Loving the Ratt love!
12. Van Halen / David Lee Roth / Van Hagar
Pretty Woman - "one of the first" videos banned by MTV (
first was Queen!) ... nightmare #### happening here..
Panama
It's 1984 and the biggest rock band in the country must have known they had just peaked, at least Eddie did, at least with this current group. I imagine he could have put up with Dave for the rest of his life if there was much more in it.
Dave went solo in bombastic fashion, and 14 year old me thought it was amazing.
Just A Gigolo
Yankee Rose
Van Halen picked up
Sammy Hagar (after being turned down by Daryl Hall and Patty Smyth? -- can't be real.. friend of band Billy Sheehan also once said he was offered Michael's job) and carried forth like they knew what they were doing. And they did. And it was good. I didn't like it but it was good.
Dreams forgot about this Blue Angels video
DLR, Eat 'Em And Smile I liked. Again.. 14.. but it's a fun piece. Not a ton of staying power maybe. The follow-up, Skyscraper, same band is still on,
had one pretty big hit and it's a good pop song, but the rest is faded on me. Beyond that, he's had his moments, and he helped bring up John 5.
.. My last chance to mention
Steve Vai, who always seemed super cool and could rip it up. I liked his solo record around '90 too.. his Zappa-esque earlier solo record is... something.
The Sammy years were a good time for the rest of the Halens, at least from what I could tell, and they were able to rock into their middle ages.
I caught Van Halen on the first reunion tour with Dave, teenage Wolfgang, maybe 2006? It was not spectacular by any sense but dammit it was great to be there! I'm lucky to have done it. Legends.
Tom Breihan's old dilapidated Number Ones on JUMP