No comments about Van Halen - Fair Warning Guitar Tab (Alfred's Classic Album Editions).

5 comments about The Van Halen Encyclopedia: A 21st Century Primer.

1. Pros: Well, it's got alot of trivia tidbits... Cons: Numerous errors and a big disappointment if you're looking for good info regarding bootlegs. The Bottom Line: Unless you're simply looking for some shallow trivia about Van Halen, it would probably be best that you avoid paying your hard earned money to get this book, Recommended: No --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   I bought this because I thought it was gonna give me lots of juicy details about the plethora of VH bootlegs that are available on the WWW, but I was sadly mistaken.

   I wanted a list of bootleg cdr's with track listings, track times, sound quality & performance ratings, but these are not in this book.

   Some errors: ---Attributes "Man On The Silver Mountain" to David Bowie(!) instead of Ronnie James Dio & Rainbow. ---Spells Jimi Hendrix "Jimmy". ---Attributes "Nobody's Fault But Mine" to Edgar Winter instead of Led Zeppelin. ---On page 173 Lynyrd Skynyrd is spelled "Lynard Skynard". ---Says that "no known recording exists" for VH's cover of Trower's "The Fool And Me" when one does indeed exist on "Golden West Ballroom 1976".

   Perhaps these errors seem trivial, but damn, you'd think that the author of a book about a mainstream act like Van Halen would know better...

   I was deeply disappointed with this book and wish that I had instead spent my money on something by Bukowski or Crumb.




2. A true Encyclopedia. This book should be the definition of it. Nothings missing in this compact book that is available at a bargain I think. Van Halen fans should not live without this excellent book.



3. Find anything you want to know about this amazing band! Dates, song, events you get the idea it's all in there!



4. As you might know if you have read my other Van Halen product reviews, I am a Van Halen fanatic...which means I know a lot about the band, but with this book, the band members themselves could learn something! 425 pages containing things such as past concert dates, numerous pages of information on each song that they wrote, a 25-page timeline, I could keep going on all day.



5. Dull dull and dull. A guaranteed good time for anal retentive fans with no life. For the rest of us it's about as exciting as watching paint dry. No pictures, no band interviews, no opinions, no new info, nothing. Just a billion pages of information, about 10% of which is useful. The other 90% is just there to take up space. Save your money.

No comments about Jam Jam Jam with Van Halen.

3 comments about 1984: The Ultimate Van Halen Trivia Book.

1. This book would make a perfect gift for the Van Halen-obsessed. It contains a mind-boggling amount of research, and if you care about little details like what the Edge, U2's guitarist, said about the US presidency in relation to Van Halen, or how much guacomoli was made available backstage after a VH concert, this is the book for you. It's certainly more thorough than most trivia books. Even major VH fans will find that the book stops just short of telling them more than they ever wanted to know. If you add it to your VH collection, you'll probably find that it's the single greatest source of facts on VH out there.



2. If your a real VH fan you will buy this book!



3. Still haven't received the shipment. Ordered it originally for a Christmas present but it wasn't able to be shipped in time. Very disappointed.

No comments about The Van Halen Keyboard Songbook.

4 comments about Van Halen-The Ultimate Song Pages (Guitar Tablature).

1. This amazing book features the complete guitar TAB for every single Van Halen album (1186 pages). This thing is huge. I don't have the skills to play most songs yet but maybe at some point i'll be able to. This is a must-have for every true Van Halen fan. The only reason i didn't give 5 stars is the size, let me explain. Imagine yourself flippping through a phone book, that's what it feels like, the pages are a little bit smaller (8x11)than your regular guitar tab book (9x12).
   It should have been split in two books. Also the song You're No Good is not included due to copyright restrictions. It is a great buy, you will not be dissapointed.



2. When you hear or read that this book is a lot like a phone book, believe it. It is about the same size and thickness as my phone book. Van Halen's "Ultimate Song Pages" are far from the ultimate, at least as I would picture it. The tab is printed on the same paper that your friendly white pages are printed on, and with the same kind of visual resolution. That being said, it is often difficult to make out the difference between a 6, an 8, a 3, or a 0. This can make reading and interpreting this tablature an exercise in supreme patience, as one goes through the various possible interpretations of poorly resolved numbers to find the correct fingerings by ear. A book of this magnitude, an all-inclusive tome of Van Halen's original songs, could have been much better. Compared with the Beatles Scores -- which are entire scores and not just guitar tab; which are presented in an even smaller volume than "Van Halen"; which are far easier to read due to the higher quality of paper used to print upon; which includes more songs than "Van Halen A - Z" in a single, more compact volume -- "The Ultimate Song Pages" falls far short of the mark. To its credit, "Van Halen" does have guitar tablature for all of VH's original songs and the diligent guitarist could use this book to work out all the guitar parts for all the songs. The transcriptions seem to be fairly accurate as far as I can tell. For most guitarists, working out these parts and playing them fluently is a bit of work anyway, so the challenge in figuring out just what is printed on the pages of this volume is probably a good learning exercise in and of itself. I have serious concerns as to how well this book will stand up to the rigorous use it will take for most of us mere mortals to play like Edward. The book is just made cheaply and it looks chintzy to boot. Buy it if you love Van Halen and can't afford to buy tab books for each of their record releases. If you can afford to do that, stay away from this book. If you can't, or if you have plenty of money like I do and you are simply curious, then by all means, buy this book. I would give it 5 stars for content, 1 star for presentation, and the average of those two scores places it a solid 3 stars. Better paper, printing, binding would make this a solid 5 all the way 'round. But that's just my opinion...



