Been thoroughly enjoying this series. In the spirit of Diver Down, just wanted to share a clip of “The Full Bug” I shot from the 2012 tour. Was blown away at how Ed could still pull this off 30 years after the album came out.
I came to Van Halen via Queen back in the 80’s. Queen albums were all about variety and the variety of songs and sounds on Diver Down made it one of my favourite Van Halen albums back in the day. I still have a soft spot for it and it contains some of my favourite VH tunes...Secrets, Hang em High, Full Bug. A classic
I’d like to petition to have Dweezil remaster these albums. Is it just me or are the sound bites of the songs coming through even better sounding than the originals?
On some occasions in these episodes I have made some slight adjustments to the eq for the tracks in order to bring out certain details. I've mostly done it with the live bootleg stuff because those typically need help to sound better.
What I would really like to do is mix some Van Halen classic albums in Atmos! That would be amazing and so much fun!!! Full on 3D Van Halen!
Another great episode! Mark was super cool and was a great guest. Hearing all these great musicians that you bring aboard gush over Edward is so heartwarming. Gives me a sense of validation to why I’ve always exclaimed that Van Halen was the greatest band ever and that Edward has no equal. But one of the best parts of all these episodes is you Dweezil. Your enormous fandom and immense love and respect for Eddie brings me so much joy to listen to and at times brings me to tears. Thanks again for all your doing for fans like me. Like always, I can’t wait for the next episode.
Great stuff. Loved hearing the alternate Hang Em High solo. You can hear the I'm the one riff he uses in the second chorus. And listening back now, I hear parts of the Cradle Will Rock and Push Comes to Show in the Secrets solo. Funny that you mentioned Townsend for Little Guitars as I always thought Won't Get Fooled Again for that song. Its so great to revisit this album. Thanks for doing that.Hopefully Tremonti leads to Wolfie discussing A Different Kind of Truth. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Just finished the Diver Down episode. Just great stuff always felt like that album while panned had such good playing on it. Even with all the covers it sounds like VH. Ed always made it his own and I have nothing but respect for that. That double neck on Secrets fascinated me. The live guitar I think had a Danelectro neck and I always felt like that “U” shaped head stock was about to snap. And having seen Ed live at a tribute to Les Paul at the Brooklyn academy of music with Jan Hammer, Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta in 1988, I’m reminded of what you and Mark talked about Ed could only sound like VH with Alex. It was a great tribute but It felt different. When he played with Alex, Mike and eventually Wolf, it felt dangerous. Thank you again for giving us this gift and perspective on all these recordings. I would love if this was a permanent program on Premier Guitar, Volume XM or a Netflix series. Who do we have to talk to about that?
Another gem! I wish these would never end...I for the life of me don't understand why Billy C. did not like this record.... it's full of golden nuggets which you uncovered Dweezil. What's funny to me about this record is Jan Van Halen is on it and my dad's name is Jan. It was always a kindred spirit kind of thing I had with Ed...even though I never met him.. I was going to bring it up to him when I was going to meet him one day :) I mean c'mon...I play guitar, you play guitar, our dads names are Jan... best friends forever! Lol.
Hey Dweezil. Great job with this episode! Funny enough, this episode woke me up to two things:
1.) Diver Down has always been my least favorite disc, to be honest. I love " Cathedral, " " Secrets, " and " Big Bad Bill. . ." ( with their dad, Jan ). But the rest just didn't impress me. However, thanks to this episode, I'll be going back and transcribe some of those parts for my own playing ( especially that main riff to " Hang 'Em High " ). And. . .
2.) I never really paid much attention to Tremonti's musicianship before this episode ( I know Wolfgang did some work with him ). But, he sounds like a really bright guy ( and a pretty awesome guitarist ). So, I will definitely be checking out his work more often!
Great work on this, Dweezil. These episodes have really helped me get back into studying Edward's playing.
Hi Dweezil. Just noticed that the last four podcasts have been WAV downloads, but the first five were mp3s. Any chance the first five could be uploaded as WAVs?
As I have been listening to this series Dweezil has been dropping some great stuff in I have never heard before (like "Act Like Hit Hurts" aka "The Red Zone") as well as referencing some things that are unreleased. I came across this great selection earlier and it is pretty awesome for anyone who wants to hear 25 or so unreleased VH songs across all periods of the band. Check it: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/unreleased-van-halen-songs/
Just loving this series - every episode (or pair of episodes) offers a new perspective, even the double up on Fair Warning was worth it to me as a) it's SUCH a good record, and b) it gave me a totally different take on Billy Corgan which I really enjoyed. It's a real treat to listen to people nerd out over music that I love in a way that my wife is totally not into . It has caused me to go back and re-listen and fall in love with the VH catalogue all over again. Great project, really glad it exists.
