The late Pope Francis may have been the leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the world, but he was also just like you and I: a lover of music.
Classical music was his top choice. When asked about his favorites by Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Jesuit paper La Civilta Cattolica in 2013, he gave a detailed answer.
“Among musicians I love Mozart, of course,” he said. “The ‘Et incarnatus est’ from his Mass in C minor is matchless; it lifts you to God! I love Mozart performed by Clara Haskil. Mozart fulfills me. But I cannot think about his music; I have to listen to it. I like listening to Beethoven, but in a Promethean way, and the most Promethean interpreter for me is Furtwangler. And then Bach’s Passions. The piece by Bach that I love so much is the ‘Erbarme Dich,’ the tears of Peter in the ‘St. Matthew Passion.’ Sublime. Then, at a different level, not intimate in the same way, I love Wagner. I like to listen to him, but not all the time. The performance of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ by Furtwangler at La Scala in Milan in 1950 is for me the best. But also the ‘Parsifal’ by Knappertsbusch in 1962.”
Given his clearly extensive knowledge of music, it makes sense then that Pope Francis was spotted visiting a record store called Stereosound in Rome back in January of 2022, something the store owner said he did regularly when in town on Church business. (You can watch a video of this event taking place below.)
According to reporting from Reuters, the Pope left that day with a classical CD, though which exact one has never been determined.
“The Holy Father,” the shop owner told journalists then (via Mother Jones), “is passionate about music.”
Just how passionate? Approximately 2000 CDs worth. Shortly after Pope Francis’ record store visit, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who was then President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, opened up to La Civilta Cattolica about the Pope’s expansive collection. Most of the hundreds of CDs were of classical music, but there was also some Edith Piaf, Argentinian tango music and a 25-disc collection of Elvis Presley‘s Gospel songs.
Yungblud has announced his fourth album Idols… and revealed that it’s just part one of what will be an ambitious double album.
The follow-up to the Yorkshire musician’s self-titled third album [2022] is described by the artist as, “a love letter to self-reclamation… to rock music… [and] to life; in all it’s fucking madness.”
“I wanted to make a project that didn’t focus on singles or anything else except feeling and world-building,” the Doncaster-born singer (aka Dominic Harrison) adds. “A project with no limitations.”
A press releases on the record states that it finds Yungblud exploring “the theme of hero-worship; how we look to others for validation, often putting others’ lives on a pedestal at the expense of the richness of our own experiences.”
Harrison says, “We turn to others for an identity before turning to ourselves. Self-belief, self-reclamation, self-evolution and change. As we grow up, we lose our belief in magic and mystery. We begin to rationalise everything; our cage walls build up. We compare ourselves to 15 different people before we’ve even had our breakfast.”
The tracklist for Idols is:
1. Hello Heaven, Hello 2. Idols Pt I 3. Lovesick Lullaby 4. Zombie 5. The Greatest Parade 6. Change 7. Monday Murder 8. Ghosts 9. Fire 10. War 11. Idols Pt II 12. Supermoon
Yungblud has already shared two singles from the album, its epic opening track, Hello Heaven, Hello, and the Britpop-flavoured Lovesick Lullaby.
Last year, in an interview with NME, Yungblud promises that the record would be “a fucking rock opera double album that has no limitations towards imagination”.
He also declared that the album would be “a straight down the middle classic rock record that sounds like what the fuck Zeppelin would sound like in 2025.”
The album is also reported to be influenced by Oasis, The Verve, My Chemical Romance, David Bowie and Queen.
“I feel like for the first time in a long time I’m exactly where I need to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing,” Harrison said recently, “exploring the past, the present, the future, and most importantly, myself.”
YUNGBLUD – Hello Heaven, Hello (Official Music Video) – YouTube
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Billy Idol has reflected on punk rock’s early usage of the swastika, describing it as “performance art.”
Idol has been a punk icon for the better part of 50 years, first coming to prominence with the band Generation X in the 1970s. During a recent appearance on the Turned Out a Punk podcast, the singer recalled joining an early iteration of Siouxsie and the Banshees as they opened for the Sex Pistols in Paris.
“It was kind of wild because it was some end of the Second World War thing in France [at the time],” Idol recalled. “And then Siouxsie was wearing her night porter gear, where she had the swastika on, and she was driving these left wing French people crazy because they didn’t get that it’s a performance art kind of thing. They just thought she was – because they were practically communists – they were thinking she was an anti-communist and they didn’t realize it’s part of punk performance art.”
