This was great to hear but to my ear, there was something missing in the guitar sound... mids seem to be lower.... try the EQ again and spike the whole midrange
Scott Stapp looks like we’ll have to grab a lift on the ole time machine and head back to the 70s! and when we get there and try to get dave to sing it properly for us all we’ll collectively slap you because you know dave wouldn’t be able to sing it either.. it’s just how dave rolls. also, try to remember that dave never sang all that well, dave was in his 20s when they recorded unchained, and phil is currently around 55 years old
Holy crap... If I have even half the vitality, energy, and all around total "bad ass-ness" of Kenny Aronoff when I am 67 years old, I will be the luckiest and most grateful guy there ever was. Just look at his body of work... all the great recordings, all the awards and endorsements, all the top tier artists he has played and toured with. The list is so long and comprehensive it's difficult to even put one together without leaving something off that might be a career highpoint for anyone else. It's not an accident or a coincidence that this guy has been on everyone's industry short list of the most sought after session and touring drummers in the world for decades. It's because he is a total f&$king beast in every aspect that it can be measured. One of the most remarkable things is that it seems that he hasn't lost even half a step as he's aged and I would wager Kenny can still mop the floor with a lot of young hotshot drummers out there. I'm a guitarist and not even a drummer, but I have to take my hat off to this guy and acknowledge his bad assery because it cannot be ignored. Kudos to you Mr. Aronoff... you are one of a kind.
If you would have told 17 year old me back in '83 that John Cougar's drummer would be covering Van Halen and killing it I would have laughed. Luckily I grew up. Killer cover!!
You are so fucking good at the guitar and singing and base dude! Just amazing as hell! And you have such an awesome knowledge of everything involved in the music. Videos are Masterpiece Productions of you playing everything with fucking perfectness and even better. So damn glad I just found your Channel!
Just discovered this!! Holy shit dude you guys fucking nailed this so hard!! Only cover of this song that I’ve not groaned at after about 20 seconds!! Its ALMOST as good as the original….awesome tone from that LP and you even nailed DLR vocals!! Thoroughly enjoyed this man thanks for the explanation on how Ed managed to get this tone….in 1981 too!! The man was a genius!!!
Am I the only one who could listen to Phil X geek out on gear for hours if not days? Mr. Phil X, I chuckled every time I watch. Not you're playing, but when you speak. Your passion for playing is matched by your geekiness. God bless you
I must have watched this 10 times today. What an uplifting, wonderful piece of music and performance. :) Kudos and thanks and may the days of all of you be filled with joy in some karma kind of way. I think I'll watch it again now and dance like nobody's watching.
I"m not sure if it was Tim Pierce or Rick Beato, maybe it was both of them?, who said @philx1111 had Van Halen perfectly dialed in...they were soooo right. Truly Amazing capture of the essence of EVH playing and that's perhaps the most difficult thing to capture. Great job.
Brilliant in every category. Love Phil, Daniel, and every collab they are involved. So much talent and joy is brought to the masses of which I'm a part of. Thank you!!
Only one Boston video on here has that. When you feel your heart pumpin and say 'I may be dreaming' then you're allowed to hit that 'more than' like button.
Best version I have ever heard, and Holy shit you nailed the sound on ALL THREE INSTRUMENTS. The singer sounds great as well.........f....king gave me chills guys. You gotta tell us ahead of time of that good stuff.........
I was just telling my wife that my favorite part about your playing is that you know when to play technical & precise, and when to play reckless and aggressive. Exibit A: Thanks for another great vid. And your VH tone absolutely SLAYS. incredible.
Phil, a major bonus to being your fan is getting to see your laugh and smile. Your happy-go-lucky demeanor and your life of the party persona helps make soooo likeable. Your vids bring me joy, dude. Your playing is always so full of feel and FUN. It’s satisfying for me as a fan that you obviously really enjoy yourself. Thank you for bringing me joy through your hard work. Keep going and going! ~Chris in Seattle
Wow! Great performance!! I remember watching Kenny`s drumtips on VHS talking about keeping the beat. Fantastic :) The list of his great drumming is endless. Thanks for sharing PhilX very cool to hear, you guys rocks!
