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Top 10 Rock ‘N’ Roll Front Men: David Lee Roth

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AskMen.com has a new “Top 10″ list of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll front men of all time. David Lee Roth was their eighth pick. Of course we think he deserves to beat most, if not all of the others on their list, but at least they didn’t make the mistake of leaving him out of the Top 10!

By Nathan Atnikov from AskMen.com:

You can have the chops, you can have the songs and you can have the savvy, but if you don’t have an engaging front man, you’ll never be one of the biggest bands in the world. AskMen’s top 10 rock ‘n’ roll front men salutes the 10 most charismatic, spotlight-drawing lead singers in history. If time, age and rock genre were no object, these are the 10 rock ‘n’ roll front men that would be leading us into the future.

No.10 – Steven Tyler
No.9 – Axl Rose
No.8 – David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth made a career out of being a ridiculous, loveable dork. Only after Sammy Hagar turned Van Halen into a bunch of sourpusses did we realize how much we loved Diamond Dave. Powered by Roth’s outsized personality, Van Halen became one of the biggest bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s, and Roth himself became known as a must-see performer thanks to his wild antics, howling voice and spinning rock-star karate kicks.

Roth left Van Halen in 1985 (either forcibly or of his own accord), inciting the single most classic rock ‘n’ roll argument of all time — Roth or Hagar? Where you stand on that issue pretty defines what you are as a rock fan, though cultural memory seems to recall Roth much more fondly than the man who replaced him.

No.7 – Trent Reznor
No.6 – Ozzy Osbourne
No.5 – Thom Yorke
No.4 – Bono
No.3 – Mick Jagger
No.2 – Freddie Mercury
No.1 – Robert Plant

  • Adrian

    Fuck Yeah diamond DAVE!!!! though you should be before thats pussy bono. sorry can;t stand the man!!

  • bosephus

    Pretty good list in my opinion, with two exceptions: why was Hagar left off? He wasn’t the goofball that DLR was/is, but he sure was energetic and charismatic (not to mention flat-out good). Second, how about Eddie Vedder?

    P.S. We know how Nathan Atnikov feels about Hagar — how exactly did he turned VH into “sourpusses?”

  • eric

    well, thats a chickenf**t list. As everyone knows, Dave should… and IS #1. Dave is a f*ckin badass.

  • phil

    dave was so cool at one time! what the hell happened?

  • EDWARDisTHEbest

    where is bon scott?

  • Rocko

    It’s obvious that Robert Plant tops the list of Rock and Roll front men. Robert Kicks Ass, DLR deserves to be at top ten but Hagar should also. Nathan does not know shit about Hagar’s efforts with VH turning them into Sourpusses My Ass. If it wasn’t for Hagar, VH would not have 4 straight #1 albums, A grammy, American Music Awards, Billboard award, 4 MTV awards and a lot of heart. DLR was a showman with charisma but also indeed ridiculous with such an ego.

  • Rocko

    Also Bono does suck ass and should’ve been replaced by Brian Johnson of AC/DC. Glad that Bon Scott was left off, he sounds too constipated.

  • Juca

    Bruce Dickinson?

  • Nat

    I can’t argue with spots 1-3 but I’m not so sure about the rest. I do think Brian Johnson ought to be on there. He & Sammy have some parallels – replaced a charismatic singer (although under considerably different circumstances) – but he didn’t change ACDC the way Sammy changed VH.

    I think Sammy’s a great singer, and love his incarnation of VH as much as Dave’s, but I don’t think he warrants a spot on the list. He doesn’t have the charisma that most of the singers on this list do. Most of them epitomize the band they’re part of, whether you like the band or not.

  • http://www.quickskirts.com Andy

    This list is Bull S&%T Steven Tyler at 10 he should be above a lot of the names on that list ???
    Who Made this list ??

  • Mike C.

    Where is Roger Daltry? The Guy help write the book.

  • Mike C.

    The Who’s Live At Leeds. The best live album of all time. It influenced Van Halen and changed Rock from 69 on. The Van Halen brothers have it as one of their all time favs. Nothing compares….Don’t comment if you haven’t listened to the album.

