Eddie Van Halen Plays, Sings, and Hums Unreleased Van Halen Songs, 1980
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- Опубликовано: 9 май 2023
- If you haven’t already heard them, check out Tapes 1 through 4 of my day-long 1980 interview with Eddie Van Halen. There are only about 15 minutes on Tape 5, but what’s here is special! Playing his unplugged Frankenstrat, Eddie demoes several songs he’d written for Van Halen, but none of these made it onto their upcoming album, Women and Children First. In the process, he offers unique insight into how he composes and constructs songs.
Eddie identifies the first two as “Where Were You” and “Light in the Sky.” He came up with the unnamed next one, he says, at the end of Van Halen’s 1979 tour, when his bandmates asked him to write an "AC/DC-type song." If you can identify any of the other riffs and songs he plays. please mention it in the comments section. This musical performance ends when our host, photographer Neil Zlozower, enters the room and tells us it’s time for Eddie to drive me to the airport.
Soon after that, Eddie and I took off in his Jeep CJ. At one point, we were stuck in a long line of traffic at a light. Flashing me an impish grin and telling me to hang on, Eddie gunned his engine, turned his steering wheel hard-right, jumped the curb, and sped us across the front lawns of several houses. We zoomed down to the intersection, jumped the curb, and sped off down a side street. A minute or two later Eddie pulled up in front of a convenience store and asked me to loan him five dollars. He jumped out, ran into the store, and came out with a couple of packs of Marlboros. He tossed one to me, though I don’t smoke, and we completed the drive to the airport with just minutes to spare. The last sounds you hear are his farewell.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic Van Halen interviews on the Talking Guitar RUclips channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 43-year-old master tape. For dozens more guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #vanhalen #eddievanhalen #edwardvanhalen #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.
The force of his right hand and articulation is amazing
I’m blown away as he’s jamming on an electric and almost making it sing as loud as an acoustic….Fenders Acoustasonic is EVH hard rh incarnate…..
Wow! He had Hang'em high completely worked out and written.
ruclips.net/video/LnSNNMFXg5s/видео.html
Pretty damn cool!
Wasn't the demo for that done in '77? The words weren't quite there yet but a lot of the music was. What an awesome song, Hang 'Em High, one of their best!
@Apple O hang'em high is the best tune on Diver Down. And one of my all-time favorites. Do yourself a favor and look up the isolated guitar tracks for the song. It is amazing.
@@AppleOno It was originally called “Last Night”. The music is identical to “Hang ‘Em High”. Roth just changed the lyrics.
love how he proves he can do everything no special effects to hide behind,or cover over anything, sadly if he paid attention to the danger warnings I believe he would have not died early, on the other hand he lived a life millions of people wished they could live if even only in their dreams
I wonder if he was aware he writing pure gold and the soundtracks to so many lives. RIP Eddie we will always miss you 😢
He knew that he was writing stuff that he himself really liked, and he wanted to share it with others.
I sat in Zeke Clark's hotel room in 1988, night before seeing a July stop on the Monsters Of Rock show and got to play the 5150 guitar while we played a little name that tune, till Ed called Zeke, sounding pissed.
I was ushered out and, to my eternal regret, I put the pick back on the 2 sided tape.
You obviously know how fortunate you were to sit and hang during these recordings!
Damn, dude!
Wow Jas, this is really amazing. Besides the wonderful window into him jamming new songs, I don't think anyone has captured "a day in the life of Eddie", him just doing normal stuff. This is so cool. You really get a sense of the man and person, more than just the "interview." Thank you so much for this small slice of Eddieness.
They are GREAT aren't they ? .....I love Ed's ENTHUSIASM for his instrument.....Even though the strings are unamplified you can FEEL the ZING & the FEEL of how he plays.
It's really cool to hear that Where were you turned into Hang 'em high.