Also it's hard to emulate the chemistry of the Van Halen brothers, they add a perfect degree of savage snot to the otherwise rhythmically perfect feel. They just possess that magic feel without thinking about it. The way these two can just lock up to each other is unparalleled.
I had the honor of buying Mr Aronoff a beer, at Lucky Strikes during a benefit show. The list of stuff this man has done is staggering, he was there with his lovely wife. Very humble and kind man. Keep rocking bro!!
BEST EVER Unchained Phil ! I really needed this with Jeff Beck passing Eddie and Jeff in two years.. Oh Man that Suit is You!!! You red pilled that Rabbit Hole like a Champ!!
You sir are a master. Such a pleasure to hear Eddie’s sound so perfectly recreated down to the smallest of detail. Also cool to hear you break down the process (so enthusiastically) awesome job! Thanks for posting
Phil X is the last rockstar. What about the BBQ grill, Phil? 🤤. What a player, what a singer. Thanks for these vids, Phil. Really appreciate your thoughts.
another random observation (one which shows my age) - I saw the '81 Oakland live Unchained on a VHS tape BEFORE I ever heard Fair Warning. The live Unchained is burned into my brain as canonical - the way that Ed goes into the first verse too early and rescues it perfectly, the more shreddy solo with the epic G string fretbuzz dive-bomb, the big coda with the overhand bit - all that stuff, that's what I hear in my head. The studio version always sounds weird to me. The live version has a much cleaner tone too.
Phil.....Love Love Love your version of this and it absolutely amazes me the detail you went into getting your guitars dialed in to sound exactly the same as Eddie did!!! Awesome Dude.
Phil! Thanks for always keeping the flame lit and celebrating the wonderful music of the great EVH! What a terrible loss for the guitar community but Eddie lives on forever through his music. Thanks for drilling down and bringing us the great content in your videos that give fans this kind of insight. Really means a lot in times like this. Rock on!
Kenny Aronoff one of the greatest rock drummers of all time! Was lucky enough to see him do a clinic on Vancouver Island. Due to poor weather the guy was diverted at least 3 hours but he made it and was just a monster. If you want to hear one of the best rock drumming performances check out 'Authority Song' by John Melloncamp. He does so much in this song but it's all for the song, not just to do fills etc. Guy is a legend.
Phil X is one of them dudes that you wanna hang out with and jam, he is sooooo dag gone funny, it makes my day every time I watch him perform! lol, keep it up Phil X, you rock!😜!
Nailed so many things on this, the opening vocals killer, the flanger sweeps, the solo, the ultra chorus overdub at the end, man so stinking cool and Kenny on the drums, just awesome!!
Love these Evh Videos , Not a whole lot of players probably realize the all the fine details involved with Eddies Playing and and Writing , Keep these Videos coming!!! Thanks
It's now entirely clear to me the level of detail and care that @philx1111 has and exactly why he could so easily fill Richie's shoes (or probably anyone in any band). This was great!
Great song - you guys tore it up. Hey Kenny, we met in the Indy airport years ago and I carried your bag out to the terminal on my cart; I've always bragged about what a nice person you were. Good luck to you guys in whatever you want to do.
God bless you Phil! First, a sick recording, then a detailed - rock out with your nerdy socks out - breakdown of the gear. I'm not about to unearth the tone wood debate, but it sounds like you are on the same side I've been on my whole life... There IS a difference in the lumber. People who haven't played a guitar at stage volume have no idea how much of a difference the wood makes... The shape has a bit of a bearing on the sound as well, but the vibration of the neck and body on a dimed 100W amp is different in every single guitar. Take care Phil!!!
SkyScraper Guitars Man you said it all! " People who haven't played a guitar at stage volume have no idea how much of a difference the wood makes... " They have no idea how much EVERYTHING affects the sound, amp, speakers, pickups, pickup heights, strings etc, etc. The guys (and gals) I see posting vids of guitars, claiming how they sound, with the volume so low I can hear their pick striking the strings acoustically, have NO IDEA! Great call!
This was obsessive and spectacular. Thank you. I agree with you-my attempts to get Eddie’s tone has always been equal parts _frustration_ and... no... actually, mostly frustration. But that’s sorta the point. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth the pursuit, and there would be no satisfaction with each little incremental bit of progress.