Idol noted that the audience was “really upset” by Sioux’s attire, forcing the musicians to sneak away after their performance.
“We sort of escaped across the stage,” Idol admitted. “Pistols had come up across the stage and we went backstage to escape from the audience. They were getting really upset.”
Punks Used Political Symbols as a ‘F— You’ to Conservatives
Sioux certainly wasn’t the only early punk rocker to use the swastika. Many acts at the time utilized the symbol as a sign of rebellion, with no intention to connect it with the evils of Naziism. Still, it was understandably inflammatory, and Idol noted that the intention of its use was lost on some audiences.
“They just didn’t understand the sort of London fashion performance art aspect of punk,” he explained. “We were reflecting back on the British society what they were doing to us by wearing these sort of political symbols. Like Vivienne Westwood would combine the swastika with communist symbols, Karl Marx. And that was all a bit of a fuck you to the conservative forces in England that we were sort of feeling that they were going fascist. So we were going, ‘Oh, if you’re going to go fascist, then we’re going to reflect that back to you.’”
“It was a performance art aspect of the way we dressed that people don’t get now,” Idol continued. “They don’t get that aspect of the punk rock way of dressing. [It] was a kind of a reflection back on the powers that be. ‘This is what you want us to be? You want us to be fascist? Oh, what about we’ll dress like that to frighten you?’ And it worked.”
Bob Seger‘s career trajectory nearly mirrors Bruce Springsteen‘s, his main competition in the late ’70s for the heartland-rock audience.
Both singer-songwriters started in the late ’60s in garage bands that made their livings and local reputations in bars. Both grew up on ’60s soul, which they incorporated into their music. And both were given time by their record companies to develop into major artists.
But Seger charted first (“Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” reached No. 17 in 1968) and has a No. 1 hit (the blah “Shakedown” from 1987’s Beverly Hills Cop II). Springsteen never got higher than No. 2. Seger’s best tracks hold up against his peers, as noted in the Top 10 Bob Seger Songs below.
10. “Sunspot Baby” (From Night Moves, 1976) Before becoming a heartland rocker, Seger was a garage-rock belter who had a thing for the Detroit soul music around him in the ’60s. “Sunspot Baby” combines those influences and adds Stones-style crunch. The result is one of this album’s best songs and a classic-rock favorite that swings on a truly funky piano riff.
9. “Katmandu” (From Beautiful Loser, 1975) Like many cuts on Beautiful Loser, the Chuck Berry-ripped “Katmandu” is a setup for the massive success that would swarm over Seger the next year. This one rocks hard. We prefer the studio version of “Katmandu,” but feel free to substitute the killer concert take from 1976’s Live Bullet.
8. “Still the Same” (From Stranger in Town, 1978) Following the breakout success of 1976’s Night Moves, Seger returned two years later with an album that stuck to the winning formula of classic heartland rock occasionally punctuated by R&B horns. But Stranger in Town‘s lead single shuffles along a mid-tempo country rhythm, with acoustic guitars driving the melody. Like Night Moves‘ title track, it made it to No. 4.
7. “Beautiful Loser” (From Beautiful Loser, 1975) Seger used many of the Silver Bullet Band members on his eighth album, a year before he officially christened them. Night Moves‘ seeds are planted on Beautiful Loser: the gently rocking country lilt, the heartland rasp, the vivid portraits of working-class hardship. The title track just missed the Top 100, stalling at No. 103. A little more than a year later, Seger would be in the Top 10.
6. “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” (From Night Moves, 1976) After one minor hit and almost a decade of pounding away in the trenches, most guys would have called it quits and found steady employment in a factory. Not Bob Seger. Following a lukewarm career that finally yielded results in 1975, Seger charged back hard on his ninth album and was rewarded with his first Top 10 album and single. This tough rocker – a somewhat autobiographical call to arms – kicks off the album with no-prisoners purpose.
5. “Old Time Rock & Roll” (From Stranger in Town, 1978) If Tom Cruise’s underwear dance scene in Risky Business didn’t ruin “Old Time Rock & Roll” for you, then an old relative trying to dance to it at a wedding reception surely has. But back when it came out in 1978, Seger’s ode to the old-school rock ‘n’ roll records that shaped his youth, and his music, sounded like a heartfelt, if somewhat pandering, tribute. But again, Tom Cruise or your Uncle Steve probably killed those thoughts years ago.
