Speaker 1: My lovely people of Chicago. Our seniors need our help
to get vaccinated against COVID nineteen. That's right, Let's do
it for them and for ourselves. Please learn more at
Chicago dot gov slash senior VAX. Let's help our communities
by helping our seniors. Hey, Chicago, Let's help our beloved
seniors get vaccinated against COVID nineteen to care for them
and protect our community. They need us now more than ever.
Please learn more at Chicago dot gov slash senior vas.
Let's help our communities by helping our seniors.
Speaker 2: Welcome back, everybody. There's a lot of music in this
episode today. If you want to purchase some of the songs,
you can always get them on Apple Music or Google Play.
But for your convenience, we have placed links in our
show notes to the vinyl albums if you're into that
kind of thing, so please check those out.
Speaker 3: All right, everyone, Welcome back. This is episode three of
a three part Van Halen series that we're doing.
Speaker 4: This one's called Van Hagar.
Speaker 2: The first two episodes were The Birth of the vand
and the Rise and Fall of David Lee Roth, and
now we're concluding with part three, Van Hagar where we
listen to the band with its Sammy Hagar lead, and
then we do our final closing arguments.
Speaker 4: Can't wait for that.
Speaker 2: We want to say thank you again to all of you.
Were overwhelmed by the response that we're getting. Had just
amazed at your input.
Speaker 3: One of the things we like to do on our
show is give a shout out to our friends and
other podcasts. There is a podcast out there called What's
Your Spaghetti Policy and our good friends Alex and Jacob.
Speaker 2: Yes, thank you Old Jae Brownie. Thank you guys very
much for sharing us on Twitter. Sharon that you're listening
to us. I hope you're enjoying these Van Haleen episodes.
We still want to know the source of your name.
But just for those folks who are listening out there,
go check them out. They describe themselves as nonsense and
free following podcast for your oral pleasure every Friday. You
can check them out on Podbean, Ituned, Spotify, and if
you want to go check out their merchandise. They do
have a cool logo. Might be worth getting a T shirt.
Thanks guys, really appreciate you. Thank you guys.
Speaker 3: Okay, let's give a quick shout out to our new
friend at spoon Lamp on Twitter.
Speaker 2: At spoon Lamp is one of the guys who's listening
to us across the pond over in the UK.
Speaker 3: That's crazy.
Speaker 2: It is crazy. It's awesome.
Speaker 3: He shared our podcast with a butt of his name,
doctor Mayhem.
Speaker 2: Yes, and he commented on our post as well. He said,
what a great trip down memory lane. Awesome podcast, guys,
thumbs up both the first and second win is part
three out it's out today, spoon Lamp, and you were
a part of it.
Speaker 3: That's awesome. I think he's a hagar guy.
Speaker 2: Well that's okay, I still like it. Okay.
Speaker 3: Let's give a quick shout out to our buddy Rich Tompkins,
who actually reached out to us messages on Facebook.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. He sent us a message said, just
found you guys on cast box. So far the Van
Halen episodes are fantastic, loving it. I'm hooked. We said
thank you so much for listening. Rich, so glad you
liked him, and I said, how did you come across
us on podcast? And he said an ex GI buddy
in Dallas referred him. Thank you to your buddy as well.
He said there's a load of bad Van Halen podcasts
on cast box and a lot of rabid VH fans
who are going to love our work. Well, I certainly hope.
So that's all that we want. And he said he
spread the word to four of his buddies. Thank you
very much for that.
Speaker 3: Thanks Rich, Thanks Rich and friends.
Speaker 5: Hello everybody, and welcome to the Surely Can't Be Serious Podcast,
discussing and debating the iconic and the forgotten of eighties
and nineties pop culture with.
Speaker 1: Your co hosts James D.
Speaker 5: Graves and Jason Colban.
Speaker 2: Welcome back for Part three of the sure That You
Can't Be Serious Podcast.
Speaker 3: Here's a quick recap of last week's episode.
Speaker 2: They came back from the tour and they were exhausted.
Eleven solid months on tour.
Speaker 3: And eleven months killing it every night, hard work and
get back. The manager of the record company says, great job.
You guys did awesome. You host three million dollars in
a new record. What sweezee, so.
Speaker 2: Guinness book a world record.
Speaker 3: They got one point five million dollars for a ninety
minute set.
Speaker 2: They make more money than anybody has for that, but
tensions are still high.
Speaker 3: The tensions are high. Even a million dollars an hour
can't cure some of the tensions that are going on. No,
So during nineteen eighty three, they begin working on a
new album YEP, to come out at the very end
of nineteen eighty three YEP, and that album is called
nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 4: This is a new van Halen.
Speaker 2: The diehard Van Halen fans are getting mixed reviews. Some
of them are sticking with them, some of them are like,
I don't know what's going on with these guys. You
get those guys who think they sold out, and so
then all of a sudden, if it's popular, they're not
interested anymore. Yeah, I don't care about you guys.
Speaker 3: How teacher comes out with the young Van Halen boys
running around the school terrorizing, right, you've got missped his
head and misspelled and miss science or whatever, and those
spelled teachers running around.
Speaker 2: You've got his kind of awkwardly sighing mother. And then
when Waldo speaks, he's got this unusually deep voice.
Speaker 4: Oh mom, Yeah, no, are not like other guys.
Speaker 1: I'm nervous than my socks are too.
Speaker 3: You know who that voice is right now? That voice
is Phil Hartman of saturn Aline.