So...I'm 3:29 into this video and I'm freaking on how seamless the Les Paul and Strat are deployed. You guys have managed to keep Van Halen ALIVE! Bravo!!
I love this Video!! The power and energy are off the hook! You can tell all three are having a blast and that is the heart and soul of rock and roll. You guys need to do a cover record of your favorite rock tunes and unleash it on the world. Kids today need to hear super talented musicians like you three. Excellent cover that captures the crazy fun of early V.H.
WHOA.....Phil X, Danny Spree, and are you kidding me......Kenny Aronoff, AWESOME!! What a Great Song for these guys, also it's so Cool that Phil is REALLY Breaking it down, as most of us know, there's always much more to a song than meets the Ears. Thanks Phil X for putting this Vid together, hope to see more.......... 🎸💚
At a time when the term 'rockstar' seems a dead term along comes PhilX. Talent, love of life and the ability to make me smile like I did when I was a kid watching VH on the box. You sir are the last of a breed and while part of that is sad the other part is just pure pride and being able to know the difference. So awesome.
Only cover version of Unchained I’ve ever heard that’s worth listening to. Bravo.
Forget everything else about the song for a minute. The fact that he can nail that scream like David Lee Roth at the beginning is insane!
Holy shit! I thought it WAS Dave!
Is there a video on how to do the scream? That has to be one of the great mysteries of the universe.
@@harrysofa6098 What utter nonsense! It's not hard to simulate AT ALL!
Yes bro!!! You caught that too.......whew!!!
You gotta love it!
Most accurate reproduction of the Van Halen sound I've ever heard someone do. Hats off to you Phil.
This was great to hear but to my ear, there was something missing in the guitar sound... mids seem to be lower.... try the EQ again and spike the whole midrange
Trying to replicate music is a real challenge and you are as close as I've ever imagined. Incredible, man y'all are AWESOME
Scott Stapp looks like we’ll have to grab a lift on the ole time machine and head back to the 70s! and when we get there and try to get dave to sing it properly for us all we’ll collectively slap you because you know dave wouldn’t be able to sing it either.. it’s just how dave rolls. also, try to remember that dave never sang all that well, dave was in his 20s when they recorded unchained, and phil is currently around 55 years old
Kenny is 67 and is still a beast. Rock ON!
Wait... that cat is 67???
Same haircut since 86.
OMG! Thought that it was him but wasn't sure. Thanks for verifying. Rocking it!!!
@@rhabdob3895 gold.
He's also in tremendous shape.
Phil X is the best at playing AND singing Van Halen. Just pure awesomeness.
Holy crap... If I have even half the vitality, energy, and all around total "bad ass-ness" of Kenny Aronoff when I am 67 years old, I will be the luckiest and most grateful guy there ever was. Just look at his body of work... all the great recordings, all the awards and endorsements, all the top tier artists he has played and toured with. The list is so long and comprehensive it's difficult to even put one together without leaving something off that might be a career highpoint for anyone else.
It's not an accident or a coincidence that this guy has been on everyone's industry short list of the most sought after session and touring drummers in the world for decades. It's because he is a total f&$king beast in every aspect that it can be measured. One of the most remarkable things is that it seems that he hasn't lost even half a step as he's aged and I would wager Kenny can still mop the floor with a lot of young hotshot drummers out there.
I'm a guitarist and not even a drummer, but I have to take my hat off to this guy and acknowledge his bad assery because it cannot be ignored.
Kudos to you Mr. Aronoff... you are one of a kind.
Have been watching you since the early days of Fretted Americana. Always admired your energy and musicianship.
Same! Loved those guitar reviews and demos he was always so much fun to watch and still is hell of a player
Kenny, what a monster drummer. Phil X is ridiculous talented.
If you would have told 17 year old me back in '83 that John Cougar's drummer would be covering Van Halen and killing it I would have laughed. Luckily I grew up. Killer cover!!
I graduated from IU Bloomington in 1997 and got to see Kenny play at a downtown summer block party
MELLENCAMP!
@Santana Binacci hahahaha! Bring it back like Phil-fuckyeah-X!