4. “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” (From Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, 1969) Seger’s first chart hit, which preceded the same-titled album by the Bob Seger System by a few months, features a garage-rock stomp that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Nuggets compilation. “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” hit No. 17; Seger didn’t reach the Top 40 again until 1976, when Night Moves made him a star. By the way, that’s future Eagles cofounder Glenn Frey on acoustic guitar and backing vocals.
3. “Against the Wind” (From Against the Wind, 1980) Seger’s third album with the Silver Bullet Band, and his only No. 1, somewhat stumbles under the weight of its aspirations. Unlike its predecessors, Against the Winddials down the heartland rock in favor of more laid-back grooves and meditative songs. As he approached his 35th birthday, Seger reflects on mistakes, regrets and struggles. The title track is one of the few songs that gets it exactly right.
2. “Turn the Page” (From Live Bullet, 1976) “Turn the Page” first appeared on Seger’s underperforming Back in ’72album. But it got a new life on 1976’s Live Bullet, which introduced the Silver Bullet Band and prepped Seger for the breakout Night Moves album later in the year. Seger’s classic tale of road life – memorably covered by Metallica in 1998 – was made for the stage, and this slow-building live recording is filled with drama and emotion. The audience pays it back, hanging on Seger’s words until the song’s final release.
1. “Night Moves” (From Night Moves, 1976) Giving cobilling to the Silver Bullet Band, a few members backed him on Beautiful Loser, Seger shaped Night Moves like Bruce Springsteen was molding the E Street Band and his career. And the slice-of-life title track is ripped from Springsteen’s playbook. But Seger adds a slight twang and perspective to his nostalgic tale of teenage lust and growing up in the early ’60s. It’s a pivotal song in his long career and his first Top 5 hit.
Bob Seger Albums Ranked
He boasts one of the most mysterious catalogs of any major rock star, but have no fear we’ve sorted it all out for you.
Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry is taking the Joe Perry Project back on the road this summer for a brief North American tour featuring an all-star lineup.
The eight-show trek begins on Aug. 13 in Tampa, Florida, and concludes on Aug. 23 in Port Chester, New York. The band will make additional stops in Florida, Ontario, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut along the way.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at Perry’s website. You can see the full tour schedule below.
Who’s Playing With the Joe Perry Project on Upcoming Tour?
Perry will be joined on his upcoming trek by several of longtime associates, who are all rock royalty in their own right. The Project lineup includes fellow Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and touring keyboardist/backing vocalist Buck Johnson, Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, and the Black Crowes‘ Chris Robinson on lead vocals.
Robinson has extensive history with Perry, guesting on the guitarist’s 2023 album Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII and performing live with him in recent years. The Black Crowes were also tapped as support on Aerosmith’s farewell tour, which was canceled after three dates due to Steven Tyler‘s vocal injury and subsequent retirement from the road. DeLeo also performed on Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII and previously played bass in the Hollywood Vampires alongside Perry, Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.
“Well … it’s time to let the music do the talkin’ again,” Perry said in a statement. “I’m really excited about the JPP line up this year!!!! Most of these guys played with me at the Roxy in L.A. at the debut event for my latest solo album [Sweetzerland Manifesto] in January 2018. They’re all busy as hell but thankfully they’re able to carve out some time for this run.”
Perry added: “The set list is gonna include my fav JPP cuts, STP, Black Crowes, and with Brad we’ll be hitting the Aero hits and some deep cuts and then ya never know!!!! Gonna be a BLAST, and if you’ve ever been to one of my shows you know the words ‘GARAGE BAND on STEROIDS’ come to mind! See you there!!!!”
Joe Perry Project 2025 Tour Dates Aug. 13 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Aug. 14 – Hollywood, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Aug. 16 – Toronto, ON @ History Aug. 17 – Muskoka, ON @ Kee to Bala Aug. 19 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre Aug. 20 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Aug. 22 – Mashantucket, CT @ The Premiere Theater at Foxwoods Casino Aug. 23 – Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre
Aerosmith Albums Ranked
Any worst-to-best ranking of Aerosmith must deal with two distinct eras: their sleazy ’70s work and the slicker, more successful ’80s comeback. But which one was better?
It’s hard to imagine Metallica fronted by anyone other than James Hetfield, but there was a point when Papa Het considered stepping back from the microphone to focus on playing guitar.
