David Lee Roth - Singers Then And Now

[@generalsixty2133]

Most singers and non-singing people can't scream like that. So that alone was one of David's talents.

[@denniswilhoite6715]

You made a great point. Dave was a great performer and the character of his voice was unique when it was there. I didn't expect that high falsetto thing he did (which was awesome) could last. Dave is an astute musician in reality and some are not aware of that

[@jasput5889]

To be fair, David did hit a C6 and C#6 when he was 59 (2013) as well as quite a few B5s all in the same concert. I don't think it's a lost art entirely. I'm assuming based on the quality that these clips for "now" are far older than 2013.

[@jukesters123]

Ken,Dave never/ever sounded that good on stage.Just like Vince.

[@mikecamilli1047]

Ken, love these videos. Even though the then and now for Jim Morrison didn’t encompass many years in between, love to see a comparison. Thanks!

[@xtraflyr]

Dave’s a showman frontman first and a singer second. I loved all the early stuff,up too the 1985 album. Michael Anthony with his backup vocals. Kept that band going.

[@chassy]

DLR, for me, even when he was young, I never considered him much of a singer. Apart is annoying constant screaming, he was more an entertainer than a good singer. But kudos for him for the energy and entertaining as a frontman when live.

[@American_King]

David Lee was the Best frontman in rock he also had a very unique soulful voice

[@9sunskungfu]

Ken, You gotta do Lou Gramm at some point. The way he lost his singing voice from surgery to slowly building back to a somewhat close to how he once had it is an amazing story.

[@pg1633]

Bear with me here. I think DLR is better now than he was. There are videos of him in the 80s Just drunk off his butt not even trying to sing. I think now he is putting an honest effort into singing especially live.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey Ken! Roth, screamer yes. Singer no! He was more of an actor than anything else. He played a part on stage, singing not involved. Thanks for this series Ken. Hoping for some good artists to come!😎

[@wpochert]

I only wish Dave and Eddie could have mended fences around the "Me Wise Magic" time... how great would a full album would have been in 1996 ? What a great song, and Eddie was in top form

[@Metallex]

I don't know if you've done one on Michael Kiske from Helloween, but you should do one if not and just switch the Then and Now sections around as their is literally no difference. The dude is INSANE and has preserved his voice incredibly.

[@liyaandinnamay2501]

Yeahhh, I adore Dave soo much! He's a true diamond to rock music! He was definitely an unrivalled showman and entertainer. His signature acrobatics and antics always crack me up. That's incredible. The guy had an over the top charisma and loads of energy.❤️😍🌹💗💕💞🔥🔥🤘🤘

[@romainlavoie1526]

Once more an excellent segment !! Yes Diamond Dave was without question one of the greatest entertainers in the history of Rock & Roll. I saw V/H on the 1984 tour and I saw the him perform once more during his solo career on the Eat 'Em and Smile Tour here in Montreal on November 1 1986. It was extraordinary ! Dave was in great shape and the band sounded fantastic. This was one of the better bands ever put together !

[@David-ei1fs]

There is only one David Lee Roth! Unique and unrepeatable! He's the total package, not just a singer...a lifestyle and philosophy that defines the late 70s early 80s......thats the magic I saw and still see in him. As he said "the 70s, a mighty time"....as was the 80s too! Ya just had to be there!

[@bstar777777]

Dave has officially retired, but wouldn't it be amazing if he properly rehabilitated his voice and did another record with Edgar Winter?

[@jocheneisentrager8379]

Very few singers truly defined the RnR vocalist DNA. Without a doubt DLR is one of them !

[@kevlar6328]

Roth could have used you as a coach..... Back in the eighties, he was the man, and his voice could pull off all the songs. Not easy going for two + hours....

[@misst1586]

DLR was an awesome frontman for Van Halen. Lots of energy. Interesting person.

