Sorry for such a late response. I even posted a "rest in peace" post on the muscle car forum I am on for Eddie. My boss called me with the news when I was on my way home. Aside from hearing the play by play when 9/11 happened, it was the only time I have just pulled over in sort of disbelief. I was only 4 when the first VH album hit. But.....by the time I was 10 and just starting to play guitar, I was already turned on to his prowess. No...genius. Even during his synth heavy years, his playing was just spot on. Then all of a sudden, in the middle of the shred craze of the late 80s, he does some country riffin' with "Finish What You Started". I will never forget the Les Paul special on, I believe Showtime. I just remember programming the VCR so I could watch it over and over again. I was just blown away.
Players like him only come around once (I mean people who truly revolutionize how a guitar is played). He didn't just influence a ton of famous players, he influenced millions of players period. I grew up with the beginnings of MTV so a lot of the time you could see what someone was doing. I could only imagine what guitarists were thinking when VH was played through a set of headphones when it was first released. There was no way to turn on your computer to see how he was doing these crazy licks. No way to turn on MTV and hope that the video director was smart enough to actually get the lead guitarist during the solo. You could just listen and hope they were coming to your town. Must have been like a magician just recorded Eruption.
Little by little, and I know some people would like to argue that "This guy is faster" or "this guy has more theory knowledge" or the list goes on when it come to armchair quarterbacks, the truly talented are passing away, and we aren't seeing their shoes getting filled by anyone. There is a hole left that I don't think will ever be filled. To me, Eddie was that unique.
Back in 2012, they came to town with Kool & The Gang. One of our guitar teachers went and recorded the entire show in his smart phone. He told me to wait for the halftime solo, I would be blown away. I was. Eddie was faster, more precise, etc., but still had the urgency he did when he was a kid. That intangible thing that hit you in the gut. After watching it, we both agreed that we had yet to see his best. With a career that spanned almost 40 yrs. at that point, that was saying something.
I heard Lynch say that to him Jimi Hendrix was playing from his soul. Listen to the solo in "Little Dreamer". If anyone can listen to that song and just close their eyes and really listen to the solo, and not feel the same way, then I would argue that they don't have a soul.
I wish I had seen the original post when it was posted. But here it is in all its belatedness.
Eddie, I know you're out there, and you are young again. You are playing guitar with the angels, and entertaining people long passed from this world. Don't just rest in peace. Keep blowing everyone's minds with your creative genius. Why stop now? You did ours for 41 yrs.
God Bless Ya' For It!!!
