Am I the only one on here that thinks VH was better with Sammy Hagar as lead vocals than David Lee Roth? Yes, they had more hits with Roth but I think their music and songs were better with Sammy. Plus Sammy was already successful before VH and is still rocking in his late seventies. Roth didn’t do so well after he left VH. I’m not saying that they weren’t the best with Roth, I just liked them better with Hagar.
Discuss. Damn I miss Eddie.

Saw them both many times. Hard to say. Van Hagar did jam

Words rarely heard on Aldeer........

I didn't like DLR's arrogance to begin with. I couldn't drive 55 back then anyway. So another vote for Sammy, although David was very talented and I still listened to VH with him up front, even went to see them twice. Saw them with Sammy once. I've always thought that EVH was in the top 4 or 5 guitarist of all time.

More raw rock n roll with Roth. Ain't Talkin bout Love and The Cradle will Rock are good examples of the kind of rock VH put out with Roth. I didn't hate Hagar but they were much more commercial with him as the lead.

IMHO yes you are the only one at least that will say it out loud. Diamond Dave could keep up with the Van Halen brothers with his ability and showsmanship. It was the perfect chemistry with Dave. With Sammy the chemistry just wasn't at the same level. Did Van Hagar have some good songs?.........absolutely. Kind of like The Andy Griffith show without Don Knotts...pretty good but not great.

Not to high jack my own thread, but I think Prince was in the top 4.

Negative. Van Hagar was inferior. It just was. It wasn't bad. Just not as good.

I've always been a fan of staying with who brung you to the dance.

With that said. I deeply respect Eddie, but the keyboard wasn't the guitar. And it showed.

U know I would have said in a minute that they were better with David Lee Roth and I still believe that. I was listening to them on the treadmill at the gym the other day and they actually had some songs with Sammy that were pretty damn good.

Van Halen kicked ass.

Van Hagar didn't.

Early Van Halen was raw
Van Hagar was slick and polished power ballads

I liked both but raw hardcore party band was Van Halen

I liked the both equally. Really miss Eddie.

Sammy all the way. I like Montrose, love his solo stuff, and Van Halen was a lot better. He has put out a couple albums since Van Halen. I like some of that too.

Both are equal for me. They were more polished with Sammy. The first concert I ever attended was the 1984 tour at the BJCC. Holy shit! When the lights dropped and Eddie laid into that opening riff of Unchained. 😲 Saw them on the 5150, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance tours also. The 5150 show was the best. Hate what Eddie did to Michael Anthony, but I can understand him wanting to tour with his son. When DLR rejoined the band, he absolutely sucked as a vocalist. Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang still sounded great.

84 BJCC was also my first concert. And last big one. Concerts aren't my thing, but I did enjoy that one. I've been to some smaller venues for BB King and such but only if I stumble onto it.

They made a lot more money with Hagar. DLR got more women.

5150!

I was at the 1984 concert also.

Apples and Oranges IMO. David Lee Roth was the quintessential Rock n Roll front man who gave the band a lot of its identity. Combine that with the talent of the Van Halen's and they were off the chain. Then you have the Hagar experiment. The only good album that I think they produced was 5150,. Like a lot of bands and musicians their sound changed over the decades. Also, Eddie has to be in the discussion of the great guitarists of all time.