In late 1982 and early 1983, Metallica were making a name for themselves on the LA scene as a heavier antidote to the emerging Sunset Strip hard rock scene. But Hetfield was unsure of his abilities as a vocalist, and the idea was floated of getting in a different singer to allow him to focus on playing guitar.
“I liked James, but no one knew his power at the time,” the band’s late original manager and record label boss Jon Zazula (aka Jonny Z) told Metal Hammer in 2017. “He was Metallica’s singer, but they had ideas of going further with a lead singer.”
They had a candidate in mind: John Bush, frontman with local heavy metal heroes Armored Saint. The latter were were already creating a buzz on the LA scene.
“We were already doing really well,” Bush told Metal Hammer in 2017. “We were playing the Troubadour [West Hollywood nightclub] and headlining. Saint were rolling; we were playing clubs and generating good attendance at shows.”
Bush himself knew who Metallica were. He’d seen their second-ever gig, opening for Saxon at Sunset Strip club the Whisky A Go Go in March 1982. The line-up at the time included guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney alongside Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield. Bush admitted being underwhelmed by the competition the first time he saw them.
“It was in their early stages,” he told Hammer in 2017. “James had these leopard pants and he was just holding the mic and singing – no guitar. It’s safe to say that he was pretty green and pretty insecure about his position. Later I saw Metallica open for Y&T. They were on then. James was playing guitar at that point and they were way better.”
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The feeling was mutual. “Lars was in love with the way John sang for Armored Saint, and I guess Armored Saint was the one band from the LA area that stood out as not a poser hair band, so he took to John and wanted him to do the job,” recalled Jonny Z.
“It was before they started recording Kill ’Em All,” Bush told Metal Hammer. “Jonny Zazula was the one who called and asked if I was interested.”
Today, it might look like a no-brainer, but circumstances were different back then. While Metallica were on the rise, they were far from the trailblazers they became. At the time, Armored Saint were equally popular, if not more so.
“When Metallica came to me, they were still a local band who were gaining some traction,” said Bush. “And that’s what Armored Saint was. So it made no sense for me to say, ‘I’m out of here, I’m going to join this band,’ when I was happy in my band and we were doing well.
“I was flattered, of course. But I explained my reason for wanting to stay with Armored Saint and I said, ‘Thank you very much. It’s a huge compliment but I’m going to stay with my band.’”
It was down to Zazula to break the news to the rest of the band. Other names were mooted, including Jess Cox of UK NWOBHM band Tygers Of Pan Tang and even Lars Ulrich himself. “There was a point where James was joking about, and said, ‘Lars is a great frontman! Get him up there!’” said Zazula.
In the end, Hetfield opted to remain as the band’s frontman, though it wouldn’t be the only time Metallica tapped up a member of Armored Saint to join them – bassist Joey Vera was approached to replace Cliff Burton’s after the latter’s death in September 1986 (the job would eventually go to Jason Newsted).
Armored Saint with Metallica in the mid-80s: John Bush, first row second left (Image credit: Press)
Despite releasing a string of acclaimed albums between 1983 and 1991, Armored Saint never truly climbed beyond the level of beloved cult band. They disbanded in 1992, after John Bush left to join Anthrax, another group who had been given their big break by Jonny Z.
“I was the one to call John for Anthrax,” the latter told Hammer. “Really, that was the great call. I called him and said, ‘Lightning doesn’t strike twice.’ And that became a reality.
Bush himself left Anthrax in 2005, having re-joined the reunited Armored Saint six years earlier. He finally got a chance to sing with Metallica at one of the latter’s 30th anniversary gigs in San Francisco in December 2011, performing The Four Horsemen and Seek And Destroy.
Asked in 2017 if he regretted turning down the chance to join Metallica all those years ago, he replied: “No, I never do. I don’t really believe that it was ever my destiny to be in Metallica. It’s as simple as that. I don’t believe that it was anybody’s destiny to be the voice of Metallica other than James. Talk about a guy who’s had incredible growth as a singer. He’s James Hetfield – enough said.”
David Lee Roth made a triumphant comeback from a five-year stage absence Saturday night at the M3 festival, delivering a strong set of Van Halen classics with the help of an killer eight-piece band.
You can see video and the full set list from the show below.
“We’ve reached the end of my first retirement,” the singer joked at one point. “How many retirements did Rocky have, nine?”