In the Jeep that was beautiful. 'I feel I squeezed a lot of weird noises into two records already'...lol 'What to do next ? ..Its heavy pressure.' ....& what does Ed come up with next folks ? ...THE MEANSTREET INTRO ! yeah lol .....Jas to Ed -'You've helped define the instrument. That's important' ....Well done Jas. Well said. So glad you said that to him 😊. That was the bottom line.👍👍🙏
Love that he drove you to the airport. It’s very interesting listening through these releases each time that a genuine friendship develops, and you can tell that he really trusts you and appreciates your work. Thanks once again for the upload! 😊🙏🏻
Eddie had so many unreleased songs back then, which were later on future albums. Theres a video of Ed playing the main riff of "Amsterdam" in 1986! He sat on that one for 10 years until it appears on "Balance"
Jas, You are one lucky man tobe able to hang out with Eddie while he treated you like a friend. Thank you very much for sharing all of these for us fans. 👍👍
Jas... you beautiful generous human being. Thank you ever so much for sharing this amazing, stunning, outstanding day-long interview with the greatest Guitar Hero ever lived. ❤ During all these hours, it felt like being right there with you... listening and witnessing the wizardy of such a young Eddie, in the making of his legend! 🤩 The energy & attitude he had truly transpires the tape. Also, there so many spots where he gives you hints of the future (issues) to come within the band... which is sadly foreboding of course, but also very interesting. Again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES FOR SHARING IT! 🙏🏻 LONG LIVE THE MEMORY, THE LEGACY AND THE MUSIC OF OUR KING! ❤️🤍🖤
I just finished listening to all 5 tapes and I'm blown away. I was 18 when this interview was published and now I'm enjoying it in a new way. It's interesting to hear it in their voices. Needless to say, I'm subscribed now.
Jas, I'd like to thank you for posting this. I could almost close my eyes and see you and Ed in that jeep... Just being two normal guys. Eddie gave his life for music, for his fans... For us all. He was just a normal guy, with his dutch immigrant heart. I'm glad I got to live in the same last 33 years that he did. Thanks for everything EVH❤
Big river or Big Trouble! Love it!
Wow Ed really dug into his strings!
One of those sounded like Zeppelin's 'Babe I'm gonna leave you'...
And after that it sounded like HEART'S 'Crazy on You'...😮
Past bands come thru subliminally.
It’s especially prophetic that right after he says that he doesn’t give music away because he never knows when he might be able to use it, that he plays “Big Trouble”/“Big River.”
He also gave Michael Jackson the lead to beat it for free..That alone was worth a shitload of money..Eddie was a normal humble guy that knew money wasn't everything ,,,music was..
Wow! Too funny
Thank you Burwell Bell, Jarrod Parra, David Tonneson, and David Rodenborn for the donations. Much appreciated!
You got it, Jas! My pleasure! This whole interview is incredible. I would’ve been in the middle of third grade at that time-having just discovered Van Halen. And already drawing the Van Halen and KISS logo all over my folders and classwork, and art projects.
You had such a great rapport with Eddie, and you asked such great questions.
I was fortunate enough to finally meet Eddie in 2014, at a small event. So, I was able to hangout and talk with him a little bit. On one of the tapes you asked him what he would like to be doing in 20 or 40 years. I know 40 years feels like an eternity to someone who is only 24 years old. He probably felt like he would be lucky to keep rockin’ and make it that far-and he did. Almost exactly. A true legend!!!
Thanks again for sharing!!! 🤘🏻😝🎸🇺🇸❤️
I love when ED drops the low e with the Vibrato bar on the low string & Jas goes - 'OOO That's BAAD' ! .......lol
Thank you as always, Jas!!!!
Thank you for these.
Thanks Jas for releasing these fantastic interviews. They make me glad I was around as a late teenager when all this was happening. I feel fortunate I was able to experience the early concerts in person and just capture the whole vibe as each year came along.
Cool to hear him dive bombing unplugged 😮
Thanks Jas for this amazing series!
Very beginning of unreleased VH tune "Just what you wanted" is briefly played at 5:07 mark. An awesome tune that was played live only few times and is available on bootlegs of 1977 New years eve gig at the Whisky.