Same here for me, Mark ( haha )! I've tried to get my wife into some of my favorite music but it's a no go. So, this is a great place to hang out and geek out over guitar stuff!
This show is absolutely amazing.... D does a great job. The Corgan show was the only one that kinda sucked to me. 1. We already talked about Fair Warning 2 episodes with Nuno which was awesome by the way so even though it was BC's favorite album and he was on the Guitar world 96 cover with Ed when he interviewed him and it was his favorite album I don't see why we wasted another episode talking about FW, the same songs and this time didn't even play many parts or anything we just spent time talking about BC. Kinda the worst one in my opinion but hey lets bounce back. Im excited to move on to Diver Down and eventually into the Hagar era specifically Balance. Anyways keep up the good work D. Also aren't these supposed to be a weekly Thursday thing? Why no show yesterday. Seems now its not weekly anymore its like one a month.... common man put em out!!! :)
we love it D thank you so much man... keep em coming this was a great idea. Rob Johnson :)
I'd take as many episodes on Fair Warning as Dweezil can muster. This isn't an either or situation -- it's a load up your plate with another piece of pie situation because we have plenty. There were a few profoundly interesting moments in the BC episode that were quite illuminating. Conversations are dialogic -- in this case more is better - the more inputs the better. The idea of experiencing EVH through the collective networks of his peers and fans as they speak to their experiences with him and his music, with Dweezil facilitating or curating those discussions, is an unparalleled opportunity. Something ver4y liminal and quite wonderful is being built here. Strap in - it's happening organically and you are on the ground floor brother.
I don't mind multiple takes on "Fair Warning' (or any of the albums myself) but I just felt the other episodes everyone was just SO enthusiastic talking about Ed and what he did which I didn't feel it in the Corgan episode... Felt like Dweezil was really trying hard to get him to go into more detail on why something spoke to him and he just wasn't biting... Can't wait for Diver Down...
Yes, I am aware that the episodes have slowed down a bit and I apologize for their tardiness. Truthfully, to make them as good as good as I possibly can, they actually take more time to make than I had planned. A lot of stuff goes into them, more than just recording conversations with people. I have been working 10-12 hour days for weeks on these things and it's just me doing it. I'm just about finished with the Diver Down episode. It will be uploaded tonight. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Hi! Really enjoying these episodes so far. Blues Saraceno was cray cray!! Paper bag?!? Just wanted to make a small request, and I don't know if it's been done, but a side by side comparison of which earlier demo riffs ended up in which songs on the albums would be cool. Maybe this has already been done? I don't know. Anyway, many thanks for your doing this, Dweezil!!
Really enjoying the podcast series. The Corgan episode is the only one that fell flat for me. A few too many snide remarks (hair metal, Kiss, Hagar-era VH, etc.). And Corgan doesn't like "Hear About It Later"? Wow...
Added note: I am having an issue with my Premier Guitar subscription, so I've followed up with them.
Thank you for all the AWESOME episodes Dweezil. I have a 1984 album "conspiracy" that I hope you can help put to rest in an upcoming episode. Ted Templeman's recently released biography ("A Platinum Producer's Life in Music", Greg Renoff) has a chapter that details the creation of the 1984 album and states that the drum solo intro to "Hot for Teacher" wasn't drums at all, but a difficult and time-consuming manipulation of a recording of the exhaust from Ed's Lamborghini by Don Landee. As a musician who is intimately familiar with the song I nearly fell out of my seat when I read this, and can't imagine how this could true. The book also details how the exhaust was used during the break in "Panama", so I don't think he is confusing the songs. Please consider addressing this. The fans deserve to know, and Alex deserves credit for what he accomplished if the book is inaccurate. Keep up the fantastic work. |m|
I think the part on HfT you are referring to is only the first 4 seconds or so of the track; if I remember (I may be corrected) that it was the Lamborghini on start-up that you can hear at the very beginning (perhaps on a ‘cold start’, if such things occur in LA?!)
Then Alex’s drum part comes in as we all know and love.... and away we go....
