What was your first impression when you first heard Sammy Hagar?

[Nitro Express]

My first exposure to Sammy was when MTV was playing his I Can't Drive 55 video. Before that, I didn't know who Sammy Hagar was. It was like the dude suddenly came from nowhere. Kind of like Billy Squire. He comes from nowhere, he's in your face and then he dissapears. Why Sammy didn't dissapear is Eddie was too drunk to know better and let Sam into the Van Halen organization. If that didn't happen, Sammy would have gone the way of Billy Squire.

The first time I saw that video I thought it was lame. Fast, expensive Italian sports cars were something I loved but the song was lame, the video stupid, and the guy in it was trying very hard to be a rock star but wasn't a rock star. Sammy struck me as being a lame poser.

Sammy came to a college town close to where I lived. I believe is was the VOA tour if I remember right. It was at a time I went to lots of concerts and even though I thought he was lame from MTV, it still was an excuse to go to a concert and party.

I don't even remember the concert. LOL!

Apparently someone stole a Three Lock Box banner or something. It pissed Sammy off enough to where he said he would never play in that particular college town again if the banner wasn't returned. Everyones attitude was, "Shit, this joker thinks he's bigger than he really is. No more Sammy Hagar comming to town. Boo Hoo!" Shit Sammy just did the whole community a favor and I would buy whoever stole that banner a drink to this day.

[Panamark]

The first time I heard and saw him was as some poodle haired, flock of Seagulls looking gay dude singing in front of, FUCK ! is that the
remnants of Van Halen ???????? (Thoughts at the time)

It was an amazing moment. I knew instantly Van Halen were gone.
It was the Gayest thing I had seen since Boy George.

Im still yet to hear that "I Cant Drive Cos Im over 55 song"..
(Yes, I thank the lord daily !!)

[ThrillsNSpills]

First time I saw Sammy was the HSAS project with Neal Schon around 83-84. Back when MTV had concerts...wasn't bad, the musicians were good. Kenny Aaronson on bass from Rick Derringer and Neal Schon. It was hard rock at least. I didn't think much about it until I saw Neal Schon badmouthing Sammy on MTV saying he loved himself too much.
Neal Schon made 2 great albums with Jan Hammer after that which I thought were incredible. Never dug for any Sammy catalog after seeing HSAS.

[Hardrock69]

The first time I heard him was listening to the stuff he did with Montrose in the mid-70s. THat was some good hard rock back in that era.

Then I saw him live Sept. 15, 1978 opening for Boston in Seattle. Then I saw him March 13, 1979 in Wichita on the very same tour opening for Boston in Wichita, Kansas.

He was like many other artists from the 70s like Styx and REO Speedwagon in that in his early period he was an actual rock musician, but then started producing limp-wristed pussy music for the little girls to dream by....

[canadiandlrgirl]

my first thaughts when i first heard spammy was "oh my ears can't take this crap"........i just can't stand sammy's voice it's anoying!!!!!!

[bueno bob]

My first impression was gleaned from 5150, Why Cant This Be Love...via the radio...I frankly thought he was constipated, he certainly sang that way...

[Tom Vu]

Instant Greatness

I probably heard Sammy since he has a lot of famous songs but I didn't know it was Sammy. I'm aware of Sammy because I read about him in the HSAS group in a article from Beat (???) magazine. The first time I was aware that it was Sammy is when I see the "I Cant't Drive 55" video. I thought Sammy had a great rock and roll voice and was a pretty good actor as his performance in that video conjure up the frustration yet have the comedy timing. So, he make the good impression to me. I didn't know that he would reintroduce himself even more better with "Why Can't This Be Love?" vocally and "Best to Both Worlds" performance from LWAN.

The "...Both Worlds" was the first time I saw Sammy as a VH member since that was the first video MTV played. His performance and camaraderie with the VH band sealed the deal for me as a fan. Sammy rock and still rocks!!!


Oh You Ate One Too?!?\m/\m/!!!

[bueno bob]

Re: Instant Greatness

Originally posted by Tom Vu
I probably heard Sammy since he has a lot of famous songs but I didn't know it was Sammy. I'm aware of Sammy because I read about him in the HSAS group in a article from Beat (???) magazine. The first time I was aware that it was Sammy is when I see the "I Cant't Drive 55" video. I thought Sammy had a great rock and roll voice and was a pretty good actor as his performance in that video conjure up the frustration yet have the comedy timing. So, he make the good impression to me. I didn't know that he would reintroduce himself even more better with "Why Can't This Be Love?" vocally and "Best to Both Worlds" performance from LWAN.

