by Joseph Romero

Created on: July 19, 2009

Difficulties arise when attempting to quantify the subjective, but without a doubt, the better Van Halen lead singer was David Lee Roth.

Part of the reasoning behind this inevitable conclusion comes from the fact that we are discussing which individual was the better Van Halen lead singer. The question is not, "Who was the better vocalist." If this were the issue at hand, one could speak to the range of musical scale each performer had, the clarity of his tone, or his abilities of inflection on a note. However, we are discussing Rock 'n' Roll!

Van Halen became Van Halen for two reasons. The first reason was the lead guitarist's innovative use of hammer-ons and pull-offs. I am slightly too young to remember the immediate effect Eddie Van Halen's playing must have had on the band's contemporaries, but it can be well-argued that the first Van Halen album's release was a watershed moment for modern rock guitar. Since the band continues to bear his name, his job remains secure, even in our current economy! The second reason for Van Halen's being, and the reason that answers our question, was David Lee Roth's scream, and all that came with it on stage.

To compare these two performers for this discussion, it must first be stated that in being lead singer, one is filling a multi-faceted role, not merely occupying a vocal track on a tape. This is why great backup singers rarely become huge headliners. David Lee Roth fulfilled the lead role in Van Halen in an obviously unique way. If Sammy Hagar had been the original lead singer of the group, I would argue that we would never have heard of the band. We would have merely continued to hear about all the bands Van Hagar had opened for at the Whisky-A-Go-Go!

Sammy made a wise move in accepting the job when it came available, but he never would have been able to create that job the way David Lee Roth did. On the other hand. David Lee Roth just wasn't wired to sustain that job the way Hagar did. But who is more important to the telephone industry - Alexander Graham Bell, or the bespectacled front man attempting to sell us wireless communication service?

Sammy Hagar has certainly served Van Halen well with his part in the band's longevity. But any great old thing had its explosive eureka moment in the beginning. For this reason David Lee Roth was the better Van Halen lead singer.

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