Who Is The Best In VH Other Than ED?

[lpmellinger]

I was just wandering who you thought was best in VH other than Eddie

[lovekraft]

Has to be Sammy, great singer, good songwriter and no slouch as a guitarist, either - but he just barely edges out Michael, the most underrated guy in Rock'n'Roll.

IMO, Michael's great vocals and signature rock solid simplicity defined the sound of VH nearly as much as Eddie's guitar histrionics.

[www]

I liked the early stuff, so I have to say............?

[Maiden69]

I'm in the same boat as lovekraft. I think that Sammy is a good all around musician. And Michael is a second but not by far... Dave won't get my vote ever. and I like the old VH stuff better than the new one! He is a great artist, singer, and performer, that's it.

[mushy the shroom]

That's real hard to say. I really liked Gary Cherone (why isn't he on the list)? Sammy Hagar is definatly my favorite singer, so I guess I'll go with him.

[MikeB]

i pretty much hate the band... sammy was the best vocalist, DLR is a ****. i would have voted alex, but i couldnt because of his "compensation" drumkit... it has 4 kick drums, and looks like pap!

[mushy the shroom]

Mike- why do you hate them?

[MikeB]

hmmm... dlr... VH solos seem cliche'd. I know i like malmsteen etc... and all that is kinda cliche, but its one i like... VH is too much Cheese Metal. Malmsteen did a VH cover, and it wasnt too bad. they arent too bad, i do hate dlr though. there are much worse bands out there, ill say that much!

Mike

[erikbojerik]

Micheal Anthony, for being able to play bass and sing the high harmony at the same time.

[Sacred]

I voted ????

[skibum5545]

Even though I am a bassist, I couldn't bring myself to vote for Mike Anthony. Yes, he played bass, but his basslines were not particularly interesting, especially when he was singing too. I will concede, however, that the bassline to Right Now is very good, though.

Also, when I saw VH in concert, he had a bass solo that consisted solely of drinking whiskey while smacking a Jack Daniels Steinberger bass against a wall of amps.

[erikbojerik]

Even though I am a bassist, I couldn't bring myself to vote for Mike Anthony. Yes, he played bass, but his basslines were not particularly interesting, especially when he was singing too.

I agree...but look who we have to choose from.

Kinda like the election.

[Saber]

I remember seeing a Van Halen concert on TV some years ago, and I was genuinely embarrassed for Michael Anthony during all of his bass solo.

Edited October 31, 2004 by Saber

[jer7440]

How can you deny DLR? He was the Voice of VH when they really rocked . Sammy is great, and he really rocked on his own as well. It just seemed to me there music just got a little wimpy when the joined together

[westhemann]

It just seemed to me there music just got a little wimpy when the joined together

i think that may have more to do with the ageing of the bandmembers

[GuitarMaestro]

How can you deny DLR? He was the Voice of VH when they really rocked

Because he is a very mediocre singer. I cannot deny that he was the incarnation of THE VH style, but his singing was more talking and making jokes and strange sounds instead of really singing. Sammy is one of the best singers technically. Which one you prefer is a matter of taste. I like both VH areas, but calling DLR a good singer is a joke in my opinion....

I have voted for Alex by the way....if you ever watch a VH live video you will see who tight this guy plays and what amazong technique he displays in his drum solos. True he doesn't play that spectacular on the albums because he plays whats good for the songs, but if he wants too he can play insane stuff....

[GregP]

It has to be Alex.

Anyone who voted Mike probably thought that his 'solo'... what the hell was it called... something about deep something.... was actually something other than him just farting around on the strings with some major effects because he wanted some attention, too.

He's not a quality bass player, though his harmonies are a distinct part of the sound.

Greg

[GuitarMaestro]

He's not a quality bass player, though his harmonies are a distinct part of the sound.

True that he does not play many intersting basslines, but he plays tight as hell which definately makes him a quality bass player. He may not play that spectacular, but the tight groove he lays down is certainly VERY professional.

[crafty]

I had to vote for Michael Anthony. I'm a bit younger than most people, and the first VH album I really remember hearing on the radio was "1984" back in, well, 1984. Since I was born in '79, do the math. Anyways, I first really started getting into VH around '93 when things were starting to sour with Sammy, and the first VH concert experience I had was watching Extreme Van Halen in St. Louis in 1998. What else did you think "EVH" stood for back then?

The best part of the show in '98 and the show I saw in July in KC was when Michael sang "Somebody Get Me A Doctor". That song and "Panama" are my two faves. He is a great singer and I really wish they would have given him more of a chance to sing alone, not just harmonizing Sam, Dave, and Gary. Especially when they let Ed sing on the VH3 album. I still cringe when I think about "How Many Say I?". Pure pig vomit.

And to the people who complain about the Mad Anthony "bass solo", what do you expect, Stu Hamm? C'mon, he's playing a "Jack Daniels'" bass for crying out loud! The whole bit is just tradition, kinda like Alex playing the same "helicopter" drum solo he's played for years, and Ed just screwing around with "Cathedral", "3:16" and "Fur Elise".

[GregP]

I understand the beauty that is a simple but TIGHT bass line. My dad is a bass player, and whenever I use a bass, it's his J-Bass that I'm using. However, and not to take too much away from bass musicianship in general, there's no mystical secret to staying in the pocket. Have a good sense of rhythm, and know when to lag behind the kick, when to jump ahead of the kick, and when to join up with it.

It's more of a sense of rhythm than a highly vaunted skill... he may indeed HAVE that sense of rhythm, but frankly I don't think it makes him any more special than any other bass player in any bar band out there who's able to lock down a rhythm. I'll retract my implied message that Michael Anthony sucks, and replace it with a "Well, he's nothing special."

