The Van Halen conundrum

By Sam Bennett, Staff Writer

It was in 1974 when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted band was formed by brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, whose family had immigrated to Southern California from the Netherlands 12 years prior. Alongside Michael Anthony, the band’s longtime bass player and notable backing vocalist, and David Lee Roth, their semi-maniacal front man, the brothers had created a fearsome foursome that broke the mold of rock and roll and took the world by storm via their world tours of insanity and 6 landmark studio albums between 1978 and 1984. Even upon their debut self-titled album, it wouldn’t take very long for the band to become a household name, much to the begrudgement of the likes of Tipper Gore and the late Sen. Paula Hawkins.

While each member of the group had a gargantuan sense of notoriety and respect of the rock and roll variety, it became clear that the benchmark of the band’s legacy was and always will be the boundless, virtuoso talents of the late Eddie Van Halen. The fusing of his groundbreaking technique and superior songwriting ability undoubtedly earns him the title of the greatest guitar player of all time. Read it and weep, Rolling Stone. While EVH certainly became a rock and roll hero to millions, if not billions of fans worldwide, it would be David Lee Roth, the band’s first lead singer, who commanded the spotlight throughout the band’s initial heyday and is the highly distinctive voice behind hits like “Dance the Night Away,” “I’ll Wait,” and “Runnin’ with the Devil.” Roth became such an entity of rock and roll and 1980’s pop culture that many dub him the premiere front man of the decade, surpassing the likes of his Sunset Strip contemporaries.

 “Diamond Dave” was a force to be reckoned with, doing for Van Halen what, arguably, not only the sheer Herculean musical ability of his 3 bandmates could do. That is, in regard to his presence. DLR is many things, but I personally believe that his biggest attribute is his vision. Roth, in his infamous eccentricity, gave the band a vibe and spirit that designated the band’s image from day one. His colorful lyrics ranged from ambiguous to painfully on the nose, perfectly complementing the greatness of his instrumentalist bandmates. After reading Alex Van Halen’s 2024 memoir, Brothers, it’s clear that while the brothers essentially ran the ship, Roth’s vision is what made way for Van Halen to have the platform to catapult into the mainstream. Roth, in his fractured genius, also saw a prime opportunity in a then-fledgling empire known as MTV. While many bands begrudgingly acquiesced to their label’s demands that their newest single must now see music video treatment for more promotion via the MTV airwaves, Roth corralled the brothers and Anthony in an effort to take full advantage of this newfound practice and ride those waves straight to the top. This is widely the case regarding the videos for songs off of Roth’s last studio album with the band, 1984, which features many of Van Halen’s biggest hits. DLR, often receiving a directing credit, was one of the visionaries behind the iconic videos for “Jump,” “Panama,” and “Hot for Teacher,” which would go on to become mainstays of MTV. His flashy antics and impressive physical stunts were even more in effect during the band’s live performances, many of which have become the stuff of rock and roll legend. These many factors, as stated previously, made Roth the ultimate front man. 

Between 1978 and 1984, fans couldn’t get enough Van Halen, as the band’s seemingly endless assembly line of then-new rock classics built and cemented their legacy as heroes and pioneers of the genre. Although, in 1985, David Lee Roth shocked everyone who wasn’t living under a rock at the time by announcing his departure from Van Halen in pursuit of a just-as-lucrative solo career in both music and acting. Many wondered if this would mean the end of the band. Their superstar front man had left the camp at the height of its initial heyday, as tensions within the group and differing opinions of musical direction led DLR to believe that the grass was greener elsewhere. While fans assumed all was lost, Eddie Van Halen went shopping for a new singer. In recent years, it’s come out that he approached the likes of Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, Patty Smyth of Scandal, and Steve Perry of Journey to replace Diamond Dave, all of which declined for one reason or another. Enter the Red Rocker.

Sammy Hagar, one of rock’s biggest figures, was already well established as a mainstay of the genre before Van Halen even formed. Fronting the early 70’s band, Montrose, Hagar’s voice became a prevalent force on rock radio, especially on hits like “Rock Candy.” Hagar fronted the band for their first two albums, leaving in 1975 to pursue a solo career. Hagar would release 8 studio albums before embarking on his Van Halen tenure, three of which predate his future bandmates’ recording career, not to mention his two with Montrose. Between 1975 and 1983, these studio albums would skyrocket Sammy Hagar into status of rock royalty, spawning inescapable hits like “Heavy Metal,” “I Can’t Drive 55,” “I’ll Fall In Love Again,” “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy,” “There’s Only One Way To Rock,” and several others. Hagar also had hit songs from legendary soundtracks for films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Footloose. How did a full-fledged rockstar make his way into the Van Halen camp? It was, in fact, by way of recommendation of Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen’s shared luxury auto mechanic. That simple suggestion led to EVH immediately reaching out to Hagar, and I’m sure you can guess what transpired.

