John 5 has named Van Halen’s 1978 debut album as one of his all-time favourite records, noting the way Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing “really freaked me out” the first time he heard it.
Appearing on AXS TV’s Vinyl Obsession Podcast, John 5 reveals how Van Halen’s self-titled debut gave him “the biggest shock” at the time thanks to the unique guitar work of the late legend.
“I bought this from the cover alone, because it said ‘Gene Simmons’, and he worked on the record,” recalls John 5 [via Blabbermouth]. “And I remember putting this on, and I think maybe this record was the one that maybe gave me the biggest shock, because of the sound.”
“Now, I was already playing guitar. And it was, like, ‘Whoa.’ It was like seeing a car, but then seeing a race car,” he says. “You’re, like, ‘Whoa.’ I mean, [Eddie’s playing] really freaked me out. And then with Dave’s [Lee Roth] vocal and the sound and everything… Without these four guys, it wouldn’t be the same — with Mikey’s [Anthony, bass] vocals and his playing and Alex’s [Van Halen, drums] playing.”
Elaborating on the magic of Eddie’s playing, John 5 continues, “I remember I would get on Eddie’s rig and I would get on his guitar rig, and it’s all in the hands — it’s just in the hands. It’s in his attack. It’s in his playing. That’s why he sounds like Eddie.”
The musician adds that while anyone can hit the same notes, “it’s just different with certain players, like Eddie, because there was an attack and there was a certain way he really hit the strings.”
“Same thing with Yngwie Malmsteen or people like that. They have a certain swing to them or a certain attack. And that’s how it was with Van Halen.”
The post “It’s all in the hands” John 5 recalls being ‘really freaked out’ by Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing on Van Halen’s debut album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.