Favorite Van Halen singer

[Lorraine]

We need an official Van Halen thread.

 

Maybe most of you know this, but it's news to me:

 

http://ultimateclass...halen-ill-wait/

 

Between his string of hits with the Doobie Brothers and his solo career, five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald seemed to be everywhere in the early-’80s, but the songs that featured his distinctive voice only told part of the story — he was also a busy songwriter whose list of credits included a surprising collaboration with Van Halen.

 

 

McDonald found himself called into service during the sessions for Van Halen’s ‘1984‘ album, when the group got stuck on the track that ended up serving as the record’s second single, ‘I’ll Wait.’ Producer Ted Templeman worked extensively with McDonald during his tenure with the Doobie Brothers, and the duo continued their working relationship after the band splintered, with Templeman producing McDonald’s 1982 solo debut ‘If That’s What It Takes’ and serving as a co-producer on the follow-up, 1985’s ‘No Lookin’ Back.’ When he heard Van Halen needed help finishing ‘I’ll Wait,’ he knew who to call.

 

“Ted Templeman called me up and said, ‘Hey, these guys have a track and they need some lyrics, so I mentioned you could do it and they said fine, so why don’t you come down?'” recalled McDonald during a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock. “He sent me the track, and I got some ideas going so I’d have something when I got to the studio.”

 

Although he swears the experience “wasn’t exciting,” it’s still fun to imagine McDonald meeting up with David Lee Roth for the writing session that ultimately got ‘I’ll Wait’ into shape. “I met David Lee Roth at Ted’s office. That was, uh, an interesting experience,” chuckled McDonald. “He kinda liked what I had going, so we sat there in the office with the demo playing on a cassette recorder, singing lines and melodies.”

 

As Van Halen fans know, the songwriting credits for the ‘1984’ album were in a state of flux for years, with McDonald’s name appearing on some versions of the album while remaining absent from others. When the album was remastered years later, McDonald was again listed as a co-writer for ‘I’ll Wait,’ and the disappearing act didn’t escape his attention. “I guess they thought I was Santa Claus, because I had to go chasing them a little bit on that one,” he laughed. “It’s probably one of the most-played things I’ve ever written, just because it’s Van Halen. That album sold three or four million copies right away, which was a really big deal at the time.”

 

Although McDonald collaborated with some of of the era’s biggest artists, writing and singing with Kenny Loggins, Carly Simon, Christopher Cross, and Toto — among many others — he’s so self-effacing that when talking about his role in these recordings, he can come across as an ordinary guy who became a successful songwriter by virtue of circumstance. “I think that’s true, unfortunately for me,” he nods. “I have friends who write all the time, and I envy them terribly. I love to write songs, but they don’t come easy to me — I spend a lot of time writing really dumb stuff that I have to look at the next day and think, ‘God, what was I thinking?’ That’s my process, is just to go through a lot of dumb stuff and hope that after a lot of hard work, I’ll find a good idea.”

 

Reminded that every writer is familiar with the pain of that process, McDonald laughs, “Everybody goes through that to a certain extent, but it never came easy to me. It’s a process I used to romanticize, but ultimately, I always felt kind of like Walter Mitty if he woke up actually climbing Mount Everest. When it came to the next album, it was always, ‘Oh my God, what am I gonna do?'”

 

 

Read More: Michael McDonald on Writing 'I'll Wait' With David Lee Roth: 'An Interesting Experience' | http://ultimateclass...ackback=tsmclip

I hate that f***ing song.

 

 

f***ing hate it.

 

 

 

Hate it. f**k.

 

Good for you.

 

You sound like Earl.

[goose]

We need an official Van Halen thread.

 

Maybe most of you know this, but it's news to me:

 

http://ultimateclass...halen-ill-wait/

 

Between his string of hits with the Doobie Brothers and his solo career, five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald seemed to be everywhere in the early-’80s, but the songs that featured his distinctive voice only told part of the story — he was also a busy songwriter whose list of credits included a surprising collaboration with Van Halen.

