Van Halen? Van Hagar? Either? Neither?

[expendable]

VH was gelded when DLR left and Hagar came on board. Honestly, I can't believe this is even a discussion. You decide.

Van Halen



Van Hagar

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Van Halen, no contest. Their early records, largely recorded live in the studio, showcased a band having a party that sounded like a hell of a lot of fun. The Van Hagar era relegated - on record, at least - a trio of excellent-to-godly musicians to being the backup band for Sammy Hagar. They went from being a band whose songs made you want to celebrate the very existence of guitar-driven music, to a boring-as-hell band that their wives would like. I especially love how Eddie got so into keyboards that the prime years of one of the great guitarists of all time were wasted on songs that interrupted those "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" sounds and Hagar's screaming only so he could get a cursory solo in there.

When the band was new, Eddie was an innovator, influencing generations of guitarists. In the Hagar era, his main innovation was holding a power drill up to the pickups on his guitar.

 

[EStreetJoe]

Van Halen went from being a bad cover band (Dancing in the Street, Pretty Woman)
to a bad pop-rock band (the 1984 album) with Roth to being a worse pop-rock band with Hagar.

I voted for neither - they both suck.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Missing poll options:

X Michael Anthony
o Eddie's son

 

[Bob Slydell]

To me, Van Halen was just more fun. Diamond Dave was the life of the party, and was way more interesting in the Sammy Hagar.

Van Hagar had a few good songs, but nothing like Van Halen. I still wouldn't put either in my top 20 all-time favorite bands, but that's just me.

With Cherone, I can picture a Beavis and Butthead episode where the two look at a video of them with that look of horror on their faces.

 

[Huggy]

To me, Van Halen was just more fun. Diamond Dave was the life of the party, and was way more interesting in the Sammy Hagar.

Whatever his vocal limitations, Diamond Dave was one of the great frontmen of all time. To me Hagar was the guy from Montrose who did "I Can't Drive 55".

 

[MacDaddy]

Where's the Gary Cherone choice?

I've seen VH with all three lead singers, and, believe it or not, the show with Cherone was the best one. That album was terrible, but Cherone was great in concert.

 

[ArnoldBabar]

Where's the Gary Cherone choice?

I've seen VH with all three lead singers, and, believe it or not, the show with Cherone was the best one. That album was terrible, but Cherone was great in concert.

You are so full of knowledge about so much, but this is so fail.

 

[agateguy]

I'm fine with both. Diamond Dave was a far better showman than Hagar.

 

[MacDaddy]

Where's the Gary Cherone choice?

I've seen VH with all three lead singers, and, believe it or not, the show with Cherone was the best one. That album was terrible, but Cherone was great in concert.

You are so full of knowledge about so much, but this is so fail.

I stand by my original assertion.