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List Price: $24.95 | | Publisher: Backbeat Books
Salesrank: 714798
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| Our Price: $11.36 |
| Used Price: $10.57 |
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| Media: Spiral-bound |
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Editorial Review:
Part of the Fretmaster series, this book is geared to teach players both the history and technique of one of rock’s greatest guitarists. It explores the musical life and legacy of Eddie Van Halen, whose innovative style is emulated by even the youngest generation of guitarists. The book covers Van Halen's career from his high school days in Pasadena, California, to the present day; provides detailed accounts of his most significant recorded work; and offers commentary from Van Halen himself and the well-known guitarists he has influenced. Lessons on technique provide the skills and encouragement players need to emulate this musical master. An in-depth look at Eddie’s guitars and gear rounds out this compelling musical portrait.
Eddie Van Halen - Know the Man, Play the Music (Fretmaster) Reviews:
More opinion that facts, but it isn't completely worthless... 
2008-01-20 - I read all of the reviews on this book, but yet still ordered it, as I am a huge Van Halen fan and a guitar player. Plus, at this point, it isn't really expensive.
Executive Summary: If you are a VH fan, and especially a guitar player interested in his style, buy the book (on sale), but skip the first 60 pages.
Like the other reviewers have eluded to, this is kinda 2 books in one spiral bound package. The first part, by Malcolm Dome, is an effort to provide the history of the band all the way up to the 2004 reunion tour with Sammy. However, where it is lacking detail and correct facts, those gaps are filled in by the author's own opinions. Even including his personal thoughts on every single track off of every album. Ug.
From that standpoint it is a hard read because I found myself on more than one occasion asking "WTF is he talking about?!"
If you want a more factual history of the band, done by a much better writer, then you need to read: "Everybody Wants Some" by Ian Christie.
The second part by Rob Fogg contains exercises and explanations of Eddie's style of playing. It has been criticized that all of the examples are not from actual VH songs, but more of "in the style of..." EVH. I actually like that aspect since I already have plenty of books/DVD's that tell me how to play the stuff note for note. Instead I want to better understand the overall style, direction, technique and theory that is behind Eddie's playing. In that regard, this book does a decent job.
PROS: Nice Spiral Binding, Guitar instruction is good.
CONS: Malcolm Dome is a tool, and his work on this book is really bad. His contribution to this peice is worth skipping.
Worst Van Halen book ever... 
2008-01-04 - This book is terrible. The writing is completely subjective, biased, and opionated, it lacks very little, if any factual information. Never does the author note any relationship between himself and Eddie, no interviews, nothing, and yet he seems to proclaim that he knows what Eddie was thinking and when Eddie was thinking it. it seems that the author's thesis is that Van Halen I was the bands greatest work and that everything they released afterwards was sub-par. Along with this the author seems to attest that the rest of the band was holding Eddie back and that the genius of EVH was absolutely stunted by his band mates.
As for the playing part of the book... Well let's put it this way, it was worse than the writing! The CD tracks are awful MIDI backing tracks that have the worst groove I've ever heard. The guitar players tone, (as noted in other reviews) is terrible and lacks any characteristics of the brownsound. And finally the riffs, and licks aren't Van Halen, they are just "in the style of", and are just poor, ugly variations on VH tunes....
Fortunately for me, I never purchased the book, I just borrowed it from the library... This is how mad it made me and I didn't even shell out any cash for it! If you want to learn about the psyche of Eddie then check out the "Guitar World Presents" book with interviews with the real EVH. For playing, I recommend the Guitar Anthology or just listen to the recordings and transcribe em!
A complete joke
2006-02-06 - The word extensive shouldn't be used to describe it and it's as bad as everyone's saying. The only thing worse than the book was the press release Backbeat Books put out. False advertising to the enth degree. They said Eddie would be telling his story in his own words by recounting each step of the band's career. That was a grotesque lie. Eddie was in no way involved in the making of this book and neither was anyone else in the band. Eddie's own words were nothing more than a few ancient quotes cut and pasted into the book. They said the book pours over Eddie's style with expert detail. Another lie. The lessons if you can even call them that are sad to the point of being hysterical. They didn't even include the tablature for any Van Halen songs! The lessons are some hamhanded attempt at copping Eddie's style that fall well short. The history if you can even call it that is more a discography masquerading as a history. They said the book included quotes from all the different guitar players Eddie influenced. Another lie. There's one or two quotes from Leslie West and no one else. I could go on and on but I don't care to. You get the point. They even messed up Eddie's birthday. He was born in 1955 not 1957. If you need a good Van Halen book pick up the VH Encyclopedia by CJ Chilvers or the recently released Van Halen 101 by Abel Sanchez. The knowledge those two men have about VH is a million times stronger than that of anyone involved in this pathetic attempt to cash in on the Van Halen name. By a country mile. Dome and his crew couldn't carry Chilvers or Sanchez jock.
more the man than the music 
2006-02-04 - Its not as bad as everyone is saying. It has a very extensive history of Van Halen (the band) and their ups and downs. I did not notice any mistakes. The writer is British and uses interesting phrases at times. I appreciate that he gives some opinions or makes some speculations rather than the cold hard facts, and includes quotes from others too. I actually learned a number of little details I didn't know before. There are also a lot of details about Eddie's guitars and their modifcations and other equipment through the years, and there are some decent black and white photos from over the years.
The "play the music" section is weak I agree. Its geared toward beginners, and most advanced players already know many of the tricks. It does come with CD to accompany the method, and the book is hard bound but with a spiral to lay flat - so thats great.
I guess I would sum it by saying this is a good book about Van Halen but not a definite advanced study on his technique.
Horrible Book!
2006-01-10 - Malcolm Dome is an idiot! It's sad that classic VH went right over this rock journalist's head. He couldn't even comprehend Van Hagar either. He seems very bitter VH did not tour Europe so he spews his venom here. Kiss Van Halen's American ass! This book is filled with inaccuracies, mispellings, and grammatical errors. Too many to mention. He's a professional journalist? It seems the only recording he understood was Van Halen's debut. Stay clear of this garbage and get Van Halen 101 written by a fan who knows what he is talking about. Abel Sanchez is a huge fan, but can still write objectively and has done his homework. "Van Halen is America's Led Zeppelin!"