[@Naniamania3]

Thanks for doing this! I'd love to see one of these on Geddy or dUg Pinnick...for that matter, I'd love to hear you break down all the vocals in King's X over the course of their career. I love the harmonies of King's X and their ability to complement each other's vocal styles over some non-traditional chord progression and tunings. Cheers!

[@kyriakostriantafyllidis3130]

As a singer David Lee Roth was unique and added a special quality to Van Halen However as a singer Sammy Hagar was superior and his vocals in Higher showed this to Van Halen fans.

[@ladyp5511]

Do Sammy next. I bet you he sounds good then AND now! YOu're right, David was more of a character singer like alot of them, but still did quite well for themselves. I love REAL singers.

[@sarahhurst140]

Hi Ken I appreciate your encouragement at the opening of this video. I'm on the hard road back to singing the way I use to so thanks for the hope my friend. David Lee Roth has always been, to me, more of a showman than a singer while I have enjoyed his voice. Like you said it's fun, party music. And though years of drug use have taken his vocals down quite a bit, he's still doing those high kicks which I've always loved! Great video man! Rock on & peace out! 👍

[@shawno66]

As a huge VH fan, I think it's obvious Dave is a true rock star, a great entertainer, but just OK singer. His persona is larger than his voice. I'm thankful for the DLR years in VH... it helped shape my teen years. I'd also like to give a nod to Michael Anthony whos high background vocals really supported Dave and Sammy's vocals and he can still deliver today.

[@cadeevans4623]

David Lee Roth never really listened to him much or his band and music Ken david was awesome back then with his screams and was great what a awesome singer back then and had a lot of energy with his character he was great for what he did back in the day yes now he is struggling he isn't the singer he once was or what he was its a shame he can't sing anymore hardly like he use to its ruff sounding it certainly is screaming he was great back then but has lost a lot now not what he use to be but he still has the energy Ken 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@kochstevens3210]

Dave was more than just a vocalist. Part clown/trapeze performer/comedian/poet entertainer that could(like a magician)do a trick, so kept his audience guessing. Different to other hard rock singers of the 70's that just sang song's. He was known as the "ultimate front man" showman. At his peak he was Diamond Dave Lee

[@j_freed]

Sammy brought what he did to Van Halen in such an excellent way, but really when Dave left he took the party with him… the band energy was formerly much more about fun, sex, and total sheer abandon before the times Ed and the boys were writing ‘Dreams’ and ‘Love Comes Walking In.’ There’s no WAY Roth would have worked those songs out with Ed! He’d have made real VH albums the way some of us think of them… A special band chemistry that only happens once in the history of the universe.

[@wpochert]

Diamond Dave is the greatest front man ever :) Those high squeal things he used to do were so freakin' awesome haha.. what a larger than life persona

[@demonology2629]

Anyway if I don't consider a singer a singer then that's where I called them a vocalist. It's that plain and simple for me I would be in vocalist in my death metal band but I also do harmonize my voice into it here and there. 💎Dave is my fave

[@johnnybrown9581]

Ken, how does Dave do his famous scream? You seem to know a lot about singing, I am wondering what is your take. He has a lot of power in his falsetto and I have not heard you replicate it ever. How does he scream that high?

[@michaeltreser1435]

When i was in a coverband they ask me to sing a Van Halen song (Jump) . It was hard to do because there was no real singing as you said. It`s more talking and screaming then singing.

[@shadesofgreyconstruction4849]

DAVE'S voice had that rugged dirty blues grind to it ,but more importantly to what he was singing ,he wrote those lyrics for the first 3 albums by the time he was 26 ,he was very wise ,DAVE lived hard ,I'll give him a salute to his achievements

[@jonjohnson1978.]

Looking forward to this...any chance of lindsey Buckingham being added to your list Have a great weekend 👊

[@KISSARCHIVES]

Paul stanely and gene simmons. Singers then and now would be AWESOME to see!!!

