Anyone think 80's guitarists sucked

[guywithaguitar]

Ok I heard someone say that the 80's guitarists were awesome, wrong they totally sucked they sucked worse than I do. Also I know alot of people like shred, don't get me wrong I do to, but doesn't anyone know who started all of it. He was the greatest guitarists and still is if he made a new album, Eddie Van Halen, all these shredders wouldn't be able to tap and dive bomb without Eddie. The only 3 shredders I like are Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Vai. Here is why guitar players in the 80s sucked big time. They copied Eddie like no other, they played as fast as they could, sure they played faster than him, but they couldn't bring that awesome rhythm he had, no guitarists has that, I'm sorry but all I see is people saying how Satriani and Malmsteen are so good, blah blah blah. I don't know if you know this but all the shredders can read music, know all the scales, and such. Eddie on the other hand just plays what sounds right, and to me that makes him a Beethoven on guitar. In an interview he said he laughed when he saw all these guitarists tapping, they used them as tricks, and he just incorporates them into his songs. But he did mention he liked Vai and Joe. Another thing that gets me is that VAi took lessons from Joe, and sounds kinda like him in the sense they both shred. Eddie's biggest influences were Eric Clapton (awesome awesome guitarists by the way, there is no music without the blues)and Allan Holdsworth, but guess what he sounds nothing like them at all. Please reply, your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Music of today sucks and as a rocker it saddens me to say that the only person in the Biz today that has much much talent and I give much props to his Eminem, no matter what you say about him being crazy, if you listen to one of his 2 LP's you'll find one song that you will like, I particularly like all of them.

[Bofatron]

Why hold back? Tell us what you really think ;-) I respect your opinion and I mean absolutely no disrespect but a few things might be pointed. EVH is and was a great guitarist no doubt. I can remember way back when disco was all the rage and VH burst out with their debut album. What a relief. But EVH did not invent two handed techs for the guitar. Plenty of people, even if they were obscure, were doing that for a long time. He did make it popular, though. And there can be no argument that he 'enjoyed' an army of clones.

You want to talk about 'dive bombs'? Say no more than one J. Hendrix. And for him it was no trick or gimic. It was a way for him to represent actual dive bombing -- the kind going on in Vietnam an entire generation before EVH came along. Some people might argue, and they might have a case, that EVH was simply reducing Hendrix's socio-political statements to a circus act.

I really can't see how anyone could denounce an entire generation of guitar players. The world is filled with such incredible talent that you will never be exposed to. But even the well-known guys from the 80s can't be boxed up the way you've done. I can't say I listen to Yngvie all that much but to imply that he merely followed in the shadow of EVH is an overstatement. In fact, they bear no resemblence at all. And, in my opinion, YM had much better vibrato than EVH. If you've heard YM's live SCM you'd realize the man was and I guess still is a total monster on the guitar.

Paul Gilbert a hack? That's pretty simplistic. And has there been anyone with a bigger sense of humor than Gilbert? And take my word for it, humor is nothing to take lightly. Satriani just a nobody? I was around when there was a real lack of good rock guitar instrumental music and JS really was a breath of fresh air -- at the time anyway.

Via, while I'm not a big follower of his music ( I do have 2 albums though) is, from any perspective, one of the greatest practicioners to have ever lived. He seriously raised the bar for guitar players. And I seriously doubt that a compositional genius like Zappa would have hired Vai on at such a tender age if he was not indeed a sheer virtuoso. He may in fact be as good as Paganni (sp?)

And the 80s also brought us Vernon Reid. He was and remains one of the most intelligent and creative guitarists to be fusing jazz with hard rock and funk.

Frankly, I can't see why you have to have one hero or any heros at all. The world is filled with thousands of great guitar players and musicians in all styles to be appreciated rather than idolized. I say they're all great in there own way and they can teach us a lot. If you dismiss them all with a giant dogmatic wave of the hand then you will have shut yourself off from a universe of wonderful music.

And is there nothing out there that is truely inspiring other than EVH? Just look around.

[robrules]

I know not all of them were great, but they all could whoop me anyday. I have not been playing that long and anyone better than me I should respect their playing and try to learn from them. They all probably suck compared to a guy with a little more practice.
BTW Randy Rhoads played in the 80's and I believe he changed the metal in a big way. I have not heard EVH enough to judge. Should I check out his music?

