Van Halen<\/a>‘s new lead singer. He would go on to front the band for over a decade, releasing four chart-topping albums before the collaboration flamed out in 1996.<\/p>\n\u201cEddie flew up to my house,\u201d Hagar tells UCR. \u201cI\u2019d already went down and rehearsed with Ed, Al [Van Halen] and Mike [Anthony] at 5150 [Studios]. We were working on some songs, but we hadn\u2019t really done anything. We had \u2018Summer Nights\u2019 and \u2018Good Enough,\u2019 but they weren\u2019t finished. We had just jammed them. So Eddie flew up to my house in Northern California and he rehearsed with my band. I had a studio in my basement back then.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came out with us and he played a little guitar solo with two or three of his little pieces and then we went into \u2018Rock and Roll\u2019 and we rehearsed it,\u201d Hagar continues. \u201cThat same day, Eddie and I wrote two or three more song ideas, and one of them never went anywhere. … It got bogged down with each record. The first two records really went fast, and then it bogged down. But the chemistry at the Farm Aid thing was phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen Perform ‘Rock and Roll’ at Farm Aid<\/strong><\/p>\nHagar recalls that the audience had no idea what was about to hit. “There was a classic picture in People<\/em>\u00a0magazine of Eddie standing there in his torn up jeans and his classic pose with his guitar neck up in the air, kind of leaning back a little bit, legs together, not far apart, that\u2019s the way he used to stand \u2013 and me with my hand on his shoulder, and I jumped so fuckin\u2019 high, my feet are about up to his shoulders and my hand is on his shoulder, so I\u2019m way above him with my legs all tucked up. … It was a classic bad-ass shot, and it kind of said it all.\u201d<\/p>\nHagar still gets goosebumps when he thinks about that initial appearance with Van Halen, walking out in front of a crowd of 75,000 people. \u201cThe energy level between the two of us came way up, let me tell you,\u201d he recalls. While they were onstage together, he announced that he would be the new lead singer for Van Halen, a moment that was both happy and bittersweet for Hagar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of those double-edged swords,\u201d he admits. \u201cI was very excited about the music we had gotten together and made. When I was first asked to join Van Halen, I wasn\u2019t that excited, because I thought, \u2018Eh, these guys, Eddie\u2019s really great, but they\u2019re party animals, and they\u2019ve got kind of a weird image.\u2019 To me, they were a little too showbizzy, and then when I met those guys, it was all Dave, you know? These guys were totally normal cats. They were party animals, but I could deal with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I announced that to my band, it was like their dicks went in the dirt,\u201d he concludes. \u201cIt was really a tough thing for them, and it was tough for me. But I was excited, and it was an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Albums That Almost Killed Their Careers<\/h2>\n\n
Even the biggest bands and solo stars can find themselves suddenly out of favor and plummeting down the charts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n