[@jcoulter43]

Great points. Dave was totally supported by the fantastic BGV's of Michael and Eddie. God bless and rock on 🎸😎👍

[@edwoll]

I'm glad you clarified the then and now, because poor old Dave doesn't have a hair left on his head at this time!

[@ben1ben]

Can you do Serj Tankian then and now? I am very curious to what a actual professional singer has to say about him. Serj used to be very powerful and clear with his voice, now he screams less and his singing sounds terrible with his overuse of nasal singing. If you need a quick view of Serj's Voice, 1996-2001 he sang with a clear voice (just a little nasal) and his screams were powerful but as much as I know he had no screaming technique. Ending of 2002 he started to do nasal singing. 2003 was a mix of ''Old Serj'' and ''New Serj'' he would switch from clear to nasal however he felt like, but still did his screams. 2004-2005 he started singing nasal a lot and did less screams and replaced screams with high notes. 2011 to now he just gets worse every year with nasal singing, and now doing like only 3 screams in total with in 2 hours (the whole show). I gotta say 2013 was a good year because he was into it, he did a lot of screams yet still sang nasal, but at least he really showed interest. And is he able to be rehabilitated? I would really be interested in what Ken has to say.

[@PorcelainLeigh]

Big difference between a great entertainer and singer. Roth is proof. Dave would have been great being head ring master at Barum and Bailey's Circus, too.

[@kimberlyborrowdale9439]

5:44 “Gimme the front girl in the front and bring her in the back.” That is so perfect, Ken. I laughed so hard I scared my cats. I saw VH in 1980 when I was 17 (I had to lie to my parents about where I was going to be all night). I was crazy about DLR and was upset that his voice was drowned out by the guitars. It took me several years to realize that it was probably done on purpose because of the huge bottle of JD he finished off in an hour and half.

[@Theonlymightydem]

Can you do Steven Tyler and Klaus Meine videos? Great series!!

[@Kurtdog63]

David Lee Roth was front man personified of one of the most iconic rock bands of the early 1980s. His emphasis was entertaining, not so much singing. He was a combination of flamboyant personality, pretty boy looks, above average fitness, signature moves, and signature screams, all backed up by one of the most phenomenal rock guitar players of our time. The original band Van Halen, was the total package for success. No slight to replacement singers, but once David Lee Roth left, the band's stage presence and music videos never had the same flair. Having said that, I never heard anyone say, I want to sing like David Lee Roth.

[@andreijurca5546]

I want to sing like dave

[@amyntut]

Another great singer was Don Dokken. A shame how his voice is today.

[@tracezachdaniels4264]

SO SHWEEEETTT...much love Tee with LIONS NAMED LEO.[the music worldwide} and ooooo the dave....ooooweee

[@JTStrikesBack]

From the handful of comments here so far, it seems people are agreeing that Roth was never really a singer. He was almost a hype man who could scream, and quite frankly I love him for that.

[@rurban9874]

David is larger than life. And they way he was able to insert his high screams in the songs is genius. You don't have to be the best singer to make the greatest songs.

[@laurameeks8653]

Have you seen any Live from Daryl’s house?? Idk about DH but many of his guests still have it going on! Tommy Shaw killing it, Robin Zander was really good, there were a few

[@tylermorrison7051]

Dennis DeYpung, while not on Daryl's House, still has it too.

[@Hotanbrotan]

You should consider Graham Bonnet for this series , 74 years old, still slaying it ! Stay Metal, Cheers from Sweden !🤘🤘

[@image30p]

I feel like Mike and the VHs sort of had the singing covered. Dave provided spectacle and audience engagement. I always liked his lyrics too. But it's fascinating to hear you say that these guys could rehab their voice. Who knows? Maybe with the right work out they could be even better. I would just love to see some of my favorite classic singers hitting those notes with confidence. That would so cool.