This new era of the band with Sammy Hagar at the helm, often dubbed “Van Hagar,” was destined for greatness. Released in 1986, Hagar’s first album with the band, 5150, was an immediate success, responsible for several hits like “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dreams,” “Love Walks In,” and more. Whatever legacy Van Halen had created for themselves with Roth in the years before, Sammy Hagar quickly cemented it in just one album. Fans noticed a shift in the band’s output, however, as with Hagar writing most of the lyrics, a former responsibility of DLR, it was evident that a different vibe had been brought to the table. Van Hagar was still exponentially fun, for lack of better words, and was not slow to release plenty of the band’s classic party songs, like “Summer Nights,” or “Poundcake.” Although, a more nuanced approach was apparent, as there was a stronger focus on topics like relationships, world events, and life in general, a stark contrast to DLR’s innuendo filled party anthems. The band shifted gears musically too, as new producers and a stronger emphasis on EVH’s synthesizer-led tracks marked a new chapter for the band that went far beyond the hiring of a different singer. Under this new lineup, the band largely avoided traditional music videos like they were used to, instead supplying MTV with concert footage. Hagar fronted the band between 1986 and 1996, adding another 4 widely successful studio albums to the Van Halen catalog. His departure from the group was messy, as was the majority of the rest of the band’s career. Addiction issues and bitter feuds made for a rocky several years for the band. They did release Van Halen III in 1998 with another new lead singer, Gary Cherone, of the band Extreme. However, this album is often considered a stain on the band’s catalog and personally, I’ve yet to meet anyone who has anything nice to say about it. The band reunited with Hagar for an infamous reunion tour in 2004, which further soured the band’s relationship with the Red Rocker. The brothers, by this point, had also turned their backs on Michael Anthony, who had remained friends with Hagar after his departure, forcing him to take a serious pay cut and relinquish any rights he had in the business side of the band. When the band reunited again in 2007 for a tour, this time with David Lee Roth, EVH’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, assumed the role of the bass player. How did Michael Anthony find out? The internet. The infamous mistreatment of Michael Anthony, one of the nicest guys in the scene and often regarded as Van Halen’s secret weapon, is criminal. I digress. This new lineup of the three Van Halens and Diamond Dave back at the mic continued to tour until their last show in 2015, and even made one last studio album, A Different Kind of Truth, in 2012.

I felt it was important to provide enough background information so I can lead into the point of this article, so with all of this context being taken care of, we can now pivot towards the real discussion. It’s a conversation that has polarized the music community for decades now… Who is better, David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar? This argument is pertaining to, but not limited to their time in Van Halen, and really more so begs the question of what era of the band is better. 

This is what I’ve come to find…

Those that say Roth is better are purists. They’re always quick to praise his Van Halen catalog over anything else the band ever did, with plenty saying the band might as well have stopped after he left. Alex Van Halen makes a similar, yet less direct statement in his book, much to the chagrin of Van Hagar fans and to Sammy Hagar himself. Those that solely choose Roth are always quick to point out how bad the band became with Hagar at the helm. They should be aware that album sales don’t match their claims. Those that say Hagar is better, I often find, are still very much fans of Van Halen’s Roth catalog. They typically support both camps, but opt for Sammy Hagar’s era, simply because of the fact that he’s more talented. 

What do I think?

I personally believe that you have to look at it almost like two different bands. Sure, the musicianship is essentially the same with the brothers and Anthony remaining consistent, but it’s a very noticeable difference between Hagar and Roth fronting the effort. They’re both amazing, but for their own reasons. Roth made his bones with Van Halen, leaving for an initially successful solo career. Hagar left a widely-successful solo career to join Van Halen, then returned to it after he was let go. That is, when he’s not counting his millions from his lucrative Tequila empire. Regardless, there’s more maturity in Hagar’s era in almost all ways, as if the group had simply leveled up. I’ll put it like this… Roth’s era is like high school, while Hagar’s era is like a really great college. I really only want to listen to Roth’s era if I’m in the mood for it, feeling joyful, energetic, and ready for a good time. If things are even remotely less than stellar in your life, you’re probably not in the mood to hear “Romeo Delight,” or one of the godforsaken covers from Diver Down. Although, there are still plenty of those high energy, lively party songs in the Van Hagar catalog, as well as songs that speak on topics of love, social issues, religion, and life in general. If I had to pick a Van Halen song to play during my wedding, I’d much rather choose “When It’s Love,” than “So This Is Love?“. Van Hagar’s catalog is much more universal and fit for the ups and downs of everyday life. 