[Raskolnikov]

HEY!
Let us not forget the 80's saw most of Stevie Ray Vaughan's professional career. Now I'm not a fan of new wave, hair metal, or shredding for that matter, but I have to respect that there is talant there- even if I don't like the musical focus.
As for today's music, well I have to step up to the plate. Many good bands are actually out there and doing their thing, (even ones I don't like). How can anyone say that music today sucks when you have Primus on the scene, playing a very unique style of music, and playing it with a great deal of talant. Also, take Charlie Hunter (he's that sick bastard who plays an 8 string guitar so he can play the bass and guitar parts at once). Or Incubs, they are versital, interesting to listen to, and have something to say, on top of being excellant musicians. Let us not forget the Stone Temple Pilots, still kicking around, and still doing their thing, and Dean is still using the most demented chords of anybody playing today. I could keep going, however that would be obnoxious.

I do respect you right to not like music. I don't like alot of music as well, but you won't ever hear me saying a certain genre of music sucks. I used to think that way, but the more I've learned about music, the more I've realized that good music can be found anywhere.

[This message has been edited by Raskolnikov (edited 07-23-2000).]

[BadHorsie]

Let me start off by saying "that's great that you like to share your opinions'" because that's what this forum is all about. But let me go ahead and correct you in a few places since I am a Vai, and Satch fanatic. Satriani was fingertapping and doing a lot more w/ the whammy bar than "dive bombs" before Van Halen even released a record. Also, I can't even begin to conceive how you think that Satch and Vai sound similar. Vai is always trying to stray away from what everyone else is doing. So if you think they sound similar, you're not listening very closely. As far as Eddy goes... he's a great guitarist, no doubt. But he does know what he's doing when it comes to music theory and such, considering he was a disciplined piano player before he even picked up a guitar. He doesn't just throw stuff together when he's finger tapping. Listen to some of "Eruption" and you'll see that he uses a lot of music theory. And to answer your topic, no I don't think that '80s guitarists' suck. They were doing the same thing that guitarists always do. Look at what's going on now, everyone is trying to sound like Korn, Limp, etc. In the '90s it was everyone trying to sound like Nirvana. Sorry for the long post, but I just wish people would be a little more careful when they use the word "suck". Thanks!

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BadHorsie, holdin' it down like Gravity!

[BarryS]

Yes, most 80's music makes me sick to my stomach, but there were also some very good things to come out of the 80's. SRV (need I say more?) for one thing. The 80's also saw the rise of SRV protege, Robert Cray, a stinging blues guitarist with a incredibly soulful voice.

And of course the wonderful, wonderful Albert Collins had a thriving career in the 80's.

The 80's was a really good decade for the blues.

[Kevin Taylor]

I always thought as Van Halen as a 70's guitarist...I'm sure the first album came out in 1978 or so

[Uncle Istvan]

Yes, Van Halen was great, and was one of the biggest innovators of the guitar in the past 20 years, but you can't totally discredit a whole decade of great musicians. Look at Randy Rhoads, Ynwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, and Vivan Cambell, for example - all were great musicians. And, EVH made tapping popular, but tapping has been around for a long time, it just hadn't been widley used until Van Halen came about. Hell, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck were using a bit of tapping before Van Halen revolutionized it. That's all I have to say about that...

[ezshuffle]

wow...what a loaded response...80's guitar players sucked...i know and have played with 1000's of guitar players, and not once did i look at any of them and say "they suck"...music and guitar playing is an expression of one's innermost feelings...i was taught a lesson from everyone i played or listened to

do you guys consider yourselves better than most???? then you missed the whole point of guitarplaying...shredding is a style just as blues and jazz is a style.

take bruce lee's motto..."experience everything, and use what works for you"...somethings may not work for you but by responding that they suck or a particular style does not soothe your palate the way it affects others is disrespectful...i may not like the car you drive...but if i have never driven it should i say it sucks???