Can't pigeon hole a man bro 🤘🎸🤘
Santana Binacci Y’know, now that you mention it...
my god that tone is so right!
Phil X "Nailed It" Easily. That was So Impressive!
You are so fucking good at the guitar and singing and base dude! Just amazing as hell! And you have such an awesome knowledge of everything involved in the music. Videos are Masterpiece Productions of you playing everything with fucking perfectness and even better. So damn glad I just found your Channel!
Just discovered this!! Holy shit dude you guys fucking nailed this so hard!! Only cover of this song that I’ve not groaned at after about 20 seconds!! Its ALMOST as good as the original….awesome tone from that LP and you even nailed DLR vocals!! Thoroughly enjoyed this man thanks for the explanation on how Ed managed to get this tone….in 1981 too!! The man was a genius!!!
Well done Phil, a fitting tribute. Eddie would have loved that.
yes
Absolutely stunning!
This sounded INCREDIBLE! The attitude, vocals, guitar tone/ phrasing, bass, drums.... everything!!! Totally BAD ASS!!! 😁🎸🤘
Am I the only one who could listen to Phil X geek out on gear for hours if not days? Mr. Phil X, I chuckled every time I watch. Not you're playing, but when you speak. Your passion for playing is matched by your geekiness. God bless you
I must have watched this 10 times today. What an uplifting, wonderful piece of music and performance. :) Kudos and thanks and may the days of all of you be filled with joy in some karma kind of way. I think I'll watch it again now and dance like nobody's watching.
OMG when that bass comes in, it just fills the whole house. What an amazing song, played by an amazing group of guys. Great job!
I"m not sure if it was Tim Pierce or Rick Beato, maybe it was both of them?, who said @philx1111 had Van Halen perfectly dialed in...they were soooo right. Truly Amazing capture of the essence of EVH playing and that's perhaps the most difficult thing to capture. Great job.
True.
The best “brown sound” apart from EVH himself I’ve ever heard.
Brilliant in every category. Love Phil, Daniel, and every collab they are involved. So much talent and joy is brought to the masses of which I'm a part of. Thank you!!
Simply outstanding man. There needs to be a button for more than ‘like’
Only one Boston video on here has that.
When you feel your heart pumpin and say 'I may be dreaming' then you're allowed to hit that 'more than' like button.
Dude the way you nerd out on the sound is just so awesome
From the very first chords it blew me away. Great cover, sounds amazing.
From the opening riff i'm all in...🤟🏿
*And he nailed the scream!
Best version I have ever heard, and Holy shit you nailed the sound on ALL THREE INSTRUMENTS. The singer sounds great as well.........f....king gave me chills guys.
You gotta tell us ahead of time of that good stuff.........
You are crazy Phil! I mean that in the best possible way :-) Thanks for putting in so much effort for these videos, they're really fun to watch.
I was just telling my wife that my favorite part about your playing is that you know when to play technical & precise, and when to play reckless and aggressive. Exibit A:
Thanks for another great vid. And your VH tone absolutely SLAYS. incredible.
Kenny was spectacular! Great rendition
My alltime favorite riff presented with attitude. Good work!
This was killer man, thx for all the cool work youve done...u rock!
Great job Phil! More video's like this please, especially Van Halen.
Phil, a major bonus to being your fan is getting to see your laugh and smile. Your happy-go-lucky demeanor and your life of the party persona helps make soooo likeable. Your vids bring me joy, dude. Your playing is always so full of feel and FUN. It’s satisfying for me as a fan that you obviously really enjoy yourself. Thank you for bringing me joy through your hard work. Keep going and going! ~Chris in Seattle
Your tone is so on point it's absurd. It's so close to the real deal that it's in the real deal's kitchen. So good my dude.
Awesome. One of my alltime favourite VH songs!!
Love it!! Great tonality! You guys are tearing it up!!
Great job, guys!
I’ve never seen this Phil guy before but this dude has the coolest personality!
Wow! Great performance!! I remember watching Kenny`s drumtips on VHS talking about keeping the beat. Fantastic :) The list of his great drumming is endless. Thanks for sharing PhilX very cool to hear, you guys rocks!