Hi Richard. Yes, the 1st few seconds of Hot For Teacher is what I'm referring to. I could be wrong, but I would bet (my autographed VH-1 record :)) that the first few seconds is Alex playing a pattern on an electronic tom pad (with sticks). The same sound is triggered by the electric tom and electric kick drums, so when the double kicks come in after the first few seconds it sounds like an engine running. It took me years to figure out how Alex pulled this off, but it's only a theory (especially now that Templeman has discredited it). I would love to verify this with somebody who was there.
Hi Dweezil , love all the episodes and like the mighty VH albums , I am re -listening to all the episodes several times. I tend to listen when I'm in the car and have all episodes on a USB memory stick - however for some reason the Billy Corgan one will not play ??? Suggesting "File Error" . Even though others that are WAV files have been fine and played. Any ideas please ?
And, it's been well documented that 'So This Is Love?' guitar solo is a composite. Not a spontaneous one-take, as it sounds. Ed said he played a bunch of takes/licks, then went + stitched together best parts = what's on LP. Well, that's what I've read anyway. :)
DAMN : the 'One Foot Out the Door' isolated track is KILLER. Love to hear it alllll .... THANK YOU, Dweezil. XO
Billy!! Best conversationalist yet. THANK YOU. What a pleasant surprise; intelligent, sure. BUT, humble + articulate.
Beg to differ tho. Listen to Unchained Live '81 Oakland again ... Eddie actually comes in TOO EARLY with the verse riff. Dave isn't late at all. ... Count it .... See? :)
I always noted that, from first viewing in 1981. 'he fucked up!!??!!"
I did double-check it after the episode and I concur. Dave was on point and Ed was a bit early. It's cool how he caught it though, it makes that version unique!
Been thoroughly enjoying this series. In the spirit of Diver Down, just wanted to share a clip of “The Full Bug” I shot from the 2012 tour. Was blown away at how Ed could still pull this off 30 years after the album came out.
Thank you for sharing it...so GREAT!!!!
That is fantastic! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks for sharing !!
The solo breakdown portion between Eddie, Mike & Al in “The Full Bag” always reminded me of the The Allman Brothers Band song “Kind Of Bird”...
another wonderful episode!
I came to Van Halen via Queen back in the 80’s. Queen albums were all about variety and the variety of songs and sounds on Diver Down made it one of my favourite Van Halen albums back in the day. I still have a soft spot for it and it contains some of my favourite VH tunes...Secrets, Hang em High, Full Bug. A classic
I’d like to petition to have Dweezil remaster these albums. Is it just me or are the sound bites of the songs coming through even better sounding than the originals?
Hi Craig,
On some occasions in these episodes I have made some slight adjustments to the eq for the tracks in order to bring out certain details. I've mostly done it with the live bootleg stuff because those typically need help to sound better.
What I would really like to do is mix some Van Halen classic albums in Atmos! That would be amazing and so much fun!!! Full on 3D Van Halen!
Another great episode! Mark was super cool and was a great guest. Hearing all these great musicians that you bring aboard gush over Edward is so heartwarming. Gives me a sense of validation to why I’ve always exclaimed that Van Halen was the greatest band ever and that Edward has no equal. But one of the best parts of all these episodes is you Dweezil. Your enormous fandom and immense love and respect for Eddie brings me so much joy to listen to and at times brings me to tears. Thanks again for all your doing for fans like me. Like always, I can’t wait for the next episode.
Great stuff. Loved hearing the alternate Hang Em High solo. You can hear the I'm the one riff he uses in the second chorus. And listening back now, I hear parts of the Cradle Will Rock and Push Comes to Show in the Secrets solo. Funny that you mentioned Townsend for Little Guitars as I always thought Won't Get Fooled Again for that song. Its so great to revisit this album. Thanks for doing that.Hopefully Tremonti leads to Wolfie discussing A Different Kind of Truth. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Mr. Zappa,
Just finished the Diver Down episode. Just great stuff always felt like that album while panned had such good playing on it. Even with all the covers it sounds like VH. Ed always made it his own and I have nothing but respect for that. That double neck on Secrets fascinated me. The live guitar I think had a Danelectro neck and I always felt like that “U” shaped head stock was about to snap. And having seen Ed live at a tribute to Les Paul at the Brooklyn academy of music with Jan Hammer, Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta in 1988, I’m reminded of what you and Mark talked about Ed could only sound like VH with Alex. It was a great tribute but It felt different. When he played with Alex, Mike and eventually Wolf, it felt dangerous. Thank you again for giving us this gift and perspective on all these recordings.
