Sweet 16 (late 1970's to mid 1980's) - #3 Van Halen vs #7 Queen

[YellowSnow]

No judgement, but I’m kinda surprised @GrundleStiltzkin and @YellowSnow voted for Van Halen.

I like Queen fine and they had some great songs, but they just don't do it for me in the way the Diamond Dave era VH does. I've played the shit out of all of the first 6 VH records to the point of wearing out the grooves figuratively speaking, of course (my TT is set up perfectly with a tracking force of 1.75 grams).

Idk maybe it's my age but VH just seems like a lot of other boring "generic rock" that was put out in the 80's. It's the type of stuff that's perfectly suited to car commercials. Nothing controversial and can make a bunch of old guys with middle incomes associate a mid-tier, moderately priced vehicle with their youth.

Huh. Eddie Van Halen being one of the most influential and original rock guitarist of all time is kinda the opposite of "generic rock". Nobody sounded like him whatsoever prior to 1978. Yeah, they were a "party" band, but the musicianship and the songwriting was terrific.

I see moments when Eddie gets to shine through but it's a whole lot of meh to get to those. He's "super" in comparison to a lot of other generic rock but if you are into metal and other technically challenging guitar oriented music then he's "cool enough" while all the rest of the vocals/lyrics, harmonies, and everything else is super boring[/b]. "Eruption" is cool but my metal head friends were figuring out how to play it at 16...
Just to be clear I was a shitty punk rocker and could at best play three chord songs so don't twist.

Idk put EVH with a different band and you could have had something much more interesting.

Edit: I've actually been listening to VH just to try and understand what everyone is on about but I really just don't get it.

I don't like my hard rock or metal to be too "technical" or overly "progressive"- e.g., I could never get into a group like Tool. If I want to go that route I find myself listening more and more to classical LPs.

Gotta remember I'm listening to Van Halen at the earliest 10 years after they were popular. Any points they would have received for being "first" at the time are pretty washed for me. I can listen to Eddie and think, "Oh yeah, his guitar work is pretty good." but it's not wowing me on any progress scale because I'm listening to it in a spectrum of music and not in that moment in 1981 where it comes on the radio for the first time and is new and fresh. The rest of the band registers completely flat for me as uninteresting pablum. Put that together = meh, another generic 80's rock group that had a good guitarist who could shred and a lot of filler band mates with some "defying the man" front-man that a corporation marketed.

I'm all for technical simplicity in music. I still listen to punk rock after all. My point was that Eddie is only a guitar god [/b]if your measuring him in the small pond that is 80's pop/rock.

And my weakness being a History major and all is I picture what it would have been like in 1978 to hear Eddie do his thing for the first time. I don't concern myself as much with the fact that some 16 year old kid nowadays can figure out Eruption. It's the same thing Chuck Berry. By today's standard's he's not a virtuoso, but he was the first and that's important in a lot of ways.

 

[backthepack]

No judgement, but I’m kinda surprised @GrundleStiltzkin and @YellowSnow voted for Van Halen.

I like Queen fine and they had some great songs, but they just don't do it for me in the way the Diamond Dave era VH does. I've played the shit out of all of the first 6 VH records to the point of wearing out the grooves figuratively speaking, of course (my TT is set up perfectly with a tracking force of 1.75 grams).

El oh el.

 

[jhfstyle24]

I was born long after Mercury died and Queen is just better. Die

 

[BearsWiin]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

 

[RaceBannon]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

 

[BearsWiin]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

 

[YellowSnow]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

Bob Seger is an underrated genius.

 

[RaceBannon]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

Rock Candy is one of the three

Your Love is Driving Me Crazy

I'll find Love Again

 

[Southerndawg]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

*Rock Candy is one of the three

Your Love is Driving Me Crazy

I'll find Love Again

*Montrose track when Sammy was the lead/only singer - fun album

I like this better though

 

[YellowSnow]

Wow - the gayme is tied up 20-20 with less than 24 hours to go. So far, I've only had to use my tie breaking skillz once which is a good thing.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

I like Queen, but their greatest hits album does not come close to how comprehensive Van Halen's is from the DLR years. A lot of people in here need some perspective.

 

[UW_Doog_Bot]

I like Queen, but their greatest hits album does not come close to how comprehensive Van Halen's is from the DLR years. A lot of people in here need some perspective.

OK!

 

[PurpleThrobber]

Wow - the gayme is tied up 20-20 with less than 24 hours to go. So far, I've only had to use my tie breaking skillz once which is a good thing.

All this Queen love just tells me there is a disproportionate number of closeted fags on HH.

 

[chuck]

Wow - the gayme is tied up 20-20 with less than 24 hours to go. So far, I've only had to use my tie breaking skillz once which is a good thing.

All this Queen love just tells me there is a disproportionate number of closeted fags on HH.

This game has brought down the closet doors...NTTAWWT

 

[UW_Doog_Bot]

Wow - the gayme is tied up 20-20 with less than 24 hours to go. So far, I've only had to use my tie breaking skillz once which is a good thing.

All this Queen love just tells me there is a disproportionate number of closeted fags on HH.

Butt rock is what frat boys listen to while munching on their gookie cookie. It's the height of closeted poofery. HTH.

 

[BleachedAnusDawg]

Wow - the gayme is tied up 20-20 with less than 24 hours to go. So far, I've only had to use my tie breaking skillz once which is a good thing.

All this Queen love just tells me there is a disproportionate number of closeted fags on HH.

Butt rock is what frat boys listen to while munching on their gookie cookie. It's the height of closeted poofery. HTH.

I don't think you know what butt rock is.

 

[dnc]

I was born long after Mercury died and Queen is just better. Die

You were born long after 1991? Are you like 12?

 

[Joey]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

*Rock Candy is one of the three

Your Love is Driving Me Crazy

I'll find Love Again

*Montrose track when Sammy was the lead/only singer - fun album

I like this better though

This whole album kicks ass and honestly predates Eddie Van Halen with the hot rodded out amplifiers

 

[Fire_Marshall_Bill]

Classick rock radio overplayed VH for many years and I started to hate some of their songs, but they were pretty influential and have some rocking tunes. Queen screwed around with operas and weird new wave styles too much. Plus they aren't Americans.

 

[Southerndawg]

If this had been between Queen and Diamond Dave's Van Heflin, I'd have trouble choosing. But, in the end, Queen never hired fucking Sammy Hagar.

I get the Van Hagar hate but Sammy had a great solo career in the 70's and made my final play list with three songs

And one of the best ever Live from Darryl's Place

Queen is meh. I remember when they came out and a friend was raving about them. I pointed out that they were nothing special

Nothing in Sammy's solo career comes close to being as good as Rock Candy. He's better when somebody else writes his material.

Hagar got better when he joined Van Heflin. Van Heflin got worse when he joined them.

Never really liked Queen as a kid. We'd go to Europe and see their concert poasters plastered all over the place, and I could never figure it out. I like Queen more the older I get, same with Bob Seger.

*Rock Candy is one of the three

Your Love is Driving Me Crazy

I'll find Love Again

*Montrose track when Sammy was the lead/only singer - fun album

I like this better though

This whole album kicks ass and honestly predates Eddie Van Halen with the hot rodded out amplifiers

You have great taste my fren. Cheers.