Vinyl of the Week - 11 OCTOBER 2020

1984, Van Halen

This week we pay tribute to another brilliant musician that has tragically passed away. Eddie Van Halen lost his battle with cancer at just 65 on the 6th October. There is no way to do him justice in one post and there are tributes from many great artists that do a much better job than I could. So instead, I want to tell you about why I loved EVH and the influence he had on me. Eddie reinvented guitar in the 80’s, much like Hendrix did in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He developed a playing style and sound that were totally unique. Also, much like Hendrix, his peers all recognised that they were witnessing something special and many still reference Eddie as a huge influence. I particularly love the story of his guitar because it gives you a glimpse into how relentlessly he went after realising the sound in his head. Known as the “Frankenstrat” or “Godzilla”, it consisted of Charvel kit guitar parts and bits and pieces that Eddie continually tweaked. The pickups were changed out for a Gibson Humbucker that he fitted on an angle so it’s pole pieces lined up with the string spacing of the narrower Charvel. He painted it with tape and Schwann bicycle paint to make the unique black, white and red patterns, gave it one volume knob and installed eye bolts in place of the flimsy guitar strap buttons so it was more robust. He didn’t do anything to make the guitar flashy, rather he made it a totally practical tool to achieve the right sound. And did he ever create a sound, so much so that his tone had its own name in guitar circles, known as the “brown sound”. The album I’ve chosen to pay homage to Eddie is Van Halen’s “1984” because it really showcases his brilliance, from “Jump” to the pinch harmonics on “Top Jimmy” and the melt-your-face-off riff on “Hot For Teacher”. The world has lost another guitar god but his contribution will live on. Vale EVH and thank you - DS