everytime i talk to any new guitar players i jam with or even meet without hearing them or them not hearing me...they always ask who i listen to...i respond by telling them, "everybody and everything"

i grew up in the eighties listening to evh and jeff beck...by reading magazines that did interviews with these two guitarists i realized they listened to others as well...eddie listened to chopin and clapton...jeff beck listened to albert king and other blues greats..then i read articles about clapton and how he appreciated the works of robert johnson and freddie king and bb king...wow all that from listening to eruption and people get ready

now i listen to eric johnson and danny gatton, segovia and sharon isbin...miles davis and john coltrane...louis armstrong and wes montgomery...and alot of other people that play in my area...i learn from all

george lynch is an eighties guitarist that is phenomenal so is randy rhoads...i tried going back in decades to see if there was any ten year period that was not revolutionary for the guitar...i couldn't find it, maybe you can enlighten me?

please take this as an educational response to make you appreciate all forms of music...you have a right to say you did not like a particular piece of music...one man's junk is another man's treasure...but out of respect to alot of guys here please do not say their idols suck...it is disrespectful of both the people you are offending and the artists who are playing the music...

now if anyone could explain rap to me i would be forever grateful...just kidding

[BadHorsie]

Bravo! Best post I've read in a long time!

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BadHorsie, holdin' it down like Gravity!

[This message has been edited by BadHorsie (edited 07-24-2000).]

[Shlag]

Can Anyone play the guitar behind their backs
or with their teeth. I cut my gums trying and I don't have huge gaps in between my teeth.

[Luke]

I often play with my teeth, but it is just a trick for the crowd, don't do it as a regular thing.

I loved most of the guitarists of the 80's, but I'm not sure about all of you, but EVH IMO was kind of a onr trick pony.

EVERY VH song sounds the same to me, I have never thought he was good.

And alot of shredders do know how to read music, but I don't know how you can say EVH is better because he didn't.

I can do all of the harder guitar techniques but I'm still learning to read music.

Because basically, if a person doesn't know how to read music IMO I don't know how they can call themselves musicians.

And I have no idea how a true guitarist can actually like Eminem.

Please don't get me wrong, I mean no offence to anyone, these are just my views

[Raskolnikov]

I don't think of playing fast as a crutch to make up for an inability to write a chord progression or melody. And lets face it, playing fast is alot of fun, for me theirs nothing like dropping down into E, and just burning it up w/ some fast funk bass. It's a blast, but that's not the sort of thing I want to do all night. The fact is I do like writing interesting progressions, and that sort of thing speaks to people better. Also, it's really hard to play w/ soul if you're playing that fast. Most shredders sound really cold to me; amazing technique, little passion. As much as I love Buckethead, theirs only one part of "Monsters and Robots" where he brings it up to that next level, and that's in the very last song, but that's what I love most about that album.
So in other words, I love to show off, but I come from the blues school of thought: nothing speaks your mind like a good bend.

[LuigiCabrini]

I read music, but I think it's possible to understand music theory without reading music. You can know how to build 13th chords and the modes of the melodic minor without knowing where the notes are on the page.
Still, for a guitarrist, it's a good skill to have, and it will set you apart from other guitarrists. Especially if you can sight read well. I focus more on sight reading chords than melody lines, because hey, as a guitarrist, you don't have to read melody lines as often as you'll have to read chords.
As for 80s guitarrists, I personally think that shred is a style of music far overrated by guitarrists. Fast guitar passages do not justify music with little melodic and harmonic content. I'm not saying all shred is like this, I'm just saying that I think that many shred guitarrists use speed as a crutch to hide lack of anything musical that they have to say. "I may not be able to write a melody or chord progression, but I can play really fast, so you want notice." Or: "When I improvise, since I don't have any ability to create interesting lines, I'll just sweep arpeggios at light speed."

[Shlag]

I know this is way off on 70's and 80's rock, but I don't think EVH originally started finger tapping, becuase my dad had a song from this Spanish acoustic player from 1800's and he was tapping like a motherf**ker. He was tapping and playing some scales at the same time. Well it's hard to explain.

[Shlag]

When I meant my dad had a tape from the 1800's, I meant he had a tape which had a classical musician playing a song which was originally born in the 1800's, uh hoped that helped?

