Sam Just Won’t Stop

[Seshmeister]

I like how the album description starts in Qobuz for this Hagar box set.

"ALBUM DESCRIPTION
They really should have changed the name to Van Hagar..."

Or Shit Sandwich...

[Rikk]

Visiting the Links for the first time in several years this last week when the unreleased Dave files leaked, I have to admit I was mostly pleasantly surprised.

Instead of raving on about the Sammy box set, they've been far more excited about this Dave stuff.

Yes, there's the odd post about, "Oh my God, the new remaster of LOVE WALKS IN is so amazing!" But for the most part, they know the band shat out a crappy box set with minimal effort of the highly-inferior Van Halen years...

...and are instead excited as shit to hear perfect quality versions of PUT OUT THE LIGHTS or the great alternate take of FOOLS...or RED ZONE (ACT LIKE IT HURTZ).

Maybe there's some hope left in the universe.

[Terry]

Or Shit Sandwich...

You can't print that!

[Terry]

Visiting the Links for the first time in several years this last week when the unreleased Dave files leaked, I have to admit I was mostly pleasantly surprised.

Instead of raving on about the Sammy box set, they've been far more excited about this Dave stuff.

Yes, there's the odd post about, "Oh my God, the new remaster of LOVE WALKS IN is so amazing!" But for the most part, they know the band shat out a crappy box set with minimal effort of the highly-inferior Van Halen years...

...and are instead excited as shit to hear perfect quality versions of PUT OUT THE LIGHTS or the great alternate take of FOOLS...or RED ZONE (ACT LIKE IT HURTZ).

Maybe there's some hope left in the universe.

From what I read and can gather from the link Silexxx provided a few posts previous, the new Sammy box set is just the Van Hagar studio stuff 'remastered'...no extras, just the same catalog that has been put out several times before already: I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a fan of the Sammy years getting excited over repurchasing a catalog they must own already, even a 'remastered' one.

[Vinnie Velvet]

From what I read and can gather from the link Silexxx provided a few posts previous, the new Sammy box set is just the Van Hagar studio stuff 'remastered'...no extras, just the same catalog that has been put out several times before already: I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a fan of the Sammy years getting excited over repurchasing a catalog they must own already, even a 'remastered' one.

Via Apple Music I was curious to hear how these remasters sound. Of course I was only able to stomach so much Van Hagar and listened to basically the opening of songs from mainly 5150 and OU812. I think it was Good Enough, 5150 and AFU.

From my ears, I think there is an improvement but I'm not sure.

[ZahZoo]

I listened to a few of the remasters on Youtube... OU812 was the worst mixed of the Hagar records originally. The new versions sound better but the songs still suck elephant balls.

Great recordings and mastering can't improve shitty songs...

[Nickdfresh]

From what I read and can gather from the link Silexxx provided a few posts previous, the new Sammy box set is just the Van Hagar studio stuff 'remastered'...no extras, just the same catalog that has been put out several times before already: I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a fan of the Sammy years getting excited over repurchasing a catalog they must own already, even a 'remastered' one.

What a pity, I was really hoping for an alternate extended version of Up For Breakfast. I mean the metaphor of food as sexual gratification and depravity seems fitting for Sam's wife (when she blows the Mexican illegal pool staff)....

[Vinnie Velvet]

I listened to a few of the remasters on Youtube... OU812 was the worst mixed of the Hagar records originally. The new versions sound better but the songs still suck elephant balls.

Great recordings and mastering can't improve shitty songs...

I had not listened to those songs I mentioned in years. A long time.

And from the first listen back I immediately noticed the shittiness but one word that I could describe the Van Hagar vibe compared to CVH: LAZY.

Like wtf happened to them. Ed showcased some flashes here and there but again, lazy ass playing. It was almost as if someone was trying to parody CVH Ed but coming out with lazy ass drivel. Black and Blue for instance just fucking plods along.

[ZahZoo]

Yeah lazy is good description of Ed's writing/composing during those years. My thought was he became much more "domesticated"... settled down into married life and his song writing lost a significant edge. Like he traded in his Ferrari for a fucking minivan and started questioning his choice of pronouns.

That time period also coincides with Alex getting sober... I've come to recognize that Alex is often overlooked in the song writing process but I suspect his influences had to have changed considerably once he got off his perpetual hangover period.

[Terry]

I had not listened to those songs I mentioned in years. A long time.

And from the first listen back I immediately noticed the shittiness but one word that I could describe the Van Hagar vibe compared to CVH: LAZY.

Like wtf happened to them. Ed showcased some flashes here and there but again, lazy ass playing. It was almost as if someone was trying to parody CVH Ed but coming out with lazy ass drivel. Black and Blue for instance just fucking plods along.

That's Van Hagar in a nutshell. Lazy, with an occasional flash of brilliance from Eddie that briefly reminds one how brilliant the band HAD been in the CVH years. A few tracks on each album that made one wonder what the band could have done with the tune after Dave had a go at it and someone other than the band had produced it.

[Silexxx]

Just listened 5150, OU812 and some of FUCK remasters. Lazy is a good description. Many of the songs are way way too long. There's no reason 'Cabo Wabo' needs to be 7 min long. Also Hagar's lyrics are put together probably in 5 min with cliche after cliche. And the way he *singgg-ggg-ggg-ggs* almost every final word gets really boring after a while. Eddie's tone also sounds like from a 80s TV show. Like 'Get Up' feels like a Jan Hammer / Miami Vice background music on crack!

[Nitro Express]

I listened to a few of the remasters on Youtube... OU812 was the worst mixed of the Hagar records originally. The new versions sound better but the songs still suck elephant balls.

Great recordings and mastering can't improve shitty songs...

Ha! Ha! We actually left a OU812 show early. It was a cheese fest. My girlfriend wasn’t digging it so we left and had dinner.

[Nitro Express]

Yeah lazy is good description of Ed's writing/composing during those years. My thought was he became much more "domesticated"... settled down into married life and his song writing lost a significant edge. Like he traded in his Ferrari for a fucking minivan and started questioning his choice of pronouns.

That time period also coincides with Alex getting sober... I've come to recognize that Alex is often overlooked in the song writing process but I suspect his influences had to have changed considerably once he got off his perpetual hangover period.

Once he started wearing pajama bottoms it was over. Bedtime with Sam. It was gay as fuck.

[Nitro Express]

Just listened 5150, OU812 and some of FUCK remasters. Lazy is a good description. Many of the songs are way way too long. There's no reason 'Cabo Wabo' needs to be 7 min long. Also Hagar's lyrics are put together probably in 5 min with cliche after cliche. And the way he *singgg-ggg-ggg-ggs* almost every final word gets really boring after a while. Eddie's tone also sounds like from a 80s TV show. Like 'Get Up' feels like a Jan Hammer / Miami Vice background music on crack!

Put it all in a box set and call it FUCKED.

[FORD]

Ha! Ha! We actually left a OU812 show early. It was a cheese fest.

Yeah... the synth pop cheese ballads were even worse when Van Hagar had to follow Metallica on the Monsters of Rock tour 88.

Real Van Halen probably would have pushed themselves to do a better show after that, but it was hopeless with the Ched "Rocker".