If Dave Had stayed after 1984.....

[DavidLeeWrath]

Would it still be Van Halen to you?

[FORD]

I have always maintained that Van HALEN is Dave, Eddie, Mikey, Alex.

Of those 4, Alex would probably be the most expendable. He's a good drummer, with occasional brilliant moments such as the Hot For Teacher intro, but he's not a defining part of the band's sound, like Neil Peart, Keith Moon, or John Bonham were in their bands. Mikey was an average bass player, but his harmonies were part of the trademark sound.

Dave and Eddie - reasons are obvious.

So yeah, if Alex had caught the bus in 1986 (the way Cliff Burton did) and they would have replaced him with another drummer, I believe the difference would have been negligible.

[DavidLeeWrath]

Intriguing......and hey,

Where the hell do I cast my vote for Dio???

[FORD]

www.dioforamerica.com

[Terry]

Am aware it may sound hypocritical, since I've always said there is only one Van Halen: Roth, the Lying Dutchmen and Mike "whatever you say, Ed" Anthony, but I think if Mike had left the band in 1985, or even Alex for that matter, I can't say I would have cared. It still wouldn't have been Van Halen, though.

If Roth and Eddie got together tomorrow and replaced Alex with Ray Luzier, can't say I would have a gripe with that.

One of the things that bugs me about Sam being in the band and going out and touring under the name Van Halen is that the music Sam Halen makes just doesn't deserve to be associated with what was made when Roth was in the band. And I don't care if Eddie, Al and Mike are still in the band.

Same goes for the Who after Moon died, the Stones, or any other band that takes the pussy way out and keeps the name after someone leaves.

Look at Led Zeppelin. Page and Plant could have went out with Jason Bonham and John Paul Jones and toured as Led Zeppelin and made a shitload of money. But when Page and Plant did go out in the mid 90s, they did so as Page and Plant.

Has to do with integrity.

Hindsight being 50/50, was a good thing Roth left in 1985. The music was getting soft. Plus Roth leaving gave us Eat' Em And Smile, with Elephant Gun, Big Trouble and all the rest.

Probably a good thing Roth isn't there now. Ed's gotten too used to tossing a bunch of hastily written, sloppily played riffs together and calling it a song for too long now. Too used to calling the shots in that terrible sounding 5150 studio, with little or no interference from outside producers. Basically lazy and tone deaf. His rig sounds awful and the one thing that characterizes his work post-Roth is a lack of effort. Dave doesn't need to be linked with that.