[LuigiCabrini]

I think you're agreeing with me here man. What I meant wasn't that whenever somebody is playing fast, they're doing it cause they want to hide lack of musicianship.
I was saying that many people from the 80s used fast scalar and sweep arpeggio techniques to cover up the lack of much substance in their work. I listen to a lot of fast mofos (Jimmy Bruno, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Tal Farlow) but not cause they're fast. They only turn on the juice occassionally, and it's not the kind of thing you'd listen to just to be impressed by speed, because they're not playing fast that often, unlike most shred players who, if they can play fast, will do so for about 50 percent of each of their songs. (That doesn't go for yngwie, he does it for 80 percent, maybe more.)
Sure playing fast and impressive is fun, but if it becomes more of a focus than putting actual musical ideas into your work, as I think it did many (but not all) 80s guitarrists, then there's a problem.

[Raskolnikov]

yeah, pretty much, I think we have slightly different slants on this.

[ezshuffle]

i think your dad has a tape of a guitarist and his interpretation of playing classical music but he plays with both hands ala michael fath...who recorded in the eighties...another phenomenal 80's guitarist...

evh was not the first guitarist to use two hand tapping but he was the first guy who made everyone else want to do it

my dad played guitar for years acoustically and that did not turn my crank...but once he turned on his strat thru a fender twin reverb that did it for me i was hooked

do any of you guys remember the first guy who ever used a pick instead of fingers???didn't think so...but i guarantee you remember the first guitar player that made you want to play the guitar...

"we are all here to learn"

[Slink]

What the hell? Since when did TALENT matter? Sorry, but as a punk I find this forum ludicrous. Who cares who copied who with fingertapping? Hendrix, Clapton, Townsend and company did just about everything left to be done. And I hate Van Halen. Eighties music is no less horrible than seventies music seemed in the eighties. Sheesh...
Slink

[LuigiCabrini]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Slink:
Hendrix, Clapton, Townsend and company did just about everything left to be done. Slink<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

U need to listen to jazz.

[loner92]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Slink:
What the hell? Since when did TALENT matter? Sorry, but as a punk I find this forum ludicrous. Who cares who copied who with fingertapping? Hendrix, Clapton, Townsend and company did just about everything left to be done. And I hate Van Halen. Eighties music is no less horrible than seventies music seemed in the eighties. Sheesh...
Slink<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This forum is aimed at guitarists, what do you expect? Just because you shun talent doesnt mean we should. I can't stand punk music, I think it's boring, un-creative, based heavily on image, and incredibly redundant.
But that's just my opinion, I'm not going to try to force it on you.

[James]

The last thing a punk rocker has to worry about is TALENT. I won't rag on the whole genre, because it isn't all bad (some of the older stuff, Velvet Underground, even some Ramones, etc.). But now, punk isn't about talent. It's hardly even about music, just image (anti-society, anarchist type of stuff (at least for the punks around here it is)), mundane repetitions of powerchords, and inchoherent lyrics caughed out of someone who sounds like they have lockjaw. So if you're going to go ragging on the forum and my good friends Van Halen you may as well just leave.

[BadHorsie]

Just my opinion... I love punk music. I love heavy metal. I love jazz. I love classic rock. I love '80s music. See a pattern here? I think I can listen to almost anything and pick out something that I really think is interesting about it. As far as punk goes, you guys are listening to the wrong kind if you don't like it. Try listening to Pennywise sometime. You might not like how the guitarist doesn't get real technical w/ the guitar, but you will know that he plays very catchy riffs and the singer can write helluva good songs! Vai is still the man, though.

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BadHorsie, holdin' it down like Gravity!

[x0o_BurnOut_o0x]

Dude i dont understand it, how can this thread go from people telling other people to stop saying one particular genre sucks because they dont like it back to members doing it....punk is great. It wasnt meant to be flashy or anything like some of the stuff Van halen or Hendrix was doing. It was there to convey a message..(sometimes i wonder if its stilll there anymore..but nevertheless) Its against authority and doing your own thing man, but I can understand how you can say its turned more towards image, as an example, i love green day and back in the 90s they used to just wear w/e who cares ya know? while there newest album comes with a change in appearance. They have changed more toward the cliqued "punk rocker". Its sad to think people will say punk sucks because of some punk bands being obsessed with how there image rather then makeing sure that message still lives on in there music. I mean i love all kinds of music and thats what i try to convey to this kid i know who is always stuck on oh all his idols are the only talented ones and everyone elses style of music sucks. As a guitarist you should appreciate all music, thats how u draw on your own style, u expierment withall types of music to find ur style and what u like and what u dont.Idk i dont think anyone that says only there style is the way to go and to hell with everyone elses music should be able to call themselves a guitarist.