Roth made great use of a new four-piece group of backing vocalists, a brilliant addition to his live show and a textbook example of turning a recent weakness into a strength. And yes of course they did “I’m the One” complete with the big a capella breakdown.
It was Roth’s first official show since he opened for Kiss on March 10, 2020 in Lubbock Texas just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the tour. When Kiss returned to the road a year and a half later they did so without the former Van Halen singer.
Roth announced an early 2022 Las Vegas residency in October 2021, but wound up canceling all of those shows, citing unspecified health concerns.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” the singer revealed to the Las Vegas Review Journal at the time. Roth further added that he was “encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” adding that “my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”
Roth has reportedly played a handful of private shows since that time, in addition to posting a variety of previously unreleased songs, countless dance videos and occasionally trading barbs with his buddy Sammy Hagar on YouTube.
Although there’s only one other confirmed date on Roth’s 2025 schedule so far – Sept. 12 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California – the singer seemed to hint at more at the end of the set. After repeatedly congratulating his band for playing “a perfect fucking show,” he told the crowd. “See you on the road… I’ll see you on the road!”
Watch David Lee Roth Perform at the M3 Festvial
David Lee Roth April 3, 2025 M3 Festival Set List
1. “Panama” 2. “Drop Dead Legs” 3. “You Really Got Me” 4. “Unchained” 5. “Dance the Night Away” 6. “Runnin’ with the Devil” 7. “Mean Street” 8. “Atomic Punk” 9. “And the Cradle Will Rock…” 10. “Jamie’s Cryin'” 11. “I’m the One” 12. “Everybody Wants Some!!” 13. “Romeo Delight” 14. “Hot for Teacher” 15. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” 16. “Jump”
List the most wholesome bands of the 1970s, and The Osmonds are near the top of the list. These toothy, polyester-suited Mormon siblings notched up a run of early 70s hit singles that covered all the bases from cheesy teen pop to schmaltzy MOR balladry.
But amid the cheese is Crazy Horses. This exhilarating 1973 single saw The Osmonds serving up something tougher – a wild, ass-kicking anthem whose chugging riff and snarled vocals were more Black Sabbath than The Carpenters. Well, maybe not quite Black Sabbath, but you catch our drift.
Even better, Crazy Horses is one of those classic old songs that, when it’s slowed down from its original speed of 45rpm to 33pm, magically transforms into some great lost doom metal classic. This fact isn’t exactly new – but no one has thought to play the slowed-down version to an actual Osmond before.
Step forward Chris Poole of Rocka-Buy Records, a family-run vinyl record shop in Oakham, England. It started a month ago, when Chris posted a TikTok of himself playing the 33rpm version of Crazy Horses, which definitely does give off some 70s sludge metal vibes. But this absolute hero just gone even better by getting hold of Donny Osmond himself for a real-life reaction clip.
The short video of a Zoom conversation, posted on social media, starts with Chris explaining the premise to Donny, who seems slightly surprised to find that his band’s old hit is about to be transformed into a “satanic heavy metal version of The Osmonds”. But good sport that he is, he plays along – and when the slowed-down version actually starts, he breaks into a smile. “Yeah!” he enthuses, “it sounds like Metallica!”
Some mild headbanging follows, accompanied by some authentic ‘metal face’ from Donny. When the host suggests the vocals now sound like James Hetfield, Donny corrects him: “No, that’s Jay Osmond, buddy”, referring to his older brother.
In fairness, Crazy Horses really does sound properly gnarly at this speed – not least the original peppy chorus, transmogrified here into an unholy roar of pain from the very pits of hell.
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Watch the video below and hats off to Chris and Rocka Buy records – you can find them here.
(Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/Ross Marino/Getty Images)
When it comes to rock’n’roll beefs, few are as a long-running or entertaining as that between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. The pair started talking smack about each other pretty much as soon as Sammy succeeded Diamond Dave in Van Halen in 1985, and haven’t let up since. Even an ill-fated 2002 tour featuring both singers failed to thaw this cold war – in fact it only seemed to make matters worse, with Hagar telling Classic Rock that a barricade was erected between the stars’ respective dressing rooms. Even now, the barbs continue to fly, though it’s mostly in one direction from Sammy towards Dave.
All that is spectacularly amusing, but it does ignore one thing – the two of them were both fantastic frontmen for Van Halen. Dave was the ultimate showmen, a pirouetting, high-kicking force of nature with the charisma of a movie star and the presence of a neutron bomb. Sammy was the powerhouse singer and songwriter, who didn’t just come in to rescue Van Halen after Dave’s acrimonious departure, he helped kick them to the next level.
