Van Halen: For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

IN DAVID LEE ROTH, Van Halen had — and lost — more than a singer. The all-Amerlcan rock hero and then some, Roth was the cheerleader who made Van Halen the party metal band of the '80s. His replacement, Sammy Hagar, is a great singer — as the first Montrose album best testifies — but he's also a pretty humourless, Commie-hatin', redneck kinda guy. A lot of the fun and style went out of Van Halen with Diamond Dave.