“Dreams” Van Halen cover - XINOTA (2022)
I’m a lifelong Van Halen fan, so when I heard the news on October 6, 2020, it hit me hard. It still does. And it’s often during those random moments when the YouTube algorithm suggests some random EVH guitar solo from 86 and I spend the next 45 min just binging solo after solo, enticed by that magic that only he had. And while I would never compare what I do to what he did, I’ve always taken it as the highest possible, most flattering compliment whenever someone would occasionally say to me, after hearing some of my guitar playing, that they could hear the VH influence.
While I never had the privilege of meeting him, I, like countless other guitar players worldwide, felt like a student of his technique, creativity, and outlook. And while he truly was a monster of immense talent who pushed the boundaries of six strings with no mercy until his last breath, he actually stood more for soul and creativity than technical proficiency. He would famously rather lay down a guitar solo that had heart but missed a note or two than one that was lightning fast and “perfect” but had no soul. There’s something beautiful about that, just that even during his best, most inspired moments in his 5150 studio, he still locked in the mistakes after a performance and said “that’s good” because he knew it had heart. In these times of editing audio to perfection, that’s a creative honesty and vulnerability that’s very rare.
Without further adieu, I present my humble tribute to the greatest guitar player that ever lived, Mr. Edward Lodewijk Van Halen. Nothing stacks against the original, but I went with my all-time favorite Van Halen song, “Dreams.” Please enjoy. Thank you Eddie🤘
—Jesse
PS: I’ve combed through countless tributes to EVH these past couple years, but this one from Nuno Bettencourt on his IG has always been my favorite:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGG6HLcB5...
Software: Logic Pro X
Microphone: Apogee MiC
Guitar: Mexican Stratocaster w/whammy
Plugins: Waves CLA everything, Toontrack EZmix, FabFilter Pro-L 2 (for mastering), and numerous Waves plugins for random things.
*No stereo enhancers were used in this recording.
“Dreams” originally from the album 5150 (1986) by Van Halen