I would love if this was a permanent program on Premier Guitar, Volume XM or a Netflix series. Who do we have to talk to about that?
Rob
Another gem! I wish these would never end...I for the life of me don't understand why Billy C. did not like this record.... it's full of golden nuggets which you uncovered Dweezil. What's funny to me about this record is Jan Van Halen is on it and my dad's name is Jan. It was always a kindred spirit kind of thing I had with Ed...even though I never met him.. I was going to bring it up to him when I was going to meet him one day :) I mean c'mon...I play guitar, you play guitar, our dads names are Jan... best friends forever! Lol.
Hey Dweezil. Great job with this episode! Funny enough, this episode woke me up to two things:
1.) Diver Down has always been my least favorite disc, to be honest. I love " Cathedral, " " Secrets, " and " Big Bad Bill. . ." ( with their dad, Jan ). But the rest just didn't impress me. However, thanks to this episode, I'll be going back and transcribe some of those parts for my own playing ( especially that main riff to " Hang 'Em High " ). And. . .
2.) I never really paid much attention to Tremonti's musicianship before this episode ( I know Wolfgang did some work with him ). But, he sounds like a really bright guy ( and a pretty awesome guitarist ). So, I will definitely be checking out his work more often!
Great work on this, Dweezil. These episodes have really helped me get back into studying Edward's playing.
Take care!
Hi Dweezil. Just noticed that the last four podcasts have been WAV downloads, but the first five were mp3s. Any chance the first five could be uploaded as WAVs?
Yes, please make wav/flac available for all episodes. That's one of the reasons I subscribed.
As I have been listening to this series Dweezil has been dropping some great stuff in I have never heard before (like "Act Like Hit Hurts" aka "The Red Zone") as well as referencing some things that are unreleased. I came across this great selection earlier and it is pretty awesome for anyone who wants to hear 25 or so unreleased VH songs across all periods of the band. Check it: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/unreleased-van-halen-songs/
Thanks Tiger Baby! Good stuff there!
Just loving this series - every episode (or pair of episodes) offers a new perspective, even the double up on Fair Warning was worth it to me as a) it's SUCH a good record, and b) it gave me a totally different take on Billy Corgan which I really enjoyed. It's a real treat to listen to people nerd out over music that I love in a way that my wife is totally not into
. It has caused me to go back and re-listen and fall in love with the VH catalogue all over again. Great project, really glad it exists.
Glad you're enjoying it Mark! Wives don't always appreciate the guitar nerd stuff but this series has plenty of nerdy stuff for you to enjoy!
Same here for me, Mark ( haha )! I've tried to get my wife into some of my favorite music but it's a no go. So, this is a great place to hang out and geek out over guitar stuff!
This show is absolutely amazing.... D does a great job. The Corgan show was the only one that kinda sucked to me. 1. We already talked about Fair Warning 2 episodes with Nuno which was awesome by the way so even though it was BC's favorite album and he was on the Guitar world 96 cover with Ed when he interviewed him and it was his favorite album I don't see why we wasted another episode talking about FW, the same songs and this time didn't even play many parts or anything we just spent time talking about BC. Kinda the worst one in my opinion but hey lets bounce back. Im excited to move on to Diver Down and eventually into the Hagar era specifically Balance. Anyways keep up the good work D. Also aren't these supposed to be a weekly Thursday thing? Why no show yesterday. Seems now its not weekly anymore its like one a month.... common man put em out!!! :)
we love it D thank you so much man... keep em coming this was a great idea. Rob Johnson :)
I'd take as many episodes on Fair Warning as Dweezil can muster. This isn't an either or situation -- it's a load up your plate with another piece of pie situation because we have plenty. There were a few profoundly interesting moments in the BC episode that were quite illuminating. Conversations are dialogic -- in this case more is better - the more inputs the better. The idea of experiencing EVH through the collective networks of his peers and fans as they speak to their experiences with him and his music, with Dweezil facilitating or curating those discussions, is an unparalleled opportunity. Something ver4y liminal and quite wonderful is being built here. Strap in - it's happening organically and you are on the ground floor brother.
I don't mind multiple takes on "Fair Warning' (or any of the albums myself) but I just felt the other episodes everyone was just SO enthusiastic talking about Ed and what he did which I didn't feel it in the Corgan episode... Felt like Dweezil was really trying hard to get him to go into more detail on why something spoke to him and he just wasn't biting... Can't wait for Diver Down...
