No band can ever be considered a complete democracy. Regardless of how many acts like to market themselves as a group of artists who listen to what each member says. It often takes a leader to help guide the group in the right direction. It was clear that Eddie Van Halen was the musical genius behind Van Halen.
However, before the formation of the band, Eddie had begun performing in various acts on the California club circuit with his brother Alex. He formed the first incarnation of Van Halen under the working name Mammoth. After hearing what Roth could do in the pre-Van Halen band Red Ball Jet, the group realized that they would work better together than as competitors.
No one could take their eyes off Roth. He played up his showman persona to the nth degree whenever the band performed live. He became one of the Sunset Strip’s standout acts. The group could deliver at every show. But it wasn’t until their debut album in 1978 that the world got a taste of what they could do. They featured Eddie’s signature tapping licks.
Although Eddie was the star behind the fretboard, the backing vocals were an important part of the band’s sound. In contrast to Roth’s single blues-infused baritone, the sound of Eddie and bassist Michael Anthony harmonizing with him on tracks like ‘You Really Got Me‘ and ‘I’m The One‘ became legendary in their own right. It created a wall of sound whenever they sang together.
The band’s time with Roth was brief. Their next incarnation with Sammy Hagar saw them flourish. It featured ‘The Red Rocker’s signature scream. Even though they went in different directions for the rest of their careers, Roth didn’t return to the fold properly until the 2000s.
Roth’s return behind the microphone was supposed to be a live reunion before Eddie’s son and new bassist, Wolfgang, had other plans. Convincing his dad to release some of the band’s older riffs. Roth would return for the group’s swan song, A Different Kind of Truth. It featured tracks left over from their original incarnation, like ‘She’s The Woman’.
Although Eddie’s licks hadn’t aged a day since 1978, Wolfgang remembered the band having vocal issues with Roth. Apart from the fact that Roth sounded much different than he did in his prime. The bassist recalled the frontman forbidding the rest of the band from singing any backing vocals on the songs.
Years later, Wolfgang recalled Roth inadvertently removing a signature element of the band’s sound. He told Ultimate Classic Rock, “Dave, for the longest time, didn’t let us sing, do the background vocals on the album.” I believe it was just an opinion. He desired to do it himself. And I disagreed because I believe the backing vocals are one of the most important aspects of Van Halen.”
Roth eventually relented and gave them complete control over the vocals. A Different Kind of Truth remained one of the band’s most promising albums. It was with a tremendous communal spirit about having most of the band back together again. Although the vocals may have been a sore point in the studio, that didn’t stop Van Halen from ending their career on their terms.