 

 

McDonald found himself called into service during the sessions for Van Halen’s ‘1984‘ album, when the group got stuck on the track that ended up serving as the record’s second single, ‘I’ll Wait.’ Producer Ted Templeman worked extensively with McDonald during his tenure with the Doobie Brothers, and the duo continued their working relationship after the band splintered, with Templeman producing McDonald’s 1982 solo debut ‘If That’s What It Takes’ and serving as a co-producer on the follow-up, 1985’s ‘No Lookin’ Back.’ When he heard Van Halen needed help finishing ‘I’ll Wait,’ he knew who to call.

 

“Ted Templeman called me up and said, ‘Hey, these guys have a track and they need some lyrics, so I mentioned you could do it and they said fine, so why don’t you come down?'” recalled McDonald during a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock. “He sent me the track, and I got some ideas going so I’d have something when I got to the studio.”

 

Although he swears the experience “wasn’t exciting,” it’s still fun to imagine McDonald meeting up with David Lee Roth for the writing session that ultimately got ‘I’ll Wait’ into shape. “I met David Lee Roth at Ted’s office. That was, uh, an interesting experience,” chuckled McDonald. “He kinda liked what I had going, so we sat there in the office with the demo playing on a cassette recorder, singing lines and melodies.”

 

As Van Halen fans know, the songwriting credits for the ‘1984’ album were in a state of flux for years, with McDonald’s name appearing on some versions of the album while remaining absent from others. When the album was remastered years later, McDonald was again listed as a co-writer for ‘I’ll Wait,’ and the disappearing act didn’t escape his attention. “I guess they thought I was Santa Claus, because I had to go chasing them a little bit on that one,” he laughed. “It’s probably one of the most-played things I’ve ever written, just because it’s Van Halen. That album sold three or four million copies right away, which was a really big deal at the time.”

 

Although McDonald collaborated with some of of the era’s biggest artists, writing and singing with Kenny Loggins, Carly Simon, Christopher Cross, and Toto — among many others — he’s so self-effacing that when talking about his role in these recordings, he can come across as an ordinary guy who became a successful songwriter by virtue of circumstance. “I think that’s true, unfortunately for me,” he nods. “I have friends who write all the time, and I envy them terribly. I love to write songs, but they don’t come easy to me — I spend a lot of time writing really dumb stuff that I have to look at the next day and think, ‘God, what was I thinking?’ That’s my process, is just to go through a lot of dumb stuff and hope that after a lot of hard work, I’ll find a good idea.”

 

Reminded that every writer is familiar with the pain of that process, McDonald laughs, “Everybody goes through that to a certain extent, but it never came easy to me. It’s a process I used to romanticize, but ultimately, I always felt kind of like Walter Mitty if he woke up actually climbing Mount Everest. When it came to the next album, it was always, ‘Oh my God, what am I gonna do?'”

 

 

Read More: Michael McDonald on Writing 'I'll Wait' With David Lee Roth: 'An Interesting Experience' | http://ultimateclass...ackback=tsmclip

I hate that f***ing song.

 

 

f***ing hate it.

 

 

 

Hate it. f**k.

 

Good for you.

 

You sound like Earl.

NoT enough CAPS!!!!!!

[Rod in Toronto]

I like I'll Wait. Eddie's solo is one of his very few without his tapping technique.

[Lorraine]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

[HemiBeers]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

yes that's it. in layman's terms they play the neck of the guitar with both hands.

[Lorraine]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

yes that's it. in layman's terms they play the neck of the guitar with both hands.

 

Thank you Hemi! :cheers:

[Rod in Toronto]

Lorraine, this technique already existed before Eddie, but he's known first and foremost for taking the tapping (aka hammer-on) to extremes. This shaped the way for most guitar players since then.

[Rod in Toronto]

I just finished reading Van Halen rising, a great book about the early years of VH in Pasadena. It documents the formation of the band, but their previous bass player Mark Stone was let go for Michael Anthony to join, and most importantly, it highlights how pivotal Dave was for the band. Before he joined they were already famous around Pasadena, but Dave took them to new heights when he brought in a P.A., changed the way they dressed and behaved on stage, and mixed the repertoire a little bit - originally they played heavy metal covers, but Roth brought in his black music influence. This helped VH to stand out in the crowd.

