`VAN HAGAR` KNEW THERE WAS ONLY ONE WAY TO ROCK




It`s late and I am crook with a head cold tonight, so I am not really that switched on mentally speaking, but I had a passing thought about a song from Van Halen that I think is really cool so I thought even if my head feels as solid as honeycomb I could pull it off..... a blog I mean and not my log (jokes jokes). 

The song comes from the Sammy Hagar era
of the band, and it is in fact a popularised re-incarnation of a Hagar solo tune from his 1981 album STANDING HAMPTON. 

The song was originally called THERE`S ONLY ONE WAY TO ROCK but it become known as ONE WAY TO ROCK after Van Halen picked the song up and it became a live staple for the band. 

In the absence of the former lead singer
David Lee Roth and his more party rock approach, Van Halen was a bit too serious at times and the musical output from the band in the Sammy Hagar era always tended to be more song based and at times it must be said a little bit too workmanlike in comparison
to the heroics of the Roth era. 

But ONE WAY TO ROCK is one notable exception, the one thing that Hagar could do that Roth never done is play guitar on stage and the twin guitar ferocity which both Hagar on rhythm and Eddie on lead put to this old formulaic Hagar solo song in concert always took it to a level that Hagar could have never done alone. 

The song became a crowd favourite alongside the old Roth classic `Aint Talking Bout Love`, which Hagar always made a good fist of and in time made the song his own.

It`s pretty simple really, Van Halen took a rather run of the mill 3-chord rocker and Eddie added some virtuoso touch to it to make it a heavy rock guitar live Van Halen classic. 

The opening riff is a giant statement of intent, and the stunning ending which re-captures the guitar excess brilliance of the original Van Halen album in 1978 makes you think that maybe Van Halen could do without Dave Roth afterall. Even if you are a Roth affectionio, you cant deny this song is damn good.

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