Steve Stevens claims 80s guitar music suffered due to the obsession with finding “clones” of Eddie Van Halen: “Record labels were signing anyone who could tap and shred”

Steve Stevens has recalled how Eddie Van Halen “shook up the world” when he rose to success, as shredding became an obsession – but with some unintended consequences for the rest of the guitar scene.

Stevens kicked off his own career in the 1980s, just as Van Halen were soaring, and remembers how record labels were looking to sing players who could tap and shred in the same style.

• READ MORE: The Guitar Influences of Eddie Van Halen

Stevens has worked with artists like Michael Jackson, Vince Neil, and prominently Billy Idol, as well as having worked on his own solo music. In an interview with Guitarist, he says he never gave into the pressure of shred-sanity, and still prefers “having a dialogue” with other band members on stage.

“I wasn’t from LA. I didn’t grow up watching Van Halen thinking, ‘Oh shit, what do we do now?’ A lot of guys did. Eddie shook up the world, no doubt. I became friends with him later, but I never wanted to play like him.

“Record labels were signing anyone who could tap and shred. The good ones, like Warren DeMartini and George Lynch, found their own voices, unlike guys that were just Eddie clones. But, really, my true love is collaborating on a good song.”

He continues, “I’m definitely not looking for my moment of glory three minutes into a song, waiting for the guitar solo. I enjoy being part of the band more than anything and having that dialogue with the guys on stage, playing and locking in with the drummer.”

Another guitarist who has recently reflected on the impact of Eddie Van Halen’s work is Steve Lukather, who was also a good friend of his. Speaking to Forbes, he said that Ed “changed the world”, but not everybody understood what he was about.

“People mistook him for a parlour trick because he did the tapping thing. He actually stumbled upon it by accident. It had been around for a while. He was in a trio, and filling up the sound is hard. Think Cream [with Eric Clapton],” Lukather said.

“Ed’s rhythm-playing and solos were like one fluid movement. I don’t think he ever played the same thing twice, and that used to drive the guys in the band crazy.”

You can find out more about Steve Stevens’ work via his official website.