Don't get me wrong.. was always a Sammy fan back to the Montrose days.. I had his first few solo LPs, as well.. but I never really embraced the Van Hagar lineup.. I'll explain:

First and foremost, by then I was done with Van Halen.. The first 3 albums were pure energy and raw power.. but, then, imo, they started softening up.. I never bought another VH album after Women and Children First.. My brother had seen them open for Journey before their first album dropped and all I remember him telling me was that I was gonna LOVE that new band.. he shot lots of pics with Eddie's guitars and whatnot, so, yeah, when the album dropped a few months later, I was all over it..

I saw them 3x on the first and second album tours.. pure energy onstage.. never seen that before to that extent.. Eddie was amazing, of course, but DLR OWNED the stage.. most complete stage commander I'd ever seen.. But, like I said, they started softening up.. I still liked a few songs here and there, but pretty much was done with them..

When DLR quit, or was fired, I liked his solo stuff better than VH's new stuff with Cherone(?) and Hagar.. I thought Sammy just took them even further into going softer..

A good buddy of mine, who is a HUGE VH fan summed it up nicely: "VH with DLR, better songs.. VH with Sammy, better singing..."

---

Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..