The battle of the bands continues, and it more than likely won’t end until one of the bands either retires, or its band members ride off into the sunset. Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth are at it again. But this time someone else is jumping into the fray. Remember the band Journey – from the 1980’s. Well, they’re throwing their names into this brawl too.
As per Ultimate Guitar, Journey guitarist Neal Schon said of the Sammy Hagar v David Lee Roth debate that they are different eras of Van Halen, and argues the fact that DLR era was more about the spectacle and less about the singing. Wow. Strong and diminutive wording.
The age-old debate has been going on ever since Sammy Hagar debuted as the next Van Halen singer with the release of the band’s seventh’s studio album “5150” in 1986. Why the debate continues is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Journey will lay it to rest.
This year, it became more relevant once again with the deluge of news and rumors surrounding the ill-fated Van Halen all-star tribute event, especially since David Lee Roth was said to be one of the main reasons why it never panned out.
While never officially involved in the project, Sammy Hagar recently told the world how he’d love to take part in a celebration of Eddie Van Halen’s legacy should the VH camp decide to go through with it. Whether they will or won’t is another story. We’ll have to wait and see.
According to the Red Rocker, he’d love to do so alongside DLR but said he could easily sing his colleagues’ songs if Roth were not involved, calling his predecessor’s song “easy” to sing.
Hagar said:
“He doesn’t play well with others and never has and never will, but if he didn’t want to do it, then, of course, I can always sing those songs.
“Those songs are easy. I sing those songs, lying on my back, smoking a cigarette, even though I don’t smoke.”
So it seems the battlefield is still fuming with flames. This battle is not over yet.
