Bad Rock Career Decisions

[HueyRamone]

Sammy Hagar

Considering the first three Van Hagar albums all went multi-platinum in the US, I'd hardly call that a bad career decision, even if they were somewhat of a drop off from Roth-era VH album sales. Rothtards gonna Rothtard, though.

They kept selling albums and concert tickets on pure name-brand recognition, but creatively they weren't anywhere near the same level. 5150 was good. The other 3 records weren't.

I hate every Van Hagar song i've ever heard with a white hot passion, but theres no denying it was a full on success. Even Balance was multiplatinum, and released when every other 80s band band was dropped or trying to cope (unsuccessfully) with grunge. Quality music? No. Good career decision? Yes.

[Tommy2Tone84]

Two words: John & Corabi. /thread

Sammy Hagar

Considering the first three Van Hagar albums all went multi-platinum in the US, I'd hardly call that a bad career decision, even if they were somewhat of a drop off from Roth-era VH album sales. Rothtards gonna Rothtard, though.

Van Hagar were sharp and outsold Roth 5-to-1. Yep, Rothtards gonna tard hard, fer sure.

[pieceofme]

Sammy Hagar

Considering the first three Van Hagar albums all went multi-platinum in the US, I'd hardly call that a bad career decision, even if they were somewhat of a drop off from Roth-era VH album sales. Rothtards gonna Rothtard, though.

Van Hagar were sharp and outsold Roth 5-to-1. Yep, Rothtards gonna tard hard, fer sure.

This is not true.

But I also don't think Van Halen going with Hagar was a bad decision considering how successful they were as well.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Considering the first three Van Hagar albums all went multi-platinum in the US, I'd hardly call that a bad career decision, even if they were somewhat of a drop off from Roth-era VH album sales. Rothtards gonna Rothtard, though.

They kept selling albums and concert tickets on pure name-brand recognition, but creatively they weren't anywhere near the same level. 5150 was good. The other 3 records weren't.

I hate every Van Hagar song i've ever heard with a white hot passion, but theres no denying it was a full on success. Even Balance was multiplatinum, and released when every other 80s band band was dropped or trying to cope (unsuccessfully) with grunge. Quality music? No. Good career decision? Yes.

After 5150 they got by on pure momentum and marketing. The fact that Velvet Revolver actually mocked "Runaround" at the RnRHoF was all you needed to say. A holding action that was commercially successful due to Eddie's keyboard fetish being en vogue at the time, but as far as their history and legacy, the Van Hagar era is barely a footnote. Speaking of footnotes, they were opening for Bon Jovi in Europe on the "multiplatinum" Balance tour, and playing sheds in the USA. They were already falling apart.

[Tommy2Tone84]

Considering the first three Van Hagar albums all went multi-platinum in the US, I'd hardly call that a bad career decision, even if they were somewhat of a drop off from Roth-era VH album sales. Rothtards gonna Rothtard, though.

Van Hagar were sharp and outsold Roth 5-to-1. Yep, Rothtards gonna tard hard, fer sure.

This is not true.

But I also don't think Van Halen going with Hagar was a bad decision considering how successful they were as well.

5150 went six times platinum. OU812 went 4xs platinum. F*CK and Balance sold 3xs platinum each. EEAS and Skysucker only sold a million each. ALAE only went gold. The one after didn’t achieve.

Van Halen with Gary Cherone went gold in 1998. DLR Band didn’t achieve

Van Hagar and the VH sisters for the win.

[Love_Industry]

Stephen Clifford leaving Icon right after the recording of Night of the Crime. He became a born again Christian and did quite well in music management and financial advisory, but if he stayed and Icon could tour the album in 85/86, they would be Leppard or Bon Jovi

The 2nd worst Icon related career decision was for replacement singer Jerry Harrison to get drunk and insult their label from the stage knowing well there were some A&R guys in attendance checking out the new line-up. They got dropped right after that show which may have been his first as they had one or two other singers in the months after Clifford left.