[Jolly McJollyson]

Dude i dont understand it, how can this thread go from people telling other people to stop saying one particular genre sucks because they dont like it back to members doing it....punk is great. It wasnt meant to be flashy or anything like some of the stuff Van halen or Hendrix was doing. It was there to convey a message..(sometimes i wonder if its stilll there anymore..but nevertheless) Its against authority and doing your own thing man, but I can understand how you can say its turned more towards image, as an example, i love green day and back in the 90s they used to just wear w/e who cares ya know? while there newest album comes with a change in appearance. They have changed more toward the cliqued "punk rocker". Its sad to think people will say punk sucks because of some punk bands being obsessed with how there image rather then makeing sure that message still lives on in there music. I mean i love all kinds of music and thats what i try to convey to this kid i know who is always stuck on oh all his idols are the only talented ones and everyone elses style of music sucks. As a guitarist you should appreciate all music, thats how u draw on your own style, u expierment withall types of music to find ur style and what u like and what u dont.Idk i dont think anyone that says only there style is the way to go and to hell with everyone elses music should be able to call themselves a guitarist.
This IS a pretty old thread, and most of the posters aren't around to defend themselves, so I will defend them. Punk's message was lost long ago. The only punk band you've mentioned as of yet is Greenday, and up until their most recent album, they had sold out like no other. Besides, Greenday is just a more contrived version of the Clash, which is basically just the lovechild of the Ramones and the Sex Pistols all having sex. The message of punk, at least as a respectable message, died with the Clash, Bad Religion, Anti Flag, The Dead Kennedys, and that whole era.

But as far as Greenday is concerned, I'm ecstatic that a punk band is expressing a recognizable political opinion instead of pissing around like these new punkers tend to do. After they released "Nimrod" I was sure they were a dead band, I'm glad that they've come back with a spine.

[x0o_BurnOut_o0x]

I knew i was gonna get *** raped for the way i put some of my opinons in that post, but i didnt think it would be the infamous Jollyman :) but lets hope Bush stirs up enough conflict to bring punk back to life.

[Axl_Rose]

Haha I gota shock when I began to read this because I wondered who all those members were!

[PonyOne]

saying that "punk sucks" seems to be one of those things that people who either have

a) just gotten into guitar and want to seem like they know what they're talking about
b) have been into guitar for awhile, but have just started learning what this "theory" thing is and are obsessing over it
c) never heard any "punk" that wasn't by Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day or Good Charlotte

Just like people who say that pretty much any entire genre sucks; IMHO, when you start prattling off on how an entire genre blows you just took yourself down one intellectual notch.

punk isn't my thing, nor is rap, or jazz, but i will give it its dues. Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Clash, The Unseen, Pennywise, Misfits, Sex Pistols, Ramones... all great bands. they were a reaction to both the Disco movement, as well as the megalomaniac rock movement of the time that allowed such legendary acts as Led Zeppelin (love em) and the Stones to own their own jetliners and freebase $100,000 of coke in a night. it was what rock's essence was: teenagers who disliked authority and decided they were going to play instruments how they wanted.

wow the popularization of punk a lot has been lost and finding a genuine punk fan can be hard... because a lot of them don't like non-MTV friendly, non "cool" punk bands. plus most of the ones i've met come from very wealthy families and don't really get what they message of many of the songs were about.

[Joe03]

billy idol was from the 80's i believe and he just made the whole decade bad, but SRV was in the 80's with him being there you cant say the 80's sucked.
but i think eric clapton was the most influentual and best guitarist ever, incept for hendrix. If any of you listen to clapton live it is just amazon how smooth he plays but so raw with passion. and todays music mostly metal i think is an embarrassment to the music industry

-Joe

[Jolly McJollyson]

and todays music mostly metal i think is an embarrassment to the music industry

-Joe
Which form of metal?

