Do you think Michael Anthony is underrated??

[Heiwa]

Do you think Van Halen should've replaced Eddie, and if so which guitarist would've been a better option from the top of your head?

I really dislike him (and his son too). I believe he treated everybody like **** and he didn’t have to..

VH with Vito Bratta as a replacement would have been nice IMO

 

[MrClassicMetal]

Both Anthony and the other Van Halen could have been replaced without the band missing a beat. IMO their musical contribution added nothing unique to the band's sound and in that sense they were actually probably overrated.

Regarding "the other Van Halen", I vehemently disagree. AVH has a very unique, instantly recognisable sound that is an integral part of the sound of the band itself. In fact, it's one of the most iconic in his genre. You can pick out his signature drum tone and swing immediately.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

I really dislike him (and his son too). I believe he treated everybody like **** and he didn’t have to..

VH with Vito Bratta as a replacement would have been nice IMO

It wouldn't make sense to keep on going under the VH banner minus Eddie though. Also, Vito Bratta has been off the grid for 30 years now. And since injuring his hand in the late 90s he can only play classical guitar, unfortunately.

 

[prowla]

...well, the band was called Van Halen, so the clue was there.
Me, I think EVH is one of the few guitarists who made a difference - probably second to Hendrix (who also anecdotally told his bass player what to play); when I put on a VH album it's the guitar I listen to.
There's no point in wudda-cudda-shudda overthinking the role of the rest of the band; they did their job.

 

[watt]

bassslinger cad_mike,

I think michael anthony works bass and singing great, big respect from me.

on bass, watt

http://mikewatt.com/

I personally think he is but I'd really love to hear others opinions... The whole "he's just a meat and potatoes bassist" thing just irks me tbh... Sure all he does is play on the root BUT literally 75% of the VH hits are fast mid tempo to slow fast tempo... Anthony had to maintain the bottom and rhythm on those songs night after night especially live. Most guitar players who think he's a meat and potatoes bassist couldn't fill in for one song like "Jump" live for Eddie without a pick but I bet they couldn't double pick that rhythm without screwing up!

 

[JimmyM]

Regarding "the other Van Halen", I vehemently disagree. AVH has a very unique, instantly recognisable sound that is an integral part of the sound of the band itself. In fact, it's one of the most iconic in his genre. You can pick out his signature drum tone and swing immediately.

I disagree too. Wolfie has shown that he’s very talented and smart. I give him a lot of respect for trying to make his own way and not be a clone of his dad.

 

[JimmyM]

I really dislike him (and his son too). I believe he treated everybody like **** and he didn’t have to..

VH with Vito Bratta as a replacement would have been nice IMO

You have to be joking. Van Halen without Edward would not be Van Halen. And yeah, he had his moments of being unreasonable, but after 10 years of DLR, who wouldn’t be?

 

[HelpImaRock]

I learned how to play bass to Van Halen I. So yeah, I think he's a little underrated. Just like Dee Dee Ramone is underrated. They played what was needed. Learning to cop their different feels was a stepping stone to understanding modern rock and beyond.

 

[mmon77]

I love Van Halen, and I'll even admit that I like a good bit of "Van Hagar".

That band was one of those nightmare scenarios of personality, ego and talent. It worked great when it worked, but I think everyone in the band suffered for it.

I give Michael Anthony allot of credit for being the "rock" in more ways than one. He held down the low end, and was probably the only (relatively?) stable person in the band. And his vocal contributions are as much a part of the Van Halen sound as Eddie's guitar and Alex's drums.

His work in Chikenfoot shows that he's more than just "the bass player from Van Halen".

 

[drumvsbass]

Mr. Anthony's rock groove is second only to Cliff Williams.

 

[Michedelic]

One thing about how the band orchestrated their stuff, and how it was recorded…as the original line-up was essentially a power trio plus vocalist, they didn’t do a whole lot of the usual thing where there was a “rhythm”/riff guitar part under the vocal verse/chorus sections, and that continued while a solo was tacked on top(much like Cream or Zeppelin, where sometimes it sounded like a five or six person band with all the guitar overdubs). At least on the earlier stuff, they were ‘live’ in the studio; Eddie would drop the comping bit in order to go off on the break, and Anthony had to mind the store, so to speak, and keep it all together in the rhythm bed underneath while not letting it sound empty. A good part of that was Ted Templeman’s recording techniques, but if Anthony would have done anything flashy, the whole thing would have fallen apart. There’s an art to filling in the space in that context.

 

[Socobass]

Both Anthony and the other Van Halen could have been replaced without the band missing a beat. IMO their musical contribution added nothing unique to the band's sound and in that sense they were actually probably overrated.

Whatever, I'm sure you could've replaced him ?

 

[Low-Five]

You have to be joking. Van Halen without Edward would not be Van Halen. And yeah, he had his moments of being unreasonable, but after 10 years of DLR, who wouldn’t be?

Wolfie said it himself. Van Halen without EVH would have made as much sense as Megadeth without Dave Mustaine or Yngwie without Yngwie. Everyone else in the band could have regrouped with a different guy, but it would not be the same band.

 

[KenD]

Whatever, I'm sure you could've replaced him ?

Thanks for coming out.

 

[dave64o]

Mr. Anthony's rock groove is second only to Cliff Williams.

Is that related specifically to his time in Van Halen or does that apply to everything he's done?

 

[Michedelic]

The Van Halen’s and Anthony all played second fiddle to David Lee Roth though am I right?

What possesed by the Van Halens are you referring to?
Oh, you’re not right. No one was ever really bowled over by Roth’s vocals, he just got by with the typical hard rock screeching of the era. He was a great showman as a frontman, an entertainer drawing on influences dating back to Vaudville, let alone Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas. “Eruption” is what got them noticed. It was Eddie who was the true star of the band his revolutionary at the time technique.
As far as MA was concened, he was doing his job, and provided essential backing vocals. Pull that out of the equation, plug in some flash bassist, and it would have been an ungrounded trainwreck.

 

[Gluvhand]

Eddie was always the star. Full stop. Roth had two albums that sold well post Van Halen and quickly became a joke and caricature of himself and VH went on to their most commercially successful period, and I greatly prefer the Roth era, but facts am facts.

 

[TheArchitect]

The Van Halen’s and Anthony all played second fiddle to David Lee Roth though am I right?

No, your not and I hate that phrase.

 

[Steve Cooke]

Yes I think his bass playing and its overall contribution to the sound of the band deserve WAY more credit than it gets. One of the greats in my opinion.

 

[Low-Five]

Eddie was always the star. Full stop. Roth had two albums that sold well post Van Halen and quickly became a joke and caricature of himself and VH went on to their most commercially successful period, and I greatly prefer the Roth era, but facts am facts.

Those are two great rock records, but their musical greatness is due as much to the band as to Dave himself. If he’d put together a band with three random bozos, I doubt we’d be rating his early solo career as highly as we do today.