The Toastmaster, The Showmaster, Diamond DAVID LEE ROTH!
HANDS DOWN!
Everything about Van Halen started from his mind. The sound equipment,the name of the band, the logo and everything in-between.
Concert wise this is no contest. One was a summertime party band and the other was some convoluted Jimmy Buffet/Bon Jovi abortion with a really good guitarist and drummer.
Album sales wise the public has already given their preference.
The original "Six-Pack" of the Van Halen catalog has outsold each Van Hagar by 2 and in some cases 4 to one. Each Van Hagar release was met with slower sales until they booted Hagar and went and formed Gay Halen singer Gary Cherone. At least Gary had the common decency to sing something off of the original "Six-Pack". When the public wanted no more of that mess they went back to Hagar for a dismal tour that couldn't even sell out smaller arenas. They were giving tickets away to get people to show up. Enter the era that they're in now.
Van Halen 3.0
The tour with Roth and Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass was a shot in the ass to the Rock n' Roll world and to venues across the US. It was well received and hopefully new material will see the light of day with this line-up. Eddie's new marriage, Wolfgang's scholastic work and grueling tour schedule have put recording on the back burner for now.
Roth, for all rights and purposes has allowed himself to be "muzzled" to the press. A step that in the past was unthinkable because if you ever wanted to know what's on his mind...he'd tell you. Perhaps it was that that led to his departure (which has 2 differnet stories...one he quit and the other he was fired.) but for whatever reason he has remained quiet with regards to what is happening in the Van Halen camp. Their reunion is a LONG time coming, but deserving. If there are any long standing suffering fans from any band that need a dose of Rock n' Roll...its Van Halen fans. The band that saved the Rock world once before has enough gas in the tank to do it again.
I really can't believe that anyone that enjoys music would even entertain the thought of liking Van Hagar or Gay Halen. To me it's like someone putting a Habano band on a Macanudo and saying they enjoy it as well as anything they've ever smoked.
To each their own but usually with replacement singers...that are STILL alive...it's not a good idea to replace them. If they do...CHANGE THE FREAKING NAME OF THE BAND!!!!