For instance, would you say a band like Guns and Roses is an embarassment compared to, say, Eric Clapton? More specifically a guitarist like Slash when pitted against Clapton?

[Cryptic Excretions]

I think I'll just set idle on this one and keep my thoughts to myself. Usually I'm all for joining in, but I don't feel particularly lucky on this one.

[chucklivesoninmyheart]

"metal" you hear on the radio does not represent real metal and its sub-genres(the radio junk happens to be 'hard rock crap' at best)

The 80's were one of musics best decades.As a whole,guitarists and standards have taken a step back in the past decade and a half IMO

[Akira]

saying that "punk sucks" seems to be one of those things that people who either have

a) just gotten into guitar and want to seem like they know what they're talking about
b) have been into guitar for awhile, but have just started learning what this "theory" thing is and are obsessing over it
c) never heard any "punk" that wasn't by Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day or Good Charlotte

Just like people who say that pretty much any entire genre sucks; IMHO, when you start prattling off on how an entire genre blows you just took yourself down one intellectual notch.

punk isn't my thing, nor is rap, or jazz, but i will give it its dues. Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Clash, The Unseen, Pennywise, Misfits, Sex Pistols, Ramones... all great bands. they were a reaction to both the Disco movement, as well as the megalomaniac rock movement of the time that allowed such legendary acts as Led Zeppelin (love em) and the Stones to own their own jetliners and freebase $100,000 of coke in a night. it was what rock's essence was: teenagers who disliked authority and decided they were going to play instruments how they wanted.

wow the popularization of punk a lot has been lost and finding a genuine punk fan can be hard... because a lot of them don't like non-MTV friendly, non "cool" punk bands. plus most of the ones i've met come from very wealthy families and don't really get what they message of many of the songs were about.

Good post. *thumbs up*

I love Bad Religion; for me, more than anything they are about the messages they give out in their songs.

[x0o_BurnOut_o0x]

Yeah, and on the 80s topic once again, Jolly said Guns n Roses. How can you say 80s music sucked, when it was filled with such influential talents that were and still are models for all guitarists? I was wondering why no one had mentioned Slash yet since ive seen such Guns n Roses fans around this site. Still havent heard Claptons work, should, but havent gotten around to it so I cant comment on that. As for Van Halen I think he's amazing but theres a ton of other guitarists that are equally as awesome, they just dont get recognized as often. And I have to agree with Chuck, the decades past have seen alot better music in general, it was better in its structure and complexity, and idk seems to mean more. I cant seem to find a current band that equals Led, or GNR, or even Sex Pistols or Anti-Flag. There have been good bands the past 10, 15 years but idk I havent seen any of the stuff from back then. Music is ever evolving, i guess.

[faygo_d]

I give much props to all the 80s rock groups. they had little to work with
technology wise. and still had the ability to rock the world enough to inspire
all my favorite rock groups today. EVH I have not heard much of but Metallica, skid row, cinderella, guns n roses all rocked

[chickofthe80s]

yes....Eddie Van Halen does shred...like hell he does. but i dont think that all 80s bands were based solely on Eddie Van Halen himself. 80's bands ARE awesome and they DID shred. but everyone is subjected to their own opinion. yeah sure 80's bands did steal some tricks from Eddie. but i think that most of the bands stole their "stuff" from Clapton....not Eddie. Eddie did learn quite a bit from Clapton also. Eddie does have a totally awesome way of handling his guitars. He shreds. but 80s bands werent copying eddie. they learned from him. and as a rocker, you shouldnt have the balls to say that Eminem, out of all people, is an awesome artist. sure he's the only white person that knows how to rap but come on now. a true rocker sticks to his guns. the crap i hear on the radio today makes my ears bleed. even metallica's new stuff sucks. Eddie is not the only one who played how he felt. other artists may have copied other artists guitar work but when another guitarist tries to copy the other guitarist it never sounds like anything near the original. the artists copy other artists work but soon they play it so much and make changes to it that it becomes their own work. it may still sound like another artists' work but it has their own twist and their own personality added on to it. again, 80s guitarists do NOT suck. they did not copy eddie. saying that everyone copied from eddie is a bold thing to say. because in the end, you realize that everyone copied from someone. a lot of 80's bands got their material from older bands, whether from the 60's or 70's. and if you read the papers, you dont hear them all saying "oh we got our stuff from eddie" you hear them talkin bout how they tried to get a sound like their favorite artists. while eddie van halen is one of the most awesome guitar shredders, he is not everyone's idol.

