“First of All, There Was No Guitar Player Who Had Ever Played Like That”: Van Halen Producer Ted Templeman Tells ‘GP’ How It All Began

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Andres wah/multitracking wizardry



Manni weird major scale stuff



Weiki heavy strat tones



Kai Hansen ascending 8s the solo in the middle, I think around 330 (is this legato? How the fuck is he so smooth?)

 
I already AM a dad.

I'm just a hair younger than the standard RT demographic, so I'm completely uninterested in Kiss, The Eagles/Joe Walsh, EVH, ACDC, or any other corporate butt rock from that era

But I'm also too old to care about Polyamory/Tammy Henson, Mastodon, or They/Them pronouns

What I wouldn't give to have a youtube channel or forum obsessed with guitar players I actually LIKE and listen to 🥵

Andre Olbrich wah/multitracking tutorial?

Manni Schmidt music theory for all the weird scales and modes he uses in solos?

Weiki strat tones? Kai Hansen weird ascending 8s?

my kingdom for guitar content I actually give a shit about
Yeah, I’m not even a Dad but I’m right at the RT demo at 59yo.

I’ve never heard of any of those guys either but I will remedy that later tonight. Always interested in new (to me) players.

I’ve kind of always hated KISS except for a minute around Creatures of the Night. Never cared for Ace at all, but he influenced a shit ton of great players.
 
Yea, according to Teds book he went down to the club where VH were playing but originally someone else was supposed to go. He was blown away and went back to Warner and told them to sign them. I never got why Simmons couldnt get them signed though. He really wanted Ed to join Kiss and made Ace start tapping! LOL
More than likely the push from Gene was to get them mgmt. first and then a deal on Casablanca. As Paul said, he didn't want anything to do with them on Casablanca and Aucoin mgmt. I know alot of people diss Paul but think about it, why would he want to share a label or mgmt. with the next big thing. That's just being a realist and in being so he's had a top level career for near 50 years. At best Kiss had two more years left anyway as it played out, at the top of the rung.

And really it worked out better for VH, most of the bands on Aucoin mgmt. and Casablanca didn't do anything except for Kiss. Aucoins last gasp was getting Billy Idol going.
 
I already AM a dad.

I'm just a hair younger than the standard RT demographic, so I'm completely uninterested in Kiss, The Eagles/Joe Walsh, EVH, ACDC, or any other corporate butt rock from that era

But I'm also too old to care about Polyamory/Tammy Henson, Mastodon, or They/Them pronouns

What I wouldn't give to have a youtube channel or forum obsessed with guitar players I actually LIKE and listen to 🥵

Andre Olbrich wah/multitracking tutorial?

Manni Schmidt music theory for all the weird scales and modes he uses in solos?

Weiki strat tones? Kai Hansen weird ascending 8s?

my kingdom for guitar content I actually give a shit about

Don’t share your views but I totally get your point and where you’re coming from.

Maybe it would be better if there was some sort of All things Van Halen sticky main thread so as to not have so many threads at once
 
Don’t share your views but I totally get your point and where you’re coming from.

Maybe it would be better if there was some sort of All things Van Halen sticky main thread so as to not have so many threads at once

That honestly would be a great idea

I'm not trying to be a hater, but God damn it's exhausting if you aren't into it 🤷
 
I already AM a dad.

I'm just a hair younger than the standard RT demographic, so I'm completely uninterested in Kiss, The Eagles/Joe Walsh, EVH, ACDC, or any other corporate butt rock from that era

But I'm also too old to care about Polyamory/Tammy Henson, Mastodon, or They/Them pronouns

What I wouldn't give to have a youtube channel or forum obsessed with guitar players I actually LIKE and listen to 🥵

Andre Olbrich wah/multitracking tutorial?

Manni Schmidt music theory for all the weird scales and modes he uses in solos?

Weiki strat tones? Kai Hansen weird ascending 8s?

my kingdom for guitar content I actually give a shit about
It's funny because anyone that actually grew up with Kiss, AC/DC, Rush or VH (Roth)...they were anything but corporate rock. They were the outsiders. Arena rock, sure.

Now, VH with Hagar, yeah they evolved into that no doubt. I'm not even sure you could label early Perry fronted Journey as corporate, as VH did though they surely evolved into that with the Escape album and beyond.

Corporate rock during this era, or the era I grew up was stuff like Toto, Heart, Foreigner, Styx, REO, Eagles, Boston etc...

