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Van Halen - Top Jimmy (aka: the song that broke me) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-11-03 16:00:09
Edited:
2025-02-09 19:07:49
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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  • 373817022.mp4

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Content

Damn you Van Halen.

This song completely broke my brain.

How can one play in D7 tuning on a guitar and it sound okay within the standard tuning of the other guitar?

How come he chose D7 tuning? Doesn't he know that it feels unresolved the whole time?

What that his intention?

Was he looking for a bluesy/jazzy type sound?

These are the questions rolling around in my head.

This song broke me, but I love it!

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Comments

P in D

The musical genius of Eddie Van Halen – Rock in Peace. A colorful song with a colorful back-story. Remember Eddie was not classically trained and NO, he could not read music. It’s actually swing … Eddie played a lot of swing style. This song is 40 years old ☹ . From the album 1984, the final album that included David Lee Roth and the best selling VH album ever. The Ripley in D7 is actually used through the entire song EXCEPT the solo only …. and I probably did a really poor job of explaining ☹ . Eddie is playing the harmonic section and the little musical interjection in the intro section simultaneously on that same stereo guitar at the same time - no studio trickery. I think you need some good headphones to appreciate this track fully. The main instrument Eddie used was the "Ripley stereo guitar" (picture posted in DISCORD) on the original recording of this song, which had a (Bartolini Hexaphonic) pickup that allowed each string to be panned individually. This song was never played live, and at least I attribute that to the difficulty it would have presented trying to switch from the Ripley guitar to a standard guitar during a show coupled with the fact the panning effect would be difficult to accurately reproduce live in a hall or stadium. Because the intro lead is all harmonics, the Ripley had to be tuned to a D7 chord. DADACD, from lowest to highest string. From a HUGE Guitar World interview with Eddie done in 2014 (and republished again on the day of his death, October 6th 2020): “For Top Jimmy I had a melody in my head and I tuned the guitar to that melody. Steve Ripley had sent me one of his stereo guitars that had 90 million knobs and switches on it. That was too much for me to comprehend, so I asked him for a simpler version. He sent me one with a humbucker in the bridge and two single-coils at the middle and neck positions. It was just a prototype. For some strange reason I picked up that guitar, tuned it to Top Jimmy, and that’s what I ended up using, because it sounded interesting. That rhythm lick I play after the harmonics sounds cool ping-ponging back and forth. You can’t really hear it unless you’re wearing headphones. It just fit the track.” For me … while being a deep cut, this song has a little of everything VH. From Eddie’s instantly recognizable tone, riffs, and searing solo, to Diamond Dave’s (not singing :p ) storytelling, to (little mentioned) Alex’s signature fade in on the roto-toms (of which he owned many) from the intro to the main section of the song, to Michael Anthony just being a great bass player and singing backup vocals and receiving not much credit for anything :p . It’s the overall party atmosphere you get from nearly every VH track. Top Jimmy evolved from an instrumental track simply titled “Ripley” by Eddie until Dave added lyrics with a real life person in mind - James Paul Koncek and the band Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs. The actual story of the relationship between the bands can be found here as it all started at the TOP TACO stand outside of A & M Records in Hollywood and Club Zero Zero … https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-top-jimmy/ . … Top Jimmy! He’s the KING … oh Jimmy! Reference - https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/eddie-van-halen-looks-back-van-halen-1984-album-5150-studios . Users GuitarlosCarlos and jeffreypaulross9767 are actual members of the Rhythm Pigs and still post in the comments on YouTube 😉 .

Bandmaidfanatl

Hey, yes, Eddie, Alex and Diamond Dave deserve credit, but really love Michael's backing vocals on this one.

Bandmaidfanatl

That bluesy/swampy riff is great. Reminds me of Aerosmith's "Hangman's Jury" from Permanent Vacation, 3 years later of course ...

P in D

This may help explain a few things better than I can in words. It is the isolated guitar track to this song. If you listen to the intro here you can tell that Eddie is playing both parts simultaneously on one (Ripley) guitar. There are a couple good covers (and several shitty ones :p ) on YouTube where other players have successfully done this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6PRUwY9upA

P in D

He propped up Dave in a lot of songs and does not really get credit for any of it ... not to say that Dave could not sing but melodically needed help sometimes ... there were so many things Dave did better than anyone. Michael also does not get a lot of ink or mention for some of the brutal bass lines he laid down. The unsung hero of VH.

Bandmaidfanatl

I got to see them in 1984. All 3 instrumentalists had solo sections. I don't even remember Eddie and Alex's, but man do I remember Michael's! It was intense and it was the first time I really felt music rattle my bones.

P in D

Actually one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ... another with that "chicken pickin'" feel as I have heard it called.

P in D

Finally, have a look at this cover. It is pretty good ... not perfect, but shows pretty much how Eddie plays the song and the use of the second guitar standard tuned for the solo section. Unfortunately there are no vids of Eddie playing Top Jimmy himself so this will have to do ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfMoprKojM

Charles Coleman

NittPicc, if you are looking for more Van Halen songs to react to that you haven't heard yet, one of my favorites of theirs is a song that I've never heard on the radio but I absolutely love it. "The Full Bug" from the Diver Down album. Way underrated and underappreciated, it was on most of my exercise tapes in the Walkman days. It's a Bad Boogie Banger fo sho!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd6mSLI0-wY

Bill W

Just upgraded my patreon tier, getting into your older stuff. I love my Arc Angels cd!!! Love Don Henley the musician, not the person. 😀 He's a Texas boy, btw..as are the Arc Angels as you probably know. (Fyi..after they broke up, the drummer and bass player regrouped with some new members as Storyville (named after the area of New Orleans). I'll post a request for their song "Good Day for the Blues" on discord.