All Van Halen albums ranked by Tech

[VonBonfire]

There were one of the highest profile karaoke bands in the world with Cherone......not a great one......but high profile.....

 

[jabps]

Dave and Sammy both seem to have a personality that is both EASY to dislike and charismatic enough that they pull you in. They been spitting vitriol at each other for over 40 years at this point. They both have what I like to refer to as FMS (front man syndrome). Ego beyond control.

I fall into the camp that I prefer the songs from VH with Dave, but prefer Sammy's singing ability. Dave gets on my ear's nerves after a little while, and he has only gotten worse with age.

Gary was probably the best singer and seems to be the most likable of the three, but I like his album less than most of the others, but that wasn't really his fault. But man those live videos from that era are great because he pulled stuff in from both Roth and Hagar eras.

Having seen some of the VH tribute stuff from Mitch Malloy with Pete Thorn, I really wish we could have gotten one album with him singing had the whole debacle with Dave not happened in the mid 90s. I feel he might have been the perfect mix of Dave and Sammy.

That all being said, this is my rankings based on the whole. It would be VERY different based on guitar tones.

1. Fair Warning (Unchained and Mean Streets are so good!)
2. VH II (Light up the Sky, DOA)
3. VH I (Aint Talkin Bout Love, and Atomic Punk)
4. 1984 (Panama, Hot For Teacher)
5. 5150 (Dreams, Summer Nights)
6. Carnal Knowledge ( Poundcake, Judgement Day, In n Out)
7. OU812 (Finish What Ya Started, Sucker in a 3 Piece)
8. VH III (Fire In The Hole, How Many Say I)
9. Balance (Amsterdam, Seventh Seal)
10. Women and Children (Cradle Will Rock and Romeo Delight being the highlights)
11. Diver Down (Hang Em High and Cathedral)
12. ADKOT (Stay Frosty, She's the Woman)

All Sam had to do was step in, keep his mouth shut and take over. But those guys bashed Roth in the press and on MTV until Roth finally responded with his video introducing the "other blondes" in the band etc... and no doubt Ed and Al egged Sammy on. Al's quote that we used to be a VW, now we're a Porche with Hagar was BS as well. All the guy was doing was dumping on all the fans that made his ass a star.

I saw the 5150 tour and DLR's first tour and there was zero comparison, the DLR tour remains one of my top 5 concerts I've ever seen and all I remember from the 5150 tour was Ed's funky pants and them doing their little weird Egyptian walk.

In my opinion Sam is easily the best singer but worst front man. Gary, I like him. Decent voice, decent frontman but I honestly think Extreme is a bigger band with a better lead singer. Dave, he was the master until he became a caricature of himself.

 

[Harry Dunne]

All Sam had to do was step in, keep his mouth shut and take over. But those guys bashed Roth in the press and on MTV until Roth finally responded with his video introducing the "other blondes" in the band etc... and no doubt Ed and Al egged Sammy on. Al's quote that we used to be a VW, now we're a Porche with Hagar was BS as well. All the guy was doing was dumping on all the fans that made his ass a star.

I saw the 5150 tour and DLR's first tour and there was zero comparison, the DLR tour remains one of my top 5 concerts I've ever seen and all I remember from the 5150 tour was Ed's funky pants and them doing their little weird Egyptian walk.

In my opinion Sam is easily the best singer but worst front man. Gary, I like him. Decent voice, decent frontman but I honestly think Extreme is a bigger band with a better lead singer. Dave, he was the master until he became a caricature of himself.

Agreed on all fronts.

 

[raakaribul]

Wow this is a wild take

Hagar era's great imo. I even like the slower stuff they released such as When It's Love & Love Walks In.

 

[Geo]

Hagar era's great imo. I even like the slower stuff they released such as When It's Love & Love Walks In.

The lyrics for those songs were so shallow and pedantic, it was embarrassing.

 

[raakaribul]

The lyrics for those songs were so shallow and pedantic, it was embarrassing.

Basic love songs, idk if they need to be any deeper than that as long as it sounds great.

 

[Techdeth]

Hagar era's great imo. I even like the slower stuff they released such as When It's Love & Love Walks In.

Ok whej uts love blows but love walks in about aliens so it’s cool !

 

[Harry Dunne]

I'm not one to talk, because I love 80s AOR and melodic rock. But Hagar's love songs like When It's Love are so on the nose that even I find myself cringing.

 

[jabps]

The lyrics for those songs were so shallow and pedantic, it was embarrassing.

Oh most of Hagar's lyrics are songwriting 101 cliche's. Not all but most. Dave's was the master lyricist.

Classic Roth -
“Some goes to women, some goes to Jesus,
though I’m absolutely certain both’s all right.
But it takes me at least halfway to the label
before I can even make it through the night”

vs.

Classic Hagar -
"And then you sense a change,
Nothing feels the same,
All your dreams are strange,
Love comes walkin' in,
Some kind of alien,
Waits for the opening,
Then simply pulls a string"

​

 

[Geo]

Oh most of Hagar's lyrics are songwriting 101 cliche's. Not all but most. Dave's was the master lyricist.

Classic Roth -
“Some goes to women, some goes to Jesus,
though I’m absolutely certain both’s all right.
But it takes me at least halfway to the label
before I can even make it through the night”

vs.

Classic Hagar -
"And then you sense a change,
Nothing feels the same,
All your dreams are strange,
Love comes walkin' in,
Some kind of alien,
Waits for the opening,
Then simply pulls a string"

​

Hagar's lyrics are as deep as thimble.

 

[romanianreaper]

Who.

Van Cherone is the guy that sings "Moondance" and "Brown Eyed Girl".

 

[romanianreaper]

I like all Van Halen stuff to some degree, even some of the Cherone stuff. Not much but I really thought Sammy would have sounded great on "Fire in the Hole". He could have done a lot of those songs.