Who else could have replaced Dave in 1985?

[78/84 guy]

You got that right. And so was Dave on EEAS. I still feel cheated by what should have been in 1986. Dave was at his very peak, Eddie was at his peak....should have been together. I saw both concerts and was blown away by each guys performance. Can only imagine how epic it would have been had they stayed together at least 1 more album. But then, a big part why each guy was at his best was to outdo the other. Prove em wrong. Make a point.

Eddies best live recordings are when he was wearing those damn pink parachute pants. Sad as it is, he was just perfect then. Very bittersweet to watch those.

I couldn't agree more !! Dave should release a DVD of that tour !! My boot from Canada is getting old. Billy & Vai pulled off some great solo's together on that tour. Great Great show. Live Without a Net, Ed is killing on that video. One or two more albums might have really put them over the top !!

[Prothro]

I really can't think of anyone that could replace Dave in Van Halen.
Dave = Best front man ever and it can be proven because after all these years the argument and controversy still exist.
When Dave wasn't in the band the question was always there "When are you guys going to get Dave back?" I bet they got that a million times.
What other frontman has a website like the RothArmy ?

[DavidLeeNatra]

What other frontman has a website like the RothArmy ?

now that you ask for it:

http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/cherhagar/

[Seshmeister]

[Terry]

Being a VH fan is a bit more complicated than just following the cheesy belief that people followed because VH turned into Winger.

While that's true...there's a lot more to it.

Don't forget...when Van Halen ceased to exist in 1985, there weren't billions of fans rallying around Roth. There were most of US...but there was an equal amount that I would say didn't follow Bettey, but followed spED.

Hell...if you played guitar...and hated Hagar...YOU followed spED. It's interesting listening to the masses that "follow Roth" talk about how they never listened to a second of Hagar...then post shit in our tech forum about how his sound changed during the Midler years.

OF COURSE YOU KEPT LISTENING TO EDDIE...other than Rolling Stone, that ranked him the 70th most influential guitarist of all time (which makes me want to rip the wiring out of my house, even though I think spED is a fucking moron), many were still curious about dED, and his playing. nocrED is a moron, but I loved his fucking drunken discoveries.

Van Halen stayed relevant because even though suckED was a different guitar player...there were still a large group of Non-Roth fans...and Eddie fans...then ultimately Bette fans. That's enough to keep any band relevant.

They also were extremely public...and fucking got along. While it nearly put most of us in AA, they were still amusing and MTV whored it up...in particular...Kurt Loder and that fucking walking dead...John Norris.

EVH was rock and roll royalty...whether we liked it or not...and there was enough mystery about the 1985 incident that he maintained that pantheon until 1996...when it was blazing apparent that dickhED and his brother phALic were giant fucking pussies...and out of their mind.

I mean...seriously...we were all nodding our head with fucking Bette in 1996...saying, "THERE IT FUCKING IS...SAME FUCKING DEAL...DIFFERENT DECADE."

Of course...that was generally followed by gagging...a Bette Midler joke...and being forced by your own self-conscious to write FAGar's name on a piece of paper...fold it up...then take a shit on it on your kitchen floor...

...or was that just me?

In terms of trying to explain all the nuances of what Van Halen has meant to me throughout the years, for better or worse...fuck, that'd be a seriously long post.

I kept listening to the band after Dave left. It'd be disingenuous for me to deny that Ed's guitar playing was a huge part of what turned me onto the band in the first place. Following Roth's departure I subsequently listened to all the albums the band put out. Each one, even Van Halen 3, contained a few tracks that (from an instrumental point of view) were pretty decent.

I suppose the often cited and simplistic use of Hagar joining the band as a demarcation point between good (CVH) and average at best (everything that followed) is utilized because it's so simple yet clear and true. Least to me. While I can't honestly say everything Roth has done as a solo act has been a home run for me, at least at his best Roth's solo material is reminiscent of the drive, energy, excellence and fury of CVH.

In some respects, I really can't understand WHY Van Hagar was a viable commercial entity. I suppose there is no accounting for taste, and if people like that music, well...who am I to tell them they shouldn't?

I just can't imagine anyone having experienced CVH being ready to settle for what the band did when Sammy Hagar was fronting them. Then again, perhaps it was just a substantial demo shift, with Jump as the primer, toward a fanbase comprised of a majority of people who either weren't into the band when Roth was there or just didn't give a shit WHO was singing (along with, as Poj mentioned, the Eddie Grunts).