Speaker 2: Oh Phil Hartman, God rest his soul. Their success is
beyond what has it has ever been in history. They
are literally at the top of their game.
Speaker 3: And this is where it falls apart. So eight o'clock
in the morning, they're supposed to be there to write
and play music. Dave would show about eleven, start a fight,
and then leave.
Speaker 2: He, unbeknownst to them, goes and finds another group of
guys to play with, produces an album, a four song album,
which he says, hey, you know, any album's only got
four good songs on it. Anyway, I'm just cutting off
the fat. As it turned out, there were only really
two good songs on the album. This is the ego
speaking right here. He does an interview with David Letterman
in early eighty five talking about that album, and Dave
is trying to find out what's going to happen with
the rest of the band.
Speaker 6: I think now's a good time on New Year's to
decide whether you're going to be a hot dog or
a little weenie.
Speaker 1: When you're doing solo work.
Speaker 2: Is the Does this mean that the band will soon
be breaking up?
Speaker 1: No, No, that happens.
Speaker 6: You know, I still have very I still have very
strong tribal instincts, and we'll be going into the studio
like the middle of this month and start arguing again,
and we'll come back out with an album sometime this year.
Speaker 3: Hopefully.
Speaker 2: He has this full expectation that the band's going to
stay together. But you can't be the guy who goes
and trashes the meetings, the guy who rates somebody for
going and doing work with other people, and then pull
off this stunt and expect to remain in the band.
Speaker 6: Boom Budda, boom Badida, Boom Badida, boom Budy.
Speaker 2: Dave is out.
Speaker 3: Dave's out in nineteen eighty five, right at the pinnacle
of their professional career.
Speaker 4: Do van Hagar?
Speaker 2: The first time I heard it was on the movie
Joe Dirt.
Speaker 6: No, sir man, I don't like that crap.
Speaker 3: I'm a rocker dude through and through.
Speaker 7: Here's my favorite bands, AC DC, Van Halen, not Van Hagar.
Speaker 3: Sammy officially joins the band in nineteen eighty.
Speaker 2: Five, and he's the perfect perfect guy to come on.
Speaker 8: Toody and go.
Speaker 1: To heaven, hang around to report again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you've got a good hearted guy, successful in
his field, better voice, great stage presidents. It seems like
the perfect replacement for a day.
Speaker 3: So they get together and because Sammy is a better musician,
better writer, they start working and they come up with
a song called why Can't This Be Love?
Speaker 6: Time tell me.
Speaker 8: I never have al it's got what it tastes.
Speaker 2: And of course why can't This Be Love has a
song lyric in it which has been made fun of
a little bit, the Only Time will tell if we
stand the test of time. In two thousand and eight,
the Telegraph named this the eighth worst lyric of all time.
Speaker 3: Only time will tell we stand the test of time. Yeah,
that's simple wisdom right there.
Speaker 2: Yes, why can't This Be Love? Is what Sammy Hagar is.
And you look at how many times love shows up
in the title of his songs, And where did love
appear for David Lee Roth? And you talk about that
tiger love.
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, nobody got time for.
Speaker 2: It is the physical sexual prowess versus the meaningful beautiful.
Speaker 4: That's appealing to me.
Speaker 2: They're just two different bands.
Speaker 4: They are too.
Speaker 3: They're completely different bands, I mean totally different.
Speaker 2: And I don't want the van Halen that plays love songs.
Speaker 4: Okay, well that's fine.
Speaker 3: But let's not pretend like there's no Sammy Hagar fans.
This album went to number one, their first album to
hit number one.
Speaker 2: Right, so, what was the name of the first album
that they released?
Speaker 3: The first album they released is fifty one to fifty
once again after the code name for the Criminally Insane
album went platinum in one week. Wow, the fastest selling,
million selling album.
Speaker 4: Of all time for Warner Brothers.
Speaker 3: Right, and you get songs like good Enough, which is
a good song you may recognize from the movie Spaceballs.
Speaker 2: I'll Have the Cleavage Special.
Speaker 3: And as one music critics said about this album, Eddie
can still split the atom with his acts.
Speaker 4: I love that quote.
Speaker 2: He doesn't quit playing the guitar.
Speaker 3: Here's what I can't understand, even the hardest davidly Roth fan,
I don't understand how you can listen to the song
Dreams or Love Walks In or why can't this be
love and say I love David.
Speaker 4: Those are great songs, and they are great songs.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they are great songs. Love walks In reach number
twenty two, Dreams reached number twenty two Best of both Worlds.
Speaker 3: That's solid too, That's a great song.
Speaker 2: It is a great great song. And then, as you said,
why can't this be love? All of those songs are
great songs that are just different.
Speaker 3: They're different so at this time, and I'm the first
to admit that I'm a very nostalgic person, and so
nostalgia makes it difficult for me to discern whether it's
really great or I'm just nostalgic about it. This song
came out nineteen eighty six.
Speaker 4: I'm thirteen years old.
Speaker 3: That's when my musical tastes are forged, you know, And
most people would agree with that, right, So love walks
in when I hear that song. That song reminds me
of the mysteries of the broad class. And who am
I going to ask to the dance? And this girl
does she like.
Speaker 1: Me or not?
Speaker 3: Sends us.
Speaker 7: Feels a sames.
Speaker 3: So it has deeper meaning than just cool keyboards, right.
Speaker 2: Sure, I see how it's defining the stage you're in.
Speaker 3: Actually, the part in the song that gives me the
most is the guitar solo, and it actually like the
guitar actually sings.
Speaker 2: It blows me away.