And sure, yeah, I WOULD think he was something great if he was Stu Hamm. You can't just say he's 'good' because 'relative to other drunk bass players who use a Jack Daniels bass, he's good'. He's passable and has good rhythm. At best. Hopefully it was his management that convinced him to do a shoddy bass solo; in which case, I'd regain a bit more respect for him.

Greg

[crafty]

I really think it's all about the tradition with the Mad Anthony bit. I think this whole recent tour was about throwing a bone to the fans and Mad Anthony had to come out and play. In '98, his solo was "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" and he added some bass riffs to the end of it. I mean, comparing it to Stu Hamm's bass solo on Satch's "Live in San Francisco", sure, it's nothing special. I guess I really didn't say why I voted for him though.

Michael Anthony was the only one in the group we never heard bitch about who was the singer, the songwriter, or the management. He remained loyal to just about everyone in the band, except maybe DLR, even when the band went through all of its changes. He's not the best musician in the band, but I really think he was the only one who really put the music and the fans first, so that's why I think he's the best member of VH. He continued to tour and record with VH even after they hired Gary, and he continued to do summer tours with Sammy because of their friendship. It takes a lot to be the "go-between" your friends, especially for a whole decade. He probably deserves most of the credit for getting them back together with Sammy. So best bassist in the world or not, I think he's definitely the best "human being" in VH.

[GuitarMaestro]

However, and not to take too much away from bass musicianship in general, there's no mystical secret to staying in the pocket. Have a good sense of rhythm, and know when to lag behind the kick, when to jump ahead of the kick, and when to join up with it.

It's more of a sense of rhythm than a highly vaunted skill... he may indeed HAVE that sense of rhythm, but frankly I don't think it makes him any more special than any other bass player in any bar band out there who's able to lock down a rhythm.

Playing REALLY tight is a skill that has to be practised and studied like music theory, etc. What do you think why Bass Players studying at BIT or any other bass university play simple 8th and 16th note grooves for months although they can already play the fastest runs and craziest slap parts? Playing a bass line correct and laying down a groove like only some masters are able to is a BIG difference.

I don't know how far you are in your own muscial developement, but I tell you the better you get the more you will be able to appreciate tight rythm playing. After my study of guitar at MGI(german version of GIT) I hear VERY slight variations and imperfections in rythm playing I would never have been able to hear before. And exactly these fine nuances seperate a master grade bass player from a good bass player. For example I had a band class where I played with Al Di Meola's drummer and the head teacher of the bass school who also played for Paul Gilbert and if you heard them play a simple eight note beat it just sounded incredible and way more gripping and grooving then what your average good bass player can deliver. There is a big difference between playing "correct" and playing like one of the bass greats.

Anyway I would NOT put Anthony in that calss of players, but he still is very good in terms of rythm.

[Drak]

hmmm... dlr... VH solos seem cliche'd. I know i like malmsteen etc... and all that is kinda cliche, but its one i like... VH is too much Cheese Metal. Malmsteen did a VH cover, and it wasnt too bad. they arent too bad, i do hate dlr though. there are much worse bands out there, ill say that much!

Mike

...If you were around back in '77-78, Van Halen was anything but 'cliche' at the time.

They were about as cutting edge as it got. Yngwie was still a 16-year-old kid playing by himself to Vivaldi records.

Name me the cutting edge guitar players/bands that were around in 1975, 1976, and 1977, that pre-dated Eddie's style of playing, and tell me who made a bigger impression on rock music guitar playing more than Eddie Van Halen.

Go ahead, give it a shot.

Blackmore?

Schenker?

Page?

Lifeson?

Gibbons?

Iommi?

Hendrix?

KK Downing?

Ace Frehley?

Gary Rossington?

No one helped rock guitar playing turn the corner into the crazy '80's more than Eddie did. He had his hand on the steering wheel almost completely alone.

And although history has not treated David Lee Roth very kindly, in his day, circa 1978-1979, no one could touch him for a front man.

So I'd have to give the second fiddle chair to DLR, he very well deserves it, far more than an unknown Michael Anthony, because I remember him when he was completely at the top of his game and no one could touch him, and Sammy was probably still with Ronnie Montrose back then.

Like it or not, no matter how good he was, Sammy was a fill-in.

David Lee Roth was the original, he CREATED the part Sammy played, and he well deserves the lions' share of the credit for that.

When Van Halen broke world-wide, -no one- was paying any attention to a little-known Sammy Hagar back then.

I mean, I was there, I saw Van Halen in '78 (I was 17 ) on their first nation-wide tour when they were still hot as hell and hungry.

No one was looking at Michael Anthony.

No one was looking at Sammy Hagar.

EVERYONE knew who David Lee Roth was, and for a very good reason.

[GuitarMaestro]

If you were around back in '77-78, Van Halen was anything BUT 'cliche' at the time.

They were about as 'cutting edge' as it got. Yngwie was still a 15-year-old kid playing by himself to Vivaldi and McShizzle records. Alcatrazz probably hadn't even formed yet.

You name me the 'cutting edge' guitar players/bands that were around in 1975, 1976, and 1977, that pre-dated Eddie's style of playing, and you tell me who made a bigger impression on rock music guitar playing more than Eddie Van Halen.

I second that. I was only to lazy to correct that ignorant statement. Eddie is the less cliche player ever in my opinion. He broke with nearly every common way of playing lead guitar and to this day his style and way of playing is so unique that you can immideately recognise him. He is definately one of the most innovative players since Hendrix and one of the players with the biggest influence on the way guitar is played ever.