, Hendrix, Page, Green, Clapton, Kossoff, Iommi, etc. I think Alex is in that top tier with those guys with Eddie being on the second level. I would never deny that Eddie was influential with his own sound and style that was new when he burst onto the scene but his playing never did much for me personally. I don't listen to Van Halen for the guitar playing so much but rather the tunes, the riffs and the sound of the band as a whole. What Eddie VH does is called shredding,he and Steve Vai were taught by Joe Satriani. This style, whilst sounding impressive is not as difficult as it sounds,I hear loads of teenagers doing this. By the way Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing this in the early seventies but you don't see him on any lists. Alot of guitarists to me are one dimensional;Brian May is a prime example playing the same style and same sound on every solo. I will never understand the adulation for Eric Clapton or Keith Richards as the blues guitarists they mimicked were far better. Now to our Alex,his sound has changed and he does what an old guitar teacher told me,that if you can sing the guitar solo then it says something. Here are some of my favourite Lifeson solos and I reckon they would still test out the shredders. 1.Freewill 2.The Necromancer 3.The Analog Kid 4.Kid Gloves 5.Middletown Dreams 6.The Camera Eye

[thirteen]

^^^^ Many years ago I rocked up to my very first guitar lesson, put on the solo to Freewill (I had it ready to go on tape) and said to my old guitar teacher "can you teach me to play this?" lol.

 

 

[tas7]

QUOTE (thirteen @ Oct 18 2012, 07:41 PM)

^^^^ Many years ago I rocked up to my very first guitar lesson, put on the solo to Freewill (I had it ready to go on tape) and said to my old guitar teacher "can you teach me to play this?" lol.

Ha ha, I did the same,my guitar teacher replied," Two words, one beginning with F and the other beginning with O.Together they mean to go forth and multiply.

[PlayTheRoot]

Pigeonholing EVH as a stock shredder really isn't fair. Some of his rhythms, especially on the Sammy Hagar albums are actually very Lifeson-esque, awash with chorus and delay and tons of cool voicings and open string tones.

[Lorraine]

Here's a G.O.D. (Good Old Days ;)) thread. Edited June 23, 2016 by Lorraine

[Permanent-Rush]

Can't decide. Edited June 23, 2016 by Surrender74

[Modern_Day_Warrior]

Alex Lifeson v Eddie Van Halen? That's a no brainer. I would definitely choose Alex! Alex is extremely versatile; he can play a ripping riff with a ton of overdrive and then play a fluid, dynamic solo that flows and cries with emotion. Eddie Van Halen just plays really damn fast. I think the best example of Alex's guitar skill is La Villa Strangiato. It starts with a little acoustic guitar solo, before changing to a dreamy section with keyboards and glockenspiel. After that, an epic guitar riff comes in, followed by his best solo, the one in A Lerxst In Wonderland. It is so amazing, and it just screams with emotion. After that comes Monsters!, which was a good riff, then some jazz fusion stuff, and a cool blues section, before returning to the main theme/riff. An incredible show of guitar skill: and he holds it up for 10 minutes! Overall, however, I would have to say the best guitarist of all time is Jimi Hendrix. He was soooooo innovative! Every guitarist after Jimi shows some bit of him in them. I was quite angry that Brian May, of all people, won against Jimi. I mean, sure, May is good and all, but he isn't Hendrix. Another thing I was surprised about was how high Alex got. On most other voted lists he comes in at somewhere in the low 60's.

[fraroc]

EVH. I'm sorry Alex, but Ed will always be my personal favorite.

[JohnRogers]

Here's a G.O.D. (Good Old Days ;)) thread.

Whaaaa???

 

I'm not a guy who plays music like a musician guy. But I know what pleases my ear. I choose Lifeson over Van Halen. Although I do admire both of them as rick guitar legends.

[Lorraine]

Here's a G.O.D. (Good Old Days ;)) thread.

Whaaaa???

 

I'm not a guy who plays music like a musician guy. But I know what pleases my ear. I choose Lifeson over Van Halen. Although I do admire both of them as rick guitar legends.

 

There was a bit of a discussion on here yesterday about the TRF "good old days" so that's what my post in this thread is a reference to.

[Xanadoood]

Hilarious how so many are under the impression that EVH is just a soulless shredder.. His rhythm playing is phenomenol.. His phrasing and note choices are all his own. Lifeson is much more clinical in his approach. I love both players.

[goose]

Hilarious how so many are under the impression that EVH is just a soulless shredder.. His rhythm playing is phenomenol.. His phrasing and note choices are all his own.

This. I find his rhythm playing much more interesting than his solos. Just brilliant.

[Lucas]

Anyone who writes off Eddie as anything but a brilliant musician and innovator is just plain wrong

 

I put Eddie in the same elite category as Les Paul and Jimi Hendrix, with even more chops

 

He made what is universally regarded as the greatest guitar album of all time, with a sound that have never been duplicated, on a junk guitar he made for about $125

 

He was scary good, and even with all the praise, it could never be enough . .

 

 

Alex was a mother******* who created some incredible vibes on some of the best, most groundbreaking albums of the 70s and 80s .. His work on The Necromancer, By Tor, Cygnus, Xanadu, etc is fantastic ..

 

Both are great and have made their mark ... There is no competition, as this is about creation, not setting records

[patjnev]

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.

[grasbo]

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.

[MusicHead]

No contest. The diversity of Alex's shredding blows away that of Mr. "No Bozos" in a landslide.

[grasbo]

I feel that this little point of view of mine detracts a little from Alex's virtuosity in that he is competing with two other monster musicians in the same band.With all due respect to the other musicians in VH Eddie is the star of the show.

[Your_Lion]

If it were an 80's movie, Alex would win in the end.

EVH would be one of the popular kids, from the Cobra Kai Dojo, while Alex would be the nerdy kid from out of town. EVH would kick over Alex's sandcastle, and they'd challenge each other to a guitar duel.

Alex improves over the course of the movie, by doing all Neil Peart's household chores.

Even at the end, EVH could win fairly, but is persuaded by Dave Lee Roth to use an illegal guitar technique, then an injured Alex wins with the rarely spotted "crane lick".

At the start of the sequel, Analog Kid 2, Neil Peart humiliates DLR in the parking lot, by honking his nose.

 

Classic

[JohnnyBlaze]

If it were an 80's movie, Alex would win in the end.

EVH would be one of the popular kids, from the Cobra Kai Dojo, while Alex would be the nerdy kid from out of town. EVH would kick over Alex's sandcastle, and they'd challenge each other to a guitar duel.

Alex improves over the course of the movie, by doing all Neil Peart's household chores.

Even at the end, EVH could win fairly, but is persuaded by Dave Lee Roth to use an illegal guitar technique, then an injured Alex wins with the rarely spotted "crane lick".

At the start of the sequel, Analog Kid 2, Neil Peart humiliates DLR in the parking lot, by honking his nose.

 

Classic

"You're the best aaaaaround!!!"

http://basementrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/karate-kid-1984-johnny-versus-daniel-tournament-crain-kick-ralph-macchio.jpg

 

And you know, I can imagine David Lee Roth getting his ass kicked by Peart in the parking lot after a show...

http://thesocietyofthespectacle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/3652202946_958c83e0a7.jpg

 

...without Neil even throwing a punch.

http://1.fwcdn.pl/ph/10/52/31052/316145.1.jpg

 

[Xanadoood]

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.

[goose]

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.

Edited June 25, 2016 by goose