Speaker 3: Every time I listen to it. It's an awesome I
love it. It's beautiful.
Speaker 2: You can't I mean, say what you will about van
Hagar versus van Halen, there's just no denying that anything
that Eddie's doing is beautiful. Eighty six I was ten,
turn eleven. I wasn't touching any bras, not.
Speaker 5: Joey, Hey, how you doing it?
Speaker 3: Do you know that the fifty one fifty has no
music videos at all?
Speaker 2: Wow?
Speaker 3: Zero music videos. Now you can say, well, Dreams had one,
but all it is is videos of the Blue Angels,
which is cool, right, but there's none other the band
right now. They did pluck a best of both worlds
that got some rotations out of their live show, but
there were no produced, no paid for, no music videos
for MTV. Right, and for it to do that well
without music video during this time, it's seems crazy. Fifty
one to fifty is my personal favorite van Halen out right.
Speaker 2: It is one of three great.
Speaker 4: Ones, all right.
Speaker 3: So that came out in eighty six, they tour in
eighty seven, They go back to the studio in eighty
eight and they come up with OU eight one two.
Before it was named OU eight one two, the working
title was called Bone. Not really sure why they did that,
but Alex van Halen is one like no, that's that title.
Speaker 4: Sucks rightly, and I agree with him.
Speaker 3: So o ya one two. Sammy actually the one who
came up with this album. Now, there's a lot of
sort of urban legends about how they came up with
this name. He says that he picked O eight one
two after seeing it on a delivery truck, but rumors
persist to this day that it is a direct reference
to David Lee Roth's album.
Speaker 2: Idiot Final Right. Dave has a rather famous interview where
he's ranting against them and says that as the threat,
I stay quiet.
Speaker 9: For six months, seven months, and I'm just reading diatribe
after Harang, after this, after that, you know again and
again and again, and I still believe there's no one.
It's not necessary to make a comparison. I don't think
you have to make a choice. But being Henglin demands it.
You have to either love us and hate him or
vice versa.
Speaker 8: They demand it.
Speaker 9: They demanded, Well, I'll rise to the challenge. If we
have to have a comparison, then fine. I eat you
for breakfast, pal, I eat you and.
Speaker 2: Smile, eat him and smile.
Speaker 4: Had had Yankee Rose.
Speaker 2: Yankee Rose, which is a great one.
Speaker 4: And going crazy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Dave the Yankee Rose video. It cracks me up
when he comes in and.
Speaker 6: Give me a bottle of anything and a clays Donut.
Speaker 3: So the singles that you have off E eight one two.
The first one is Black and Blue?
Speaker 2: Right, Which do you like that one a lot?
Speaker 3: Right? This is my favorite Sammy song, favorite the way
the guitars kind of slink in and it's got that.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I'm gonna put you on the spot here
and we can keep going on black and Blue. But
you said my favorite Sammy song. So is your favorite
van Halen song from the Wroth years and from the
Hagar years? A Hagar song or a Roth song?
Speaker 3: Why don't I'll tell you what at the end, I'll
tell you. Okay, I'll give you a list of my
top Dave songs and my top Sammy songs.
Speaker 2: And wool and pick number one overall, number one overall. Okay,
all right, all right.
Speaker 3: Very good, okay, at the edge of my seat, now good,
we'll stay tuned, all right.
Speaker 2: So Black and Blue reached number thirty four on the
Hot one hundred list. Yep, tell me what you love
about it?
Speaker 3: So, once again, like drop Dead Legs, Black and Blue
is a stripper.
Speaker 2: Song, what You Love About.
Speaker 3: When I was fifteen, I thought this was the greatest
thing ever. Just the way the guitar comes in, and
it's clearly this song is about I know we're trying
to keep this family friendly, but this song is about.
Speaker 2: Sex absolutely so as many of their songs are.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's very subtle when they say let's do
it till we're black and Blue, right. This is a
top down, turn it up, cruise in the streets type
of song. But the song that comes out after Black
and Blue, they haven't video with it, and it's called
When It's Left. When It's Love is the first video
that actually comes out where you see the SAMI version
of the band together and in a produced video, and
it blasted its way to the top of the charts.
And this is one of those songs like Black and Blue,
like Love Walks In, like Jump for that matter, I
don't need to listen to the song the first three
seconds that it plays, I know I like it already.
I mean it just it's easy on the ears. It's
a very very radio friendly song.
Speaker 2: That song is obviously what we I mean, what we
would call a power ballad. Yeah, in the vein of
Free Bird by Leonard Skinnyard Steroid of Heaven, where you've
got this, you know, we got rock. But it's that slow,
smooth introduction and it picks up. They all pick up
dream on, it picks up. I think for our age,
probably the epitome of the rock ballad is when every
Rose has its thorn.
Speaker 3: We haught to argue this because I'd say Home, Sweet
Home by Motley Crue.
Speaker 2: But also is this Love by White Snake, which is
every time I hear the title list, I'm like, oh, yeah,
is this love Love? Wait a minute, which song is this?
I can't remember what something this is? Okay, both came
up at the same time.
Speaker 4: Actually, yeah, what.
Speaker 3: Then you end up with finished which you started, which
is kind of a fun, little acoustic type of thing
and just kind of twangy kind of.
Speaker 2: And so the story on this one is that Eddie
was up late, had this song that he was playing.
Do you know this? Okay? And so he you know,
he and Sammy your neighbors at this point, so he
just goes and wakes him up, knocks on the door.
Speaker 3: He goes, bangs on the door.