  • RW

    Theres a lot of English blokes in there

  • SCAR

    ask.com should quit asking crackheads for their opinions. I’m OK with 1-3 (hard to argue that), but Bozo before Diamond Dave? WTF? A lot of names should appear before bozo’s. That’s like putting Vince Neil in the top 10 for male opera singers. Crack Kills!!! Fuck You ask.com!!!!

  • Matt from Australia

    Thom Yorke…WTF??

  • Mark

    Any list with Trent Reznor in the top 10 needs to be completely disregarded.

  • evhua

    Sorry guys, just a question:

    Plant, Mercury, Dave are ok.

    But where are Bon Scott, Ian Gillan, Roger Daltry, Bruce Dickinson, Dave Coverdale, James Hetfield and Sammy Hagar on this list ?

    Can you compare these guys above with
    Reznor ,Yorke (?),Bono (???)

    No way.

  • Pete

    I realize that these lists are created to incite debate…but TRENT REZNOR & THOM YORKE?

    When I read that it kind of taints the list.

    As a fan of all eras of VH, I agree with Dave’s inclusion. He was the first “entertainer” style of frontman, and while he was often copied, none of the Brett Michaels/Jani Lane lame-ass clones ever really challenged him. They merely exaggerated an aspect or two of his persona and called it their own.

    I prefer Sammy because I don’t think I’ll ever hear such a powerful and raw set of pipes again, and besides, I really dig his own unique charisma. But good for Dave, I think he belongs on this list for sure.

    And while there have been some good suggestions for names missing, I’ll ad my own: Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Free, and Queen + Paul Rodgers.

  • Mitch

    Mitch Malloy – Enough Said!!

  • pushtoshove

    This is a list of money makers and you guys have been manipulated to keep this site going….ha ha ha….

  • dave

    Mick is always number 1. Mercury 2 and Dave 3. After that I take Axl, Ozzy, than probably Steven Tyler. After that it’s just whoever. I’ve been listening to Rock for 40 years and I’ve never even heard of Thom Yorke. ???

  • walteR

    Where is Vince Neil ?? Sammy is off of this list also…

  • stew

    BULLSHIT LIST! Dave should be # 1

  • http://VHND Mr.BrownSound

    Bono, Trent Reznor, and Thom Yorke ahead of Diamond Dave…Are you freakin kidding?!?!?!

    Who did this list…Daltry,Hagar,Bon Scott, Bruce Dickinson,and Steven Tyler should all, be ahead of Bono, Reznor(are you kidding me),and Yorke…

  • http://None Ducky / Dirty Duck

    GO DAVE!!

    So good to see that one of the absolute BEST frontmen of all time is being regonized! How could he not? He is the most orginal frontmen since jagger and tyler. His attitude…stamina…creativity…and humor make him the unique rocker he is. As far as many not understanding why…thats your problem. He deserves this honor although I think it’s a shame that he came AFTER boring BONO. Ugh!
    U2 sucks ok? I dont know one metal / rock head that listens to U2. I guess maybe if Dave had givin more political speaches and view points he would have done better. Remember a time when rock wasnt political? Exactly! That’s when I think of diamond dave man. No B.S and right to the point!
    As far as why Sammy didnt make the list? Rockers with headsets dont make an impact. And if the lead singer of B.T.O didnt make the list…there’s no chance he will. ;)
    Again…it’s great to see Diamond Dave on that list.
    The man truly deserved it….he’s come a long way.

  • walteR

    Nathan needs to shut his pie hole !!!! Sammy whether you like him, or not made them better musically.. Now Nathan, go to the liquor store and get some Cabo and sit in the coner.

  • Erick

    Dave should be top 3.

    Who is Thom Yorke? Never heard of him.

  • Erick

    Sammy should be top 300

  • TOP GUNslinger5150

    WOW! That’s some list there! I would have thought Dave would be Top 4, but no complaints here. Goes to show all those Sammy lovers and anti Van Halen naysayers that Diamond Dave is among legendary company. But as the years go by Dave will be making his way UP the list!!

  • Scottso

    I’ve got no problem with eight of the names on this list. I would not have included Trent Reznor. And since I had to google Thom Yorke to find out who the f#!@ he is, he ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT BELONG IN ANY TOP TEN LIST!!!! Ditch him and Trent, replace ‘em with Roger Daltry and Bon Scott, and there you go!

