Formed by brothers Eddie and Alex, Van Halen began their run on the charts in 1978 when their version of "You Really Got Me" peaked at #36. The band would score big with several other cover songs in 1982, including "(Oh) Pretty Woman" (#12) and "Dancing In The Street" (#38). By their 6th album with the charismatic frontman David Lee Roth, the band leapt to the top of the charts with 1984's "Jump." The single stayed their for 5 weeks and was followed by two more Top 40 hits that both peaked at #13: "I'll Wait" and "Panama." Whether the group would be able to sustain their run on the charts after Roth was replaced with Sammy Hagar (formerly of Montrose) in 1985 was a big question at the time. But they proved the doubters wrong as the band continued to score big hits with Hagar at the mic. "Why Can't This Be Love" flew to #3 in 1986, followed by "Dreams" and "Love Walks In," which both went to #22. Additional hits with Hagar followed until they parted ways in 1996 (his last chart appearance with the band came in 1995 when "Not Enough" stalled at #97). Van Halen could not strike gold a third time by replacing their lead singer once again, this time with Extreme's vocalist, Gary Cherone. Nothing from the single album done with Cherone in 1998 charted. But Van Halen wasn't done quite yet. A surprise reunion with Roth took place and one more album has been released to date, entitled "A Different Kind Of Truth." The lead single, "Tattoo," reached #67 in 2012. "Blood And Fire" is another cut from that album that deserved greater attention.
Mitch Malloy is a singer/songwriter from North Dakota who arrived on the hairband scene just a little too late to hit the big time. And its a shame, because this guy is a soulful rock vocalist with a knack for writing big, bold choruses that make you want to sing along. His debut album arrived in 1992 and he almost cracked the top 40 with his first single, "Anything At All." The song reached #49 and was followed by the requisite power ballad, "Nobody Wins In This War," which peaked at a disappointing #66. Taking many of his melodic rock fans by surprise, Malloy went full adult contemporary for his follow up record, "Ceilings and Walls." It proved to be a sophomore jinx, which is too bad because it has some beautiful gems on it, including a soulful duet with Paul Carrack called "Ready To Go Home." Malloy has also been a part of other projects, including Fluid Sol and South of Eden. He also auditioned to be Sammy Hagar's replacement in Van Halen. Malloy continues to crank out quality rock as a solo artist and recently (July 2018) became the lead singer for Great White. "Forever" goes back to Malloy's killer debut record. If this catchy tune were released as a second single, perhaps it would have made him the household name he deserves to be.
Sammy Hagar's career starts way back in 1973 when he became the lead singer for Montrose. He went solo in 1976 and released several albums before and after his time in Van Halen. Along the way, he also recorded as part of a supergroup called Hagar, Schon (Journey), Aaronson (Stories), and Shrieve (Santana) in 1984. In 1987, as his tenure with Van Halen started to take off into the stratosphere, Hagar released "I Never Said Goodbye," his ninth solo effort. The album's name derives from an MTV contest. It yielded hits like "Give To Live" (#23) and "Eagles Fly" (#82). "Back Into You" is another terrific AOR track that I thought would have performed well. His then buddy Eddie Van Halen even played bass and sang backing vocals on the record. Some extra trivia - what was Hagar's best chart performance as a solo artist? That was in 1982, when "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy" hit #13. Perhaps his better known classic, "I Can't Drive 55," went to #26 in 1984.
The Sammy Hagar-fronted band Chickenfoot is a supergroup formed in 2008, pulling in the talents of Joe Satriani on guitar, ex-Van Halen partner Michael Anthony on bass and harmony vocals, and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums. Their hotly anticipated self-titled debut peaked at an impressive #4 on the Billboard Top 200, but failed to win over many critics and didn't generate a charting single on the Billboard Top 100. But the buzz about the band helped maintain their success on the album chart, with their second record (called "Chickenfoot III") reaching #9 in 2011. In my opinion, the band's chemistry is better and more confident on the follow-up, and the stronger set of songs helped too. "Different Devil" is a great mid-tempo pop rocker with perfect harmony vocals from Anthony, making us nostalgic for those "Van-Hagar" days.