Speaker 2: Yeah, He's like, okay, I got this and I just
need you to help me, and they sit out on
the porch. I just how awesome would that be for
Eddie devant Halen to show up and knock on your
door and you guys just go out and two o'clock
in the morning and play until you figured this song out.
Speaker 3: I think that's great.
Speaker 2: And did you hear the yeah? So he leaves. Eddie leaves,
and his version.
Speaker 3: Of the story is he and his wife were in bed,
it's late, He's.
Speaker 2: Trying to put the moves on her.
Speaker 3: They're getting busy and Eddie van Halen banging on his door.
So so he's, you know, throw on a roadbro quick,
and dude, what do you watch? I got an idea
for a song. We got to finish it, you know,
So come out here with me. So he reluctantly goes outside,
but the song then becomes name Finish what you started?
Speaker 2: Right's not.
Speaker 5: Quick?
Speaker 2: Okay? So O eight one two is a number one hit.
Speaker 3: Hit number one, May twenty fourth, nineteen eighty eight. People
don't know this, you know, Samy's kind of trashed and
kind of the uncool option of van Halen or whatever.
But fifty one fifty OU eight one two four on lawful,
cardinal knowledge and balance all four Number one.
Speaker 2: Palm absolutely can't argue against that.
Speaker 3: I don't know what you're judging. That's a pretty good
way of telling what's popular.
Speaker 2: Well maybe, I mean no, yeah, you're right, it's it's
a good way of telling what's popular. But what's popular
doesn't necessarily mean what's better.
Speaker 3: That's true because Bad is better than Thriller. We saw
that last week.
Speaker 2: Well, I mean that kind of goes against your argument
because Bad had more number one hits, and I still think,
I still think that Thriller is better. But the idea
of bad and good is subjective.
Speaker 5: It is.
Speaker 3: So after finish what you started, you have Kabba Wabbo,
which is a great song which pops up again later
on when Sammy opens a club down in Cova Saint.
Speaker 4: Lucas and he calls it Cabo Wobbo love. That song.
Speaker 2: Becomes a tequila.
Speaker 4: It does come to tequila.
Speaker 2: Actually, when we did this, I looked at that tequila.
It is a high priced tequila comparatively speaking. It's it's
really so it must be pretty good. I don't know
that I've ever had it. Okay, I know that you
have it.
Speaker 3: I Have Not, and then you have Feels So Good,
which had a video with it. Really cool song again,
it's the softer van Halen but still really good sure,
and then they close out with Mine All Mine, kind
of a throwaway track. But so that ends nineteen eighty eight,
that stretches into nineteen eighty nine, and then in June
of nineteen ninety one, they come out with the The
F Word album.
Speaker 2: Right, So that's what you know, That's what Sammy wanted
to call the album was f right.
Speaker 3: I mean the word, not the letter, that's right, the
F dash dash dash.
Speaker 2: Word, right. Only I didn't say fudge.
Speaker 3: I said the word, the big.
Speaker 2: One, the queen mother of dirty words, the F dash
dash dash word.
Speaker 8: Ah, that's what I.
Speaker 2: Thought you, Yes, but I didn't say fudge, that's right.
So he wanted to actually call the album the F Word.
Speaker 3: So Sammy's working out with Ray Boomo Mancini. Sammy is
a bit of a boxer. His dad was a actually
well known professional boxer, Bobby Hagar. All right, yep, So
Sammy's boxing with Ray Boomo Mancini, right, who you will remember,
And Ray says, what are you working on me? So
I got this new album, and he said, great, what
are you going to call it? He said, well, I
want I want to call it f right, but they're
not going for that. But they won't let me because
we can't sell that at Walmart.
Speaker 9: Right.
Speaker 2: They had proposed naming it that, but then like putting
it in a round bat and that's right.
Speaker 3: They talked about that, and so Ray says, oh, for
unlawful carnal knowledge. And he says, what are you talking about?
And he's like, well, that's what it. Back in the
old days, if a guy was caught with your wife
and they wanted to make an example of him, they'd
put him out in the town square and they'd lock
him up with his hands in his feet and his
head sort of threw that wooden thing you've seen it.
They'd write over the top, they'd write your charge, and
instead of writing foreign lawful cardinal knowledge, they would just
write F dot U dot C dot K, and that's
what your charge was. And so Samy's like, man, that's great,
that's great. And he took it back to the band
and they loved it and didn't have to keep it
from being sold in Walmart. So off that album you
have could write out of the Gate you have pound Cake.
Speaker 2: That one is like old school fan Halen. Pound Cake
is the hard rock that that I wanted them to
be all along. It is strong that first that Yeah,
he's playing. He's playing the guitar with a.
Speaker 3: Drill, with a power drill, and it's killer again Eddie
making up sounds for us, uh and so yeah, yeah.
Speaker 8: All right.
Speaker 2: In that particular song, Sammy is really using his hard
rock voice. He's not using his love song voice. He
is using that wretchy, rocky gravelly.
Speaker 4: No doubt love it.
Speaker 3: When they recorded that song at the very end, he's
really bringing it, he says. And he said the producer
showed his arm and it had his the hair was
standing up on his arm.
Speaker 4: Oh nice, And they were like, that's it. That's our take. Yep,
that's done.
Speaker 2: And so what ultimately they did when they would perform
it in concert, Eddie took a cordless drill and then
painted it like the Frankenstrat guitar and had the red
with the white and black stripes on it.