[pieceofme]

Van Hagar were sharp and outsold Roth 5-to-1. Yep, Rothtards gonna tard hard, fer sure.

This is not true.

But I also don't think Van Halen going with Hagar was a bad decision considering how successful they were as well.

5150 went six times platinum. OU812 went 4xs platinum. F*CK and Balance sold 3xs platinum each. EEAS and Skysucker only sold a million each. ALAE only went gold. The one after didn’t achieve.

Van Halen with Gary Cherone went gold in 1998. DLR Band didn’t achieve

Van Hagar and the VH sisters for the win.

Oh you mean solo Roth. I thought you were talking about Van Halen albums with Roth.

[FreddyFender]

If we're gonna talk Van Halen, the glaringly terrible career decision is Ed not cutting an instrumental album in the mid eighties.

There was never a bigger demand that was not met in the history of rock and roll.

Could have cut the thing in a week at 5150 and just printed money.

[Bono Nettencourt]

It's true. He could've beat Satriani to the punch. But I think TPTB at WB wanted VH to go on. Them getting 5150 on the racks 4 months before EEAS was everything. Dave really miscalculated with the movie. He put out a great record and did a great tour, but if you're not 1st, you're last.

[Tommy2Tone84]

If we're gonna talk Van Halen, the glaringly terrible career decision is Ed not cutting an instrumental album in the mid eighties.

There was never a bigger demand that was not met in the history of rock and roll.

Could have cut the thing in a week at 5150 and just printed money.

Ed and VH were printing money with the release of 5150, OU812 and FUCK. Ed was as much into keyboards at the time as he was guitar.

Where Ed fucked up was not writing and recording that solo album with different singers on each track. Although given how much coke Ed was doing, we probably would’ve gotten an album with Hall & Oates and Patti Smyth on it. Ed didn’t have the personality to pull that kind of project off.

[Love_Industry]

Brian Robertson getting the gig in Motörhead then refusing to play the band's classics and going on stage in shiny shorts and ballet shoes.

Lemmy fired his ass and had a career in music for 30 more years. Robbo... guested on some Swedish bands abum. Lotus.

I can just imagine the pissed off Motörheadbangers after a show where they didn't play Bomber, Overkill, Ace or even Motorhead the song.

Tommy Thayer would never do this!

[Ryan81]

"Here today, gone later today" - DLR about grunge rockers replacing hair bands in the 90s.

Roth was saying that we'll before the Grunge thing happened. At the end of Decline of Western Civilization 2 Brett Michaels even quotes Roth (and gives him credit) for the saying and that movie came out in '87.

Also, as far as the Floyd/Waters split I don't think Roger was trying to take the Pink Floyd name. I believe he was trying to retire the name because he felt the had nothing more to offer. Or in his words "Pink Floyd was a spent force creatively."

Edward not asking to be paid/credited for Beat It was unwise.

Cecil Deville dying his hair fire engine red at the MTV awards was a bad idea as it made the case for him being a lunatic much easier to prove. I don't get when he even did it because at sound check he was still blonde. I'm sure the band shit when they first saw him with that hair right before going on national TV. In a way CC was the first in the rock world to dye his hair a crazy color. It became popular right after he did it pretty much. Notice a few months later Mr. Cobain had his hair a nearly identical color in the Come As You Are video. So it's not a stretch to call CC Deville the God Father of Grunge.

Lars making a stink about Napster didn't do Metallica any favors. It could be said that Metallica had a solid decade of bad decisions between '96-'06.

[greengoblinrulz]

Obviously club level but Dizzy Dean leaving Britny Fox in middle of tour while their single was being played on MTV didnt turn out well.
If grunge would've killed them off instead, so be it but they could've had a nice little run here in the last 20 years.
Still have songs played daily on Hair Nation, which is more than some of the bands still active.