Both have their devotees and detractors, but which one is actually better? Classic Rock writers Paul Elliott – a Dave devotee – and Jerry Ewing – a Sammy man – make the case for each of these monsters of rock’n’roll. And at the end of it, you can have your say in this ultimate showdown. Let battle commence…
(Image credit: David Tan/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
“As far as I was concerned, Sammy Hagar was a total dick”: the case for David Lee Roth
It happened decades ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. In 1985 I was an A-level student, and it was a friend from college – Graham Stroud – who broke the news to me in a phone call one weekend.
“Are you sitting down?” he asked. I said I was. Then he told me: “There’s bad news, and there’s really bad news.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“Dave is out of Van Halen.”
This wasn’t bad news. It was a disaster. This was my favourite band he was talking about, and a big part of what made this band so great was the singer. Yes, it was Eddie Van Halen’s band. Eddie was the greatest guitar player on Earth, and the band was named after him and his brother Alex, the drummer. But Van Halen without David Lee Roth? That was unthinkable.
Diamond Dave might not have been a great singer in any conventional sense, but he was perfect for Van Halen. He couldn’t hit the notes that Ronnie James Dio could, but his whiskey-and-cigarettes voice oozed rock’n’roll attitude. And as a rock star, Roth was pretty much in a league of his own. He was cooler, funnier and better looking than guys like Vince Neil could ever dream of being. As a frontman, only Freddie Mercury was better than Roth. Diamond Dave was like the quarterback and cheerleader all rolled into one. The sheer force of his personality was a big part of what gave Van Halen their edge over other arena rock acts. And now he was gone.
I was still in shock when Graham said: “Here’s the really bad news. Sammy Hagar is in.”
“In what?”
“In Van Halen. He’s the new singer.”
Van Halen – Runnin’ With The Devil (Official Music Video) – YouTube
This really was too much. As far as I was concerned, Sammy Hagar was a total dick. Yes, he was brilliant in Montrose – on the first album, at least. And yes, I liked his song I Can’t Drive 55 – definitely the best thing he’d done as a solo artist. But while I could appreciate that Sammy was a good singer, there was a lot about him that I hated. In 1984 – as Van Halen and Dave had been riding high with Jump – Hagar had made an album V.O.A. on which he positioned himself as the Voice Of America. And what he represented, in the Cold War era, was the kind of hawkish bullshit that I despised. If Roth was an all-American hero, Hagar was an all-American bozo. And now, that bozo was going to ruin the band I loved…
Moreover, I have even grown to like Sammy as a person after interviewing him several times over the years. I’ve interviewed Dave many times too, and both he and Sammy were exactly as expected: loud, funny and opinionated.
But for me, Van Halen were never as great without Dave. In the band’s original line-up – the two brothers, Roth and bassist Michael Anthony – there was a magical chemistry. Every one of the six albums they made between 1978 and 1984 is a classic. There is not one bad song on any of them. Nothing from Van Hagar – not even the brilliant 5150 – can match what the band created in those six albums with Roth.
Many years ago, before Roth rejoined Van Halen, I received as a birthday present a t-shirt made by the singer’s fan club Roth Army. The back print stated in huge block capitals: DAVID LEE ROTH IS VAN HALEN. When I wore that t-shirt to a Def Leppard gig in California, I lost count of the number of people who said they loved the shirt and agreed with that statement.
I was shocked when Dave left Van Halen and I was shocked again when, after earlier false starts, he rejoined the band in 2008. It’s just a shame that Michael Anthony wasn’t invited to be a part of this reunion. Without that guy, something is missing. It’s like Black Sabbath without Bill Ward.
But on those first six albums, they got everything right. Roth once called heir music “turbo pop”. It was high-octane, testosterone-charged hard rock with killer tunes and a knowing sense of humour. And it was so much fun while it lasted. Van Halen with David Lee Roth – it’s what summer was invented for.
Paul Elliott
(Image credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images)
“Van Halen were a band fast running out of ideas and interest. And David Lee Roth was the biggest culprit”: the case for Sammy Hagar
Was any Van Halen album that David Lee Roth sang on as good as the band’s electrifying 1978 debut? No.