Speaker 3: And then the next song comes out is Top of
the World. Okay, Top of the World did very well,
more definitely more pop. This is a tidbit on Top
of the World that I thought was interesting. When they
play their live shows, the beginning guitar of Top of
the World is actually the outro of Jump, So when
they play it live, they usually roll Jump right into Top.
Speaker 8: Of the World.
Speaker 3: And when they play it live on this tour, on
this particular tour, they would play Jump and it would
go right into.
Speaker 2: Top of the World right well. That you know, so
many of the songs throughout the time with both David
and with Sammy would be songs that they had been
working on for years and just hadn't found the right
mix for. So I can totally see how there was
an intention with a song that came out seven years
earlier and probably was developed a decade before that. Finally
they found the right spot, the right sound, the right music,
which also is true for Right Now. The story is
that Eddie had been playing it for a while and Sammy.
I think they're not even in the same room, like
there were different rooms, but Sammy's working on one song,
working on the lyrics and working on the tune, and
Eddie's playing in another room and he overhears Eddie and
he comes in He's like, play that again. And he's like,
I think we're working on the same song. Like the
chord progression that he had done was so similar and
the melody that he had come up with, and this
is you know right now is one that Sammy holds
in the highest regard as far as lyrics are concerned.
He had been taking a break and was on the
beach and was kind of obsessing about various things and
then just kind of realized, hey, you know why I'm
obsessing about all these things when here on the beach,
I should be right here, right now. And that was
his inspiration for all of the lyrics to the song.
And so, you know, the video for this song was
it may have been their biggest hit as far as
video awards go. They won Video of the Year for it.
And if you don't remember the video, it's one where
the song is playing, but as you as a song playing,
there's occasional images of the band intermixed with other kind
of intense scenes and there's texts that appears and says,
right now this is happening, or right now, this is happening.
Right now, Eddie's hands are really busy, and you know,
and Sammy was adamantly opposed to this idea. He was like, this,
people are gonna be reading and this honestly, this occurred
with me, like I was frustrated because I'm like, I'm
trying to read the words and I'm alost trying to
listen to the music, and I feel like I'm missing
out on both things. But it was it was a
huge success for them, and Sammy's adamantly opposed against, against, against,
and they're basically forcing him into it. He goes and
disappears for like a week, you know, just in frustration,
a little bit of a tantrum there, and then comes back.
And when he comes back they're shooting the video. He's
actually sick. He's like running a fever and got pneumonia.
Is still angry about it, and so there's a scene
towards the end where like you see him stop singing,
even though the you know, obviously the song continues, but
he just like crosses his arms and quits. He said
that was really like he was angry and just like,
screw it, I'm not singing anymore. I don't like this
the way that's going. I'm just gonna quit singing. And
it ended up in the video and it's kind of
actually cool.
Speaker 4: I need a look at that.
Speaker 3: I haven't seen it well, one of them that stands
out of my I mean, this is one of my
favorite videos too, but I think there's one line and
it's like, right now your memory is getting longer while
your life is getting shorter yiche and I remember.
Speaker 4: Thinking that's pretty pointant, you know.
Speaker 3: Yeah, all right, we're done talking about for an Elepha colon.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 3: Not one of my favorite Sammy albums.
Speaker 2: Right, two great songs, but not much else to speak of,
right as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 3: Right, all right, So that was in ninety one. They
tour in ninety two into ninety three, and then in
January of ninety five, the album Balance comes out, right,
it reaches number one. People are excited to have it,
but this was released. I mean, they're starting to.
Speaker 2: Fight well, and you know, it's kind of funny. I
think in both scenarios, just before the end, Dave doesn't
appreciate that the end is about to come, and Sammy
had I think he was literally caught off guard. You
can expect some troubles. It's sad to listen to some
of the interviews. He goes where he's like, I mean,
I don't foresee us ever breaking up. We just get
along so well, it's just not even. And then you know,
of course things fall apart. Everybody's going to pick sides
on the steal. But I don't think there's any question
that Eddie was going through some serious issues at this point,
in and out of rehab, lost a ton of weight,
you know, And what are you going to do if
you're Alex. You can't do something. You can't abandon your brother.
So he's going to stand by him at this point
and back his play. But I think it was very
obvious that it was not the same Eddie as when
they had gotten together.
Speaker 3: Eddie was newly subberb starting October second of ninety four.
But still that's that's a fight, that's an everyday struggle.
Speaker 2: So on balance, the only song worth mentioning to me
is Can't Stop Loving Him?
Speaker 3: Can't Stop Loving You? Really to Me is their only
radio friendly hit. And then in nineteen ninety seven, they
break up. It's done, It's over.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Samy Eras Samiras finished, he is he and his
wife are expecting a child. He's they've got a natural
delivery set Eddie calls him and says, you need to
come back here and do some recording. He's like, hey,
we're you know, we're about to have a baby. Let
me just take care of this and then I'll be back.
And he's like, you know what, you started off as
a solo artist. Maybe you should just be a solo artist.
And that's the end.
Speaker 3: They're working on the song called Humans being in the
Twister soundron. Then they're secretly talking to Dave right about
recording these new songs yep. And then when Sammy finds
out about that, he's really miffed. And so then of
course later on we see them at the Video Music
Awards at MTV.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. I can still remember seeing that and
just being like, oh, what if it could happen. Oh,
I'm so excited. It was exciting. And then I also thought, oh,
they're all so high. They're so high.
Speaker 7: Right now, I think we're here to present Best Neil
Video of.
Speaker 2: The Year award. Okay, right, Dave's word, Oh.
Speaker 7: Dave, no, no, no you Instead of the best award thing,
it's we have to make an announcement, just we have to.
Speaker 4: Address this subject here.
Speaker 7: This is the first time that we've actually stood on
stage together.
Speaker 1: And over a decade.
Speaker 3: Into and that lasts about ten minutes before Eddie gets
really really mad at him. That happened in ninety six,
and then in March ninety eight we get.
Speaker 2: Van Allen three yep, crickets.
Speaker 3: That's all I have to say about that.
Speaker 2: That's exactly what I was thinking. That's all I have
to say about that. Right now, this is the moment
I've been waiting for.
Speaker 3: Let's talk about it.
Speaker 1: All right.
Speaker 3: So you're going to give me a list of your
top Dave songs, and I'm going to give you a
list of my top same sungs, and we'll see where
we're at.
Speaker 2: Can you do that? How long can my list be? Okay,
it's it's really really hard. It's really hard.
Speaker 3: I don't I really don't think it's that hard.
Speaker 2: Well that's yeah, okay, goo good, Okay. So Panama Hot
for Teacher? Is this an order?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 2: I can't do that. That's too hard, all right, Okay,
So I'm just gonna go so Panama, which maybe I
really do love Panama. Maybe that's my number one. I'm
not sure. Panama Hot for Teacher, Running with the Devil,
I feel like I should be able to combine eruption
with you Really Got Me because they always come together.
So I'm going to do that. So ain't talking about
love of and then like an eight way tie between
for other songs, I'll Wait is great, drop Dead Legs
is great, and ice Cream Man is fun. I think
that's probably right there at the at the ten mark.
If it's not, I'll throw on beautiful girls and fill
your left to night.
Speaker 3: All right, don't that list sucks? Okay, here you give me,
I'll give you my my ten days go right, And
I'm a saving guy. But I'm a dave guy too,
But here we go in order?
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Number ten Pretty Woman, cool cover catchy shows up in
the movie Weird Science, some versions, some versions, that's right.
Number nine, their first single, you Really Got Me? Number eight,
drop Dead Legs, great stripper song, Number seven, Dance the
Night Away, cool, radio friendly, love It, Number six, Running
with the Devil, Number five.
Speaker 4: Hot for Teacher. Can't argue with that.
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 3: Number four Panama Okay, two of nineteen eighty four, right
there in a row. Number three, ain't talking about love?
Number two unchained. Oh wow, it's an unbelievable song.
Speaker 2: Wow. Yeah, I'm actually surprised that you put that that
you put that at number two.
Speaker 3: It's so good that guitar, Oh my gosh, it's so good.
And then finally, there is no there is no other
song that can be number one's Jump. Now it's absolutely jumped.
Speaker 2: I love Jump when it came out, but it's no
longer in my top ten anymore. I'm not going to
turn it off if it comes on. I think it's
worthy of the stuff that they did with it with
Ready Player one, but it is just not my favorite.
Speaker 4: All right, are you ready for my samue list?
Speaker 8: Yep, all right, here we go.
Speaker 3: Number ten, Best of Both Worlds? Number nine, Kaba Wabo,
number eight, Can't Stop Loving You? Number seven, Why can't
this be love? Only time will tell if we stand
the test of time? Number six, The power Drill on Cake.
Number five, Love Walks In Number four when it's love,
number three right now, number two, Dreams, and number one
it's black and blue.
Speaker 2: Okay, this will be easier for me because I don't
even have ten that I would put on a list
for Van Hagar. All right, well, let's hear it, okay,
So best of both worlds, in no particular order, best
of both worlds pound cake, when it's love dreams, why
can't this be love? And right now? And then I
probably would throw and finish what you started. I like
that one. I like finish what you started.
Speaker 3: And if I had to break the tie between Sammy
and Dave on the number.
Speaker 8: One is Jump.
Speaker 2: You're still picking jump.
Speaker 8: It's jump.
Speaker 3: It absolutely is Jump. I can listen to that song
a million times and still love it.
Speaker 2: Okay, guys, it's not time. It's time for final judgment.
It's time for to take the gloves off and saying
you know we're no more mister nice guy. Let's let's
really start talking about this. You know, Jason, you've taken
the position that van Hagar is better than van Halen. Now,
there are obviously a lot of people who enjoyed Van
Hagar because they had tons of success, they sold all
kinds of albums. But I've never heard someone say better
than van Halen. So tell me, you know, what's your
what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3: Okay, well, so here's my thing. All right, I like
van Halen with Dave. Okay, I'm a fan, but once again,
I jumped in nineteen eighty four, so I wasn't married
to Dave, right, so I jumped in at the new
sound of Van Halen. Okay, so I wasn't you know,
I wasn't blown away by the guitars and stuff that
people when they jumped in earlier were, And so it
just has to do with my age. But nineteen eighty
four was where I jumped in. I love the synthesizer,
I love the guitar mix, the melody, and just those
great great songs from my ten eighty four and so
that transitioned me right into fifty one fifty, which is
my favorite one of all time. But I think overall,
I think there's a general sentiment out there that Sammy
has a better voice, has more vocal range, has more
musical ability. Right now, I'm willing to concede Dave is
one of the top front men for any band of
all time. I'm gonna talk out of both sides of
my mouth here one sure. Yeah, so Dave maybe the
best front man of all time.
Speaker 2: I mean, we're in a situation again like we were
with Bad versus Thriller, where you love Thriller, you just
love Bad Mold.
Speaker 4: That's right, that's right.
Speaker 3: Right as far as stage personality, and we already talked
about the splits and the kicks and the jumps in
the backflips. Same he can't do any of that stuff right,
but he adds an element of musicianship that I think
improves their music overall.
Speaker 2: So I did you know. I didn't write this down,
but this is this is the thought that's occurring to
me right now. Whenever Sammy Hagar came on the scene,
I was like, yes, I even said it earlier in
the episode. This is the perfect choice. He has guitar
abilities that Dave didn't have. He's got a better singing voice.
He's a hard rocker. I mean, you've got you know,
I can't drive fifty five all of his songs with
Montrose and his solo album, his solo career before that.
And I'm super excited. But you know what else, I
was really excited for the episode of Star Wars, the
Rise of Skywalker. I was giddy, and I'm walking in
and I got my Darth Vader shirt on, and I'm
dressed in black, and I'm geeked out. And I sat
there and I was just like, Okay, well this is
not okay, this is what I thought it was gonna
be but that's all right. I'm gonna give it full
open mind. And I kept trying to love it, and
I kept trying to love it, and where there was
maybe a brief honeymoon period in the first five to
ten minutes of the movie, after a while I was
just going to I can't love this.
Speaker 3: I think you're way off base again, way off base.
Speaker 2: I had the honeymoon period with Van Hagar I did was.
I liked their live album and they had in their
transitional phase. They still sounded a lot like the original
Van Halen. They still had all of those kicks going
and Sammy was still rocking. But the honeymoon eventually wore
off for me, and I just didn't feel like I
felt like I had a bait and switch where it was,
here's this awesome thing that you're getting, and now we're
going to overproduce it, We're going to overdo it, and
it's not the same anymore. It's no longer Van Halen.
With the movie, man, the production value was incredible. I
can't imagine the mouth they spent on it. But it's
not Star Wars. Star Wars is dirty, and Van Halen
should be dirty too. I want the dirt and the grime.
The van Halen of David Lee Roth Time was dirty
and nasty and gritty and sex Yes.
Speaker 8: It was.
Speaker 2: It was what it was. And the van Halen of
Sammy Hagar Time is gradually more touchy, more feely, more emotional,
more lovey dovey, and I'm.
Speaker 1: Not showing for it.
Speaker 3: All right, all right, Well let's let's take a step back. Okay,
because this podcast really is a debate about who's better
Dave or Sammy.
Speaker 4: But let me pose this question to you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, If I said, do you like the new
version of van Halen, it's like the cutoff between diver
down in nineteen eighty four. Yeah, up right, And I
gave you you can choose one.
Speaker 4: What do you choose?
Speaker 2: You mean, do I do I take nineteen eighty four, take.
Speaker 3: Nineteen eighty four and include that with the Sami era.
Speaker 2: Right, We're going to that new van Halen, you know.
And I understand your question, And I know that a
lot of people draw this line that nineteen eighty four
was a new sound. I think even the members of
the band are saying that. But I just gotta I
gotta say I disagree with that. Line distinction, and I
took some time thinking about this. There's you know, everybody
talks about the introduction to the keyboards, but I mean
he was playing keyboards in Women and Children first. I mean,
he was playing keyboards way back. That couldn't be the issue.
They became more prevalent in nineteen eighty four, for sure,
They shocked a lot of the hardcore listeners, for sure,
But that you listen to the lead guitar sounds that
are coming out in nineteen eighty four, and it's still
the same sounds of previous Van Halen you got from
van Halen one on up through nineteen eighty four, Eddie's
still playing the Frankenstrat guitar, and then the Frankenstrat starts
to go away. In fifty one fifty you get new
guitars coming in, and then in U eight one two
it even less. You get Eddie starts this deal with
Ernie Ball on this new guitar, and it doesn't sound
the same. I mean, just even if you even if
you look at what happens right after, if you look
at why can't this be love? The guitar doesn't sound
the same anymore. It's closer. I mean it gets further
and further away. But I mean, first big song off
of fifty one to fifty and you've got a flanged
guitar that you're like, Okay, Eddie's doing something different here,
and it never goes back to what it was.
Speaker 3: You tell me you don't like, why can't this be loved?
Speaker 2: I'm just saying. I'm saying it's not dirty and nasty.
It is. It's pretty, and it is that transition, honeymoon
period so that I can say, yeah, this is still good,
but it's different, and then the difference lingers and I
lose the thing that I fell in love with it first.
Speaker 3: I think we both agree that at that moment in time,
Sammy was the best option. Oh right, And for me,
I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for stepping
in and he kind of takes the to a next
level and they earn way more fans with that style
of music.
Speaker 2: Well, again, this comes back to that idea of popular
and better. There's no question that they increase their popularity.
They increase their album sales and four number one albums
absolutely more popular. They are reaching a broader audience, But
popular doesn't mean better.
Speaker 3: I'm going to say something to blasphem us for a second.
Speaker 4: Okay, you ready for this?
Speaker 8: All right?
Speaker 3: So bring it on, let's go here. It is all
right from the Dave era. In my opinion, Van Haalen
won Awesome, nineteen eighty four, Awesome. The other albums in between.
There's some great songs, but there's a whole lot of filler.
Speaker 2: Dare I say, crap, you are blaspheming right now, and
I don't have anything to throw at you. But I
don't can I can see what you're saying. I mean,
if I'm gonna listen to the whole album. Yeah, Van
Halen won first, nineteen eighty four, second, and then those
other ones. They do have some songs that don't have
what I want to hear as much, but again, it
is what defines the band. It's what defines the band.
Speaker 3: I understand, I mean, I understand what you're saying. But
let me throw another thing at you. Yeah, I mean, okay,
for me, I'm always gonna grab either fifty one, fifty
or nineteen eighty four. Okay, that's where I But then
after that it's always oh you a one to two.
Speaker 4: Okay, let's talk a.
Speaker 3: Little bit about the overall attitude and class of these
two guys.
Speaker 2: Oh well, I mean there's no question, Okay, there's no question.
If I'm gonna if I'm gonna be riding in a
tour bus with somebody, I want it to be Sammy.
Speaker 4: Okay.
Speaker 2: If I'm in Las Vegas and hanging out on the strip,
I want it to be datd Okay, And I will
I will resign myself to know that I'm just gonna
follow along and watch what's happening, what is unfolding before me.
Because with Sammy, I know I got a guy that
can probably talk to you know, we're gonna talk, we're
gonna be as about stuff, We're gonna shoot tequila, and
it'll be great. But if David Lee Roth is with me,
I'm just gonna I'm gonna step back and watch it
like it's a car wreck. I'm with you.
Speaker 3: I totally I'm with you. They serve two purposes. Right
at the end of a weekend with Dave, you wake
up on the floor and wonder what happened?
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, the.
Speaker 3: Weekend with Sammy, you're like sitting on the beach.
Speaker 4: Hey man, We're still having a great time.
Speaker 2: You know, absolutely but I mean again, I think this
goes to the definition of the band. Van Halen is
David Lee Roth party, and it's when the party becomes
a nice get together that you lose me.
Speaker 3: Okay, well that's fair. I mean we you know this
is all personal opinion, But I don't know. I just
I enjoy the music more from Sammy. It's more, Yeah,
it is more love songy, but there's a whole lot
less junk.
Speaker 2: It's yeah. I mean, it is a matter of what
you enjoy. But again, I want dirty. If I'm going
out for a hamburger, I want a smash burger. I
want a cheap white bread bun. Don't give me some
chabbata nonsense. Don't give me a pre formed patty. Give
me something raw and messy. That's what I want my
hard rock heavy metal to be. I don't want it
to be a gourmet burger with with Sammy. I mean,
there are multiple changes that happen. You You lose Ted Templeman, right,
you lose the Frankenstrat guitar, you get the keyboards coming in.
It's it's a different sound. And I mean just to
and I'm gonna try to try to put words onto
sound as best I can. But you've got sharp and
edgy and rip your guts out kind of sound coming
from the franken strat on the Van Halen days. And Eddie,
who's constantly in search for that perfect tone, starts to
lean towards this warm and round tone that you get
on those on those albums With Sammy.
Speaker 3: I mean, I see what you're saying, and we've already agreed.
Speaker 4: I'm more of a radio friendly guy, right.
Speaker 3: Right, Ye's it's a personal preference thing. Imagine we'll get
into it a little bit more when if we break down.
Speaker 2: It's just that your personal preference is wrong. That's all,
which as long as we can both agree that your
personal preference is wrong.
Speaker 3: I know, man, I just for me, the Sammy Hagar
era is roll down the windows, drive around, crank it up,
having a great time in the summer night. Dave is
I mean Dave listen. I love Dave Era van Halen.
Speaker 4: But it's just different. They're just two different bands.
Speaker 2: So anyway that part we can agree on. They're definitely
different bands.
Speaker 3: They are different bands. But let me just throw a
quick shout out, Sammy, if you're listening, contact us through
the podcast. I promise we'll find a spot to get
you on here wants you to be involved with a show.
Speaker 2: Five star review Sammy, Okay, this defines our difference because
I know there's no way in heck that David Lee
is going.
Speaker 3: To be exactly past exactly Dave is too busy talking.
I don't know the interaction with the fans. I think
Sammy is stronger there too. He just seems he's just
such a likable guy. When Van Halen was introducted into
Hall of Fame, you know who showed up, Sammy and
Michael Anthony, two guys who are banned from existence now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, guys, thank you for listening to us for
this entire diatribe that we've gone through. We hope that
you enjoyed it. We hope you had a little fun
with us. Oh my gosh, we have to talk about
what's going to happen next week.
Speaker 3: I'm so excited.
Speaker 2: Yes it is. It's been coming and coming, and it's
finally going to be here. It is The Raiders of
the Lost Arc versus The Back to the Future podcast.
Speaker 3: Two of our all time favorite movies.
Speaker 2: From the eighties. Yes, they are amazing movies. Get ready
for a lot of geeking out, because that is what's
going to happen. There's lots of geeking out to come.
So if you want to come geek out with us,
please come and listen in.
Speaker 3: That's right, turn on your flicks, capacitors, get out your
bull whip, and we will see.
Speaker 4: You next week.
Speaker 2: Again. Tweet us at Shirley Podcast on Twitter, send us
a comment or a message on Facebook at Shirley Podcast.
If you want to email us, email us at Shirleypodcast
at gmail dot com. And also don't forget to check
out our YouTube channel, the Surely You Can't Be Serious
podcast channel. Love you guys again. Overwhelmed by the positive
support that we're getting, We're going to keep cranking. Can
a matter as long as you guys keep listening.
Speaker 3: In time, okay, d as we do. Okay, let's start.
Speaker 2: Over, keep doing.
Speaker 6: All right?
Speaker 2: We want okay, go ahead, okay this time?
Speaker 3: Okay, all right, d.
Speaker 2: All music images and movie clips are used for the
purposes of commentary and education in conjunction with the fair
Use Agreement under the US copyright law.
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