This Week In Rock History: Van Hagar is Born

I liked this record a lot when it came out – for the music – I wasn’t too sure about Sam, although I had liked his solo stuff okay. I didn’t like the drums – too electronic. But Ed had some good riffs and every song seemed to just leap off the record. I didn’t like a lot of Sam’s lyrics – reach for the sky and golden ring or you got any specials here tonight, etc., but I thought he did a good job on the title track. I thought he was speaking to Dave (for Ed) – “you’re never satisfied” “Why.. meet you half the way when you don’t know what that means” I don’t know if he was but I got the impression that was how Ed felt.

This was certainly the best thing Sam had ever been involved with. I noticed he altered his “style” for VH – he never used to do the Whoa’s and the Ow’s and all that.

The concert was a big let down though, after seeing them on the previous two tours. I never bothered to see them again.

I remember my roommate told me Dave left and was being replaced by Sam he called it Van Hagar and that was before the album was even released. Everyone had to give it another name because it didn’t sound, look, or smell like Van Halen anymore.

I feel part of this community since the beginning …

Just to tell you my story…from my Italian perspective…

my first Vh record, was VAN HALEN LIVE, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW… back in 1993… I had no idea of Van Halen…I heard Jump from time to time, but never got into the band…

after that, I went back, discovering all the VH records, noticing the Dave Era…something totally different from Sammy…

well, a true VH fan, in my opinion would appreciate
the fact that the band Van Halen, survived all over the years… 5150 was totally different from VH1…

most people never appreciated Sammy, because he was not like Dave ( the same happened with Gary, but in a worst way…)

Then in 2007 we had Van Halen back for 3 quarters…

The shows were superb, even if many people missed Mikey …

I think after all these years, that until Edward Van Halen will be around, there’ll always be Van Halen… the spirit, and the intensity of the brown sound…

I hope the band will release a new record soon, since 1984,
giving to the fans, something special, something magic.

I think that Eddie, knows how we demand fresh new music , from his guitar…

And the next record, in my modest opinion, will demonstrate that he hasn’t missed the spirit, the energy, the heart and the soul of VAN HALEN…

Rack of what??? Don’t compare Journey and Van Halen. Hey I knw you have a hatred for Roth, but LOL you know that the song you threw your name down from was actually written by Roth and not Hager.

Just an FYI

Good Enough, Get Up and Summer Nights were all started in the studio with Roth before Hager was even a thought.

real
VAN HALEN
fan

Outstanding video and song. I’ll never get tired of listening to 5150. VH RULES

Massive Van Halen fan period. Love both eras and know what fans of each mean when the defend their choice. People tend to forget the sappy tunes that Roth did with Van Halen and crucify Hagar for the keyboard tunes. Both eras were successful and legendary. Van Halen was the only band in my high school where hard core metalheads and preppy jocks agreed upon. Everyone loved Van Halen….they were legends and everyone enjoyed their music. I grew up during the Hagar era and prefer that era…the whole vibe, the musicianship and the powerhouse live preformances were undeniable to me. Every show I saw with Hagar was sold out(even Monsters sold out the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis) and every record was a smash………very few people talked shit on Sammy when was in the band, at least in my neck of the woods. They changed my life and are the only band that can make a terrible day into a great one for me. Seen them 21 times so far and will always love both eras and both frontmen. Stop the hate and love the music you assholes.

Integrity? Integrity? So, I guess NEVER knowing the lyrics in a live performance shows integrity??? Assless chaps. That’s integrity?

Rock5150: Get used to the continued expansion of the CVH legend from certain people. Their lives revolve around 6 albums from 1978 to 1984. That’s it……that’s their whole collection. They have them on 8track, cassette, lp, cd, and mp3!

its funny that eddie wrote music for 3 songs before dave quit and somehow roth gets credit in thier minds.must be roth logic.

I hope this year Warner will finally release the Remastered versions of the Hagar era. We deserve it as fans as much as the Roth era deserved it. Equally great. I read it is going to happen.

Rack of What? —

Wow, dude…..you’re actually worse of a Hagar apologist than Kayser. You’re about as neck-deep in one-sided Van Hagar propaganda as I’ve ever seen on these boards.

I happen to like Journey, and I think Neal Schon and Steve Perry are two of the best musicians/vocalists of all time. However, I will readily admit they sold out to Top 40 radio as soon as Perry joined. Any way you slice it, they sold out. That stuff was custom-made for maximum sales volume to lovestruck teenage girls. Van Hagar was in the same mindset. Gone were the glory days of “Unchained” and “Aint Talkin’ Bout Love” which have ZERO appeal to teenage girls. In comes corporate-stamped sellers like “Love Comes Walking In” and “When It’s Love”. Where’s the integrity and respect in formulaic songs like that?