[ericthecableguy]

Punk's message was lost long ago.

Yes.
As Slash put it, "Punk was cool for the first year, but after that I'm sorry but it was just gay." I'm not out to flame punk, but Jollys got a point.

[Kevin Taylor]

now if anyone could explain rap to me i would be forever grateful...

Black guys who like to write poetry. It's kinda classy actually.
A bunch of guys sitting around writing poetry and then getting together at a poetry reading and sharing their thoughts with other like minded individuals.
Some of them even put out poetry albums so they can share their talents with the world. I think it's really quaint. Who knew that gansta type guys were so sensitive?

[16andlifetogo]

Black guys who like to write poetry. It's kinda classy actually.
A bunch of guys sitting around writing poetry and then getting together at a poetry reading and sharing their thoughts with other like minded individuals.
Some of them even put out poetry albums so they can share their talents with the world. I think it's really quaint. Who knew that gansta type guys were so sensitive?
LMFAO!!! well put

[iluvkirkhammett]

Anyone who thinks that all 80's guitarists sucked just need to listen to Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All, Ride the Lightning or Kill 'Em All to see how awesome Metallica, more so Kirk Hammett and even Dave Mustaine are.

[Clark55]

so you are sayin that jimmy page(led zeppelin), ace frehley(KISS),slash(guns n roses) etc etc arent that good?

[pogohead]

CC Deville sucked, but a lot of 80's guitarists started a lot of what i learned as a kid, so i'd be lying if i said it was all bad

[CW14]

P.S. Music of today sucks and as a rocker it saddens me to say that the only person in the Biz today that has much much talent and I give much props to his Eminem, no matter what you say about him being crazy, if you listen to one of his 2 LP's you'll find one song that you will like, I particularly like all of them.
Was that supposed to be funny? Because it was.

[zorch]

jimmy page finger tapped a long time ago .did you ever see the song remains the same .since ive been loving you

[pogohead]

Was that supposed to be funny? Because it was.

I think he had a good point. I used to hate rap with a passion but after listening to the first Eminem album I actually found something I liked. Not only is his rhythm fantastic but the rhymes are soooo funny, it makes up for the background music.

[Fenderalltheway]

Ok I heard someone say that the 80's guitarists were awesome, wrong they totally sucked they sucked worse than I do. Also I know alot of people like shred, don't get me wrong I do to, but doesn't anyone know who started all of it. He was the greatest guitarists and still is if he made a new album, Eddie Van Halen, all these shredders wouldn't be able to tap and dive bomb without Eddie. The only 3 shredders I like are Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Vai. Here is why guitar players in the 80s sucked big time. They copied Eddie like no other, they played as fast as they could, sure they played faster than him, but they couldn't bring that awesome rhythm he had, no guitarists has that, I'm sorry but all I see is people saying how Satriani and Malmsteen are so good, blah blah blah. I don't know if you know this but all the shredders can read music, know all the scales, and such. Eddie on the other hand just plays what sounds right, and to me that makes him a Beethoven on guitar. In an interview he said he laughed when he saw all these guitarists tapping, they used them as tricks, and he just incorporates them into his songs. But he did mention he liked Vai and Joe. Another thing that gets me is that VAi took lessons from Joe, and sounds kinda like him in the sense they both shred. Eddie's biggest influences were Eric Clapton (awesome awesome guitarists by the way, there is no music without the blues)and Allan Holdsworth, but guess what he sounds nothing like them at all. Please reply, your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Music of today sucks and as a rocker it saddens me to say that the only person in the Biz today that has much much talent and I give much props to his Eminem, no matter what you say about him being crazy, if you listen to one of his 2 LP's you'll find one song that you will like, I particularly like all of them.

sry but i think all rap is bad, im more rock, and i think 80s rock was pretty good

[ericthecableguy]

Lets start a petition to have the definition of the word 'rap' to
'vocal defecation' in the dictionary.