Also it's hard to emulate the chemistry of the Van Halen brothers, they add a perfect degree of savage snot to the otherwise rhythmically perfect feel. They just possess that magic feel without thinking about it. The way these two can just lock up to each other is unparalleled.
I had the honor of buying Mr Aronoff a beer, at Lucky Strikes during a benefit show. The list of stuff this man has done is staggering, he was there with his lovely wife. Very humble and kind man. Keep rocking bro!!
Excellent, excellent, and one more excellent job men.
Just BRAVO!!!
Cheers.
BEST EVER Unchained Phil !
I really needed this with Jeff Beck passing Eddie and Jeff in two years..
Oh Man that Suit is You!!!
You red pilled that Rabbit Hole like a Champ!!
You sir are a master. Such a pleasure to hear Eddie’s sound so perfectly recreated down to the smallest of detail. Also cool to hear you break down the process (so enthusiastically) awesome job!
Thanks for posting
Phil X is the last rockstar. What about the BBQ grill, Phil? 🤤. What a player, what a singer. Thanks for these vids, Phil. Really appreciate your thoughts.
Ritchie Kotzen also. They're both equally as cool for different reasons.
Excellent playing and tone Phil, NAILED. it
another random observation (one which shows my age) - I saw the '81 Oakland live Unchained on a VHS tape BEFORE I ever heard Fair Warning. The live Unchained is burned into my brain as canonical - the way that Ed goes into the first verse too early and rescues it perfectly, the more shreddy solo with the epic G string fretbuzz dive-bomb, the big coda with the overhand bit - all that stuff, that's what I hear in my head. The studio version always sounds weird to me. The live version has a much cleaner tone too.
I always thought Dave forgot to start singing because he was drunk and Eddie saved it by repeating the chords into the first verse.
abnzg Dude-I bought a guitar the day after I saw that vid on MTV-I was so jacked. Had never touched one before. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I want more! That was awesome!
Phil.....Love Love Love your version of this and it absolutely amazes me the detail you went into getting your guitars dialed in to sound exactly the same as Eddie did!!! Awesome Dude.
Well that was cool...really a favorite of mine..that whole album.. awesome tone!! Thanks..got the fir up.
Awesome video Phil thank you for your time
Phil! Thanks for always keeping the flame lit and celebrating the wonderful music of the great EVH! What a terrible loss for the guitar community but Eddie lives on forever through his music. Thanks for drilling down and bringing us the great content in your videos that give fans this kind of insight. Really means a lot in times like this. Rock on!
Kenny Aronoff one of the greatest rock drummers of all time! Was lucky enough to see him do a clinic on Vancouver Island. Due to poor weather the guy was diverted at least 3 hours but he made it and was just a monster. If you want to hear one of the best rock drumming performances check out 'Authority Song' by John Melloncamp. He does so much in this song but it's all for the song, not just to do fills etc. Guy is a legend.
Phil, you're truly a guitar nerd and we all benefit from it. Had a blast watching and learning...and that sound, amazing!
Great performance Phil!! Looking forward to seeing you soon. ♥️♥️
Tremendous musicianship! Great job on the tone!
Phil X is one of them dudes that you wanna hang out with and jam, he is sooooo dag gone funny, it makes my day every time I watch him perform! lol, keep it up Phil X, you rock!😜!
Nailed so many things on this, the opening vocals killer, the flanger sweeps, the solo, the ultra chorus overdub at the end, man so stinking cool and Kenny on the drums, just awesome!!
Love these Evh Videos , Not a whole lot of players probably realize the all the fine details involved with Eddies Playing and and Writing , Keep these Videos coming!!! Thanks
It's now entirely clear to me the level of detail and care that @philx1111 has and exactly why he could so easily fill Richie's shoes (or probably anyone in any band). This was great!
Great song - you guys tore it up. Hey Kenny, we met in the Indy airport years ago and I carried your bag out to the terminal on my cart; I've always bragged about what a nice person you were. Good luck to you guys in whatever you want to do.
this is so good, every part and player, bang on..
Perfect playing, Phil👍👍👍
God bless you Phil! First, a sick recording, then a detailed - rock out with your nerdy socks out - breakdown of the gear. I'm not about to unearth the tone wood debate, but it sounds like you are on the same side I've been on my whole life... There IS a difference in the lumber. People who haven't played a guitar at stage volume have no idea how much of a difference the wood makes... The shape has a bit of a bearing on the sound as well, but the vibration of the neck and body on a dimed 100W amp is different in every single guitar. Take care Phil!!!
