Including a stranger in their group will always cause nervousness in the band. Since everyone already has a strong camaraderie, why try to upset the balance by jamming with someone you’ve never played music with before? But Van Halen didn’t have an option when David Lee Roth left. They immediately delivered a classic during their first jam session with Sammy Hagar, playing a few riffs together.
When you come right down to it, Van Halen might have been one of the few bands capable of going all instrumental after losing their lead singer. Although “Diamond Dave” possessed some of the most captivating stage presence ever, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solos were enough to draw in an audience, so what worries should a touring musician have?
Well, going on tour is one thing, but trying to get an instrumental on the radio is a harder sell. Rock radio already hailed Sammy Hagar as a superstar. “The Red Rocker” visited the band’s 5150 studio for a jam session, advised by his mechanic.
Try to understand where Hagar was at the time, even though no one would have laughed at the idea of jamming with Van Halen today. After parting ways with your initial band, you’ve already charted hits. Now, standing beside Eddie Van Halen, he sees your charisma akin to iconic rock cartoon characters. Are you shaking yet?
Hagar, though, had nothing to be overly concerned about. The moment he opened his mouth to sing, the foundation of the song “Summer Nights” began to take shape. He had come in cool-headed to see what the band was working on.
“I started singing to it, making up words, and right off the bat I sang, ‘Summer nights and my radio,'” Hagar said to Louder. Everyone became animated. “This guy can sing!” Additionally, Jan Van Halen—Eddie’s father—was impressed with my ability to scat like a jazz vocalist. Though Hagar was no Billie Holiday, the comparison to a jazz singer might have made sense at the time. He was a rock titan, and Van Halen moved into a new stage of their evolution with him.
Although Eddie’s hard rock licks complemented Roth’s bluesy range more, Hagar’s versatility allowed them to play with far more space. Roth might struggle with songs like “Dreams” or “Love Walks In” due to their sentimentality. Yet, they could still rock on tracks like “Good Enough” and “Get Up.”
The only issue is that Van Halen adopts a slightly more somber tone starting with 5150. Their emphasis on serious themes, like in “When It’s Love” and “Right Now,” sounded mature. Some prefer constant party tunes. In retrospect, it may have been more akin to traditional dad rock, but who says rock & roll can’t mature a little?
