When it comes to Sammy Hagar albums, most people can assume a standard baseline of quality. “The Red Rocker” hasn’t exactly been aiming for the same lofty notes that he did during his heyday. However, he also wasn’t one to back down from a challenge when he took the stage. Hagar believed that between his time with the band and I Never Said Goodbye, his songwriting reached a new level. Despite this, he achieved some of his most notable commercial highs with Van Halen.
However, in theory, this album isn’t meant to exist. Although it has a cover and would be available in record shops all over the world, Hagar didn’t decide to release it; rather, his record company asked him to release one more album in order to fulfill his contractual obligations before moving on to Van Halen.
Hagar was already working with Van Halen in the trenches at the same time. 5150 was the result of his final few songs with the band. They were headed toward becoming Van Halen Mk. 2 without David Lee Roth. Eddie could not have been more accommodating. However, he would have been furious to hear his singer recording a solo album.
Eddie was not only perfectly comfortable with Hagar recording a second album. However, he also contributed to the overall sound by providing bass for the majority of it. Even though listening to Hagar’s solo album might conjure up images of someone like Eddie Van Halen playing bass, the record turns in respectable numbers and allows Hagar to temporarily end his solo career.
Hagar posted on Instagram, “I still love this record today,” reflecting on the album and seeing it as the point when everything was clicking. Eddie, who plays bass throughout the entire record, improved it in my opinion. After writing and recording the 5150 record, my songwriting and vocals were at a peak.
I Never Said Goodbye seems to be a link between the two worlds, even with Hagar’s peculiar rise to leadership of Van Halen. Eddie had written a lot of the riffs for 5150 while Roth was still with the band. So, this was where Hagar’s influence on later albums like OU812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge began. These albums featured songs that adopted a more songwriter-focused approach to everything.
However, there are times when that kind of ambition bites them in the rear. Even though the band was very much focused on writing songs with substance, things started to go a little bit wrong with albums like Balance. Depending on who you ask, this resulted in the band firing Hagar or “The Red Rocker” quitting the group.
I Never Said Goodbye, though, is the kind of music that seems like the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. Even though there weren’t as many of Eddie’s guitar solos on it, no other Hagar album has a better sense of groove.