Sure, Van Halen II, Women And Children First and Fair Warning are cool records. But is anyone other than the most foolhardy Diamond Dave zealot going to deny that Diver Down represents worthy evidence that Van Halen in 1982, fronted by Roth, were nothing more than a pale, washed up imitation of the incendiary band they once were.
They may have fluked a hit with Jump on 1984, but you listen to the rest of that album. Every damn song just peters out into a disinterested fade. Sure, there are some great ideas, killer riffs and cool choruses on offer, but the lack of impetus from the band in getting the job finished is all too evident. And given that a stack of ideas that had cropped up on early demos were even appearing on 1984 suggests they were a band fast running out of ideas and interest. And David Lee Roth was the biggest culprit.
Evidence you ask? The band’s performance at Donington in 1984, when they were widely expected to blow headliners AC/DC away. A chance blown with indulgent solos and Roth’s ego-run-wild raps between songs, allowing the headliners, themselves experiencing a creative lull, the chance to reaffirm their position as one of the world’s greatest hard rock acts. Little wonder it all fell apart with Roth within the year. Sure, early Van Halen with Roth on stage must have been a sight to see. But then people used to think The Darkness were an an enjoyable sight to behold!
Now Sammy Hagar – he’s got real class. Not the brash, glitzy, cartoon effrontery of Roth. He sang with Montrose. On their blistering 1973 debut album. An album Van Halen had largely based their entire career on. So with the cartoon Pinocchio of rock out the band, why not go for the original puppet master? Van Halen did just that. And they never looked back. For the next decade at least.
Van Halen – Why Can’t This Be Love (1986) (Music Video) WIDESCREEN 720p – YouTube
Sammy Hagar was the perfect fit at the perfect time for Van Halen. Unlike AC/DC, who’d brought in the relatively unknown Brian Johnson to replace the much-loved Bon Scott, and still reaped enormous commercial and creative dividends, the move by Eddie and Alex Van Halen after they’d be introduced by a garage mechanic was far more astute. Hagar was already an incredibly successful solo artist in his own right. An unknown in this instant could never have worked (see the sorry plight of the reasonably well-known Gary Cherone when he hooked up for the dire Van Halen III). Hagar was a star who could fill the boots of Roth. He’d already helped lay the blueprint for Van Halen, and perhaps most importantly, worked with Van Halen producer Ted Templeman on that Montrose album.
Except it went better than that. Hagar was simply a greater singer and better songwriter than Roth had ever been and the sense of excitement when I first heard the new-look Van Halen’s debut single Why Can’t This Be Love pumping out the radio was insane. The flood of delight at hearing it’s blend of Eddie’s dexterity and Sammy’s ear for a melody combining for the first time a release of gargantuan proportions. It’s the perfect Van Halen single, the subsequent album, 5150 the perfect summer metal album. It’s got everything – marrying the finest Van Halen had offered to that point with the class of Hagar’s exemplary solo career. And it rocks like a mother…
Jerry Ewing
And now have your say…
Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath – of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”
Blues guitarist and singer Joe Louis Walker has died at the age of 75.
Walker’s family confirmed he had died in April 2025 of a cardiac-related illness, according to Rolling Stone.
He passed away in the company of his wife Robin and two daughters, Leena and Bernice.
Walker was hailed as a musician’s musician by many of his peers, with Aretha Franklin affectionately calling him “The Bluesman”.
His work saw him inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and honoured with a string of other awards.
His 2015 album Everybody Wants a Piece. was nominated for a 2016 Grammy in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category, losing out to The Last Days of Oakland by serial Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito.
Classic Rock’s review of Everybody Wants a Piece hailed itas “a record that has Walker’s trademark electric blues-meets-gospel soul sound stamped right the way through it, like a particularly tooth-destroying stick of Blackpool rock.”
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Born in San Francisco, California, Walker learned to play the guitar around the age of eight and was a known name on the Bay Area scene by the time he was 16.
He performed with greats including John Lee Hooker, Thelonious Monk, Steve Miller, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Mike Bloomfield, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Mark Knopfler.
Announcing the upcoming release of Everybody Wants a Piece in 2015, Walker said: “I’d like to be known for the credibility of a lifetime of being true to my music and the blues.
“Sometimes I feel I’ve learned more from my failures than from my success. But that’s made me stronger and more adventurous. And helped me create my own style.
“I’d like to think that when someone puts on one of my records they would know from the first notes, ‘That’s Joe Louis Walker.’”