Great ear! That's my favorite of their unreleased tunes.
So cool to hear Ed play and the part in the jeep! Thanks for sharing! ✌️❤
Love ya man! Thanks for sharing these treasures. Killer.
Thank you for everything Ed
So cool man, what a life you have lived dude. I can't get enough of this stuff, hope you have more EVH stuff.
Thank you so much Jas!
Thank you so much Jas! I finally get to hear Eddie sing a little! Way to have the wherewithal to record being in the jeep! Thank you Nik for the audio. ❤🤍🖤🎸👑
They're GREAT aren't they Holly ?
So glad I found your channel...Priceless stuff man...Preserving the King Edward legacy one video at a time...
Thank You for sharing What a great day You had all those years ago..I get chills listening.
I miss him even more now
This “Where Were You” song is the original version of the song “Hang ‘Em High” that later appeared on the ‘Diver Down’ LP. It was also known as “Last Night”. Crazy to hear that other unreleased number that was supposed to be a take on an AC/DC beat having a section that was a take-off on “Love Is Like Oxygen” by The Sweet!
Yes, I've got these pre VH 1 gigs where the band is playing & instead of Dave Singing 'Hang Em High ' he is singing -'Where Were You Last Night'....I had no idea this was influenced by the Sweet's 'Love is Like Oxygen' though. Would Ed have even been listening to the British Glitter trip bands like the Sweet ?...I knew he was into British Hard Rock bands like BUDGIE before VH were signed to Warner Bros.
@@walterevans2118 You can hear Edward specifically saying “You know that song that goes…” and he plays the heavy chord intro from “Love Is Like Oxygen” at about the 9:08 mark. That song was released by The Sweet in January of 1978 when it reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was a hit song that was inescapable on the radio back then-I’m sure Eddie was aware of it from just hearing it on the radio. You can hear that riff beginning around the 17 second mark here: ruclips.net/video/tXJ4TZSXtzc/видео.html
My guess is that it was Alex or Dave that came up with the idea to do Budgie’s “In For the Kill”.
@@AllenGarberGuitarFun Ed is definitely taking Love is like oxygen to influence one of his riffs but I don’t think it was was High em High
@@walterevans2118 I think you misunderstood me. I wasn’t saying that “Hang ‘Em High” was influenced by “Love Is Like Oxygen”. If you read my comment carefully, I was referring to one of the other untitled pieces that Edward plays here. I’m not sure if you saw where I gave the specific timing of 9:08 in this very clip (just click on the timing to take you to that specific portion of the clip) in which Edward speaks of the “Love Is Like Oxygen” riff and then he plays through the part of his original and untitled song that he demonstrates as being similar to that riff from “Love Is Like Oxygen”. This is a completely separate piece of music from “Where Were You”/“Last Night”/“Hang ‘Em High”.
@@AllenGarberGuitarFun ah ok. No worries.
AMAZING!
Thank you Jas....this is beyond golden.
Thanks!! ❤
Man, if I heard this interview as a kid…
'Light in the Sky' intro is almost melancholy isn't it ? ...Its interesting how he is imagining what the drums are going to be doing behind his riffs. Same with the bass. Ed is effectively writing for ALL the instruments here...Not just the guitar...Alex's parts & Mike's .
He probably learned from that the arranging class he talked about in the video.
It's not that unusual, I do it all the time. You just hear it all in your head. Plus he knows his brother so well, he knows what he would play, and the bass is playing under him.
You can hear it finished on the Zero Demos here on RUclips. Great song.
Loving these interviews Jas!
Cousin Johnny Beane reminded me to check out #5 🤘
Thanks man!
What a gentleman (Eddie) and great soul! R. I. P., the world was a better place when you were in it! ❤
Thx I felt like I was there hangin when I listen through the headphones...
In a simple rhyme and take me back.
Genius working
Amazing
6:15 sounds like In a Simple Rhyme.
