Post by xxxfirst off, i think the knock that dave can't couldn't sing was/is
bogus. he could sing fine (at least back on the original VH albums). i
think he may have had issues later on in his career, like most rock
singers after their mid-40s. surprisingly, i think dave is singing
really well again, this late in his career. i seriously wonder if he
went to a vocal coach or what, as most guys his age don't start
sounding really good again out of the blue.
that said, i do think sam has a little more range. and i do think he
definitely helped keep the band afloat really well. i definitely think
the roth era was stronger (hard to deny that) but they did pretty well
for themselves, all things considered, with sam. how many bands have
lasting success with 2 singers? not a whole lot. some people might
like one era over the other but they both had success.
and it's not surprising that mike speaks glowingly of his buddy, sam.
they're tight. sam was probably much more in mike's corner than dave
was, so i wouldn't expect mike to say anything than he otherwise said
in the forward.
Yes, they did well with Sam, but to say Sammy took them to a higher
plateau and Sammy was the key, when they really didn't and without
giving the real credit to Eddie is ridiculous. Maybe payback for when
Ed said that Mike added nothing to the band.
...and the line about Sammy not being a bullshitter? Priceless.
It's also interesting that Mike says in the Foreword that Eddie *did*
call him and was against him touring with Sammy. A little different
story than what we've heard before:
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When Sammy went out on the road with Roth, they thought it was a
carnival. Eddie made it clear that he didn't want me to go out with
them. I had jammed on some shows before with Sammy and he wasn't
pleased about that. But I was just the bass player. My last names not
Van Halen. I didnt feel I was doing anything wrong. I thought I was
flying the Van Halen flag. Ed called me when he heard I might appear
as a guest on some of the shows. I wasnt going to do the full tour,
but Sammy asked me if Id come out and play a few dates. I was totally
into it. I remember Ed saying, Youre not going to be part of that
circus, are you?
When the idea of a Van Halen reunion tour came up, I wasnt in any of
those discussions, either. I do know that Eddie didnt want me to be a
part of it. I was the traitor because I went over to Sams camp. He
couldnt understand why I couldnt sit home and do nothing until he
decided that we were going to do something.
He wanted to put me on salary, and eventually Sammy, Alex, and even
our manager gave up some of their percentage to get me something like
13 percent. It wasnt like I needed the money. The only reason I did
that tour was because Sammy was doing it. To do that tour, I signed
away pretty much any future rights I might have had to anything Van
Halen. If Sammy wasnt there, I wouldnt have even considered it
because, by then, I felt like an outsider to the brothers. Somehow I
played the shows.
Some nights Eddie would hug me and go, Mikes back. Youre playing so
good, man. Other nights onstage, hed look at me like he was looking
right through me, like I wasnt even there. I spent a lot of time
keeping my eyes on Alex during those shows, just trying to keep it
together. Eddie would say to me, Look at me all the time.
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