SkyScraper Guitars
Man you said it all! " People who haven't played a guitar at stage volume have no idea how much of a difference the wood makes... " They have no idea how much EVERYTHING affects the sound, amp, speakers, pickups, pickup heights, strings etc, etc. The guys (and gals) I see posting vids of guitars, claiming how they sound, with the volume so low I can hear their pick striking the strings acoustically, have NO IDEA! Great call!
Phil x is the dude!!!!love his playing and voice!!I actually watch bon Jovi clips now because of Phil!!!
Wow! Absolutely killed it....rock on guys!!! Brilliant cover...totally enjoyed it!
You guys nailed it, and great tone on drums, bass, and guitar. That singer is awesome!
This was obsessive and spectacular. Thank you.
I agree with you-my attempts to get Eddie’s tone has always been equal parts _frustration_ and... no... actually, mostly frustration. But that’s sorta the point. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth the pursuit, and there would be no satisfaction with each little incremental bit of progress.
Damn Phil! Thanx for going over the gear, the rundown was awesome, big help. Way to on the vocals, got pipes!
Always Loved your Great Sense of Humor Phil, Miss the Sunday Jam Days Back in Mississauga! Cheers Bud You Rock man!
You nailed it! Awesome sound.
boys nailed it..love the energy..and the dudes just having a helluva time..smiles shared...
Phil! Dude! You killed it! Well, the whole group did. Just awesome. Can't wait for the next one. Hasta...
Closest to the real tone I've ever heard. Spot on. Remarkable.
Ed was a genius when it came to tone.
So fun watching this video! Philx, you're the man.
ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENALLY DONE...
So...I'm 3:29 into this video and I'm freaking on how seamless the Les Paul and Strat are deployed. You guys have managed to keep Van Halen ALIVE! Bravo!!
Sweet
this song is so good that any bunch of sooper talented players can make it work.
rock on.
I love this Video!! The power and energy are off the hook! You can tell all three are having a blast and that is the heart and soul of rock and roll. You guys need to do a cover record of your favorite rock tunes and unleash it on the world. Kids today need to hear super talented musicians like you three. Excellent cover that captures the crazy fun of early V.H.
Thats a hell of a commitment for a cover! Well worth it...killer job!
When you’re PhilX, you have pull. Great cover guys!
Listen to Kenny Boy!! Man, you guys sound fantastic! We need more of these videos please!!
Phil X one of the best rockers left, the whole package, great musician, great singer
I'm so glad I found this channel. Great cover! Good info as well.
Thanks for the breakdown @Philx1111. That was very enjoyable the music and your talk.
Phil, you are outstanding at vocals too man!
Brilliant tone!!
WHOA.....Phil X, Danny Spree, and
are you kidding me......Kenny Aronoff, AWESOME!! What a Great Song for these guys, also
it's so Cool that Phil is REALLY
Breaking it down, as most of us know, there's always much more to a song than meets the Ears. Thanks Phil X for putting this Vid
together, hope to see more..........
🎸💚
amazing cover !
my face hurts from smiling so much - thanks!
At a time when the term 'rockstar' seems a dead term along comes PhilX. Talent, love of life and the ability to make me smile like I did when I was a kid watching VH on the box. You sir are the last of a breed and while part of that is sad the other part is just pure pride and being able to know the difference. So awesome.
Awesome ! Great rendition!
That bass.... goes right through ya. Amazing.
Well done men. Such a great riff. Baller.
Great deep dive ,
Rock on Phil , mucho respect !
Thanks Phil and everyone for this stellar performance with attention to detail. And everyone had fun it seemed.
Best cover of this song yet. Aggressive as you can get!
Sounded absolutely amazing
That was very inspirational. Awesome! 👍🏻👍🏻
Exquisitely executed!
Dude, you rock. I bought the Evil Robot when it came out and it’s going strong! Thanks for all the joy you bring to the world!
F@&*ing awesome ... thanks for the replay and the commentary ... you guys are spot on ... always !!!