Eddie Van Halen slamming Page

[the chase]

21 hours ago, the chase said:

yep .. I bought mine in the summer of 77.. maybe a little later.  

The irony is that there are plenty of times Eddie Van Halen hasn't sounded all that great live either, like he had a broken hand... It happens, they're human.

Drugs and Drink can make the all time greats sound not so good.

The main problem is his big mouth.

 

There were also several times Jimmy Page was playing with banged up fingers.  1973 aiport fence, 75 train door, 77 firework thrown onstage.  Even before the 02..  so whatever Ed.  

Both EVH and Steve Vai point to Heartbreaker as being a main inspiration in their own development. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by the chase

[SteveAJones]

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 1:33 PM, Bozoso73 said:

EVH would have been 17 in 72 so I dont think it could be from that date.  Plus that's a killer show.  Plus plus it could be Eddie Kramer so there is that angle.  

I know for a fact EVH attended Led Zeppelin's LA Forum gig in 1972.

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:03 AM, badgeholder said:

I believe Mike Millard had a friend named Eddie who he shared his recording with, hence the title.

Plausible.

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 3:30 AM, jsj said:

On my copy of listen to this Eddie it states the title is a reference to Eddie Kramer 

As I recall, this reference is stated on some releases, I just don't remember if it's stated on the mid-1980s releases under this title. Even so, it's unclear if this reference is consistent with Millard's original intent or not.

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 8:08 AM, badgeholder said:

I know they were both there on 3/24/75. 

Yes, and Alex Van Halen approached Bonzo's table at The Rainbow around this time, but Bonzo wasn't interested and dismissed him.

 

[Paganini]

On 11/13/2018 at 7:57 PM, pluribus said:

Listen to This Eddie wasn’t released until 1984, when Van Halen was huge. Far more likely to have the bootleg be about a current hitmaker who had made negative comments about the band’s live ability than for the title to be about a record producer from the 1960s. On top of the fact that the Eddie title doesn’t even make sense as it relates to Kramer. “Listen to this”, for what? To hear how good the recording sounds? That’s a stretch. Van Halen had specifically talked trash on Page’s live ability, and if you got in a time machine back to 1984 and said “I’m a big Eddie fan”, everyone from children to housewives would know that you were referring to Eddie Van Halen.

This is probably the right analysis.IMO

[PeaceFrogYum]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 10:14 AM, the chase said:

yep .. I bought mine in the summer of 77.. maybe a little later.  

The irony is that there are plenty of times Eddie Van Halen hasn't sounded all that great live either, like he had a broken hand... It happens, they're human.

Drugs and Drink can make the all time greats sound not so good.

The main problem is his big mouth.

 

Very true as I can attest to this fact. Saw them in 84' in fact and Eddie was so wasted he could not play for shit. It happens to the best of them.

[SteveAJones]

8 hours ago, Paganini said:

This is probably the right analysis.IMO

Except it omits the fact the title comes from what the original taper (Mike Millard) had written on one of his cassettes.

[pluribus]

2 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Except it omits the fact the title comes from what the original taper (Mike Millard) had written on one of his cassettes.

No way would one of Mike’s friends give his tape to a bootleg company. And, again, at that time it was an 8 year old, incomplete tape that they used. Which means at best it was a copy of a copy of a copy, etc. So, any note from Millard to a friend would’ve been even more unlikely to have been passed on between what were likely strangers passing copied tapes on to other strangers.

Edited November 16, 2018 by pluribus

[kirchzep27]

I miss the old days, when we just hated disco music.

[JohnOsbourne]

I appreciate the various responses on the Millard bootleg, but let me revise my original question:  

Is it accurate to say that EVH probably saw Zeppelin live several times in the 70's, and that his comments were directed towards Page's live playing in general, and not just a shoddy '77 (say) performance?  (In which case he's basically just being a loudmouth, granting that even at his peak Page was still a bit sloppy at times.) 

[Bozoso73]

15 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

I know for a fact EVH attended Led Zeppelin's LA Forum gig in 1972.

ok? were you standing there or what? elaborate please

Edited November 16, 2018 by Bozoso73

[SteveAJones]

10 hours ago, Bozoso73 said:

ok? were you standing there or what? elaborate please

Ok, I may not know for a fact EVH attended, however I personally believe he did because he himself said so.

[SteveAJones]

14 hours ago, pluribus said:

No way would one of Mike’s friends give his tape to a bootleg company. And, again, at that time it was an 8 year old, incomplete tape that they used. Which means at best it was a copy of a copy of a copy, etc. So, any note from Millard to a friend would’ve been even more unlikely to have been passed on between what were likely strangers passing copied tapes on to other strangers.

None of this rebuts the title comes from what the original taper (Mike Millard) had written on one of his cassettes.

[Stryder1978]

8 minutes ago, SteveAJones said:

None of this rebuts the title comes from what the original taper (Mike Millard) had written on one of his cassettes.

In my best Beavis voice:"Heh, heh...you said butt!"

[pluribus]

59 minutes ago, SteveAJones said:

None of this rebuts the title comes from what the original taper (Mike Millard) had written on one of his cassettes.

Proof?

[jabe]

Great live show to enjoy when you're down on the farm or adoring a penthouse view.
Listen to this - Eddie.

[SteveAJones]

3 hours ago, pluribus said:

Proof?

I'm merely posting from memory. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong...but...nothing posted thus far rebuts it regardless. 

[pluribus]

35 minutes ago, SteveAJones said:

I'm merely posting from memory. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong...but...nothing posted thus far rebuts it regardless. 

Sure. People are going to believe what they want. It’s when they declar them “fact”, that there should be more than memory to support it.

