SAMMY HAGAR On 30th Anniversary Of VAN HALEN’s 5150 - “What A Trip, Man… Unbelievable”
March 24, 2016, 8 years ago
Having switched out David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar, the new incarnation of Van Halen released 5150 on March 24th, 1986. Rolling Stone spoke to Sammy Hagar about that moment in time in honour of the album's 30th anniversary. An excerpt from the interview follows:
Q: This week is the 30th anniversary of 5150. How do that feel?
A: “What a trip, man. Unbelievable. I just got out of bed, and what a thing to wake up to. I need some coffee for that one. Wow.”
Q: Were you fan of Van Halen back in the 1970s?
A: “I gotta say that the first time I heard "Eruption" into "You Really Got Me" I thought it was badass. I was like, "Wow, who are these guys?" The thing that always impressed me about Van Halen is that they were like a pop band that was heavy. They had attitude and were reckless and everything that is cool for rock and roll, but they were really poppy. The music was very major chord-ish. Bands like Black Sabbath were minor, deep, dark. Van Halen wasn't dark at all.”
Q: What did you think of 1984?
A: “To me, it was all about the first and last albums [with David Lee Roth]. 1984 was fantastic. They really got the sound, pretty heavy. It was great.”
Read the full interview at RollingStone.com.