I love his In a Simple Rhyme noodling part!
I swear i hear a little bit from the album Fair Warning in one of those samples he played.
“Light in the sky” couldve been a great fucking tune. I wish they would’ve released it. Has such a vibe to it. If you haven’t heard it, look it up. They recorded it for the WB demos.
Very cool.
Life is like Oxygen...great tune. Eddie is n was truly AMAZING...😎🤟🙏♥️
One of a kind.🎸
I had that magazine. Good old days...
thanks for this! Cousin Johnny Beane says Hi!!! :)
Yo MPN! 👍
Man. He wasnt just an interview. He made you his friend. I hope you realize that. I only say that because you can tell he's completely comfortable around you and talks to you as a friend would. I've had the honor of meeting many Rock Stars in my day too. There's still a few, even 30 to 40 years later that are now friends on Facebook as well. And when my Birthday rolls around or something like, i just had surgery for cancer. And they tell me Happy Birthday or Dude, hope ya get better. Ya know? It makes ya feel good. Even if ya only shared 10 or 15 minutes with somebody. Sometimes we have an effect that can last a lifetime and it sure seems like you had that with Ed. And the whole series he doesn't have a disheartened tone like he's looking over his shoulder to get burned later. I have to admit, i was like wow, this series is looooong. It better be good. And damned if it wasn't. Now I'm not a professional writer or anything but, i wish I'd had the chance to record and write about some of my meetings along my journey. And all of my immediate friends tell me all the time I need to write a book. After hearing this, i just might have to. Great Work and Series. Thanks for sharing this with the world man. It was truly inspirational. Oh and I believe we have a mutual friend. Jeff Goebel in Alabama. I live in Alabama too. About an hour and a half from Jeff. Anyway Peace!!!
@RichieRich6270 yeah, eddie sounds so relaxed here. No guard up at all. I miss him a lot
This is awesome Jas... your cousin Johnny Beane sent me! 😎🤘🎸
At 12:00 is Big River off their last album. Cool stuff
Yes!! Formerly Big Trouble. It was a couple years old at this point.
Back then I believe it was called 'Big Trouble' Dan.
Ed also played the intro riff of Big Trouble during a solo on the 1993 Costa Mesa bootleg
2:32 Where Were You? (Hang ‘Em High)
5:07 Light in the Sky
7:40 AC/DC Beat
10:00 Cheap Trick Beat
12:00 Big Trouble
13:32 Noodling
Thanks Jas! Unreal interviews…Looking back are there any questions or subjects you wish you had gotten into with Ed? I must commend you on your interviewing style…nonchalant yet authentic and in depth at the same time.
That was amazing cousin Jas!!!
Jas is your cousin?
Cousin ? ...Really ?
Thanks, cousin Johnny! Sending my best to the rest of our clan.
@@TalkingGuitarJasObrecht Thank you! 😎👍
@@Nightjar726 Yup
hang 'em high, 1 of my fav VH songs. best on Diver Down.
At 12:27 is “Big River”
You are such a treasure!
Love is like oxygen!
Like the UK band THE SWEET ?
I had no idea came up the vocal melodies as well. Beast mode.
No he wasn't writing the vocal melody. Hang em high was a reworked song of an earlier demo titled Last Night. (The chorus says where were you last night) Dave had already come up with the melody and the part that Eddie is vocalizing was actually carried over to Hang 'em High. Most of the rest of "Last Night" is quite different. Anyway just search for "Last Night unreleased" and you'll hear it.😁
hang'em high!
12:05 Big River wow!
The riff from Light in the Sky is really similar to Greg Kihn's tune The Breakup Song.
12min mark is a song called “big trouble” … it’s on the Warner bros demo
Not that Eddie would have known. But light in the sky is Beyond the Relms of Death JP...he was a true genius. One of my friends was a huge VH fan. When a song came on ... he would say and the Birth of the Guitar 😎🤟👊♥️this....
