Van Extreme

Just kidding. That Gary Cherone album was trash.

I'm not sure there's a right answer to this...I feel like both eras can be viewed objectively. I think the Roth era had better highs, but the lows were the drizzling shits (Diver Down, anyone?). The Van Hagar era had better albums front to back, but none of the songs really resonate as strongly, long term for me.

Top 10's for both:

Roth: Running With The Devil, Hot For Teacher, Jump, Panama, Jamie's Cryin', I'll Wait, Beautiful Girls, Ain't Talkin Bout Love, Feel Your Love Tonight, Little Guitars

Hagar: Finish What Ya Started, Top of the World, Right Now, Love Walks In, When It's Love, Poundcake, Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do), The Seventh Seal, Feels So Good, Best of Both Worlds

Thoughts?

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The only good Van Hagar song is "Top Of The World". This isn't even a contest. David Lee Roth IS Van Halen as much as Eddie is. Fuck, Hagar was better in Montrose.

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Communists are just people who are terrible at capitalism.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Humans Being

Stupid song title, but great tune.

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I can't remember ever hearing a single Van Extreme song, but I really like Dave and Sammy equally.
I'd swap out Finish What Ya Started with Mine All Mine in Boyd's best of Van Hagar list.

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

You're not alone.

I remember the album. I remember it coming out. I don't remember ever actually listening to it.

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Who sang Panama?

Diamond Dave

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You have to kind of think of them as 2 different bands. They don't sound anything alike. The second version just doesn't resonate with me, they might as well be Bon Jovi or Def Leppard or something. The one song I would pull off the scrap heap is "Finish What You Started," and only because I can totally hear Dave singing it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an earlier song that they reworked.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Guys, no Van Halen threads, please. It's in the interests of this list to scrub the St. Denis Parish* off us.

*heathens can insert Alsip here

I saw the concert and also do not remember it. Except it was nice that he brought out the classics that Sammy refused to play.

At any rate Boyd's post is spot on but I will add I do not participate in the fight. I treat it as my favorite guitar player being in two separate great bands with his brother.

What really bugs my is all the butt hurt fans that can't get over the loss of the great Chicago born hair plugged pollack bass player. Fine he sang high and did a solo with a jack bottle bass with iced tea in a jack bottle. Eddies kid is just as good and it doesn't matter. Get over it.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I'd like to see Cherone re-do the "Panama" video.

Eddie Van Halen is a Grade A prick, I think that's why some people have a problem with it.

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Never got into Van Hagar. Lame.

I'll always love Van Halen though.

Little Dreamer, D.O.A, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Panama, I'll Wait, Jamie's Cryin, Feel Your Love Tonight, Running With The Devil, Unchained, Hot For Teacher.

Yes, cranked up the volume a few times on that song.

Panama and Hot For Teacher are a couple of my favorites not mentioned from David Lee Roth.

Runaround and Why Can't This be love not mentioned for Hagar.

Hagar gets my vote by a small margin.

Many geniuses are. The tales I have heard are the following, keep in mind Mike played the last Sammy reunion tour in 2004:

Eddie rightfully in my mind wants to carry on the family name tradition with his son.
Supposedly Mike Anthony never picked up the phone to call Ed when hi mother died.
Ed had to get through tons of alcohol and substance abuse and his son was key.
Ed and possibly Al wanted Mike gone as early as 1981.
Supposedly Ed played almost all the bass you hear on record and Mike simply learned the lines.
Ed resented that Mike's great harmonies were used to drown out Ed's tone deafness (vocally).

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Taking nothing away from Ed being one of guitar GOAT....he's also one of the Douchebag GOAT. Good list.,

Dave Era:
On Fire, Panama, House Of Pain, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Unchained, Runnin With the Devil, Eruption-> You Really Got Me, Ice Cream Man, Ain't Talkin Bout Love

Sammy Era:
Top of the World, Best Of Both Worlds, Humans Being, Summer Nights, 5150, Dreams, When it's Love, Poundcake, Black and Blue, Cabo Wabo

2 entirely different sound bands. More magic in the Dave era, but some great years with Hagar.

and yes...that first Montrose album is amazing.

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I thought the consensus was Van Hagar sucks and Van Halen is pretty great.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I love Diver Down. Boyd is nuts.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

It was established truth until very recently.

Say goodbye to the old days and the old ways, my friend.

A new Dark Age is upon us. This is just the latest sign.

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Yep. Its AG

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

You are misinformed. You can have one greater than the other but suck is not allowed.

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I forgot about Little Guitars in my list...

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I'm scared, Tall Midget. I fear for future generations.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Two different bands. View them through that prism and it makes more sense.

I prefer, and it isn't even close, Van Halen but Van Hagar has some decent tunes but there was definitely a shift with the sound after Roth left. I tend to look at Eat 'Em and Smile as "What could have been...." if Roth didn't leave/get fired from the band. As for Diver Down, that album was filler covers but was still solid in a lot of respects (Little Guitars, Pretty Woman), plus they needed something to put out in between Fair Warning and 1984. Both pretty killer albums with the former being probably my favorite. With Hagar I'll say that 5150 was very good and OU812 was also....everything after that was mediocre to poor except for a song or two here and there and as a whole couldn't compete with VHI, VH2, WACF, FW and 1984.

Van Halen was just more raw, live, fun and the Michael Anthony vocal harmonies are still killer. Eddie's guitar tone was better as well. Roth also had his more dorky/cheesy stuff contained by the band, that side of him you saw more after he was out, especially on Skyscraper. The Hagar era was more polished but also felt more machined and way more lame.

Like JORR side, Hagar was better with Montrose.

He is no Slash, but he is pretty good. Definitely a prick tho.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

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I heard a story/rumor that Back in Black was pretty much already written before Bon Scott died. I can't listen to those songs and not hear Brian Johnson, They don't sound like Bon Scott Songs to me. I know I sound like a cranky old man, but AC/DC didn't really become a different band in terms of sound, songwriting style, etc. the way that Van Halen did (and Bon Scott was one of the principle songwriters.) But they definitely lost their "sneer."

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Yeah...and AC/DC post Back in Black has just been meh.

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