The Johnny Beane Podcast

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we’re talking about a newly unearthed Beatles recording that reveals something fascinating about one of their most iconic guitar riffs!

🎸 “Day Tripper” almost didn’t have its legendary guitar riff!

A newly released “Day Tripper (Songwriting Work Tape)” gives fans a rare glimpse into John Lennon and Paul McCartney developing the song at Lennon’s home in Surrey.

• 🎶 The demo already features much of the chords, lyrics, and harmonies — but the famous guitar riff wasn’t there yet.
• 🎸 The iconic riff was added later, with George Harrison playing it on the final recording.
• 📝 Lennon maintained that he wrote the riff, along with the vast majority of the song.
• ⏱️ The finished version of “Day Tripper” was recorded during an intense eight-hour studio session.
• 😂 The work tape even captures Lennon and McCartney laughing and working through the song together.
• 🇺🇸 The song drew inspiration from American soul music.
• 💿 “Day Tripper” was released alongside “We Can Work It Out” in December 1965.
• 📀 The upcoming Rubber Soul Special Edition includes 24 early session recordings, including previously unreleased takes and home demos.
• 📅 The expanded Rubber Soul is set for release October 2.

It’s an incredible behind-the-scenes look at how The Beatles turned an unfinished idea into one of rock’s most recognizable guitar songs!

What do YOU think — would “Day Tripper” have been the same song without that iconic riff? 🎸🤔

#TheBeatles #DayTripper #GeorgeHarrison #Guitar

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we’re talking about a brand-new signature pickup set from Tom Morello and EMG — bringing the legendary tones of his iconic “Arm the Homeless” guitar to guitar players and modders everywhere! 🎸🔥

Morello’s favorite pickup combination, used in his famous guitar for decades, is now available as a complete set for the first time.

🎸 The Tom Morello EMG TM Set:
EMG 85 in the bridge — delivering growl, bite, sustain, and plenty of power for massive riffs and solos.
EMG H in the neck — a humbucker with a surprisingly classic, almost single-coil-style character.
The pickups feature the classic EMG logo, matching the vintage ’80s look of Morello’s originals.
This is the exact pickup pairing that helped define the sound of his legendary Arm the Homeless guitar.
Morello says the combination has made audiences “bounce up and down” for more than three decades!

From Rage Against the Machine to his incredible solo work, Tom Morello has always approached guitar tone differently — and this pickup combination is a huge part of that sound.

The EMG TM signature set is available now!

What do you think — would you put the Tom Morello pickup combo in your guitar? 🤘

#TomMorello #EMG #RageAgainstTheMachine #TalkingGuitars

On this episode of Talking Guitars on Johnny Beane TV, we’re talking about Stage Tour, the spiritual successor to Guitar Hero — and the confirmed setlist is already packed with huge tracks! 🤘

Created by many of the same people behind the original Guitar Hero franchise, Stage Tour is set to launch December 10, with more than 90 playable songs and tons of collectible guitar gear.

🔥 Some of the confirmed tracks include:

🎸 Extreme – Get The Funk Out
🤘 Slipknot – Psychosocial
🎤 Mammoth – The End
🎶 Muse – Starlight
🦇 Ghost – Square Hammer
🔥 Metallica is coming to the game
🎸 Weezer – Island In The Sun
⚡ Paramore – For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic
🎵 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California
🤘 Mastodon – The Motherload
🖤 The Cure – Just Like Heaven
🎸 Radiohead – Just
🔥 Bad Omens – Just Pretend

But there are some BIG names missing so far — including Van Halen, DragonForce and The Beatles.

And with Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth already included, could we eventually see a Van Halen track added?

🎸 THE BIG QUESTION: What ONE song absolutely HAS to be added to Stage Tour?
Drop your pick in the comments! 👇

#TalkingGuitars #GuitarHero #StageTour #GuitarGames

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen on Johnny Beane TV, we talk about the first time Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top saw Eddie Van Halen perform live — and why the experience completely blew his mind.

