19 Comments
User's avatar
тна Return to thread
Clever Pseudonym's avatar

Hot for Teacher is best song ever!

Expand full comment
Reggie VanderVeen's avatar

Why. Why?? WHY did David Lee Roth think he could leave Van Halen?

Expand full comment
Clever Pseudonym's avatar

1. Cocaine

2. Cocaine

3. MTV

4. Eddie could not stand to hear his voice anymore.

(but Dave vastly superior to Sammy)

Expand full comment
baker charlie's avatar

Also there was a trend in the 70's and 80's of the companies trying to peel front men (and women) off their original backing bands. I think they thought the front was all the audience cared about in a band and probably made it easier to control the singers, especially as front men tend to have major Egos (and cocaine doesn't help). This of course, had about the same impact as killing the goose that was laying the golden eggs. There are more than a few classic bands that never reached what could have been their potential because they were split up.

Expand full comment
Feral Finster's avatar

Someone put it thusly, that the tension between EVH and DLR was what made Van Halen interesting.

Replacing Roth with Hagar made the band corporate and boring.

Expand full comment
rtj's avatar

That Diamond Dave / Just a Gigolo stuff was awful. Kind of like that David Johansen / Buster Poindexter / Hot Hot Hot thing.

Expand full comment
Clever Pseudonym's avatar

They were pretty similar, except Johansen probably really needed the check whereas DLR was singer in the world's biggest band.

Egos + drugs + money make people do foolish things...

Expand full comment
rtj's avatar

Dave (LR) also has some interesting side gigs. Among many, he's a lisenced EMT tech in NY state.

Expand full comment
Stxbuck's avatar

I still remember him playing in The Big Game on The Sopranos.

Expand full comment
publius_x's avatar

Oh, Sherry! made some coin for Steve Perry, though.

Expand full comment
Stxbuck's avatar

I kinda like the whole Joe Jackson-Diamond Dave neo-cabaret thing from the early 80s. They are/were performers in the best sense of the word, not whiny, tortured artistesтАж.

Expand full comment
Lawyers Guns & Money's avatar

Well, it's got the best drum work, sure, but vs. Gimme Shelter, More Than A Feeling, or Philby (by Rory Gallagher)?

Expand full comment
Phuckthephacts's avatar

Wait, is this actually Jeff Beck?!

Expand full comment
rtj's avatar

"Gimme Shelter"

ЁЯТп++

Expand full comment
Clever Pseudonym's avatar

ahh is all so subjective...H for T just always makes me smile.

Expand full comment
baker charlie's avatar

Caveat, I saw the 1984 tour. Third or fourth row center (gift from a friend). Def one of the best touring shows of that era- although I saw Rush a month or so before and they were amazing too, just in a different, more cerebral way.

Expand full comment
Clever Pseudonym's avatar

I sat front row @ MSG for the Diver Down tour...a really great memory (I think the ticket was less than $20).

But those were much wilder times: a kid twice my size with missing teeth appeared and told me we were now sharing the seat! There were no security guards to rescue me, so it was either agree or get a black eye.

But at least he shared his joint!

Expand full comment
baker charlie's avatar

Oh crap, don't remind me of when arena seats were affordable!

Expand full comment
Chilblain Edward Olmos's avatar

ThereтАЩs a version of H for T thatтАЩs just the isolated vocal track on YouTube. ItтАЩs fucking incredible. DLR was a beast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kb6rllbDu4

Expand full comment
ErrorError