[magicninja]

I think the 80's was the best decade for the guitar. Don't get me wrong I love classics from the 70's and the golden oldies but the eighties really defined rock imo. The ninties however really were terrible to rock. I like some grunge stuff but it was the worst decade yet. Hopefully in rocks case history repeats itself and we see another golden age rather than a decline.

[Lordathestrings]

sry but i think all rap is bad, im more rock, and i think 80s rock was pretty good


Hah! It is to laugh!

Back in the 50's, Beatniks were doing poetry readings over a rhythm section, usually an acoustic bass and bongo drums. Rap ain't nothin' new.

[Superhuman]

I think the 80's was the best decade for the guitar. Don't get me wrong I love classics from the 70's and the golden oldies but the eighties really defined rock imo. The ninties however really were terrible to rock. I like some grunge stuff but it was the worst decade yet. Hopefully in rocks case history repeats itself and we see another golden age rather than a decline.

I agree, most of te technical advances in rock guitar playing came from the 80's - Vai, Satriani, Becker, Malmsteen to name but a fraction. The good players were true greats in the 80's... I know they were influenced by 70's players such as Richie Blackmore & Eddie VH etc but they rose the bar in the 80's to a level which has not been matched to date.
Sure there were lots of "the scale goes up, the scale goes down" players too but at least they could play their instruments. 99% of all bands this decade (and the later half of the 90's) can only play a few chords and they manage to make onto the front of Guitar Magazine... what the hell is that all about!!??

[Raskolnikov]

Sure there were lots of "the scale goes up, the scale goes down" players too but at least they could play their instruments. 99% of all bands this decade (and the later half of the 90's) can only play a few chords and they manage to make onto the front of Guitar Magazine... what the hell is that all about!!??
People got sick of hearing purposeless, mastubatory, soulless, over-the-top guitar solos (and the whole hair metal asthetic of perpetual sophemoric partying and hedonistic persuits).

Sure, it's fun for a while, but it doesn't reflect reality and it gets old.

Of course, the 90's "Alternative" asthetic was taken too far as well, but that's usually the pattern with all cultural and artistic movements.

[pogohead]

Some times its nice to hear a bit of good old fret-wankin' though, as long as it actually makes you go '****, how did he do that?!'

[Raskolnikov]

Some times its nice to hear a bit of good old fret-wankin' though, as long as it actually makes you go '****, how did he do that?!'
Absolutely (Christ, I'm listening to Primus right now).

But any good thing can get taken too far.

[Blues_Man]

I haven't yet posted on this topic, so here it is!

I think 80's rock was good, yay! :)

I think 80's pop/comercial music/one hit wonders, screwed the music industry over, booo!!! :mad:


I think 80's guitar playing was invented to give people something to play while they show off at the guitar shop :D kidding

[parrotheada1a]

Some times its nice to hear a bit of good old fret-wankin' though, as long as it actually makes you go '****, how did he do that?!'

Rep inbound. You're so right it isn't funny. I went into GC a couple weeks ago and saw a couple of teenagers trying to sound like Satriani. Nothing new in that. What was fun to watch was their collective jaws dropping to the floor as a much older guy picks up a strat and plays the same thing, note for note without any distortion. Yes my jaw was on the floor too, and I got more than a little satisfaction listening to this guy play for about another 30 minutes or so. That was after the kids & their girlfreinds left. :cool:

[ericthecableguy]

KEEP ON SNIFFIN' TILL YER BRAIN GOES POP
:D :cool: :D

[alucard0941]

once you pop, you can't stop...

[Jolly McJollyson]

KEEP ON SNIFFIN' TILL YER BRAIN GOES POP
:D :cool: :D
Lacquerhead knows what one desires, lacquerhead sets his SKULL ON FIIIIRE!

[ericthecableguy]

YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!

PRIMUS SUCKS!!!
PRIMUS SUCKS!!!
PRIMUS SUCKS!!!

(Not in a bad way...)