A purely hypothetical question

[simplerhyme]

We all know that Van Hagar is shit.

But is it all Sammy's fault (there's no doubt a big chunk of it is)?

I mean is the problem Sammy, or a larger issue of replacing a singer in any band, let alone DLR?

If Sammy had been the original singer, and DLR had replaced him, would Roth have been granted with a warm welcome?

Personally, if Sammy had been the original singer, doubt the VH legacy would exist, or this forum, would exist.

[sadaist]

No singer would have been able to have the success with VH that Dave did. It's like replacing Mick in the Stones. History has shown that it is extremely difficult to replace a singer. They are so much the identity of the band. It's not like Megadeth replacing a drummer.

Saying that, VH was lucky to have the success they did with Hagar. The albums progressively became worse. Eddie also left his trademark sound behind. So any fans who didn't care about Roth anyways left because the music changed as well.

[simplerhyme]

Pretty much agree with you here,

But Montrose was a great band, seemed that what VH lost when DLR went was spontaneity.

Also, they used way too many keyboards on those albums with Hagar,
keyboards are like salad with pizza,

Unnecessary

[amadeus]

Another that gets me is that you never see a Roth-era VH DVD nor a live CD at best. Sammy joins them in '86 and we get that friggin' New Halen, Conn (Live Without A Clue) and it was done after the first album with Sam. I just don't understand why there were never any commercially released live CVH stuff ??? It must be a SPAM conspiracy!!

[simplerhyme]

Dude, I agree.

However, if you go onto youtube.com you can see a full VH concert from the Diver Down tour.

It's in about 39 parts, which is a pain, but Roth is AMAZING

Just type in VH live in search engine, VH just brings up loads of covers bands

[Terry]

Nah, it wasn't all Sammy's fault. For me, the ill-will toward Van Hagar had nada to do with Roth quitting and Hagar replacing him inandof itself.

Had to do, in part, with the attitude of the Van Halens and Hagar, who when 5150 went number one was suddenly acting like CVH hadn't been selling millions of records before he stepped into the band.

EVH's musical direction had changed, and I didn't care for what he was coming up with, and Hagar for some reason started throwing all these Rothisms into the songs (that whole deal in Good Enough where he's talking to a waitress in double entendres - um, rip off Everybody Wants Some a little, why don't you?), and began singing exclusively in this mid range whine...WHY he did this I don't know, but his solo stuff prior to joining Van Halen didn't annoy me half as much, as his voice wasn't nearly as grating. And Ed just went on autopilot. Too many accolades and meaningless Best Guitarist wins from axe mags for his CVH work just went to his head by the time Hagar joined. The guy just plain stopped trying, and you could hear it in the music.

If the band had called itself something else (which they really should have, because it wasn't Van Halen anymore), and didn't even mention Roth's name in the press, the music still would have sucked, but a certain amount of ill will would have been eliminated.

[blonddgirl777]

I think Sammy is just a guy who happened to audition for a great band some day,
and got (wrongly) chosen by its members...

Can't blame a guy for trying!
Althoufh, he could realize that he has absolutely no talent and have more respect for himself... and others.

[sagebrush]

To me its like what black sabbath did when they dropped ozzy for dio . Yes dio and sabbath made some good music but to alot of black sabbath fans it wasn't black sabbath . When dave left vh and they got sammy is was not vh anymore it was a rip off to the true fans of vh . Now after 20 years or so black sabbath put there shit behind them and got back together and its black sabbath and we can only hope that edd,alex,and mike can get back on the same road and make a come back with the real van halen . If dave and the other members of vh can put there shit in the past and set there minds on making van halen music and not the hits the band would see that the years with sammy was just a waste . And to all the sammy fans getting dave back is not going back in time, its taking the best of the past and replacing the shit of today .