Second almost sounds like “Feelings”
would be super cool if someone could clean it up and essentially reamp it, I wonder if it's possible
During "Where Were You", 3 seconds of "Hang 'Em High" at 4:50.
Opening to "Light in the Sky" at 5:20 sounds very similar to "Beyond the Realms of Death" by Judas Priest.
"Where were you" IS Hang Em High. Look up 'Van Halen Last Night Warner Bros' and you'll hear a pro recording of the song from April 1977.
@@Chirbeef Correct! Thanks! I recall hearing that some years ago but didn't take the time to check.
ruclips.net/video/LnSNNMFXg5s/видео.html
Around 12:40 I hear 'big river' from the most recent record.
Not sure if it was one one of the demos or not, I'm sure others can clarify that
I hear Big River
I'm curious Jas; isn't a little weird for the star you're interviewing to give you a ride to the airport? Was that typical then? I just can't see that happening today. You have to meet them in a studio or hotel suite and figure out your own transportation. You had Edward Van Halen shuttling to the airport for a $5 fee. Who else can say that??? LMAO!!!!
It wasn't all that unusual. I have vivid memories of Sammy Hagar, Carlos Santana, Tommy Tedesco, and a few other well-known musicians driving me around. The most fun was Jimi's dad, Al Hendrix, who drove me to his favorite bowling alley for lunch and to the Seattle airport when we were writing "My Son Jimi" together. As he drove, Al liked to play CDs of two musicians -- Jimi and Madonna.
@@TalkingGuitarJasObrecht huh......very interesting. Truth be told, some of the most intense and deep conversations I've had with people was while driving/riding in the car.
As an aside from the subject in this thread; thanks for making those recordings available to us. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
That was my first thought too! 😮
He picked so hard. Definitely contributed to his sound though!
Just hanging out
The 4th song is big river
I think i'm the only van halen fan who prefers Where Were You Last Night over Hang 'em High.
Nope. I liked Last Nite better, especially Mike's high harmony.
🤘🏻 Johnny Beane 🤘🏻
Hey Jas, I should know this but…
At this time was the Frankenstrat still black and white?
Or if it was red, did it have a Floyd Rose?
It was red. I don't recall if it had the Floyd on it or not, but I think it's mentioned at some point in the interview
My cousin Johnny Beane sent me
Yoooo!
Wasn't that riff called BIG TROUBLE ? ....& it NEARLY went on the Diver Down album in 1982.
I think Roth may have even done it as a solo project in the late 1980s ?
@@walterevans2118 That was a completely different song called “Big Trouble” from Roth’s ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ LP that had no relation to the Van Halen song “Big Trouble” except for the title.
@@AllenGarberGuitarFun Actually yes you're right garbeaj ......The one on Eat Em & Smile is totally a Vai riff. Had my wires crossed there. But Im sure on an old bootleg cd recording before they were signed I have a live recording of VH playing that riff & Dave singing 'Big Trouble' instead of 'Big River ' like on the ADKOT album in 2012.
@@walterevans2118 “Big River” from ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ ruclips.net/video/rDAUoV2CE3k/видео.html IS a slight re-working of “Big Trouble” from the early demos: ruclips.net/video/kNk6JfmKrUs/видео.html
@@AllenGarberGuitarFun yes
The second song he plays sounds like “Year to the Day” to me
Sounds nothing like Year To The Day.
the guitar is unplugged and yet the brown sound remains....
A little who... all the influences coming through
Did dave do anything???😅
@johnhalll5455 nothing except irritate the living shit out of people and be a narcissistic raging asshole. Rip king Ed
Interesting just now hearing Ed playing some of his just starting songs. I was blessed to see VH in 1975 play a battle of the bands in
Norwalk Cal. The band sounded great but Dave’s voice sucked. Lol
I was 15 then. I had a cassette tape but lent it to a friend and never got it back. Didn’t think much of it then but would love to have it now. Damn.
Do you remember who any of the other bands were? (the other bands that played with them?)
8:30