In a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar, Michael Anthony compared the singing styles of David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.
When asked how he would compare working with DLR and Hagar and the main differences in creating music and performing live with them, the bassist responded:
“Well, Dave, he read books, magazines, everything under the sun. So, as far as lyrics and stuff like that, Dave, that’s all he was really about. When Sammy joined the band, Sammy being a guitar player, his knowledge of chord structure and stuff like that brought a different element to Van Halen.”
He also said both Roth and Sammy have their own unique vocal styles:
“Because where Dave focused mainly on his lyrics and trying to do a melody for that, Sammy would be like, ‘Well, what if we try this chord or try this progression?’ So, it was a different experience between the two. As far as singing goes, Sammy sings how he sings, Dave sings how he sings. But I really enjoyed how Sammy brought that other musical element to the band.”
The Musician’s Thoughts On Roth’s Solo Work
In the same interview, Anthony also talked about what he felt when he listened to DLR’s ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ album, which the singer released after leaving Van Halen:
“Yeah. I mean, I haven’t heard it in a long time. And I actually don’t even know if I’ve heard the whole album ever in its entirety. That’s a great album. I mean, I’m friends with Billy [Sheehan]. And Steve [Vai]. Obviously, they’re both great frickin’ players. It was great.”
Then, he shared his first thoughts about Dave’s band:
“At first, my thoughts were, ‘Is Dave just trying to put together a band to try to kick our a**? To try to put together the best players that he could get?’ Because obviously, between Greg [Bissonette] and Steve and Billy, sh*t right there, you got some great musicianship.”
In April, Anthony shared that he hadn’t spoken to Roth in a long time. The last conversation was about a possible reunion tour after Eddie Van Halen’s death. Anthony said he’d be open to jamming with Roth.