3. So what if it is as big as a phone book. So what if the quality of the paper used doesn't satisfy everyone. BooHoo! you can't make everyone happy. This book contains every Van Halen song to date with a few exceptions. This book is geared toward those who can not afford to purchase every single albums book. But if you have the money and want to waste it by purchasing all the single books, then by all means do what makes you happy. However, this book is all you need. And to all the Van Halen fanatics out there, you all need to come to the realization that Van Halen is not David. Van halen is not Sammy. Van Halen is not Gary. I love all 3 versions, but Van Halen was, is, and will always be Eddie. Without Ed, no one would even know who David Lee Roth is. Sammy, as much as I love him, never was or is to this day, as successful on his own as Van Halen. You don't listen to Van Halen to hear David, Sammy, or Gary. You listen to hear Eddie. Which is why you are here, because you want to play what Eddie is playing, not what is being sung, and this book offers everything to date. So, for those of you who have issues with which incarnation of Van Halen is best, there is only one, and it's ALL here. So please, spare us from your issues and let the rest of us who truly enjoy Van Halen do so in peace.



4. Yes,
   For musicians this is a good look at Eddie's work..1,186 pages is pretty impressive career. Generally, you'll pay $19.95 for a album you like that consist of a hundred pages or so..Here you get every Van Halen piece ever done..
   So, yeah, it's a bargain!
   Don't forget your effects pedals..

1 comments about Van Halen (Guitar Anthology Series).

1. Amazing book - to guitar players only - , if you want to learn VH songs and EVH style, this is the book, of course, you have to know about it and have good technical skills with the instrument, add some good ears too... all the tabs are oriented to the guitar and are perfect... exacts and easy to understand...

   "what it's understood need not be discussed..."

4 comments about Van Halen I & II (Authentic Guitar-Tab).

1. If you are into learning rock / hard rock guitar, this book provides the key to exploring some of the most brilliant electric guitar composition to date. Although this music is somewhat dated, the guitar virtuosity of Edward Van Halen is timeless. The book provides excellent guitar tablature of all of Van Halen's fist two releases. Recommended accompaniments to this book are 1) Peavey Wolfgang Electric Guitar, 2) Peavey 5150 Combo Amp, & 3) the CD's of the first two albums.



2. This book is perfect for the beginner to turn into a more advanced guitar player. The tabs are easy to read, the stuff isn't that difficult to play, and the songs are legendary and still heard on the radio today. I say go for it.



3. You've got to have some experience with tabs before otherwise you'll
   find it hard because it's a very detailed book.The techniques described
   are not the easiest.



4. Overall a good source, however certain songs have several mistakes. The tapping section of "Eruption" is tabbed on the "G" string! WRONG! Its played in different positions and on the "B" string!! The last part of the solo in "On Fire" is also incorrectly tabbed on the "G" string, Again, should be the "B" string. Many other subtle mistakes are found throughout. So if you are already versed in the Van Halen style, you will KNOW where the mistakes are, if you are not, most assuredly confusion and frustration will ensue. CAVEAT EMPTOR!

5 comments about Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga.

1. This is one of those books that is for info. only -- this is no major literature effort, but who expected that? If you loved VH in the 70s or 80s, it's really entertaining and gets into the technical guitar stuff you wouldn't know about otherwise. If you want Britney type coverage, I don't think they had it then... but Adnan wouldn't have lived through it! Go see these guys - they rock! DLR can't do the split jumps off the drums any more. But he actually sings some.... and eddie is still eddie. Holy NOT the Monsters of Rock tour!



2. The author's pretentiousness, arrogance and mendacity all but ruined this book. Their writing didn't do much for me either. Precisely who were they trying to impress with all that overwrought language? Its rock and roll not Tolstoy. Get over yourself. I could barely make it through the foreword without wanting to vomit. Amongst the more nauseating statements you'll come across are Ian's declarations that he is the first person to ever write a book about Van Halen (he's absolutely not) and that he felt the need to master Eruption before doing the book so as to deem himself worthy of writing about Van Halen. Talk about pathetic testosterone-driven displays of self-aggrandizing and ego-stroking. Given his lack of cred until we see a vid of the author dazzling us with his amazing cover of Eruption posted over on youtube I'd say its a bunch of bullocks.
   
   Had Ian Christe written this under oath he'd now be facing multiple charges of perjury. Luring fans with false professions of seedy revelations of the group members personal lives and habits is despicable. Who taught this guy how to present and market his work...Geraldo Rivera?
   