[Marcus]

I think it was their manager - Sammy's manager - who made Van Hagar what it was. When he died and Ray Daniels took over, that was the end. He seemed like the glue that kept it together.

Either EVH just woke up and saw that Sammy was taking them for a ride, or Ray Daniels taught them - that Hagar didn't really join Van Halen. He formed a new group with the other 3, and pissed on CVH. I mean, what songs did they play? Covers like Rockin' In The Free World, Rock And Roll, Won't Get Fooled Again...then toss in Sammy Hagar solo songs too. Are you kidding me? If you want to play cover songs, HOW ABOUT COVERING CLASSIC VAN HALEN!!! I'm sure that eventually pissed off the VH brothers. Imagine, from a huge catalogue of 6 awesome LPs, you are limited to playing only a handfull of songs 'cause this new singer doesn't want to.

But having said all of this, it's possible that if they didn't find Sammy when they did, and had his manager manage the band, they might have sat on their asses forever. Like they did durng the past decade. That's one reason why Dave jumped ship in 1985 - things were moving too slow even back then.

[78/84 guy]

Dave always said (IS HE STILL ALIVE ??!!) that he sings for his dinner, Sam sold booze for his !!

[VHscraps]

As I have said somewhere else, friends - Mr. Rotten, then living in Los Angeles. In fact, in 1986 he recorded the album titled 'Album' with Steve Vai on guitar and Ginger Baker on drums (cool playing by Vai on 'FFF' below). Vai did these sessions during days off on the EEAS tour (he used to fly back to the studio to cut his parts).

We might not have liked it, but Rotten would have been receptive to the idea - and it would have at least avoided the sub-REO Speedwagon ballads.







Oh - and I read in a Ramones book a comment by their manager that Joey Ramone wanted the gig AFTER Hagar was ditched, and the botched reunionm, in '96. VH and the Ramones gigged together back in the 70s. Below - rare sighting of Joey with VH tee in 1978 ...

[FORD]

The Joey Ramone rumor made it into a book?

I want royalties, goddamn it!!

And yeah, Van Rotten would have been interesting. Definitely no cheese ballads there.

[VHscraps]

As I have said somewhere else, friends - Mr. Rotten, then living in Los Angeles. In fact, in 1986 he recorded the album titled 'Album' with Steve Vai on guitar and Ginger Baker on drums (cool playing by Vai on 'FFF' below). Vai did these sessions during days off on the EEAS tour (he used to fly back to the studio to cut his parts).

Nah, got that wrong - just looked at dates. I think Vai was flying back from the EEAS tour to do his work on the movie 'Crossroads', not the PiL sessions - the PiL album came out early '86, probably before he hit the studio with DLR:

[FORD]

The PiL album was actually recorded in 1985. It was a stellar lineup, with Vai, Ginger Baker on drums, and producer Bill Laswell playing bass. Unfortunately the lineup only existed for a few days in the studio, and never played a single gig live.

Of course if they had, there probably would have never been an "Eat Em and Smile".

[FORD]

[Nitro Express]

The Joey Ramone rumor made it into a book?

I want royalties, goddamn it!!

And yeah, Van Rotten would have been interesting. Definitely no cheese ballads there.

Joey Ramone just stood there and looked cool. VH singers jump around. If you are Sammy you crawl up on the lighting rig like a monkey and play air guitar.

[VHscraps]

The Joey Ramone rumor made it into a book?

I want royalties, goddamn it!!

And yeah, Van Rotten would have been interesting. Definitely no cheese ballads there.

Can't remember what / where, but I did read it. He wasn't the only one - I am pretty certain I also read that Wendy O'Williams said that Eddie offered her the vocalist gig post-Hagar ... if I can find source I will post it.

[vaijuju]

The PiL album was actually recorded in 1985. It was a stellar lineup, with Vai, Ginger Baker on drums, and producer Bill Laswell playing bass. Unfortunately the lineup only existed for a few days in the studio, and never played a single gig live.

Of course if they had, there probably would have never been an "Eat Em and Smile".

You're right!

http://www.vai.com/AllAboutSteve/discography_full.html