I get where you're coming from though, back in the day I was the guy who was always brining the new stuff, new discoveries to my friends, bandmates etc... The sad thing, although there is alot of new, varied music out there few are gonna get to the heights of any of the above mentioned bands. The industry is just not geared for that anymore.
 
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It's funny because anyone that actually grew up with Kiss, AC/DC, Rush or VH (Roth)...they were anything but corporate rock. They were the outsiders. Arena rock, sure. Now, VH with Hagar, yeah they evolved into that no doubt. I'm not even sure you could label early Perry fronted Journey as corporate, as VH though they would surely evolved into that with the Escape album and beyond.

Corporate rock during this era, or the era I grew up was stuff like Toto, Heart, Foreigner, Styx, REO, Eagles, Boston etc...

At least to me, those bands are completely comparable in that way

I listen to more "underground" style music - style, because it's kind of stupid to call a band like helloween or blind guardian that's sold millions and millions of records, an "underground band"

So calling Kiss, Rush, or VH "outsiders" is laughable to me - if you can buy a coffin or condom with the bands logo, can they really be outsiders?

If the band is played constantly on local classic rock radio, how is it not "corporate"?

I'm not attempting to shit on it, people like what people like. But at least from my generation's perspective it seems a bit silly

"I don't listen to schlock like N*sync, backstreet boys for LIFE!"
 
I already AM a dad.

I'm just a hair younger than the standard RT demographic, so I'm completely uninterested in Kiss, The Eagles/Joe Walsh, EVH, ACDC, or any other corporate butt rock from that era

But I'm also too old to care about Polyamory/Tammy Henson, Mastodon, or They/Them pronouns

What I wouldn't give to have a youtube channel or forum obsessed with guitar players I actually LIKE and listen to 🥵

Andre Olbrich wah/multitracking tutorial?

Manni Schmidt music theory for all the weird scales and modes he uses in solos?

Weiki strat tones? Kai Hansen weird ascending 8s?

my kingdom for guitar content I actually give a shit about
Have you thought about maybe mandolin or banjo?
You seem right in that millennial sweet spot to have suspenders and a banjo.
Fedora even?
 
At least to me, those bands are completely comparable in that way

I listen to more "underground" style music - style, because it's kind of stupid to call a band like helloween or blind guardian that's sold millions and millions of records, an "underground band"

So calling Kiss, Rush, or VH "outsiders" is laughable to me - if you can buy a coffin or condom with the bands logo, can they really be outsiders?

If the band is played constantly on local classic rock radio, how is it not "corporate"?

I'm not attempting to shit on it, people like what people like. But at least from my generation's perspective it seems a bit silly

"I don't listen to schlock like N*sync, backstreet boys for LIFE!"
You can buy all that now, but when those bands were fist coming out, they were totally underground and our parents were trying to burn our records.
It’s funny how things change.
 
At least to me, those bands are completely comparable in that way

I listen to more "underground" style music - style, because it's kind of stupid to call a band like helloween or blind guardian that's sold millions and millions of records, an "underground band"

So calling Kiss, Rush, or VH "outsiders" is laughable to me - if you can buy a coffin or condom with the bands logo, can they really be outsiders?

If the band is played constantly on local classic rock radio, how is it not "corporate"?

I'm not attempting to shit on it, people like what people like. But at least from my generation's perspective it seems a bit silly
Like I said I get it.

On the other hand...you had to be there when it was happening. Sure everything is blurred now by the Classic rock moniker or what was once cutting edge is now acceptable and tame.

But when it was happening, if you liked Kiss in High School you were a true outsider, laughed at. Alot of FU's back in the day over that band. Nobody but a select few...the burnouts in the hallway, or the real musicians in your local town etc... liked Rush. And nobody liked VH until Jump blew up, they were for the guitar crowd and the beer drinking party music on Friday and Saturday night. Fun times. Now obviously I'm exaggerating a tad, alot of people liked these bands at the time as they were moving a ton of records and tickets but again, they were not considered radio friendly corporate mainstream.

That said, there's always correlations with age and musical movements and "not getting it". I always felt as a listener and a musician I was able to stay ahead of the game, move forward as music did. I can remember so many times thinking I can't listen to that old shit now, I have to keep current with my playing and writing. Until one day I realized I much preferred listening to the shit I grew up with than anything new.
 
