Randy Rhoads vs. Eddie Van Halen

[rupe]

A question for the ages...who do you prefer and why? Figured I'd start the weekend off with a bit of contentious fun

 

[Anonymous]

I prefer Ed (and frankly, I'm only talking about from 1978-1984) because he's got that quirky, off-the-cuff, style that really appeals to me. I also prefer his rhythm guitar playing, where he'll constantly wing and change things throughout a song. To me EVH is the best rhythm player in the history of hard rock music - to this day, some of his stuff is just so difficult. I love the way his playing swings and is sometimes slightly off the beat. Also, as a live showman, he was a lot more entertaining than Randy. When I saw Ed for the first time in '79 at the California World Music Festival, when they were opening for Aerosmith, they just blew them off the stage and much of the reason was Ed. He was wearing these ridiculous yellow knee pads and was constantly flying around the stage jumping, landing and sliding on his knees spinning around while playing this jaw-dropping, technical guitar stuff. All I could think of at the time was that I couldn't wait to get home and play because he was completely re-defining what I thought it meant to be a killer rock guitar player. I thought I was pretty good at the time because I could play Aerosmith, etc. and I realized right then and there that I was nowhere and had a LOT of work to do. I love how Ed would start and end the solos in songs the same way as the record, but improvise this crazy stuff in the middle. I also like his recorded tones, especially VHII, way more than Randy's.

Of course, this all went to shit in '85, but that is neither here nor there - he'll always be the king of rock guitar to me...

All this said, I still love what Randy did for the short time we had him. I just found him a little more calculated and thought out, which takes away some of the excitement for me.

Steve

 

[bubbastain]

EVH. Not really 100% fair because I heard EVH a few years before I heard RR on the first Ozzy album. Still, I was more inspired to play hearing EVH for the first time. I love Randys stuff too. Doesn't matter to me who is a technically better player. It's the person that inspired me to want to play. Same goes for Ace Frehley before I ever heard VH.

 

[Anonymous]

EVH. Not really 100% fair because I heard EVH a few years before I heard RR on the first Ozzy album. Still, I was more inspired to play hearing EVH for the first time. I love Randys stuff too. Doesn't matter to me who is a technically better player. It's the person that inspired me to want to play. Same goes for Ace Frehley before I ever heard VH.

What would it take to get you to retire your avatar and never use anything similar again?

Steve

 

[thiswaythatway]

Randy. Because he was a better metal player and wrote better songs. Actually, the 2 of them shouldn't be compared because they are VERY different. Randy versus Yngwie is more realistic.

But take Revelation Mother Earth. THAT is one hell of a composition. What's Eddie's best written material? You could take a name out of a hat IMHO.

I guess I'd say Randy had a better strength writing memorable pieces of music and Eddie was better at getting tones and quirky tricks on the guitar. But Eddie was rock n roll, and Randy was metal. Love them both. At least up intil 1984 for Eddie.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Well it is Randy for me since he brought more of that classical feel and his playing was heavier/more metal like than EVH when he was with OZZY. His solos were more of a song within a song. I started with Ace, then EVH who blew my mind when I heard VH1 in 1978, and then Randy. Randy was a true musician IMHO. I do agree that EVHs tone was much better than Randy's especially in the studio, but Randy did have a great live tone. Another note is that Randy was humble as hell, was eager to learn new stuff and better himself as a guitar player and a musican, where it was obvious that EVH didn't try to do that as much since his playing has not really progressed much since 1984 and that is not a bad thing. Randy will always be my favorite guitarist. It is too bad his life was cut short.

 

[gbsmusic]

Love Randy but to me EVH is the KING!!!! His loose feel and style I just love. I can play his stuff but I'll never be able to play with his feeling in the way he plays.

 

[Spaceboy]

EVH. RR is too predictable. Great guitarist, but the EVH style is so off the wall.

 

[messenger]

I never really got into Van Halen. I've ALWAYS loved RR. Too bad he died on my 6th birthday.

 

[srommes]

Love them both but it's Randy for me. I preferred his more technical playing using the modes etc. to Eddie's bluesy, off the cuff style. I agree with the statement that one was metal and the other was rock so it's a tough comparison.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Nuno seems to be the one to compare to EVH.

I like EVH on a sheer magnitude of his work. So many songs and drunken memories associated to them.

RR was a freak of a guitarist. Better melodies and had some of that flamboyant poofter look going. Seems more like YM.

EVH in the end. Knowing EVH was tapping Bertinelli in her prime like he tapped that fretboard puts him over the top with the win.

 

[Shark Diver]

Well one guy IS the band, and one guy is one of several great guitarist in a band.

They are so different. Like it has already been said, it isn't a really great comparison. EVH reminds me of growing up in So. Cal. and partying at the beach all night. I remember seeing RR here on the Blizzard of Oz tour and he is buried here just a few miles from my house - remember skipping school for the service. Great memories of both.

Both are amazing in their respective styles. Depending on my mood would depend who I would say at any given time. I'm lucky enough to have grown up with both on the radio

 

[Shark Diver]

Nuno seems to be the one to compare to EVH.

I was thinking Lynch to compare to EVH. great rhythms, off the cuff solos and tone gods...

 

[snowdog]

What would it take to get you to retire your avatar and never use anything similar again? Steve

I have made and seen a few other complaints about that pic, usually he doesn't bother to respond, although once he did tell me that is his favorite picture of himself and that the haters are out of luck. I would suggest banning his avatar privileges.


Back to the topic at hand, I agree with most that this is a pretty tough comparison since their styles are both so different.

 

[Chubtone]

EVH. RR is too predictable. Great guitarist, but the EVH style is so off the wall.

If you tell me you felt RR was "predictable" when you first heard that stuff in 1981 and 1982, I will probably fall off my chair.

If you meant to say that Randy's leads and songwriting more predictably follow diatonic harmony as used by people who understand western musical theory and that aren't just hot rodding a ZZ Top riff, than I would say yeah, RR was predictable.

My favorite between these two depends on the day. Most would guess I would say Rhoads and 2 out of three times I would say Rhoads. But not today. I'm going with Eddie today.

 

[jcmlespaul]

I have a very slight prefference to ed. That is just a matter of taste. Both are monster players who come from completely different schools of thought in approaching their instruments. I prefer Ed's swing to Randy's orchestration. If i did not have both to listen and enjoy my musical palette would be unbalanced.

 

[Lord Toneking]

EVH for me. They were both my guitar heros growing up but I just liked the fun happy partytime off the cuff style of music that VH brought. Randy was very classical and dark...which I liked as well, but to see Ed jammin' away with that big smile on his face made me just want to jam myself

there are VERY few people who can cop that EVH swing in which he plays. That also is one of the reasons why I like his playing so much better. Most any good player can do the note for note randy rhodes stuff, but have fun trying to pull off some EVH

 

[Heritage Softail]

EVH for me. They were both my guitar heros growing up but I just liked the fun happy partytime off the cuff style of music that VH brought. Randy was very classical and dark...which I liked as well, but to see Ed jammin' away with that big smile on his face made me just want to jam myself

there are VERY few people who can cop that EVH swing in which he plays. That also is one of the reasons why I like his playing so much better. Most any good player can do the note for note randy rhodes stuff, but have fun trying to pull off some EVH

True...

And Nuno even more with the funk riffs and crazy chugadelic grooves.

With no EVH rock guitar would not be the same. H

 

[ejecta]

EVH since to me he was more of a originator musically on the instrument than RR.

 

[chumbucket]

I won't compare them but I had the same feeling when I heard the solo to Over The Mountain as I did when I first heard Eruption. It was a question - "What was that"?