I agree with you that Eddie is equally responsible for the dreck that Van Hagar produced. Songwriting in Van Halen is mainly between Eddie and the singer. A strong case could be made the singer might even have more influence — Sammy even admitted as such in the recent Stern interview, ie “Dave was the leader of VH, and then I became the leader”. So there you have it — right from your hero’s mouth. I never said Sammy deserves 100% blame for the disaster of Van Hagar, but he certainly needs to take at least 50%.

Your assessment of Roth couldnt be further from the truth. Roth is an ass clown and creepy? Hmmm, so almost every hard rock frontman in the 80′s wanted to be creepy and ass-clownish? Anyone with a brain knows that David Lee was the benchmark and he had lots of imitators. Everyone tries to copy a legend like Dave, but I dont see anyone trying to copy Sammy.

As far as your evaluation of Dave’s post-Halen career as “absolute shit”, apparently you werent around in the 80′s because he had two very successful multi-platinum albums and tours. I’m sure you’ll be fabricating numbers just like Sammy to convince us that “Marching to Mars” and Chickenfoot’s CD were more successful than Dave’s 80′s solo career. Time to remove yourself from the Hagar teet, bub. Sammy needs VH more than anyone — otherwise he wouldnt talk about them in every single interview he gives.

Man you guys. Here I dont want to be called a ROTH only fan. Even though I prefer classic Van Halen. Nothing like it. Let me say this.

It was great with Sammy! I miss them. However 5150 was started with Dave! It’s their best Sammy Album. I like all the Sammy albums by the way! Also, not Van Hager! It’s Van Halen with Sammy singing. Sammy Hager didn’t save VAN HALEN either. That’s a joke if someone really believes this.

Sorry! If anything Van Halen helped Sammy Hager and his career! He wouldn’t be what he is now without Van Halen. His main publicity is from being in Van Halen. Ask him, he’ll agree. He always knew that Old VH would hang over his head. It always will, he is using it now to his advantage.

He will never lose it, he rides it and enjoys it. Just look back through this site.

I’m so sick of him knocking Van Halen outfront and hidden!

real
Van Halen
fan

Right on Dan Slaughter! I don’t remember any kind of shit talk on Sammy at all until the mid-late 90′s. Before that all people I knew accepted Van Halen for what it was an is now at that time! People still liked old Van Halen and some preferred it. Everyone seemed to love 5150. I sure did I just always missed 1984 and where the album’s direction went and how bad ass 5150 songs would have been with Roth.

Sammy is a better singer. Roth is just different with lyrics and tone. Would have enjoyed trying to hear him sing Good Enough, Get Up, and Summer Nights. Those songs sound like they were picking up from 1984 and taking back off.

Van Halen saved Sammy. He stepped into the biggest Hard Rock Band in the world. They did make good ballads and still made some bad ass songs. However they were carved from the original kick ass sound that you knew OH AND even in the late 80′s and 90′s that they could kick in a couple for the real complete VAN HALEN fan.

real Halen

@ Roth Leaps

Hey man. I think I’ve said a few things your way before but before you go blowing me off as a “Hagar apologist”, just read what I have to say.

I am 20. I love Van Halen. I think its really important that guys my age actually realise what came before – at the moment the bands that I follow are nothing like Van Halen. Its all “alternative” – and while this can be good, it can also be pretty horrendous.

So when I discovered Van Halen 6 years ago, I was stoked. I finally had that guitar hero I had been searching for – 10 albums to delve into and a plethora of sounds that were nothing like what I heard on my other CDs. I was mesmirised, blown away, and it was all I could listen to and talk about (and almost still is today!)

But I want to say, I prefer Sammy’s material to Dave’s in terms of the VH catalogue. This is coming from a guy who had the greatest hits before anything else. I purchased the albums in chronological order – VH1, VH2, Fair Warning, 1984…amazing. Truly mind-blowing. But when I got 5150 and OU812, damn I was blown away even more. It was like the music had evolved to another level. It was a different animal, but I still heard the occasional calling of the first. The electric drums, to me, sound cool. The effects laden guitar an sign of evolution from the bare-bones band that rocked before (and thats not a bad thing).

