David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar

[Sizz-lor]

I know it's not exactly a fight, so ignore this if you think it's out of place. Still, I thought I'd see what the response was. Which of the two was the better Van Halen frontman? We're ignoring solo work. I say Diamond Dave. Not as much range, but a much less annoying voice and better entertainer.

[Hiromi]

they both have pros. Dave was and always will be the definitive front man, and his voice was excellent too(good example listen to Little Guitars on Diver Down)

Hagar seemed more willing to go in the direction Eddie wanted the band to go in(whether thats bad or good is debatable), his voice was slightly bettter than Roth's having more range and stuff. He often gets described as only being a part of the synthesizer/unhard rock soaked VH, however For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge sort of kills that theory.

I like them both, will listen to them both, and own an almost equal(still need to get the last studio Van Hagar album) amount from both of them.

[FresnoXpatriate]

I would say Dave, for the stage presence alone. The songs are catchier from VanRoth than VanHagar, at least to me, and they are the group of songs that even non- Van Halen fans think of when they think of Van Halen. It's not that Hagar's work was bad, it's just that they are so different, and Roth was such a showman, it was a hard act to follow.
Gary Sherone, on the other hand, could have been something special. Seriously.

[Bakema NL]

Hagar is the better singer, Roth the better entertainer................take your pick.

[Dennis K]

Those of us who are old enough to have seen Van Halen back when Roth was at the zenith of his status as rock God know this one isn't even close.

[HomerJay]

Those of us who are old enough to have seen Van Halen back when Roth was at the zenith of his status as rock God know this one isn't even close.

Van Roth: HOT FOR TEACHER
Van Hagar: WHEN IT'S LOVE

Hagar would be able to sing any of the Roth songs, but can you picture Diamond Dave performing even 1/4 of the Hagar songs?


...and I mean that statement to be Pro-Roth.

[Hiromi]

Nah, they both had songs about both stuff, Little Guitars(once again) by Roth, Spank Line by Hagar.

[Buried Alien]

I prefer Van Halen back in the David Lee Roth days.


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[elheffe]

I think we did this before, and my answer is always, Diamond Dave!

[howyadoin]

Hagar would be able to sing any of the Roth songs, but can you picture Diamond Dave performing even 1/4 of the Hagar songs?Dave actually said something like that after Sammy joined the band: "at least I don't have to sing 'I Can't Drive 55'."

[Hiromi]

Actually Hagar can sound weak on the Roth songs, going by Live Right Here Right Now. Like he has to lower his voice to the point he can't really get the power he does on his higher notes.

[StoneGold]

Actually, there are a couple of Dave songs I don't think Sammy does. At least, when I saw them live last year when they were plugging the greatest hits album (free ticket), they didn't do Hot for Teacher, or a couple other of the more wild VH songs.

Overall, Sammy is probably a better singer, but Dave did stuff that no one else can do. Although Sammy's version of Jump is probably better. But his voice fits that style of song better.

[The Defenestrator]

Dave is much better, in my opinion.

[Neil]

Yeah, for me this is one of those questions like "What do like better, making out with a pretty girl or getting punched in the gut by a 300 pound wrestler?"

The answer is Dave.

I like some of Sammy's solo stuff quite a bit and with Montrose, that's the stuff, but the Van Halen/Sammy stuff just never sounded good to me at all. Partially it just always felt like they couldn't stop overproducing his voice, even on things like For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge where they were trying for a harder sound overall.

[Cash Lone]

Yeah, for me this is one of those questions like "What do like better, making out with a pretty girl or getting punched in the gut by a 300 pound wrestler?"

The answer is Dave.



lol - totally. I never saw any appeal in VanHagar.

[Joe Rice]

Yeah, Diamond Dave runs away with this.

[Dreadstar]

Still pretty close in the poll though, 0 - 0...

Another Dave fan over here.

[Ottmeister X]

Dave, easy. No contest.

Maybe Hagar has a better voice, but I can remember him butchering some VH classics that Dave sung when I saw Van Hagar two or three times.

[howyadoin]

Still pretty close in the poll though, 0 - 0...Yeah, how come the poll is closed?

[Hiromi]

The thread was likely made on the rumbles board, where polls aren't allowed, and then moved here.

[Scottsdale_Saint]

like several people have already noted, hagar is/was a better singer but i'll take van halen with d.l. roth over van hagar everytime. van hagar was like a box of little debbie cakes, okay at first but the more you get the more sick you feel. van hagar also never did any song as cool as "unchained".