Sammy, Joe, Mike and Jason play Van Halen on Howard Stern's show

[thegame]

There are dozens of guys they could have picked that would/could have done it better. WAY too stiff. No swing. Bonham too. Awful.

Though not really known for his guitar playing, Chris Cornell had a lot of swing. Weirdly, kind of stiff at the same time.

 

[RaceU4her]

Though not really known for his guitar playing, Chris Cornell had a lot of swing. Weirdly, kind of stiff at the same time.

he was a drummer first

 

[RaceU4her]

You know as great as Joe is, STIFF is actually a good description of his playing.

im not sure how ive never checked him out, ive been seeing him in magazines and all the sig gear and whatever else for literally as i can remember, ive been listening this morning though and hes decent but "swinging" certainly wouldnt be the way id describe him

 

[skoora]

I don’t get why anyone has an issue with Sammy. In his day he was almost peerless as a hard rock vocalist - his tone and range were absolutely nuts, great phrasing and he was also a pretty good player and wrote some great songs.

When I listen through the VH discography DLR as a vocalist wears on me pretty quickly. If you just listen to the hits from his period it’s cool but at length and across the “deeper cuts” his schtick is corny as fuck and he’s very repetitive due to his plain lack of talent and skill as a singer.

When you listen to what they started doing on 5150, songwriting wise, it’s like a quantum leap from 1984. You may prefer the more straightforward style they had up until then, but I think it’s clear Eddie got to the point where he was held back from stuff he wanted to do by DLR’s lack of ability.

Both periods have their share of stuff I love and stuff I don’t care for, but 5150 and FUCK both have some of my favorite VH songs. Sammy is the man.

That’s some Bizarro universe shit right there.

 

[Bardagh]

That’s some Bizarro universe shit right there.

You can ask any rock or metal singer about 80's and even early 90's Sammy and what he did on those albums performance wise. Those performances are out of this world and if you don't realize that when you listen to them you simply have no idea about it. He is superhuman on some of that shit, and its not just about his range. Lyrically I would agree he is nothing special. Especially when he was trying to write "raunchy" lyrics they're cringy. You can tell Sammy is not that guy while Dave is a very believable lecherous pervert.

Seriously. Roth is probably the worst singer to ever have such talented players around him. It's actually pretty funny to think of how little ability and talent he had with Eddie, Vai, and Becker ostensibly backing him up during his career. Ostensibly only because at least in Eddie's case, he was almost equally fronting the band. Maybe aside from nostalgia that's the other reason some guitarists are so militantly anti anything but Roth era VH - when Roth was in, the guitar essentially always overshadowed the vocal. The vocal was necessary but more of an accompaniment to the instrumental.

 

[RaceU4her]

i didnt realize sammy was 76. dosent he own a big tequila company or something?? if im him im opening a few restaurants, hiring a bunch of hot 20 somethings who are gonna fight over whos coming to hang out on my 60ft yacht after work, not going on the road again for these dudes to hack their way through "finish what yah started" through modeling amps like what the fuck

 

[skoora]

You can ask any rock or metal singer about 80's and even early 90's Sammy and what he did on those albums performance wise. Those performances are out of this world and if you don't realize that when you listen to them you simply have no idea about it. He is superhuman on some of that shit, and its not just about his range. Lyrically I would agree he is nothing special. Especially when he was trying to write "raunchy" lyrics they're cringy. You can tell Sammy is not that guy while Dave is a very believable lecherous pervert.

Seriously. Roth is probably the worst singer to ever have such talented players around him. It's actually pretty funny to think of how little ability and talent he had with Eddie, Vai, and Becker ostensibly backing him up during his career. Ostensibly only because at least in Eddie's case, he was almost equally fronting the band. Maybe aside from nostalgia that's the other reason some guitarists are so militantly anti anything but Roth era VH - when Roth was in, the guitar essentially always overshadowed the vocal. The vocal was necessary but more of an accompaniment to the instrumental.

.

 

[itsme]

Kudos to Sammy for keeping his vocal abilities as long as he did. Didn’t realize how bad he sounds now. Yikes. Father Time always gets the last laugh. And what the hell is Satriani playing thru? Sounds like shit.

 

[tallcoolone]

Those performances are out of this world and if you don't realize that when you listen to them you simply have no idea about it.

You sound like kamala harris

 

[Techdeth]

I don’t get why anyone has an issue with Sammy. In his day he was almost peerless as a hard rock vocalist - his tone and range were absolutely nuts, great phrasing and he was also a pretty good player and wrote some great songs.

When I listen through the VH discography DLR as a vocalist wears on me pretty quickly. If you just listen to the hits from his period it’s cool but at length and across the “deeper cuts” his schtick is corny as fuck and he’s very repetitive due to his plain lack of talent and skill as a singer.

