Sammy Hagar... overlooked as a great singer?

Dogsinotpalc said:
Come on, Sammy can actually sing. Do you have to like it? Goodness know. But the Vin comparison seems rather cold. :thu:
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He's perfect for playing an anthropomorphic tree, and he's superb at acting like he's driving a car really fast.

Hagar is the musical equivalent of that.
 
Great singer? I don't think so.

Great rock singer? Great front man? Yes to both. I unfortunately never got to see Van Hagar, but I did see Sammy live several times in the late 70s. Awesome live act every time.

Last time I saw him live he was touring with Boston and they played a stadium show. Since Sammy is from the bay area he got to play two encores - unusual for an opener. They were starting to take down the set when the roadies suddenly put all the equipment back in place and Sammy walks back out. He grabs a mic and explains - 'This is our last show with Boston. Tom Schultz just asked me to play 'Space Station #5'. I can't say no....". And then proceeded to bring down the house rocking that song for all he was worth. Epic.
 
Denverdave said:
Great singer? I don't think so.

Great rock singer? Great front man? Yes to both. I unfortunately never got to see Van Hagar, but I did see Sammy live several times in the late 70s. Awesome live act every time.

Last time I saw him live he was touring with Boston and they played a stadium show. Since Sammy is from the bay area he got to play two encores - unusual for an opener. They were starting to take down the set when the roadies suddenly put all the equipment back in place and Sammy walks back out. He grabs a mic and explains - 'This is our last show with Boston. Tom Schultz just asked me to play 'Space Station #5'. I can't say no....". And then proceeded to bring down the house rocking that song for all he was worth. Epic.
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I saw him opening for Boston on that tour also. :cool:

I'm not a huge fan of his TBH - but he is very good at what he does.
 
Flamencology said:
One of the most overrated rock bands ever, which is saying something.

Blows my mind how much fan loyalty they've accumulated in the US.
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Clearly you lack context. Had you been a teenager in 1979 when VH hit the scene, there is no way you could have considered them overrated by any standard. You are looking through the filter of time.

As for Sammy, LOVED his work in Montrose. Never really liked the Van Hagar years, and his solo stuff isn't on my radar.
 
Denverdave said:
Great singer? I don't think so.

Great rock singer? Great front man? Yes to both.
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I find your contradiction unacceptable! :thu:

Great rock singer = great singer. I won't qualify it by genre.

I don't care for opera and therefore don't hold the genre in any esteem, but I would never question the ability of the singers. Have you heard opera types try to sing rock (or pop)...it's horrible. I know it would be equally bad going the other way, so I won't fault either party.
 
335clone said:
Clearly you lack context. Had you been a teenager in 1979 when VH hit the scene, there is no way you could have considered them overrated by any standard. You are looking through the filter of time.

As for Sammy, LOVED his work in Montrose. Never really liked the Van Hagar years, and his solo stuff isn't on my radar.
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The filter of time is precisely how we can tell exactly how overrated Van Halen is. Most of the things we like when we're teenagers is suspect.
 
I can't imagine describing him as overlooked. He has had a solid solo career and fronted Montrose and Van Halen. I think that is far from overlooked. He is a decent enough signer and frontman, and his curriculum vitae shows exactly that. If anything he might be a bit overrated. I was surprised VH picked him as a Roth replacement when they could have had almost anyone. I say that and I am a fan of his stuff.
 
Dogsinotpalc said:
I find your contradiction unacceptable! :thu:

Great rock singer = great singer. I won't qualify it by genre.

I don't care for opera and therefore don't hold the genre in any esteem, but I would never question the ability of the singers. Have you heard opera types try to sing rock (or pop)...it's horrible. I know it would be equally bad going the other way, so I won't fault either party.
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Renee Fleming did alright.



Dawn Upshaw can do really amazing things with her voice:



There are always exceptions. Always.

Opera is too large and sweeping a genre to make any generalizations about. If you look into it, you'll probably find something to fall in love with. And that's true of singers, as well.

But yeah. There are different styles of singing. Surprise.
 
I dig Sammy. He kicked ass with Montrose, had a string of solo hits, and brought VH to levels of popularity they just wouldn't have achieved without him.
Fuck the haters.
 
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