I’m trying to give an objective view on it, because people who grew up in different eras, such as yourself, prefer that era. And I totally dig that and can completely understand why you prefer Roth and dislike Hagar. But just think about those who grew up on Hagar, or like me had the whole catalogue but just came down to preference? I will NEVER be able to witness the magic of the some of the guys on here. There isn’t the “new Van Halen album” release that I can get excited about – living in the UK makes the chances of seeing them live even slimmer. You guys have witnessed magic that won’t be seen for decades, perhaps even centuries. I missed it, but you guys didn’t. Before you go saying how bad certain parts of their history are – at least you got to live that history. I just want to say, as a new millennium Van Halen fan, that I believe Hagar to be an integral part of the VH saga. But just try to see it from another point of view – your passion comes across as putting your opinion across as fact.

New age VH fan, L.

You people! All of you! I was a teenage girl who loved Unchained and Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love! I never liked Journey much at all; DLR-era VH was my fav band back in the day along with AC/DC, and Judas Priest. Those were my fav bands in jr. high and high school. So don’t come on here, Roth Leaps, and make a general statement like that. There will always be exceptions.

At least with the Sam vs Dave comparisons, it leaves Cherone out. I think the most ridiculous statement is when someone says VH3 was a great album. While I like most of the instrument sounds of it, the album sucks compared to what VH did with Sammy and Dave.

Lupercal —

It’s all good, man. I usually only get upset at people in here who try to push revisionist history on us — like when Kayser makes up theories to support Sammy’s long-held claim that Van Hagar sold more albums than Roth-era. That’s pure bullshit and no amount of Hagar apologism will change that fact. I also get perturbed when guys like Rack O’What says totally false statements like “Roth’s post-Halen career was absolute shit”. Lies, lies, and damn lies. I’m too smart for these infantile Hagar tactics so dont insult my intelligence with them.

You’re a Hagar fan, and I’m a Roth fan, and the world keeps on spinning. I still dont understand why so many people insist we love both eras equally and make this website a big lovefest. It would be quite boring around here if we all agreed on everything, no? I cant speak for all of you, but I would estimate most Hagar fans are under age 40 because their formative teen years were during the Van Hagar period. Roth fans like me remember the impact CVH had on the world because we saw it with our own eyes, and that’s why we’re so loyal to it.

Freddiegirl —

I was making a general statement, and of course there will always be exceptions like you. I’d think you’d agree with me that the fanbase during the Roth-era was probably around 80% male and 20% female. I’ve seen enough to old concert footage on YouTube to back up that claim. I think the 20% would’ve been a lower number if not for the fact that Dave and Eddie were two good-looking guys that got a fair number of girls interested in VH to begin with. If you watch the “Live Without A Net” and “Right Here, Right Now” concert videos, the female fanbase went up to at least 35%-40%, and I doubt it was because of Sammy’s mop top. The love ballads got more girls interested. You cant deny that.

March 24th 1986: The awful nightmare begins!!

All part of the aliens’ secret plan to ruin Van Halen.

roth_leaps……that’s true and I admit as a pre-teen/teenage girl I did think Eddie was cute; he was my first ‘rock star’ crush but it was his guitar playing that kept me interested in the band…

No disrespect to Journey fans but… yuck. Not my cup of tea at all. I’ve never liked power ballads all that much.

Van Halen with Sammy was awesome!

Unfortunately from what i have read…Ed was pretty tough to get along with during the down times.

Im sure Sam was no angel a well so its break even.

I heard Ed has his son playing bass… i think its great to have your child out their with you, but its seems a little off. The fans want Mike Anthony i think so maybe they can make friends again and have Van Halen again with Mick and sam.

It would be true magic Van Halen.

ciao.

Go VH!

Sammy versus Roth, Roth versus Sammy, Gary versus Sammy and Roth…

Will someone just get in front of the microphone and sing some shit already?

Sammy and Dave were great!
Gary never really had a chance, even though his live performances were just as good as the aforementioned.

Have Mike come back as the lead singer and keep Wolfie on bass or guitar. WGAF!!!!!

It’s not that hard in today’s overtechnologized music biz.

C’mon Man!

I listened to Hagar’s interview on Howard Stern the other day on YouTube. It was a really funny and interesting discussion. Stern egged him on and got him to talk about the latest concerts with Roth, he [Hagar] said something like “yeah, I saw Roth marching with a top hat and bouncing on a blow-up microphone on YouTube… and Roth said he refused to sing any of my songs, but I don’t think he’d ever be able to”. NOW, I know there’s some bitterness and jealousy with Hagar, cause let’s face it, even though I liked a lot of the Hagar era, I came to the ‘reunion’ concerts to hear the classic songs. I didn’t expect to hear Roth try and sing Dreams and didn’t want to either. But there are some Hagar era songs that Roth would probably nail, like “Good Enough”, and “Finish What ya started”. Hagar said about 3 years ago that he hoped that Van Halen would reunite with Dave for the fans and someday when they all could get along, that he would like to do a tour with him and Dave both. And how when he toured with Dave that was one of the things he hoped for, was to forge a friendship with Dave but it was impossible to get along with him.