When you listen to what they started doing on 5150, songwriting wise, it’s like a quantum leap from 1984. You may prefer the more straightforward style they had up until then, but I think it’s clear Eddie got to the point where he was held back from stuff he wanted to do by DLR’s lack of ability.

Both periods have their share of stuff I love and stuff I don’t care for, but 5150 and FUCK both have some of my favorite VH songs. Sammy is the man.

I like Sammy with Van Halen a lot

 

[Techdeth]

im not sure how ive never checked him out, ive been seeing him in magazines and all the sig gear and whatever else for literally as i can remember, ive been listening this morning though and hes decent but "swinging" certainly wouldnt be the way id describe him

His album with no real amps and all fake drums was really great . He did it before it became the norm. Great album

 

[tallcoolone]

The Pantera REUNION that’s a really real reunion has already showed that the general guitar playing public doesn’t give a shit about friendships in these situations. It’s like everyone who has played in bands for years forgets that the only awesome band situations are when everyone gets along and there’s no bullshit.

Why would Sammy, at age 76, having the experience he has touring and a group of friends he already knows can handle the material, start taking strangers out on tour?

I wonder how many of those ‘guitar playing public’ people have actually ever been in a band

 

[tallcoolone]

if im him

But you ain’t

 

[thenine]

I don’t get why anyone has an issue with Sammy. In his day he was almost peerless as a hard rock vocalist - his tone and range were absolutely nuts, great phrasing and he was also a pretty good player and wrote some great songs.

When I listen through the VH discography DLR as a vocalist wears on me pretty quickly. If you just listen to the hits from his period it’s cool but at length and across the “deeper cuts” his schtick is corny as fuck and he’s very repetitive due to his plain lack of talent and skill as a singer.

When you listen to what they started doing on 5150, songwriting wise, it’s like a quantum leap from 1984. You may prefer the more straightforward style they had up until then, but I think it’s clear Eddie got to the point where he was held back from stuff he wanted to do by DLR’s lack of ability.

Both periods have their share of stuff I love and stuff I don’t care for, but 5150 and FUCK both have some of my favorite VH songs. Sammy is the man.

Wow man. I see it totally opposite. Different strokes as they say.

 

[Techdeth]

I’ll be honest I love raw weird grindy tones like this . It’s not what I’d use but it’s cool

 

[Mr. Willy]

This feels more like a cash grab than a tribute.

 

[VonBonfire]

Seriously. Roth is probably the worst singer to ever have such talented players around him. It's actually pretty funny to think of how little ability and talent he had with Eddie, Vai, and Becker ostensibly backing him up during his career. Ostensibly only because at least in Eddie's case, he was almost equally fronting the band. Maybe aside from nostalgia that's the other reason some guitarists are so militantly anti anything but Roth era VH - when Roth was in, the guitar essentially always overshadowed the vocal. The vocal was necessary but more of an accompaniment to the instrumental.

While I agree with your assessment of Hagar I thought the recipe for most of 70's and 80's rock success was having talented musicans in the back with a real moron up front being an idiot for the crowd to see? Stanley, Roth, Neil, Rose, and so many more. As you said, Hagar isn't a believable lecherous pervert, lol. He's not really a moron like that. I think many listeners jumped on Metallica in a big way when they came out cause they dispensed with all that pageantry and were just more heavy and more straightforward music oriented.

 

[romanianreaper]

This feels more like a cash grab than a tribute.

I think $400 to $800 for tickets is f#*#^@^&&%# absurd!!! I was going to see KISS back around 2014 or so and was like $1200 to get a ticket, meet the band, get swag, gold album signed, tour of the stage, etc. For $800 at this show I'd get to sing "Mas Tequila". I don't think I can do it.

 

[Mr. Willy]

I think $400 to $800 for tickets is f#*#^@^&&%# absurd!!! I was going to see KISS back around 2014 or so and was like $1200 to get a ticket, meet the band, get swag, gold album signed, tour of the stage, etc. For $800 at this show I'd get to sing "Mas Tequila". I don't think I can do it.

Yep. Those prices are my evidence of said cash grab.
I dig these musicians a lot, and they’re living legends, so kudos and all that. But I’m a family man with responsibilities. I’m not paying $400 for a ticket to see ANYONE. Period. Maybe if RR came back from the dead to play a gig. But that’s about it.

 

[tallcoolone]

For a VH fan as myself the band is obviously split into to two - Van Halen and Van Hagar.

From where I’m sitting the split is with the Van Halen brothers and everyone else.

However glad they are getting out there and getting Ed's music to the masses again.

It’s Hagar’s music as well. I don’t see this as any sort of “tribute”—Hagar, MA (and DLR for that matter) were treated like dogshit by those guys. Sammy’s prob doing this just to piss AVH off.