 

One thing I didn´t know - it was hinted by the VH brothers when Sammy joined, but I never trusted this info - was that Ted Templeman considered getting rid of Dave when they were recording their first album, and bring in one guy who left Montrose and was a solo artist at the time: Sammy Hagar!

[goose]

I just finished reading Van Halen rising, a great book about the early years of VH in Pasadena. It documents the formation of the band, but their previous bass player Mark Stone was let go for Michael Anthony to join, and most importantly, it highlights how pivotal Dave was for the band. Before he joined they were already famous around Pasadena, but Dave took them to new heights when he brought in a P.A., changed the way they dressed and behaved on stage, and mixed the repertoire a little bit - originally they played heavy metal covers, but Roth brought in his black music influence. This helped VH to stand out in the crowd.

 

One thing I didn´t know - it was hinted by the VH brothers when Sammy joined, but I never trusted this info - was that Ted Templeman considered getting rid of Dave when they were recording their first album, and bring in one guy who left Montrose and was a solo artist at the time: Sammy Hagar!

Makes sense.

[Xanadoood]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

[goose]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

[Lorraine]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

Do you consider yourself a broad-minded individual?

[Lorraine]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

I wonder about you sometimes, Goose.

[Xanadoood]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

Do you consider yourself a broad-minded individual?

 

Very much so. Im quite open to different opinions and hearing different sides. I've just noticed over the course of being on here.. That you claim ignorance to little tidbits of Info egarding music, movies etc .. That most people know. It just feels like you're yanking our chain sometimes. For example.. I've seen you ask about obtaining live clips of Rush.. Either audio or video.. Do you serously not know how to Google that? Are you not aware of YouTube? It just strikes me as funny

[Lucas]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

Lorraine, this is a great question, and it actually has a few answers ..

 

The term "tapping" is improperly used quite often, as there are a number of different ways to approach making tones and notes come from the guitar, in particular, using the right hand fingers on the neck .

 

Eddie did it all - the "tapping" he really perfected and took to a new level was actually "tapping" a fret ( the metal strip or blade in the neck of the guitar ) .. Each fret represents a semitone, and spread out over any given amount of frets, you could have an octave ( 12 frets ), a 4th, a 5th, etc based on how many frets apart ......

 

When the string was TAPPED directly on top of the fret, it would produce a harmonic "chime" sound, which is very different than the tone from pressing the string onto the wood in between frets ( which is the conventional way to get a note from a guitar )

 

So, for example, if Eddie were to be holding an E major chord with his left hand at the 7th and 9th frets, he would tap ON TOP of the 19th and 21st frets ( not touching the wood ), and this would produce a very distinct "chime" ..

 

This to me is "tapping" ... which is very different than when guitarists use their right hand fingers on the neck and press between the frets, usually to play fast ...

 

Here is a amazing example of Eddie "tapping" and producing the harmonic chimes:

 

The intro:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lucas]

Here's an example of what is sometimes erroneously called "tapping", as this is very different than what I described above ..

 

At about the 2:40 point, Jeff Watson does some great stuff, using his right hand on the neck, but he uses it to add more fingers, sort of like a pianist ...

 

This is more accurately called "right hand hammering" ( sorry lefties )

 

Edited August 5, 2016 by Lucas

[goose]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

I wonder about you sometimes, Goose.

Xanadood's quip was pretty funny, Lorraine. I appreciate a good ribbing.

[goose]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

Lorraine, this is a great question, and it actually has a few answers ..

 

The term "tapping" is improperly used quite often, as there are a number of different ways to approach making tones and notes come from the guitar, in particular, using the right hand fingers on the neck .