[@in2livinit]

Even as a 16yo Rocker in 1979, I was never impressed by Dave's "screaming". He was a Ringmaster. Arguably the Best, at the time. Then he decided to caricature himself & become a clown. A very deluded & sad descent for their legacy. Wish he would take your advise. They were indeed once, the Mighty Van Halen. Even 1984 still produced PANAMA. And Dave pulled it off. RIP ELVH 🎶 🎸 Long Live Wolfgang

[@circusmaster1441]

He sound like a MAN.... Low voice and then hits high notes. THATS WHY HE WAS A GREAT SINGER.

[@danishskiwarehouse]

Michael Anthony’s vocals are timeless

[@ericstrat3579]

DLR could carry a tune back in the day, and his mountain lion screams were an integral part of the Van Halen sound and charisma. It seems as though he lost the ability to do that scream sometime in the early 90’s. He was able to still carry tune a few years later, seemingly until around the early 2000’s. He never lost the stage presence and looks like he’s still in good shape…. however, these days - his vocal range is pretty diminished, sadly.

[@JoeRock1Take]

Great series you got going here. Would love to see you do a 'Then & Now' of John Farnham.

[@Christine16425]

Hi Ken , I'm french woman , ok for David Lee Roth, , I like watching your vidéos very interesting and it's smart to know how to stop in time. I 'm impressed how you manage to do all these voices . Now I'm fan a fan of Darkness before it was Kiss, oasis queen etc..; I still listen. What do you think of Justin Hawkins ? for me it's a complete character I find, you make Kati sing it very well, but YOU ? and on the Sweedish group Aerodyne ? Thank you for you answer Ken. 🌺🤘(google traduction) France

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I wouldn’t call Hendrix a great singer either, but it’s his voice I think of first, guitar playing close second. And he’s my favorite guitarist of all time! Lots of guys do a commendable job playing his guitar parts, but I get 100% disappointed when they start singing.

[@mrcabasa5507]

Frontman and lead singer is pretty much 2 jobs, takes a special talent and attitude. Watching DLR helped this somewhat introverted singer fashion a descent version of, I'm Just a Gigolo. Sorry, no video...

[@teddyjennings1137]

the only 80's singer i know who took care of his voice was Robert mason ,As for Dave not even the great Eddie Van Halen or wolfie could cover for Dave If MICHEAL was in Van Halen in 2006 or2008 he could of covered up how bad Dave's singing was , that time was about Father's LOVE for his Son playing on stage together and not caring if the Van Halen brand took a hit not every is about money you got to RESPECT that...

[@bgood4449]

Lots of cigarettes 🚬 smoking. That surely couldn't have been good for his vocals. Thanks for clarifying the now. I think it was 2002 Dave.

[@stevemuller5334]

If Diamond Dave hadn’t stayed in shape he would have turned into Elvis Lee Roth! I love the guy…one of my claims to fame is I cooked lunch for Dave in Pasadena around 1984! Cool guy…

[@chaosapiant]

While I agree 100% about many singers being almost character singers, where it's the texture and character of their voice that makes the band and not necessarily the vocal technique. That said, I'd never rate David Bowie in that category. He's played a lot of characters, but his voice is well defined and he's an excellent singer. I think my favorite work of his is the album Heathen. His voice sounds as smooth as water all over that record.

[@l.t.w8985]

Don't you have recent like in the past 5 years when he has the short hair

[@danadane2501]

In my humble opinion Van Halen became the top Rock band in the world when Hagar joined ( btw glad you mentioned him briefly ) . Dave is a great entertainer . His voice I think could have been better with training . However he does not nor has he ever had the natural talent of many of his peers from the late 70s and 80s. Good showman , that much is undeniable !

[@mbankslje0nk]

When I saw Van Halen here in Charlotte, NC in 2015. DLR was very much the weakest link in the band. The thing I remember most that he put a mat down on the stage and spent alot of time sliding around on it. It's was a far cry from the performances I saw from him at the Forum in 81 and the US Festival in 83. The first concert in 81 was by far the best show that I saw VH perform.

