Doing some recording, God I thought i sucked SOO bad, until i heard this!!

[Deathshead]

I think the first Van Hagar album after DLR's departure pretty much reinvented and revitalized the band. The old Van Halen had become stale, good songwriting - never Van Halen's forte, how many of their songs can you strum on acoustic guitar around a camp fire? - was few and far between. You could hear the enthisiasm in that first album with Hagar and it was all coming full circle as VH was influenced by Montrose and I hear a little of Hagar even in DLR's early voice.

It would be pretty funny however to get everyone loaded for a VH1 acoustic sing along around the campfire, HAHAH!!

[Basvarken]

You mean like this? 

[lowend1]

Here's my .02 on this age-old subject.
1) DLR after VH is better than VH after DLR.
2) Neither Hagar's solo stuff, nor Van Hagar, nor Chickenfoot can hold a candle to that first Montrose album.
3) Michael Anthony's voice had as much to do with creating the "Van Halen Sound" as anything Eddie ever played. Never cared for his basswork though.

[Freuds_Cat]

I cant fault any of that logic.

[slinkp]

Maybe it's colored by nostalgia (I was 14 at the time and susceptible to a lot of crap that came over the radio), but I've always thought 1984 was a really great album.  Sure, the lyrics are about nothing worth thinking about, but it's fun music and well played. Great drumming, great rhythm guitar work, and DLR was the perfect cartoonish vocalist for the band.   I thought they were never as good at being "serious" as they were at being a ridiculous rock and roll cartoon.  But I can't fault them for getting tired of it.

[Deathshead]

Here's my .02 on this age-old subject.
1) DLR after VH is better than VH after DLR.
2) Neither Hagar's solo stuff, nor Van Hagar, nor Chickenfoot can hold a candle to that first Montrose album.
3) Michael Anthony's voice had as much to do with creating the "Van Halen Sound" as anything Eddie ever played. Never cared for his basswork though.

Yea M.a.'s voice made the vh sound.

[Basvarken]

No way.
Eddie van Halen's guitar playing did.

Michael Anthony's backing vocals were very good, but to say they made VH sound is ridiculous

[lowend1]

No way.
Eddie van Halen's guitar playing did.

Michael Anthony's backing vocals were very good, but to say they made VH sound is ridiculous

Eddies guitar innovations got them noticed originally (and he naturally got most of the glory), but the one constant through the lineup and songwriting changes was MA's vocals. Eddie's approach and sound changed numerous times over the years, not to mention the plethora of EVH wannabees that sprouted up like crabgrass in other bands. The backing vocals are what ties the different eras together - you can't miss 'em as being uniquely VH.

[Basvarken]

Oh whatever.
Weird: I'm not even a VH fan, and suddenly I find myself defending VH

Cheers guys.

[uwe]

The public doesn't buy albums for guitar solos or Tony McAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Chris Impelliteri and Yngwie Malmsteen would all be rich. And an excellent live show (of which DLR was a large part) sells tickets, not records as Black Oak Arkansas (to name a DLR inspiration), Kiss and The Rolling Stones can all testify.

The commercial aspect of VH were MA's backing or more precisesly chorus lead vocals (btw: also the reason why the Van Halens got him into Mammoth in the first place) while DLR was talking and screeching his way through the verses. Songs like Dance the Night away weren't radio staples because of Eddie's solo (hum it to me from memory and I'll change my mind!), but because of the hi-gloss chorus vocals.

[nofi]

one man's back up vocals does not a band make. imho. like it or not it's all about the guitar. i wonder if we would be having this discussion if the back up stuff came from alex instead of mike.

[bassvirtuoso]

I'll agree that MA did a great deal to keep VH alive in the mainstream. My personal favorites are VanHaggar albums though, I always felt Sammy did a better job vocally matching with MA than DLR ever did. Plus some of their songs are better written, IMHO of course.

[lowend1]