Hagar with his claims that Van Halen sold more records with him as lead singer, yeah, as other’s have said; he is counting the Classic Halen sales during his tenure… sure, he may have won over some younger fans that went back and bought the older catalogue, but it is still misleading.

5150. Love it or hate it. But remember who composed the music and who added the faux drum that added all the ‘pew pew’ laser-gun-esque beats that gives some of the tracks that dated sound. Ya can’t blame Sam for that. Get Up was rocking, so was Good Enuf, Summer Nights, Best of Both Worlds, 5150, and Why Can’t this be Love. Really, the whole album was stellar, if not somewhat synthy. Hey, it was 1986 after all. And, NO it doesn’t sound like Journey thank God. Still progressive guitar-driven rock. Even though they had their token power ballads “Love Comes Walking In” and “Dreams”. Hey, they needed to get the lighters up in the crowd and give the radio stations something to play.

I’m glad Roth is back as the lead singer, BUT what Eddie should do is let him be the frontman. Roth is no longer the frontman. It’s the damn truth. He’s just a puppet so Eddie can say, “oh, here’s classic Halen just like you remember, Mike…? Mike, who? Hey, buy my new guitar & sneakers.” Back when classic Van Halen was a functioning, prolific group; Roth handled their marketing and image, plus had some creative input. That is what is lacking these days. (IMHO)

Not true, then prove me wrong. I’ll accept Wolfie when I hear him contribute to some songs on a new album

I have wondered what Van Halen would have done, if the Sammy Hagar era never existed. I doubt the momentum from 1984 would have lasted much longer. The band would have likely ended sometime in the late 80′s or early 90′s. I don’t think the early grunge era would have been kind to David Lee Roth’s stage persona. As it is, we got 10 years of a completely different, but also great version of the band with Sammy. Lightning struck twice with 5150. I don’t think many people understand just how amazing a feat that really is.

Roth_Leaps_83:

Thank you for some truth.

And Drew:

The sound doesn’t matter?? Huh?? Their sounded got worse with every record after Fair Warning…further and further away from the brown sound…and the sound that made them great. The difference between FW and DD is huge. By the time SH got there, Alex had traded in real drums for electronic ones, MA’s role was almost nil, and they became a pop/rock band. SH’s earlier solo work kicked way more ass than anything he did in VH, whether it’s Heavy Metal, Three Lock Box, There’s Only One Way to Rock, or even I Can’t Drive 55. What VH fans got was newer versions of ‘Your Love is Drivin’ Me Crazy’. Lame.

I’m a big DLR fan I start listening to Van Halen when Dave was still there I got any single DLR album as well, however I believe that Sammy was the right singer for Van Halen the chemistry between Ed & Sammy was electrifying who ever tries to deny that is flat out ignorant stupid f**k.

I feel the same way No Mas. Sam saying something as foolish as Roth didn’t want to play any of his songs and couldn’t if he wanted to, sheesh. He should look into sour grape preserves as a new business outlet. Is he for real? Does he really think that Dave was even approached about any Mach II songs? The funny thing about him spewing crap about Dave not being able to do them is that it only proves his eyes are fixed on the wrong barometer like so many post-ers in here. Singing in a higher register does not make the ideal front man. The qualities Dave posesses defy accurate description.
As far as the Dave’s a pawn theory goes, I’m confident that the songs we will here some damn day will have been crafted like the old days. No one ever credits Dave for his arranging. He may mold riffs into structure the way he did with cannibalizing “She’s the Woman” and “Voodoo Queen” to make “Mean Streets”. You can bet your ass that was his idea. I can’t imagine that after 3 years of working on songs that it’s been a simple case of, “we’ll call you when we’re done Dave”. I think it’s a miracle that “Me Wise Magic” and “…Stuff…” came out as good as they did with the cut ‘n paste method.
The kind of contribution from Wolf that I hope to hear is that he’s not just going to echo his Dad’s riffs. I want to hear walking bass lines with a presence of their own. “It’s About Time” was the text book example of what goes wrong when a guitarist plays bass to his music. Virtually every note of the song is doubled on bass. I’m confident he’ll earn his wings just fine.

The Day Eddie and Alex Sold Out Their True Fans to become (according to DLR) “Journey Jr.”