[@csphoenix9]

David never was a good singer, Michael Anthony did a lot of vocals he didn't get credit for. Roth's main problem was being drunk and never remembering the lyrics.

[@shannonyoung3465]

You were really kind with the “now” video performance footage. Up until last year, DLR still had that high physical energy, but his vocals were a lot worse than you showed. (Or were able or allowed to) Like this series though. 💪🤘

[@BobSince1981]

Loving these STAN videos Ken! Have you done one on Mark Slaughter or Richard Marx? Would love your thoughts on either.

[@enadias4149]

🙏 FANTASTIC 😍👏👏👏👏👏 DAVID ❤️LEE ❤️ ROTH ❤️👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🎤❤️ LOVE ❤️❤️😘😘KEN ❤️

[@enadias4149]

😘😘

[@minigmac1]

Met Dave one night in a club. Sweet guy.

[@solodad001]

You should check out Tony Hadley, Peter Cox, or Peter Kingsbury.

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

What is the problem with DLR's voice back in the day? His pitch was really good early on and he had his own timbre.He was the perfect combination of Louie Prima meets Ian Gillian

[@FTHKANAME]

For David to sing, he must ''take off'' not just a year, but his entire life and try on the next one...I mean c'mon...He was never a singer. I can understand and i know that the truth is that voice is a group o muscles and you can make it work, but there are some cases when you just can't... You can call him lucky to be at the right place the right time and that's it.....

[@kevinbeevers6847]

Dave’s appeal was the high screaming and wows, like on the first 6 albums. When he reunited with the band he lost all of that. It was hard to watch and listen to.

[@davidmcgravey9858]

I agree. I absolutely loved those screams and whistle "wow!!"'s and became obsessed with them. They started getting a little weak on Eat Em' and Smile and were completely non-existent by Your Filthy Little Mouth in 94'. It's a shame, it was such a cool sounding technique

[@deltanine2468]

As a performer diamond Dave was great. As a vocalist he SUCKED.

[@jiujudo1307]

Ken - Off the topic. Have you ever thought about putting out a list of the top 10, or, 5 Southern Rock band vocalist / singer's?

[@dorfsteen]

I don't dislike Dave he just frustrated me from way back when he didn't sing the songs he would either forget the lyrics or just didn't care to sing them too busy showing off. I don't know. And now on top of that his age has caught up with him and he was definitely forgetting the lyrics and definitely can't sing anymore it goes back a ways from like 2010 when I saw Van Halen in New Hampshire it was horrible the sound guy screwed up as wel.l but we didn't even stay to watch the show it was so bad mostly because of Dave's bad singing and not remembering lyrics and then the sound was so bad that we just didn't stay what a bummer. Imagine leaving a Van Halen concert cuz the sound was horrible? they admitted it there was a write-up in the newspaper about how pissed off Eddie was about the sound guy screwing up so bad in Manchester. Im surprised didn't give us all the refund

[@chrisgarcia9629]

Dave use to have that amazing whistle register too. Seen Dave perform many a times from the late 90’s to his last run with VH. He was a great entertainer and made the shows super fun.

[@The_Original_Alex_Channel]

Nice vid Ken! It would be interesting to see one of these with Paul Stanley! Just note that mostly all of his songs after 2018 are lipsynched

[@jpc54]

VH is my favorite band. Your “now” clips are 20+ years old. Also, your second example is 2 different songs (not that it would matter). Dave is even much worse now. Like you said, Dave was never a great live singer so the baseline isn’t even that difficult . Dave is in great physical shape. If he put in the effort he could probably easily get back to his baseline or even exceed it. I think Dave has always leaned way too much on the front man vs singer excuse and been lazy about his singing. The problem is he has lost his looks as well and his stage persona has gotten downright silly. If he acted a little less silly and was able to sing decently he could be better than ever. Too late now though since Eddie is gone.