[Walter]

On 11/13/2018 at 7:06 PM, Strider said:

That's what I have been saying for decades. Glad to have you on my side.

Maybe the vinyl of LTTE did not get released until 1984-85, but the tapes had been circulating for years. I got a cassette copy of the June 23, 1977 show in 1978. The following year, the same guy who got me the Badgeholders Only show hooked me up with a cassette of June 21, 1977. All of this was before any of Van Halen's Page comments.

"Listen to this, Eddie" was what Mike Millard wrote on one of the cassette copies he sent out. It was not a title created by bootleg companies. Unless Mike was personally sending that tape to Eddie Van Halen or Eddie Kramer, the only explanation that makes sense is that Mike Millard made the tape for a friend named Eddie.

Was there a title on the cassette you received of the show back in ‘78?  Or was it just labeled with the performance date?

[Strider]

1 hour ago, Walter said:

Was there a title on the cassette you received of the show back in ‘78?  Or was it just labeled with the performance date?

My copy came blank. I told the guy to leave the cassette case blank as I wanted to create my own artwork. Same with my tape of June 23. And both were only partial...one 90-minute cassette each.

[Strider]

19 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I appreciate the various responses on the Millard bootleg, but let me revise my original question:  

Is it accurate to say that EVH probably saw Zeppelin live several times in the 70's, and that his comments were directed towards Page's live playing in general, and not just a shoddy '77 (say) performance?  (In which case he's basically just being a loudmouth, granting that even at his peak Page was still a bit sloppy at times.) 

EVH was obviously referring to Page's playing from 1977 onward. Maybe EVH even saw Jimmy at one of the ARMS shows? The Firm? Well, Van Halen played their last concert in September 1984, so it's possible Eddie could have seen The Firm.

18 hours ago, Bozoso73 said:

ok? were you standing there or what? elaborate please

It's common knowledge that Eddie Van Halen was at many Led Zeppelin concerts. If he wasn't at the 1972 shows, he definitely was at one of the 1973 gigs. The way Page played "Heartbreaker" inspired his tapping technique. He has talked about that in a billion guitar mag interviews.

[Bozoso73]

11 minutes ago, Strider said:

It's common knowledge that Eddie Van Halen was at many Led Zeppelin concerts. If he wasn't at the 1972 shows, he definitely was at one of the 1973 gigs. The way Page played "Heartbreaker" inspired his tapping technique. He has talked about that in a billion guitar mag interviews.

of course EVH saw LZ. .we all know JP got worse. i just didnt know if he had proof like a quote somwhere.:):)

[gibsonfan159]

20 minutes ago, Bozoso73 said:

of course EVH saw LZ. .we all know JP got worse. i just didnt know if he had proof like a quote somwhere.:):)

I posted a quote from EVH above. 

Edit: The quote says he picked up the tapping inspiration in 71, not when he criticized Page's playing. I'd like to see that article myself.

Edited November 16, 2018 by gibsonfan159

[badgeholder]

Setting the Record Straight:
Mike Millard was a close friend, and he had three with whom he regularly attended shows with.
His other two close friends, Jim R. and Ed F., were both top quality photographers, routinely sitting in the first few rows of L.A. area shows during the mid to late 1970's, when cameras were permitted.
Mike was victim to serious illness, which will not be addressed here.
Mike was employed on the staff of the Audio Visual Dept. at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Orange County, CA, close to his family home in Placentia, CA.

I found this on the web. Note his friend, Ed F.....

EVH calling Jimmy sloppy goes all the way back to Led Zeppelin II and the unaccompanied guitar solo in Heartbreaker

But until we can locate a photo of the 6-21 tape, (which I could swear I've seen before) it's all speculation

[gibsonfan159]

6 minutes ago, badgeholder said:

Setting the Record Straight:
Mike Millard was a close friend, and he had three with whom he regularly attended shows with.
His other two close friends, Jim R. and Ed F., were both top quality photographers, routinely sitting in the first few rows of L.A. area shows during the mid to late 1970's, when cameras were permitted.
Mike was victim to serious illness, which will not be addressed here.
Mike was employed on the staff of the Audio Visual Dept. at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Orange County, CA, close to his family home in Placentia, CA.

I found this on the web. Note his friend, Ed F.....

EVH calling Jimmy sloppy goes all the way back to Led Zeppelin II and the unaccompanied guitar solo in Heartbreaker

But until we can locate a photo of the 6-21 tape, (which I could swear I've seen before) it's all speculation

I think this puts the whole thing to rest. Good post.

On a side note, the structure of "Eruption" is obviously a direct take on the Heartbreaker solo, especially the live versions. I personally think he was making a statement musically to show how much more proficient he was compared to the old dinosaur rockers. EVH is just insecure enough to do something like this, so I think it ties into his criticizing Page.

[pluribus]

2 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

I think this puts the whole thing to rest. 

Hardly. That’s how these stories get started in the first place. People draw conclusions based on guesses. “Millard had a friend named Ed? That must be it.” Millard also had a friend named Jim and a friend named Dave, who pushed his prop wheelchair. Maybe that Jim was referring to Jimmy Page and that Dave was referring to David Lee Roth? 

Edited November 17, 2018 by pluribus

[gibsonfan159]

19 minutes ago, pluribus said:

. People draw conclusions based on guesses. “Millard had a friend named Ed? That must be it.” 

This whole discussion is based on guesses until further proof presents itself, which was what Badgeholder stated and what I agreed with. Thus, puts it to rest. The most sensible deduction, even if an assumption, would be Mike referencing a friend named Ed who accompanied him during concerts. Anything beyond that might certainly be possible, but definitely more unlikely. But who knows, maybe Eddie was a voice in Mike's head being fed to him by aliens.