Hi Rob,
Yes, I am aware that the episodes have slowed down a bit and I apologize for their tardiness. Truthfully, to make them as good as good as I possibly can, they actually take more time to make than I had planned. A lot of stuff goes into them, more than just recording conversations with people. I have been working 10-12 hour days for weeks on these things and it's just me doing it. I'm just about finished with the Diver Down episode. It will be uploaded tonight. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Hi! Really enjoying these episodes so far. Blues Saraceno was cray cray!! Paper bag?!? Just wanted to make a small request, and I don't know if it's been done, but a side by side comparison of which earlier demo riffs ended up in which songs on the albums would be cool. Maybe this has already been done? I don't know. Anyway, many thanks for your doing this, Dweezil!!
Hi Scott,
Glad you're enjoying the series! Yes, the paper bag story is a good one!
Really enjoying the podcast series. The Corgan episode is the only one that fell flat for me. A few too many snide remarks (hair metal, Kiss, Hagar-era VH, etc.). And Corgan doesn't like "Hear About It Later"? Wow...
Added note: I am having an issue with my Premier Guitar subscription, so I've followed up with them.
Hi Timothy,
I hear ya, there will always be a few surprises out there. Hopefully Premier has sorted out your issue by now. Best, DZ
Thank you for all the AWESOME episodes Dweezil. I have a 1984 album "conspiracy" that I hope you can help put to rest in an upcoming episode. Ted Templeman's recently released biography ("A Platinum Producer's Life in Music", Greg Renoff) has a chapter that details the creation of the 1984 album and states that the drum solo intro to "Hot for Teacher" wasn't drums at all, but a difficult and time-consuming manipulation of a recording of the exhaust from Ed's Lamborghini by Don Landee. As a musician who is intimately familiar with the song I nearly fell out of my seat when I read this, and can't imagine how this could true. The book also details how the exhaust was used during the break in "Panama", so I don't think he is confusing the songs. Please consider addressing this. The fans deserve to know, and Alex deserves credit for what he accomplished if the book is inaccurate. Keep up the fantastic work. |m|
Hi Steven
I think the part on HfT you are referring to is only the first 4 seconds or so of the track; if I remember (I may be corrected) that it was the Lamborghini on start-up that you can hear at the very beginning (perhaps on a ‘cold start’, if such things occur in LA?!)
Then Alex’s drum part comes in as we all know and love.... and away we go....
Hope this helps
Hi Richard. Yes, the 1st few seconds of Hot For Teacher is what I'm referring to. I could be wrong, but I would bet (my autographed VH-1 record :)) that the first few seconds is Alex playing a pattern on an electronic tom pad (with sticks). The same sound is triggered by the electric tom and electric kick drums, so when the double kicks come in after the first few seconds it sounds like an engine running. It took me years to figure out how Alex pulled this off, but it's only a theory (especially now that Templeman has discredited it). I would love to verify this with somebody who was there.
Hi Dweezil , love all the episodes and like the mighty VH albums , I am re -listening to all the episodes several times. I tend to listen when I'm in the car and have all episodes on a USB memory stick - however for some reason the Billy Corgan one will not play ??? Suggesting "File Error" . Even though others that are WAV files have been fine and played. Any ideas please ?
And, it's been well documented that 'So This Is Love?' guitar solo is a composite. Not a spontaneous one-take, as it sounds. Ed said he played a bunch of takes/licks, then went + stitched together best parts = what's on LP. Well, that's what I've read anyway. :)
DAMN : the 'One Foot Out the Door' isolated track is KILLER. Love to hear it alllll .... THANK YOU, Dweezil. XO
It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. It does seem like some thought went into expanding his vocabulary on that solo.
Billy!! Best conversationalist yet. THANK YOU. What a pleasant surprise; intelligent, sure. BUT, humble + articulate.
Beg to differ tho. Listen to Unchained Live '81 Oakland again ... Eddie actually comes in TOO EARLY with the verse riff. Dave isn't late at all. ... Count it .... See? :)
I always noted that, from first viewing in 1981. 'he fucked up!!??!!"
LOVE + ROCKIT,
- E.
I did double-check it after the episode and I concur. Dave was on point and Ed was a bit early. It's cool how he caught it though, it makes that version unique!
Loved the confused faces for a second after Ed comes in early!
Hi Dweezil, GREAT idea with this podcast. One quick question, do you think you’ll issue the Axe FX presets after Cygnus is released?