Have you thought about maybe mandolin or banjo?
You seem right in that millennial sweet spot to have suspenders and a banjo.
Fedora even?

That's the generation right below mine, and I'm too busy with leather jackets, battle vests, and pyramid studs, and marshall halfstacks
 
Like I said I get it.

On the other hand...you had to be there when it was happening. Sure everything is blurred now by the Classic rock moniker or what was once cutting edge is now acceptable and tame.

But when it was happening, if you liked Kiss in High School you were a true outsider, laughed at. Alot of FU's back in the day over that band. Nobody but a select few...the burnouts in the hallway, or the real musicians in your local town etc... liked Rush. And nobody liked VH until Jump blew up, they were for the guitar crowd and the beer drinking party music on Friday and Saturday night. Fun times. Now obviously I'm exaggerating a tad, alot of people liked these bands at the time as they were moving a ton of records and tickets but again, they were not considered radio friendly corporate mainstream.

That said, there's always correlations with age and musical movements and "not getting it". I always felt as a listener and a musician I was able to stay ahead of the game, move forward as music did. I can remember so many times thinking I can't listen to that old shit now, I have to keep current with my playing and writing. Until one day I realized I much preferred listening to the shit I grew up with that anything new.

That makes a lot of sense honestly.

It's just the "music I grew up with" is late 80s/90s underground european metal - it was the soundtrack to all the Keggers and Saturday nights - and the battles were with "false metal" or "mallcore" like Limp Bizkit, Korn, etc

Just a cultural generation gap 🤷
 
At least to me, those bands are completely comparable in that way

I listen to more "underground" style music - style, because it's kind of stupid to call a band like helloween or blind guardian that's sold millions and millions of records, an "underground band"

So calling Kiss, Rush, or VH "outsiders" is laughable to me - if you can buy a coffin or condom with the bands logo, can they really be outsiders?

If the band is played constantly on local classic rock radio, how is it not "corporate"?

I'm not attempting to shit on it, people like what people like. But at least from my generation's perspective it seems a bit silly

"I don't listen to schlock like N*sync, backstreet boys for LIFE!"
They were not played on the radio back when they were “new”. Once “we” became the target ad market then the radio started playing them. Same with Ozzy, Metallica etc. I knew when I heard that stuff on the radio I was old…
 
Corporate rock during this era, or the era I grew up was stuff like Toto, Heart, Foreigner, Styx, REO, Eagles, Boston etc...

the-big-lebowski-hate-the-fucking-eagles-man.gif
 
I must research those of which you speak.
:D :D :D No need. Dan loves "power metal". Basically, every song from every power metal artist is about some form of sorcery. Rhythmically, every song trudges along over top of generic 'double bass preset' unwavering drum machine drum patterns :D:D:D Oh boy, am I going to get it now...
 
:D :D :D No need. Dan loves "power metal". Basically, every song from every power metal artist is about some form of sorcery. Rhythmically, every song trudges along over top of generic 'double bass preset' unwavering drum machine drum patterns :D:D:D Oh boy, am I going to get it now...

I don't know if "trudges along" is appropriate for music with double bass drum going 150-250bpm at all times

And if you think all the songs are about sorcery, you've apparently only heard manowar and Rhapsody 🤔
 
Dad bands? I am a grandpa and Kai Hansen is older than me. He was already gigging in the late seventies...
 
More than likely the push from Gene was to get them mgmt. first and then a deal on Casablanca. As Paul said, he didn't want anything to do with them on Casablanca and Aucoin mgmt. I know alot of people diss Paul but think about it, why would he want to share a label or mgmt. with the next big thing. That's just being a realist and in being so he's had a top level career for near 50 years. At best Kiss had two more years left anyway as it played out, at the top of the rung.

And really it worked out better for VH, most of the bands on Aucoin mgmt. and Casablanca didn't do anything except for Kiss. Aucoins last gasp was getting Billy Idol going.
By Genes own admission he wanted to get them signed. He also paid for the demos they did. I still say his ulterior motive was to try and get Ed in the band. He did ask him and Ed turned him down, but Simmons was starting to get tired of Ace by that point.

Funny cause Ace was the first guy I heard tap when I was a kid (Alive II Shock Me Solo). So when the first VH album came out I thought this "Ed" guy was stealing from Ace! ..LOL I was like 7 or 8... Doh!
 
 
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