David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth’s era of the band, at least in terms of their recorded works, is very solid. Roth brings stuff to the table that nobody else does, making his catalog the epitome of classic Van Halen. His tongue in cheek songwriting, incredible stage presence, and creative vision, especially paired with the pioneering musicianship of his bandmates, makes him one of the greats. It’s just that simple. Despite all of EVH’s talents, I’m not sure if Van Halen would’ve gotten nearly as far if it weren’t for David Lee Roth. He was just an indelible, integral part of what makes Van Halen great. However, for all of his talents, David Lee Roth is not nearly as much of a singer as he is an entertainer. His vocals aren’t as melodic as they are energetic and chant-like, not to mention his signature screams and indescribable noises that accentuate many of the Van Halen hits. With the production technique of Ted Templeman, it works in the studio. Live, it was somewhat passable, at least in his youth. He made up for his less than stellar live vocals with his signature high jumps and stage antics. Without the tremendous backing vocals of Michael Anthony, Roth would’ve been in deep trouble, especially in a live setting. Nowadays, all of these quips and setbacks are only more apparent, as Roth seems to have become a caricature of himself that leaves you pleading with him to hang it up for good and not tarnish the legacy of those Van Halen hits we know and love. Just listen to 2015’s Tokyo Dome in Concert… yikes. It should also be mentioned that the big solo career that Roth left Van Halen for barely outlasted the rest of the decade, releasing only a few albums with most of the bigger hits being covers. He was brave enough to tackle The Beach Boys classic “California Girls,” but not without plenty, and I do mean plenty of vocal assistance from session guys, which became common practice for him. With his antics becoming old news and his bandmates soaring to new heights with Sammy Hagar, you have to wonder if he regretted letting his ego get the best of him. 

Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar is, in fact, a singer. Not only is he a singer, but he’s one of the most beloved vocalists in rock and roll history. His ability to not simply have to make jungle noises throughout a song to give it enough energy, like his predecessor, but lay down vocals that are almost unachievable for a lot of singers obviously helps him come out on top. I’ll put it this way… if they were to switch, there’s not a Roth song that Hagar couldn’t handle, but Roth couldn’t handle the majority of Hagar’s songs. He’s simply in a different league. This point is based on vocals alone. Another overlooked skill of Hagar’s is his guitar playing. While he’s certainly no Eddie Van Halen, Hagar has considerable guitar chops. This improved the band’s live show considerably for two reasons… 

1. Many Van Halen songs have lead and rhythm guitar lines. EVH can obviously only do one in a live performance, which with Roth, could make certain songs sound a bit empty on stage. Hagar could tackle those rhythm lines while EVH handled lead, contributing to a fuller sound that’s more accurate to what’s heard on the records. 
2. EVH chose to make songs like “Jump,” “Love Walks In,” “Dreams,” and others more keyboard driven, showing off his chops on yet another instrument. Although, these songs still have guitar parts. Hagar could play said parts while EVH played keys, who still had his guitar on his back so he could nail the solos. 

Roth does play guitar, but very minimally, and it is more of a gimmick for songs like “Ice Cream Man.” While Roth is certainly more of a showman, Hagar contributes far more to the band’s musical quality and integrity—all while still putting on a great show himself. Also, Michael Anthony’s backing vocals are essential in making Roth sound better, while with Hagar, they simply serve as the perfect compliment. I should mention that EVH also sang backing vocals, but it was Anthony who did the bulk of the work.

Other factors

While it doesn’t have much to do with us as the fans, personality should be taken into account as well. I personally feel like it would be an absolute blast to hang out with David Lee Roth… for about half an hour or so. Anything longer than that would have me reaching for the Advil pretty quickly. Even Joe Rogan couldn’t keep up with the guy on his own podcast. In the broad spectrum of what he says, you only catch little glimpses of what he actually means. Are we just a bit too dense to understand the genius of David Lee Roth? Doubtful. It’s also just known at this point that Roth is a difficult person to get along with anyway, as he’s quick to turn everything into a competition and shield his frail, yet huge ego from anyone he may see as a threat with cruelty. He verbally attacks anyone and everyone he can, sometimes out of nowhere, further tarnishing his reputation. Even recently, he randomly started making public jabs at Wolfgang Van Halen, as well as making claims that are certainly distasteful in regards to EVH’s passing. It was even revealed by Alex Van Halen last year that a supposed reunion tour in tribute to Eddie Van Halen didn’t happen because Roth wanted to make it all about him and essentially refused to have a moment in the show that would specifically honor their late guitarist, ridiculing AVH for even suggesting they do so. When I see someone like Roth in interviews today, I see someone scared to come to terms with the fact that it’s no longer 1985, insecure in their self-made obscurity. Then you have Sammy Hagar, someone who seems like he’s nothing BUT sure of himself and also seems like a lot of fun to be around for much longer than 30 minutes. Having been in a band… with my brother, mind you, for 10 years now, I know who I’d rather play with every weekend. While Hagar isn’t innocent in regards to trading public blows with the brothers and certainly Roth over the last 3 decades, he did in fact make amends with EVH before his passing and has exhaustively tried to reach out to Alex Van Halen in recent years. He’s even tried to be civil with Roth and certain points, but the rivalry between the two is not only amidst the fans, but among the rockers themselves. It’s proven to be one of the most bitter feuds in rock history, which is why their joint tour in 2002, fueled by a shared spite for the Van Halen brothers, was such a shocking announcement. However, even within the press junkets before the tour even began, it was clear that this air of friendly rivalry that they were advertising was already showing cracks and that the two of them, more so Sammy Hagar, would be in for a grueling slew of concert dates. 