 

Eddie did it all - the "tapping" he really perfected and took to a new level was actually "tapping" a fret ( the metal strip or blade in the neck of the guitar ) .. Each fret represents a semitone, and spread out over any given amount of frets, you could have an octave ( 12 frets ), a 4th, a 5th, etc based on how many frets apart ......

 

When the string was TAPPED directly on top of the fret, it would produce a harmonic "chime" sound, which is very different than the tone from pressing the string onto the wood in between frets ( which is the conventional way to get a note from a guitar )

 

So, for example, if Eddie were to be holding an E major chord with his left hand at the 7th and 9th frets, he would tap ON TOP of the 19th and 21st frets ( not touching the wood ), and this would produce a very distinct "chime" ..

 

This to me is "tapping" ... which is very different than when guitarists use their right hand fingers on the neck and press between the frets, usually to play fast ...

 

Here is a amazing example of Eddie "tapping" and producing the harmonic chimes:

 

The intro:

 

Great explanation! And that intro is mesmerizing... Edited August 5, 2016 by goose

[Super25Smasher]

Here's an example of what is sometimes erroneously called "tapping", as this is very different than what I described above ..

 

At about the 2:40 point, Jeff Watson does some great stuff, using his right hand on the neck, but he uses it to add more fingers, sort of like a pianist ...

 

This is more accurately called "right hand hammering" ( sorry lefties )

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB3kQZJ2aLw

I love Night Ranger!

[Lorraine]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

Do you consider yourself a broad-minded individual?

 

Very much so. Im quite open to different opinions and hearing different sides. I've just noticed over the course of being on here.. That you claim ignorance to little tidbits of Info egarding music, movies etc .. That most people know. It just feels like you're yanking our chain sometimes. For example.. I've seen you ask about obtaining live clips of Rush.. Either audio or video.. Do you serously not know how to Google that? Are you not aware of YouTube? It just strikes me as funny

 

Well,. that shows you how narrow minded you really are since you can't accept that not everyone is like you.

 

I don't yank chains. I don't feign ignorance.

[Lucas]

I think I know what that is, but just to be sure I'm right...I've seen Alex do it and always wondered about it. I've seen Andy Summer do it too. On the neck of the guitar, they actually tap on the strings. Is that it, or is it something else?

 

I don't believe you when you claim not to know these things.. Did you grow up in the Amish community?

 

Do you consider yourself a broad-minded individual?

 

Very much so. Im quite open to different opinions and hearing different sides. I've just noticed over the course of being on here.. That you claim ignorance to little tidbits of Info egarding music, movies etc .. That most people know. It just feels like you're yanking our chain sometimes. For example.. I've seen you ask about obtaining live clips of Rush.. Either audio or video.. Do you serously not know how to Google that? Are you not aware of YouTube? It just strikes me as funny

 

Well,. that shows you how narrow minded you really are since you can't accept that not everyone is like you.

 

I don't yank chains. I don't feign ignorance.

 

Seriously Xanadood, WTF ??

 

This is a forum for discussion, and each one of us brings somethings a little different to the table ... A lot guitarists don't have a full understanding on what is going on, so if Lorraine asks a simple question, why the need to get shitty and sarcastic ?

[ReRushed]

I think Lorraine listens to music from a different perspective than many of us. She enjoys music without the technical knowledge some of us like to boast about. I appreciate it in a lot of ways. It's refreshing.

[goose]

I think Lorraine listens to music from a different perspective than many of us. She enjoys music without the technical knowledge some of us like to boast about. I appreciate it in a lot of ways. It's refreshing.

Yes it is. And her questions lead to interesting conversations of the more technical aspects of this, as Lucas' posts illustrate.

 

That said, I think it's ok to make a joke. I don't think it was mean-spirited, toward Lorraine or the Amish.

[Xanadoood]

Lorraine, I'd like to apologize. Looking back at my post, it comes across as quite dickish. I realize we all see music differently.. I was just having a bit of fun.

 

 

[Lorraine]

Lorraine, I'd like to apologize. Looking back at my post, it comes across as quite dickish. I realize we all see music differently.. I was just having a bit of fun.

 

:cheers: