The 80s Court: David Lee Roth vs Van Halen

Welcome again to the halls of musical justice known as The 80s court. Upon considering the following case, I went through much deliberation on which parties should be involved. After all, it seems like Van Halen has broken up and reunited more in the past 10 years than Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. That being said, this is The 80s Court, so lets look at the initial vacancy that David Lee Roth made in 1985 and how the band has persevered until the present day.

Come to order, as the 80s court will now proceed with …

The Background

In 1974, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Michael Anthony formed the band Genesis. Huh?? Yes it’s true, but since the name Genesis was already taken, they decided to go with Van Halen. They established themselves on the L.A. music scene over the next couple years and in the process, made an impression on Gene Simmons of Kiss. Simmons produced their first demo tape, but to no avail. It wasn’t until two Warner Bros. execs saw Van Halen perform in 1977 that they got their first record deal. Later that year, their self-titled debut album was released.

Though it is now revered as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, none of the singles released from the album had great success. The album did reach #16 on the charts and was enough to give Van Halen momentum into the release of their second album Van Halen II in 1978. It produced their first legitimate hit with “Dance the Night Away” and cemented them as a headlining act. They continued to release albums between tours, with Women and Children First in 1980, Fair Warning in 1981, and Diver Down in 1982. Their mainstream success reached its pinnacle two years later with the release of 1984, but also turned out to be a breaking point.

Tension initially began with Eddie Van Halen and Roth during the recording of Fair Warning in ‘81, with Eddie wanting to move away from the “pop” sound. Roth relented to Eddie’s wishes and it wasn’t until after the 1984 tour that tension arose again. Band members have given different stories as to who was to blame for the break up. Most people believe though that the image and future direction of the band was the major factor. It probably didn’t help that Roth released his first solo EP album in ’84, while he was technically still with Van Halen. The fact that pop friendly cover singles (and music videos) “California Girls” and “Just A Gigolo” were widespread hits just added more fuel to the fire.

Roth and Van Halen shortly reunited in 1996 on the MTV Video Music Awards show. It turned out to be a publicity stunt to promote their Best Of Volume I album, which was released the same year. Then in 2007, Roth returned as the lead singer for the third time and remains the lead singer today.

The Evidence

During the 1978-84 Roth era, all albums except for their self-titled debut reached the top 6 on the Billboard 200 charts. They also had five top 15 singles, include the chart topper “Jump.” Two of their albums during this era have achieved “diamond” status by reaching 10 million copies sold all time (Van Halen and 1984.) Obviously, Van Halen continued on with Sammy Hagar after the split with Roth. Plus, there was also that one time when Gary Cherone thought he was part of the band. Since their initial breakup in 1984, Van Halen has released five studio albums, two greatest hits albums, and one live album. (All reaching top 5 on charts.) Van Halen received their only Grammy award in 1992 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

“Diamond Dave” has released one EP, six studio albums, and one greatest hits album from 1985-2003. His first two albums reached the top 10, with the subsequent two albums reaching the top 20 on the charts. “California Girls” and “Just Like Paradise” reached #3 and #6 respectively. Roth was nominated for a Grammy in 1986, but did not win.

In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Sammy Hagar. Unfortunately, Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony (both former members at the time) were the only ones on hand to participate in the ceremony.

The Verdict

First thing’s first. This case is not about Roth vs. Hagar (a timeless debate that I will definitely cover someday.) This case’s verdict is to determine whether Roth should have stayed with the band for the duration. I believe Van Halen has always been about just that, the Van Halen brothers. There aren’t many bands that have changed lead singers and still have tremendous success. There is no denying that the Sammy Hagar years brought great success for the band. To be honest, I hadn’t realized that Diamond Dave had released so many solo albums over his career until reviewing the evidence in this case. I guess that’s testament to how popular his solo albums were.

I had to deduct some points from Roth for going so “pop” with his music that he allowed Christopher Cross to sing backup on “Beautiful Girls”, but he gained the points back for turning his nose at Eddie and Alex and co-headlining a tour with Sammy Hagar (and occasionally Michael Anthony) in 2002. After considering all the evidence, the overwhelming fact that Roth was easily replaced and the band still achieved great success is enough in my opinion.

The 80s Court rules in favor of Van Halen. I’m glad Diamond Dave is back, but he should have never left.

Case Closed! Court is now adjourned for some Frankenstrat time on Guitar Hero.

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