David Lee Roth is a difficult person. Most rock stars can be, but DLR takes it to another level. It personally baffles me that after everything he’s put his Van Halen bandmates through and having all but spit on the grave of Eddie Van Halen, not to mention attacking Wolfgang Van Halen via Instagram after not having even worked with him for almost a decade, Alex Van Halen still makes excuses for the guy. Not only does he excuse his behavior, but he still champions Roth as the only real lead singer of the band, as AVH’s book barely even references Sammy Hagar or his decade in Van Halen. “Big Al” won’t speak to the Red Rocker to this day, despite Hagar having nothing but nice things to say about his former drummer and making public pleas for him to reach out to him in recent years. Even if AVH is upset for what Hagar wrote about his late brother in his 2011 memoir, the two, like I mentioned previously, made amends before EVH’s passing. Since then, Hagar has had nothing but praise for his late bandmate and songwriting partner, while Roth continues to make jabs. I sure do love Alex Van Halen, but his reasoning and motivations are a complete anomaly when you take all of this into consideration. 

Let it also be known that the only two members of the band to show up to Van Halen’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2007 were Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, who still play together to this day. EVH was in rehab and AVH was supporting his brother. Roth, reportedly unhappy with he and Hagar getting one song each to perform instead of him getting both, declined the invitation altogether. 

Closing Thoughts

I took a poll among my musician friends to see who they prefer, Roth or Hagar. The results were surprisingly pretty equal, with neither really leading over the other. Again, I think the healthiest way to look at it is that they’re two different bands. 

Although, breaking it down to provide a final opinion, I’ll choose one or the other based on the category…

Best Songwriter: Hagar

Best Stage Presence: Roth

Best Musicianship: Hagar

Stronger Vision and Creativity: Roth

Stronger Vocal Ability: Hagar

Arguably More Beloved in the VH Camp: Roth

More Classic Hits: Roth

Stronger Legacy: Hagar

Better Personality: Hagar

Stronger Ego: Both

Bonus Point – Treated Michael Anthony with the respect he deserved: Hagar

Sammy Hagar comes out on top. 

Why anyone could ever say that Hagar’s Van Halen catalog is anything less than musical excellence is beyond me. It’s certainly made an irreversible impression on me, and in my opinion, it’s what any rock musician should aspire to. Regardless, Van Halen with David Lee Roth and Van Halen with Sammy Hagar are two essentially different bands and should be treated as such. Both lineups are legendary in their own right. These guys are the epitome of everything you could ever want in a music career. Their songs go beyond music—each one is an experience in and of itself. Long live the mighty Van Halen, for there will never be another.

Sam’s Personal Five’r – Listening Guide…

David Lee Roth Era:

• “Jamie’s Cryin’,” Van Halen, 1978
• “Little Guitars,” Diver Down, 1982
• “Beautiful Girls,” Van Halen II, 1979
• “I’m the One,” Van Halen, 1978
• “Panama,” 1984, 1984

Honorable Mentions:

• “Feel Your Love Tonight,” Van Halen, 1978
• “Mean Street,” Fair Warning, 1981

Sammy Hagar Era:

• “Best of Both Worlds,” 5150, 1986
• “Runaround,” For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, 1991
• “Why Can’t This Be Love,” 5150, 1986
• “Dreams,” 5150, 1986
• “Cabo Wabo,” OU812, 1988

Honorable Mentions:

• “Finish What Ya Started,” OU812, 1988
• “Amsterdam,” Balance, 1995

(Let the record show, I had a concerningly hard time choosing my Hagar picks, as I could name you 10 others that I love just as much, but I’ve kept you long enough.)