Van Hagar

So a recent post on the Van Halen News Desk assessing the Sammy Hagar-era of the band got me to thinking about the Red Rocker's stint fronting my all-time favorite band.

There's many die-hard fans out there who insist that the "real" Van Halen is when "Diamond" David Lee Roth trod the boards. Others (usually in the 30-years-old and younger set) insist there was no Van Halen until Sammy was brought on board to man the mic once Dave left or was fired (depending on who you talk to you). It's like saying Paul McCartney wasn't successful until he formed Wings. But I digress ...

As for Gary Cherone and Van Halen III ... well, let's pretend that never happened, shall we?

Anyway, so I've been thinking about this and here's what I think ... for me, they're two different bands. Van Halen is the Van Halen with David Lee Roth while Van Hagar is an entirely different band. The DLR version had more of an edge, and in general was hungrier ... well, until the 1984 album when Eddie Van Halen apparently decided he wanted to sell records instead of write a lot of hard-rocking music.

Listen to 1984 and the first disc with Sammy, 5150, makes perfect sense. 1984 featured the most synthesizers Ed had ever included on a VH album and 5150 pretty much picked up right where 1984 left off, right down to drummer Alex Van Halen including synth drums in his kit and Ed relying heavily on Steinberger guitars.

Now, you could argue that given 5150 was released in 1986 the synth drums and keyboards were a product of the time but I think it had more to do with the commercial success of 1984 then anything else. That album spawned more hits and sold more copies than any other DLR-era recording and it wouldn't surprise me if Warner Bros. came to Ed and made it clear that success needed to continue.

But what do I know? I wasn't there.

Back to Sammy ... I think too many fans of DLR are too quick to dismiss the work Sammy did with the band. It really is difficult to compare the two because, like I said, they're two different bands.

Sammy certainly brought a broader vocal range (face it, Dave's an amazing front man, but as far as range ... not so much) and he can definitely write some great lyrics (that is, when they aren't all about sex).

But Ed's writing improved as well. The whole band felt energized by Sammy and getting away from the constant battle that was Ed vs. Dave. By the way, I realize this is all moot given that the band is in the studio with Dave recording a new album, but let's keep chumming the waters and see what happens ...

For me, 5150 is one of the most seminal albums of any band, ever and here's why ... it was released in March, 1986, and that summer it's pretty much all I listened to. Hearing it now, 25 years (ye gods!) later and my first thought is driving around in my blue 1980 Pontiac Sunbird with my sister, windows open, stereo cranked listening to the album on the tape deck. It's the only tape I actually wore out the oxide on. I listened to the tape over and over and over again and knew (and still do) every single word, nuance, guitar lick, and drum fill by heart. My sister used to laugh at me because not only did I know all the lyrics, I could whistle the guitar solos, too.

I got so into the minutiae of the album that I listened to the last song, "Inside," on headphones for hours once so I could pick up and memorize the layered conversations. Those familiar with the disc will know what I'm talking about.

The News Desk post also featured a Top 10 Van Hagar song list (which, naturally, created a firestorm in the comments section), so ... here's mine in no particular order (song title, album):

1. "Get Up", 5150 - This song amps me up every time I hear it. Fast, driving beat and a great solo from Eddie. Great lyrics, too, that can be summed up by the lines: "Hold your head up high/Look 'em in the eye/And never say die!" I actually used that quote for my senior high school yearbook photo.


2. "Best of Both Worlds", 5150 - I'd argue that this could be the best song Ed and Sammy ever wrote together. Again, very cool lyrics and the music personifies what Ed was trying to do with the band in a post-Dave world.


3. "The Seventh Seal", Balance - For me, this is the best sounding album that band has produced to date. Drums, guitar, bass ... they all sound killer thanks to legendary producer Bruce Fairbairn who really got the best out of the band even though Ed was deep into his alcoholism and tensions between he and Sammy reportedly were at their worst. Still, this song just friggin' rocks and I love turning it up nice and loud. Very existential lyrics from Sammy and once again, Ed turns in an insane solo.


4. "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)", Balance - The first single from the album and it was an excellent start. Overall, it felt like Ed was returning to writing more rocking songs and thinking less about how many albums they were going to sell. I just love his guitar work in this song. While the radio single version of this song is edited, the album version features two solos (a rarity in a VH song) and the first solo has probably one of the lowest notes Ed's ever recorded. I like the way the solo makes my sub-woofer tremble every time. In the second solo, I friggin' love the note Eddie pulls off at the end of the solo. As I'm typing this, I just listened to that part over and over again ... excellent stuff!


5. "It's About Time/Up for Breakfast/Learning To See", The Best of Both Worlds - From the second "Best of ..." compilation (and yes, I know these are three songs so this isn't a single entry, but it's my blog ... so there) ... All three of these songs show that these four guys could still write great songs together and that Ed (now sober) still has command of his axe. These songs are just fun to listen to and Sammy sounds like he's having a blast, especially in "It's About Time" which seems to be about his time in the band and how fans loved their music.


6. "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)", OU812 - Love, love LOVE this song. From the get-go, Ed kicks the rhythm into high gear and the rest of the band tried to keep up. Just love the riff Ed came up with for this song and Sammy's lyrics are some of the best he wrote for the album (talks about touring with the band and playing for the fans). Oh, and a killer solo from Eddie.


7. "Poundcake", For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge -
For an album with an unfortunate title (Really guys? How old are you?!?), this is a great opening number to the album. This was the first VH disc to feature some excellent production (Andy Johns, who had work with Led Zeppelin, manned the boards for the recording) so the album is full of great bass (wow, Michael Anthony really is playing!) and Alex's kit sounds like its filling every inch of the studio. Sammy's lyrics are a bit immature on this song, but I really like the music. Ed had just released his line of guitars with Earnie Ball Music Man and used them on this disc and it's one of his best guitar sounds so far.


8. "Inside", 5150 - As I said earlier, listen to this song on headphones. Cool rhythm, off-beat feel and some funky guitar work from Eddie that's buried in the mix. Also maintains the band's party/sense of humor reputation. Listening to this song always made me feel like I was sitting in the studio with the band and was privy to some behind-the-scenes info. In essence, Sammy's acknowledging that the band has a past and is inviting fans along for the future. And for the record, I still have no idea what the hell the album cover means.


9. "Cabo Wabo," Ou812 - If you ever wanted to delve into the mindset of Sammy Hagar, listen to the lyrics of this song. Sammy's a huge fan of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and tequila (he even has his own brand, which is excellent). The feel of this song makes it easy to picture the band sitting on the beach writing this tune as the sun sets and the waves crash on the sand. Very laid back and Ed's solo is kinda silky and slippery. Cool.


10. "In 'n' Out", For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - No, it's not what you think. The lyrics about are how tough it is to get ahead in life and how expensive it is to be born and die. "Ain't no way around the system/Money makes this world go 'round/All the way, they got you down ... They got you goin' in/They got you goin' out/Same amount/In and out". Ed also pulls off a very cool solo featuring a wah-wah pedal and his tremlo bar ... good stuff. It's one of those solos that fits seamlessly in the song.

So there it is, my kinda sorta defense of Van Hagar. I still think they made some great music. But, at the end of the day, make mine Dave! Just sayin' ...