   Ian's first book was pawned off to us as an encyclopedia of metal but in reality was nothing more than a love letter to Metallica that all but ignored Van Halen's historic contributions to the metal scene and metal guitar playing. Which begs the question how did he suddenly and so mysteriously learn so much about Van Halen? Halfway through this current book the answer became apparent. To their credit several of my fellow fanatics have pointed it out on here. The verdict is in. Ian Christe thoroughly ravaged material from all the other books ever written on Van Halen. This character even dared to go as far as to lift parts from Diamond Dave's Crazy From The Heat. If Valerie had released her book before Ian's one has to suspect he would've nicked some of her material as well and then attempted to pass himself off as Eddie's ex-wife.
   
   So great is my disappointment I've decided to pop my cherry and post my first review with the hopes it will serve as a harbinger for future fans who are debating whether or not to purchase this product.
   
   WARNING. There is not a spec of information or data within its pages the average fan hanging around a VH messageboard doesn't already know and would not share with you for free.
   
   Ultimately this will be remembered, if at all, for being the most ridiculously overwritten, overhyped and altogether unnecessary of all the Van Halen books to ever see the light of day.



3. I just have to comment on the stupid editorial review at the top. I was a VH fan at the age of 8 and savagely loved every tune til Sammy arrived. To call them "the best heavy metal band of all time" is a joke. Even they would agree. That honor MUST forever go to the Grandfathers of Metal: LED ZEPPELIN!! LZ eats Van Halen for breakfast. Zeppelin were monsters of metal that came bashing down out of the sky bringing earth to its knees.



4. Sadly, this is a book that any Van Halen fan with a library card could have written. In fact, they probably could have written it better. Not only is the book filled with old information from less than credible publications, it also features poor grammar, inaccurate (or just plain wrong) facts, and even misspellings! In the age of spell-check, there is simply no excuse for such an amateur effort. Van Halen fans deserve more, and like the Roth reunion, we're just going to have to be patient.



5. Like the masses, this book offers a decent overview of Van Halen especially those who are not too familiar with the band. It was a light and enjoyable read.
   
   However, there were several spelling and grammatical errors. Many quotes seem second hand and incomplete. One still is not completely sure if David Lee Roth was fired or quit. To me it seems like a mutual disolvement. In general there are a lack of details.
   
   The band members seem like your typical rock n rollers who are all about sex, drugs, and rock n roll. David Lee Roth showed me something by volunteering as a EMT specialist as well as being an adventurous soul. Eddie Van Halen certainly is a talented musician but seems like a terminal alcoholic. What has he learned from this experiences? The band members seem to constantly be quarreling with each other.
   
   A few interesting anecdotes kept my attention. However, a more first hand account with more exclusive details would have made this book more appealing.

5 comments about Van Halen: A Visual History: 1978 - 1984.

1. This is a big, good quality hardcover book. Mostly full of pictures, hence the title. The pictures are excellent quality, and I couldn't stop from looking through them. There are also many quotes and stories from other musicians and coworkers. Very interesting. I bought this book as a gift for a huge Eddie fan, and I'm sure he'll display it proudly on his coffee table... I know I would.



2. Felt like I was back in high school, as I flipped through this book about the Rock God's -- Van Halen. Finally a Van Halen book worth looking at. Beautiful book about the Greatest Rock Band and Guitarist of all time.



3. I remember hearing the first track of VH 1 when it was released,
   bringing with it chills up the spine and jaw dropped.
   This book brings you in a time warp to witness rock history, and
   realize - in case you didn't - that Van Halen dropped a bomb on
   the music scene. Not only a revolutionary guitar god, but songs
   and live performances that rose light years beyond what was coming out
   of the U.S.A. at the time. The kind we won't see again, either.
   
   The photos, by a master of R&R photography, look like they were taken
   yesterday. Crisp, clear and a great mix of group shots and live. The
   backstage pics of Eddie preparing his axe arsenal, for example, are priceless; Alex behind one of his monster drum kits.
   
   And yes, it appropriately culminates with 1984 - got a problem with that?



4. WOW, WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO GO BACK IN TIME W/ THE VAN HALEN BOYS...ESPECIALLY DAVE, CUZ W/O HIM THERE IS NO VAN HALEN!!!!! IF YOU LOVE VAN HALEN, YOU NUST MUST MUST BUY THIS BOOK!!!!



5. The reviews of this book do not do justice to this book. The pictures alone are spectacular. Neil Zlozower took nearly every famous and infamous picture of Van Halen during the DLR years. They are all here along with a plethora of never seen before photos of the band and quotes and anecdotes from a broad spectrum of the music industry ranging from Jimmy Page to Slash. The book itself is well done also, the cover beneath the dust jacket has a nice glossy finish on it and the pages themselves are nicely bound, sewn in instead of just glued in so that the book can be laid flat when open without damaging the binding. This book is a must for any true Van Halen fan or collector.