[@Theonlymightydem]

About rehabilitation... somebody like Jon Bon Jovi, having all the means and time to recover his voice, why doesn't he do it? He's still musically active, so it's not that he retired... could it be that he knows his voice is beyond repair? Or why then?

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

Can't wait for the next episode. This sounds like a very interesting series. Even though some people might feel offended.

[@tuesdayzrain]

I really wished Don Dokken's high end could be rehabilitated. Such a rich amazing vibrato and high end strength back in the day. Really miss that.

[@t.a.4702]

Again like Ozzy , Roth, Jagger etc and many of the traditional charismatic rock lead singers vocals is just something about the tone of the voice that just touches a certain fan that makes them unique. They were never a perfect technique vocal singer in the first place. That's what made them fun.

[@Longhorn-s7z]

Excellent review sir! Dave is proof, once again, that natural charisma, can carry you a long way. You see it from Wall Street, to the White House, to the Out House, it can open doors.

[@romulusbuta9318]

............60 MILION $ ,David's welth is not that bad ! 😃

[@vasquezharrison758]

You have to do Tom Kiefer of Cinderella

[@BodhiSoftMobileApps]

Sammy giving VH more of a "corporate" sound - nailed it. He was always trying way too hard to look and sound and be cool, and it never worked.

[@danieledicarolo3279]

As you sad, he didn't really spit any musical note out of his mouth. With all due respect for a legend, I just don't get how these characters became renowned singers. A bit like Anthony Kiedis. But I do respect their ability to spend decades on stages having the guts to pretend to be sinngers.

[@madarifin2892]

Do Phil Anselmo from Pantera

[@dorfsteen]

He was doing it way back in the 80s where you would be listening to him you're anticipating the next line of vocals and they don't come. he sang like a third of the song very frustrating especially if you paid money to go see them.

[@josephinejensen7747]

i never got the point of what his roll in the performances was beyond getting all drugged and liquored up and bring the circus on the stage he was thete for the drugs and booze and to make an utter atrse of gimself. hhis voicr is anniying as heck!!! when they briiyght in Sam, it ead all business it was all about " Hey, lets give thrse people a hell of a show.

[@briansf7012]

Would like to hear your take on Eric Martin. Much like Tony Martin. They seem to get neglected. I personally think there both great. Keep up the good work.

[@vojinljubisavljevic-origin2354]

Hi Ken, love your videos, you're awesome. How about you do a video about Steven Tyler's singing then and now? I really want to hear what you have to say about him.

[@prd004.2]

It seems to me the singers who had good training early on held up much better over the years

[@jeffreymeyer1191]

Thank you for your analysis. I think it was a fair assessment. I’m impressed with how DLR stayed in shape.

[@therav3769]

The David now is still 20 years old , do a real now like 2018-2022 he’s absolutely terrible

[@snerp]

You need to show his performances from the 20'teens...sadly they are hard to watch.

[@mcculljo]

I guess I’ll just hold on to the memories of Diamond Dave jumping off the drum riser. I wish Dave all the best in his retirement!

[@davidtindale1873]

Can you do one Mark Slaughter….. just curious on your thoughts on what happened to his powerhouse voice

[@cherylthomas3632]

I trained at 53 after singing in a band for years I actually thought I could sing come to find out I wasn’t singing I never could get out what I heard but now at 58 I can sing anything thanks to Kens course and KZbin videos at 54 i muscles were fit to sing anything and my way.When you train your voices and your voice just becomes your craft and what a craft I thank God everyday for Ken Tamplin vocal academy not only can I sing I breath better than I ever have which means better health.I remember I grade school we would have gym and music early and now I know why to get our diaphragm going and blood flowing to bad they stopped that a great key to health early.Thank you Heavenly Father and thank you Ken and all the students at KTVA for making it all possible❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏

[@JohnDoe-gk7ok]

The “now” videos are from 2002. He got better in 2007, but then he got worse in 2012 and 2015