Van Halen

Van Halen is THE hard rock band of the late 70's and early 80's!

After Lee Roth's departure, the decline automatically started!

There are some hidden gems lurking in Sammy's back catalog if you haven't heard them, already. For one, check out the 1978 album, Musical Chairs. A great, well-rounded platter, and then you get to the final track, "Crack In The World." Fabulous! That record finds Sammy doing some things he didn't really do once he hooked up with VH, and beyond. I like some of Sam's post-VH stuff, too.

The VH vocalists' argument will never end, but here's how I look at it:

DLR - the voice of classic VH. Nothing will ever change that.

Sam Hagar - the merging of two distinct rock entities. And yes, Sam's voice is stronger and I'm sure having another axeman in the band lent a fuller sound when it was required.

Cherone - a good (if Hagar-ish) voice, and an album that isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. "One I Want" is a killer track, and the whole album merits about 3.5/5 stars. A valiant if short-lived effort.

Of the three new songs with Hagar, "It's About Time" is plainly awful. It sounds like it was slapped together in the studio in less than a day. With Elmer's Glue.

VH has a career (?) again. Eddie and Alex need Sam more than he needs them. They finally admitted it to themselves. DLR's pipes are a historical fact; everybody knows that. I understand he was quite the jackass on the Sam/Dave Tour. DLR hasn't had much credibility since the '80s ended. "Me Wise Magic" was a kickass VH tune, though Eddie said there was no way Dave could have pulled the high notes off in a live setting.

Maybe I just got too used to DLR, but somehow when I hear him singing the early VH stuff, he just seems to get it right, while Hagar seems softer to me, somehow.

As for Dave's range, it seemed to be quite a fine baritone range, with a nice round bottom end (missus) and I liked the squeals, although I note that he didn't venture too high in normal singing. Whatever, the tone of his voice appeals to me in the entire range he uses, but Hagar's only really seems to work at the higher end - and there it doesn't "do it" for me when I hear him sing DLR stuff.

I think Dave should have done more "Vaudeville" stuff - his cover of "That's Life" and "Just A Gigolo" are incredible.

Yeah - I know Hagar also played the guitar - I have quite a bit of his solo material. He came out with one or two dodgy bits himself - what was happening with "Red"?

I didn't know about the tuning thing - I thought it was tuned down a little to get a deeper, richer, "ballsier" sound.

You live and learn

I love Sammy's voice. He was a much more versatile singer than DLR. I found Roth's squeal a bit hard to stomache after a while.

5150 Rocked.

 One of the best, top down, radio cranked, CD's ever! PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and Blond, wind in yer hair.... f**k-n-A sweet..... Ah, lost youth...

What is and what shall never be.  

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One of the reason (in continuation...) that Eddie was predespositioned to some kind prog-art mark is the fact (and I listened to all VH in my lifetime) is the fact that Eddie is not very.....bluezy, IMHO. Once one is into bluez, one is gonna stay there and nothing wrong with that (I personally adore great bluezmen)--just did not happen for him.

I read an interview with EVH where he lamented on never being able to create his own Dark Side of the Moon. His music is just rock and roll, he knew it and yearned for something more. You are right, he was limited. However, he could have done whatever he wanted and that's the part that never really made sense. He said if he made a solo album, no one would understand it. Too bad, because some of us in this forum may have understood it. Is it fear of failure or non-acceptance from the masses? He was a kid when Van Halen really launched and his producers basically told him what he HAD to do. After he became a mega-rock star he could have funded his own project and damn the business men.

What is and what shall never be.