The "...Both Worlds" was the first time I saw Sammy as a VH member since that was the first video MTV played. His performance and camaraderie with the VH band sealed the deal for me as a fan. Sammy rock and still rocks!!!


Oh You Ate One Too?!?\m/\m/!!!

Tom, can I borrow some money from you?

[mattiew23m]

first time i heard sammy. my sister was playing the footloose soundtrack in her room.... I always thought he was a solo artist.. So i heard the girl get's around.. And then i get into van halen, i see runaround, and i think its the same shit.. Which it pretty much is.. Sammy was a no one... His solo career was horrible... who the hell listened to sammy hagar?? lol when he got into van halen, yea a lot of people bought old solo stuff. I think my sister actually bought the soundtrack after he was in van halen.. I always always remembered dave as being van halen. My sister puts on the girl get's around, and i'm like "who is this" she was like, "he's in van halen" I'm like "uhhh i never heard of him before" lol hahaha so even people around my age picture van halen.. I told someone at work last year that van halen was on tour, they were like with dave?!?!? i was like nahh hagar.. they were like, jeez that crap is still around lol... Dave is the first thing that pops into people's heads when they think of van halen.. I remember balance tour 95.. Yea, i know i was stupid, and didn't see the light yet.. People behind me, and to the side of me yelling out "Get dave back, fuck you sammy!! stop talking!!!" lol i was under the impression people accepted the new van halen, but nahh hahahha. people didn't.... so, that's when i dug up the older stuff, bought bootlegs, and saw the light... And i found out what REAL van halen was all about.... Eddie must be retarted to think he could continue without dave... He did, but it was always fading, and roth's name would always come up..
HAGAR RUINED THE VAN HALEN NAME FOREVER.. I hope a cvh reunion happens, cause i hate to see the story end that way.. Fuckin' hagar!

[Hollywood Jesus]

I thought Sammy was a good B-list singer and rock star. Certainly a solid opening act.

Even his ballady love songs ahd a little edge to them. Sort of in that Billy Squier, Bryan Adams area with a little more guitar.

5150 didn't make me sick. But Sammy wasn't even singing like Sammy anymore. Perhaps had he tried less to ape DLR or live up to VH, the whole thing would have sounded better.

I do know he didn't control Eddie as much as should have. Oddly enough, it's the fact that Sammy was too nice a guy to EVH that I can't stand most Van Hagar music.

But after he slammed DLR on stage, I demanded he go straight to hell. I feel no different 18 years later.

[Terry]

First time I heard Hagar was when I saw Heavy Metal and Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Hagar had contributed songs to both soundtracks, and they came out roughly around the same time. Didn't think much about his music either way.

Probably first saw him on MTV, doing the 3 Lock Box vid, along with some live clips of HSAS, and some Sam solo live-in-concert stuff (this was in the early 1980s, when MTV just played music vids...you know, before it statred to suck?). Hagar wasn't an unknown before he hooked up with Van Halen, but he wasn't QUITE the raging solo success he now claims to be, either. Someone mentioned him being in the same league as Billy Squier in the early 1980s, but seem to remember Squier as being way more popular. At any rate, there were plenty who knew of Sammy basically as the 'I Can't Drive 55' guy when it was announced that he was joining Van Halen.

Agree with Hollywood Jesus that Hagar started to sound different after he joined Van Halen, at least from the half-dozen or so pre-1985 Hagar solo tunes I'd heard (not gonna pretend I'm an authority on the guys entire catalog, 'cuz I'm not) His voice prior to 5150 was definitely less grating; when 5150 came out there was Sammy with all these screams and yelps, and it really came across like he was aping Roth's style rather than just going with his own.

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by Hollywood Jesus
5150 didn't make me sick. But Sammy wasn't even singing like Sammy anymore. Perhaps had he tried less to ape DLR or live up to VH, the whole thing would have sounded better.

What was that lyric?

"I went out, bought a new pair of shoes, now I walk like someone else" or something?

[canadiandlrgirl]

Originally posted by bueno bob
Tom, can I borrow some money from you?

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by canadiandlrgirl
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Hey now! He's Tom Vu, he's millionaire! All loser get outta his way!

[canadiandlrgirl]

Originally posted by bueno bob
Hey now! He's Tom Vu, he's millionaire! All loser get outta his way!

millionaire huh!!!!!!!!!!!