What is known about 1985 DLR VH sessions?

[Darkness]

I remember reading that:

1.The music for Good Enough and Summer Nights was written at this point
2.They had three tracks done including one titled "Eat Thy Neighbor" which may or may not have become Summer Nights
3.In a radio interview at some point DLR said he wrote many of the "melodies" that ended up on 5150.

Is this info correct or am I misremembering? Is there more info out there?

[Jedi McFly]

I'd love to hear more about this. Just as I'd love to hear more unused Sammy tracks, or VH3.2, etc.

Regarding your three points - I could believe #1 and #2. I don't think Sammy would use DLR melodies though. They're very different as vocalists and melodists.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

It's really difficult for me to imagine Dave singing most of the songs on 5150. The majority of them just suit Sammy's vocal style so much better.

[belikemike]

I’ve never heard that Dave wrote melodies for 5150

[Dave's Dreidel]

I’ve never heard that Dave wrote melodies for 5150

My guess is that he did, but I also guess that Sam didn't use any of them.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

My guess is that he did, but I also guess that Sam didn't use any of them.

I agree. Sam and Dave have very different styles when it comes to melodies.

[RRvh1]

I’ve never heard that Dave wrote melodies for 5150

I read in Guitar World magazine after Sammy joined Van Halen, a lenghty interview with Eddie, where be was asked about 'the split' and the 5150 album. Eddie replied (paraphrased) that Roth had heard the music for Good Enough/Summer Nights and maybe another one. Obviously just demos, or "home movies" as Ed refers to them, yet there was no mention at all of Roth actually working on them or contributing to them. At least in that interview.

[belikemike]

My guess is that he did, but I also guess that Sam didn't use any of them.

Yeah, that’s what’s I meant. That none of them (if he did in fact actually write any) made the record.

[vaijuju]

) .. yet there was no mention at all of Roth actually working on them or contributing to them. At least in that interview.

In DLR ' Book , he says " things for Sammy were so much easy because Dave has worked most part of it " something like that !

[RRvh1]

I never read Roth's book, nor have I read Sammy's, btw.
Given the animosity after Roth quit/got fired, I personally don't think the VH brothers would want ANYTHING associated with their former front man to be on the 5150 album.

Just an opinion.

[Speedway]

Slightly off topic but in 2000/2001 Dave wrote to the music that became 'Up For Breakfast' and it sounded nothing like what Sammy came up with for the tune.

[Simon Ribeiro]

I remember reading that:

1.The music for Good Enough and Summer Nights was written at this point
2.They had three tracks done including one titled "Eat Thy Neighbor" which may or may not have become Summer Nights
3.In a radio interview at some point DLR said he wrote many of the "melodies" that ended up on 5150.

Is this info correct or am I misremembering? Is there more info out there?

Well, I remember reading the same stuff, so I guess these infos are true.

EVH once said to GW (Steven Rosen - On the Road) that the band rehearsed about a month and Dave heard and worked on tunes that late became Good Enough, Dreams and Summer Nights. And Soboleswky also said (I'm sure you can find the whole interview here at The Links) that EVH had the music for Sucker in a 03 Piece. Here:

CB: 5150? The beginning of the Hagar Years.

MA: Man. It was a brand new band. It was at the time we had fired our manager and Roth had just left the band. Ed had the music for "Sucker in a Three Piece", and a couple of other songs but Alex and I were all of a sudden sitting around, looking at each other going (flips an index finger rapidly over his lips and makes a bee-de-bee-de-bee-de sound. Laughs.) I'm thinking, 'Well, this is it. The dream is over.' But, Ed had an idea to bring in different singers to sing different tracks and then Sammy's name came up. Of course we knew who Sammy was because he had played with Van Halen on a bunch of shows. He came down to the studio to jam with us, he listened to what we were playing, sang and, man... Our jaws just hit the floor. I still have the cassette from our very first jam session with Sammy. It was great. The energy level was tremendous. That album, you can feel the energy.

[Raldo]

Well, I remember reading the same stuff, so I guess these infos are true.

EVH once said to GW (Steven Rosen - On the Road) that the band rehearsed about a month and Dave heard and worked on tunes that late became Good Enough, Dreams and Summer Nights. And Soboleswky also said (I'm sure you can find the whole interview here at The Links) that EVH had the music for Sucker in a 03 Piece. Here:

CB: 5150? The beginning of the Hagar Years.

MA: Man. It was a brand new band. It was at the time we had fired our manager and Roth had just left the band. Ed had the music for "Sucker in a Three Piece", and a couple of other songs but Alex and I were all of a sudden sitting around, looking at each other going (flips an index finger rapidly over his lips and makes a bee-de-bee-de-bee-de sound. Laughs.) I'm thinking, 'Well, this is it. The dream is over.' But, Ed had an idea to bring in different singers to sing different tracks and then Sammy's name came up. Of course we knew who Sammy was because he had played with Van Halen on a bunch of shows. He came down to the studio to jam with us, he listened to what we were playing, sang and, man... Our jaws just hit the floor. I still have the cassette from our very first jam session with Sammy. It was great. The energy level was tremendous. That album, you can feel the energy.

They caught lightning in a bottle.

[Dave's Dreidel]

Slightly off topic but in 2000/2001 Dave wrote to the music that became 'Up For Breakfast' and it sounded nothing like what Sammy came up with for the tune.

Guarantee that what DLR came up with was better than "she put the cream in my coffee, and butter on my biscuits".

[Dave's Dreidel]

Two of the greatest front men in rock history, and Ed fired them both.

Awesome.