🤯 Billy Gibbons was blown away the first time he saw Van Halen live in the late 1970s.
🎸 Gibbons had already heard the first Van Halen album and quickly realized Eddie was doing something completely different.
🔥 He praised Eddie’s incredible speed, hammer-ons, ferocious riffs, and technical ability.
⚡ Eddie’s two-handed tapping became one of the defining techniques of the guitar revolution that followed.
🎶 But here’s the amazing part: Billy Gibbons had actually experimented with tapping years before “Eruption.”
📀 While recording ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres in 1973, Gibbons accidentally discovered the technique while demonstrating a bass part to Dusty Hill.
😮 Dusty’s reaction was essentially: “Do that and do it again!”
🎸 Gibbons later acknowledged that Eddie Van Halen took the technique to an entirely different level and helped make it a standard part of rock guitar.
❤️ Gibbons also said Eddie genuinely enjoyed playing, even when delivering some of the most ferocious guitar work imaginable.
🤘 From Gibbons and Eric Clapton to Joe Satriani and countless other guitarists, Eddie’s arrival changed how an entire generation approached the electric guitar.

So who really transformed tapping into a guitar revolution — and did Eddie Van Halen simply take an existing technique and completely reinvent it?

#VanHalen #EddieVanHalen #BillyGibbons #ZZTop

On this episode of Exclusively Van Halen on Johnny Beane TV, we celebrate 40 years of Van Halen's legendary LIVE WITHOUT A NET!

On August 27, 1986, Van Halen took the stage at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut, during the massive 5150 Tour. The performance was filmed and became one of rock's most iconic concert home videos.

This was Van Halen's first tour with Sammy Hagar, capturing Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen at an incredible moment in the band's history.

🔥 40 YEARS AGO TODAY — AUGUST 27, 1986!

• Filmed at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Connecticut
• Part of Van Halen's 1986 5150 Tour
• The second night of Van Halen's two-night New Haven run was used for the concert film
• The previous night's recording reportedly suffered from audio problems
• The original home video was approximately 90 minutes long
• LIVE WITHOUT A NET was released on November 24, 1986 by Warner Reprise Video
• It was originally released on VHS and LaserDisc
• The video was later released on DVD in 2004 with 5.1 surround-sound mixes
• The original video featured the new Van Halen lineup with Sammy Hagar on vocals and guitar
• The songs were rearranged for the film rather than presented in the original performance order
• "You Really Got Me," "Dreams," "Good Enough" and "Wild Thing" were omitted entirely
• Eddie's guitar solo and other brief moments were edited
• "Best of Both Worlds" originally included part of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love"; that section was removed from the home video
• The 1986 MTV Video Music Awards aired "Best of Both Worlds" and "Love Walks In" as one continuous clip, illustrating the different sequence used for the home video
• The performance featured memorable solo spots from Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen
• Eddie's guitar solo became one of the signature moments of the film
• "I Can't Drive 55" was another highlight of Sammy Hagar's role in the new Van Halen lineup

🎸 CONCERT CONTINUITY & EDITING:

• During Eddie's guitar solo, his cigarette disappears after he throws it away, then mysteriously reappears behind the nut — a classic continuity error
• During "I Can't Drive 55," Eddie's Kramer 5150 broke a string. He switched to his Steinberger 5150 to finish the song and then used it for "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"

🎬 ORIGINAL LIVE WITHOUT A NET TRACK LIST:

There's Only One Way to Rock
Summer Nights
Get Up
Drum Solo — Alex Van Halen
5150
Best of Both Worlds
Bass Solo — Michael Anthony
Panama
Love Walks In
Guitar Solo — Eddie Van Halen
I Can't Drive 55
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Why Can't This Be Love
Rock and Roll

The complete concert was longer than the original home-video release, and the 2026 5150 Expanded Edition includes additional audio from that historic August 27 performance, including previously unreleased "Good Enough" and "Wild Thing."

📀 HOME VIDEO & 2026 RELEASE:

• Originally released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1986
• Re-released on DVD in 2004 with Stereo, Dolby 5.1 Surround and DTS mixes
• The 2004 DVD contains a hidden Easter egg: a short, silent clip from Guster's "Amsterdam" video, accessible through the DVD's VTS files on a computer
• The 2026 5150 Expanded Edition includes the concert in HD video on Blu-ray

Forty years later, LIVE WITHOUT A NET remains one of the greatest snapshots of Van Halen in the 5150 era. Eddie, Sammy, Alex and Michael were absolutely on fire that night. 🤘

Were you watching LIVE WITHOUT A NET when it first came out in 1986? What is your favorite moment from the video? Let us know in the comments!

#VanHalen #EddieVanHalen #LiveWithoutANet