  • http://vhnd JVH

    Ask.com probably just didn’t want to limit their list to one style of rock. My reason for feeling that Dave should be higher on the list is because of the way he owned the stage and audience’s attention. As far as frontmen go, he had the full package. His voice might not be Plant-like, but it sure is original.

  • Gary C.

    Trent Reznor and Thom Yorke?? Don’t know about it. Agree with the Bonn Scott comment, and Brian Johnson of AC/DC deserves a vote.

    Dave deserves to be closer to the top 5! Sammy: Top 10.

  • DLR7884

    Trent Reznor?

    He should not be in front of DLR, or on the list at all!

  • http://vhnd JVH

    This is well deserved for Dave, after all, classic VH does belong in the same paragraph as Led Zep, Sabbath, Stones…..etc.

  • http://adelphia dave d

    UNREAL…Dave should be #1,WHY,PLANT IS GREAT,BUT R.P IS RETIRED AND LET THE BEST BE THE BEST…WHO THE HELL IS TRENT REZNOR,OH WELL I KEEP LOOKING FOR GOOD QUALITY ANSWERS? DLR BEST FRONT MAN EVER HAVE A NIVE DAY

  • Fab

    Trent Reznor??!!!

    Anyway … Wolfgang’s mother … went back to complete MILF status.

  • walteR

    Not really a fan but, where is Rob Halford oR Joe Elliot ?

  • http://adelphia TEAM BIGEN

    I do agree with you dave,dlr should be #1 or close to it. Its very noticable that over the years DLR proved himself as being the best front man of all times,His enthusiasm,and persona leads the way,Anyone else out there can shake,rattle,high kicks,an move his way to (many)woman as he can?……very fun

  • mjc

    bono is the most overrated frontman of all time!

  • http://adelphia TEAM BIGEN

    Van Halen..Time for some new hits,ROCK ON ON…WITH David Lee Roth..very cool

  • Oscar

    Are you kidding me?? How did “boring Bono” get a spot ahead of Roth? Jagger, Plant and Roth would be neck to neck for first place.

  • Enrique

    DLR is BY FAR, the best front man that has ever lived. He is extremely entertaining and fun to watch. Even though those that ranked ahead of him (with the exception of Bono), are pretty good, they don’t EVEN come close to DLR. I believe even having Bono on the list is a typo!!

  • http://www.ericleland.com Jungleland

    If there are great pics of Dave like this one floating around, why are there just bad shots at Rolling Stone, Billboard ETC. ????

  • Nick

    Where is Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley, Roger Daultry. Though it is hard to pull anyone off this list except Steven Tyler…I could care less about him.

    Aerosmith sucks!!!! Unless you’re a 13 year old girl who pretends Rock and Roll is her favorite music.

    I would also put somebody from Pink Floyd, but I don’t want to single anyone out in that band…as they never did either really. They are strictly a group in my opinion…and the greatest band of all time!

  • TK

    Where’s Leif Garrett?

  • Jon

    Not gonna waste my time commenting. Ooops already have. while I’m here; Bono?! F*ck off. Trent Reznor?! F*ck off. Thom York?! F*ck off. In fact who’s list is this? F*ck off.

  • Rob

    the radiohead guy and trent reznor WTF porco dio! what about dee snider and steven tyler….

    more motorhead than radiohead!

  • will

    Who the fuck is Thom York?

  • Dan

    This list is pretty lame. It’s great to see Dave on it but Sammy deserves to be on it too. The rankings are a bit off as well. I agree Bono is listed much higher than deserved compared to Roth and Tyler.

  • http://www.myspace.com/drive13band drive13

    Thom Yorke? Trent Reznor? wtf?

    To me, being best front man isn’t about the best vocal, but who put on the best live show and had the personality and confidence to pull it off.
    Steven Tyler at 10 is a crime. Who cares if you like their music or not – he has managed to keep his mug in the mainstream for a really long time.Live he is great.
    Dave is the prime example of a rock front man.. bold, confident and has a smart mouth to back it up. He should have been #1. During the 80′s he had more imitators than anyone. Who do you think Brett Micheals,Stephen Pearcy,Vince Neil and a slew of others were trying to emulate?
    Pearl Jam made great records but Eddie Vedder gets drunk at live shows and mumbles political crap during the show..to much wine buddy.

    Dave should definatley be #1 – leave 2 & 3 blank because no one is close to him as a front man !