“They weren’t trying to be intellectual”: Billy Sheehan explains what set Van Halen apart from other bands
Billy Sheehan feels the one thing that set Van Halen apart from other bands was their lyrics, and not because they were particularly deep – it was rather the opposite.
Sheehan feels David Lee Roth’s contributions to the band were particularly strong in this manner, and says he always admired his lyricism. Sheehan played bass for the David Lee Roth Band from 1985 until 1988, and remembers that “songs came easy and fast” to the group.
READ MORE: Sammy Hagar thinks Alex Van Halen is “not doing his brother’s musical legacy justice” by ignoring the Van Hagar era of Van Halen in his book
In an interview with Marty5150 on YouTube, Sheehan says (via Ultimate Guitar): “Dave, I always loved his lyrics. And I was reviewing a couple of songs the other day for another matter. And I think that was one of the things that separated out Van Halen from a lot of other bands: that they had lyrics that were deeper. And they weren’t trying to be intellectual, not that they weren’t intellectual, but they weren’t trying to be smart or clever. They were just real.”
You can check out the full interview below:
Lyrics aside, Van Halen is of course most appreciated for guitar thanks to Eddie Van Halen himself. Earlier this January, Gene Simmons of Kiss revealed that he originally thought there must have been three guitarists in the band upon hearing them play live.
“I’m looking on the stage… There’s only one guitar player doing that stuff, one great bass player, killer drummer, and this great looking guy [David Lee Roth] with long blonde hair, bare-chested, doing acrobatics,” he said.“Within the first three songs, I was backstage, and I convinced the guys to sign with me on Man of 1000 Faces, my production company, and I flew him to New York. On my dime.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
