Billy Sheehan approached 5 separate times to join VH

[Terry]

hideyoursheep and indeedido have it right, I think...

Initial Van Hagar success with the 5150 album due to carryover of a lot of "CVH fans" who came late to the party with Jump/the 1984 album combined with Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 video in heavy rotation.

[sonrisa salvaje]

hideyoursheep and indeedido have it right, I think...

Initial Van Hagar success with the 5150 album due to carryover of a lot of "CVH fans" who came late to the party with Jump/the 1984 album combined with Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 video in heavy rotation.

This is true but it's still no excuse. I came late to the party with the Jump/1984 craze and had never heard much VH prior to that. I immediately went back and bought the other 5. I remember the day 5150 came out and one of my friends bought it and let me hear it. I said man that ain't Van Halen and i ain't supportin' the shit. But then again, i never cared for Sammy prior to that either, especially 55. I never could stomach anyone replacing Dave, and at the time i thought everyone else would feel the same way i did. When they had the success they did it made me sick. I have been trying to figure it out since. I think there was also a core of fans out there that loved Eddie and were so enthralled with him that they didn't care who fronted.

[Terry]

This is true but it's still no excuse. I came late to the party with the Jump/1984 craze and had never heard much VH prior to that. I immediately went back and bought the other 5. I remember the day 5150 came out and one of my friends bought it and let me hear it. I said man that ain't Van Halen and i ain't supportin' the shit. But then again, i never cared for Sammy prior to that either, especially 55. I never could stomach anyone replacing Dave, and at the time i thought everyone else would feel the same way i did. When they had the success they did it made me sick. I have been trying to figure it out since. I think there was also a core of fans out there that loved Eddie and were so enthralled with him that they didn't care who fronted.

Well, there's no explaining or excusing other people's tastes...

[sonrisa salvaje]

Well, there's no explaining or excusing other people's tastes...

You are right. I wear my heart on my sleave when it comes to this stuff.

[Polk High]

Hot Summer Nights is the only song i go back to on 5150 and jam. Imagine what it could have been with Dave's lyrics and vibe.

agree. i think dave wrote that song

[WhoCares?]

The general consensus with the early 80s music mags that targeted musicians (rather than the general rock fan mags) was that Eddie was clearly the talent of the band, Roth's antics were preventing people from taking Ed seriously as a musician / Ed was wasting his talent by playing with Dave.

While this is true in regard to so called "serious" music mags, it shows the idiocy of music critics & journalists

Should Eddie have started a rock fusion band with no vocals? Made a jazz album? How about an all Spanish ballad album with nothing but classical guitars?

Eddies a rock guitarist. He writes rock songs. He loves playing kick ass rock songs. Eddies incredible playing & Dave's vocals along with his outrageous stage moves was the epitome of rock music

Eddie & Dave fed off each other to create a brilliant musical experience, yet that held Eddie back as the so called critics claim?

Held him back from what? Playing faster? Writing opera's?

Would Eddie's talents have blossomed even more if he had written other types of music which he found boring?

What these talentless, frustrated musicians who pass themselves off as critics really mean is kick ass hard rock music isn't considered classy enough for their elitist sensibilities

The truth is, having Roth on stage helped Eddie immensely & allowed his talent to shine. With Roth being the main center of attention on stage, it allowed Eddie to concentrate on his playing & brought his virtuosity out

[Terry]

You are right. I wear my heart on my sleave when it comes to this stuff.

Well, no bit of music is gonna hit two people the exact same way...or get them to react exactly the same...I mean, if Hagar is someone who floats a person's boat, well, I can't pretend to fully understand it, but good for them, I suppose...

[Terry]

While this is true in regard to so called "serious" music mags, it shows the idiocy of music critics & journalists

Should Eddie have started a rock fusion band with no vocals? Made a jazz album? How about an all Spanish ballad album with nothing but classical guitars?

Eddies a rock guitarist. He writes rock songs. He loves playing kick ass rock songs. Eddies incredible playing & Dave's vocals along with his outrageous stage moves was the epitome of rock music

Eddie & Dave fed off each other to create a brilliant musical experience, yet that held Eddie back as the so called critics claim?

Held him back from what? Playing faster? Writing opera's?

Would Eddie's talents have blossomed even more if he had written other types of music which he found boring?

What these talentless, frustrated musicians who pass themselves off as critics really mean is kick ass hard rock music isn't considered classy enough for their elitist sensibilities

The truth is, having Roth on stage helped Eddie immensely & allowed his talent to shine. With Roth being the main center of attention on stage, it allowed Eddie to concentrate on his playing & brought his virtuosity out

By 2000, I for one was hoping that if Eddie was still not in the frame of mind to get some music going with Dave, then he could have went the instrumental route. Just did exactly what the fuck he wanted to, only this time not having to worry about appeasing fans with a lead singer selection, or a record company and having to concentrate on coming up with commercial material.

Just go into 5150 with his brother and Mike and just start wailing. Hell, have Ed play bass, keyboards and do all the guitar work and let Al do the percussion.

Hell, I'd sooner want to hear that than what he did with Hagar or Cherone. Shit, if Roth rejoining the band isn't gonna result in new material and is just gonna be a greatest hits tour every couple of years, then Ed might as well record whatever the fuck he wants and release it indi-style.

[sonrisa salvaje]

That's a pretty good idea. I would be down with that. I wish he would hook up with Brian May again and do a sequel to the Starfleet stuff.