Van Halen - Hot For Teacher - David Lee Roth - ISOLATED VOCALS - Analysis and Tutorial

Learn To Sing Like This! Click Here Now: KenTamplinVoca...
I wanted you to know that KZbin no longer sends email notifications about new releases. If you would like to know when a new video is released you can sign up to receive updates at: kentamplinvoca...
Van Halen - Hot For Teacher - David Lee Roth - ISOLATED VOCALS - Analysis and Tutorial
The David Lee Roth era with Van Halen was very distinct from the Sammy Hager era with the latter having more of a corporate approach to music.
Which Van Halen era was your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments!
David Lee Roth’s time with the band was more loose with more of a party band vibe and we’ll see that as we look at his isolated vocals from “Hot For Teacher”.
We’ll take a closer look at David’s vocals and how he used falsetto and head voice for his caricatured sound.
I’ll also explain what was unhealthy about his sound and how we can approach it differently.
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy - Where The PROOF Is In The Singing!
Subscribe here www.youtube.co.... check out my website at vid.io/xogj
Learn how to sing better for beginners, all the way to learning advanced PRO vocal techniques. Increase vocal range and become a better singer than you ever thought possible! Check out Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy and see what the possibilities really are!
Check out the KTVA website to learn more:
KenTamplinVoca...
Check out the KTVA Singers Forums: forum.kentampl...
Check out these additional resources:
How To Sing: kentamplinvoca...
Singing Lessons: kentamplinvoca...
How To Sing Higher: kentamplinvoca...
What Is My Vocal Range and Voice Type: kentamplinvoca...
How To Get Over Stage Fright and Fear of Singing Publicly: kentamplinvoca...
Please Follow me on Instagram: @kentamplin
Find me on facebook: / kentamplin
Check out my TikTok: vm.tiktok.com/...
Business E-mail: [e-mail]
Oh, yeah! And here's some news some of you may be interested in:
Some Fun Nostalgia For You.
My Old Shout Records Have Been Remastered.
For Anyone Interested: You Can Find Them Here:
girdermusic.co...
#VanHalen #IsolatedVocals #DavidLeeRoth

[@paulmenard6219]

Roth had tone, I’ll take tone over soulless notes any day. I always thought of Roth as one of the most identifiable front men out there. Ozzy is another one... let someone sing an Ozzy song and unless they are doing a poor imitation it just doesn’t sound right. Roth is iconic and a lesson new producers could learn a lot from. Perfect notes and pitch often snuff any life out of a song.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for weighing in, Paul!

[@zuricrqsatlz9145]

The excitement of rock music is past. Today’s producers are presiding over maybe 2 decades of nothing memorable.

[@warrenhammonds1093]

He said he's Sammy's cousin so of course he's gonna take shots at Diamond Dave.

[@lorenh763]

Love it! Dave doesn't get a lot of props as a singer, but personally, I dug his vocals a lot. Tons of character, attitude, and machismo. Plus his lower, huskier tone stood apart from the crowd when every had superhuman demi-god tenors

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@lostdomlover]

Same! He is my favorite 80s frontman!

[@ronduckett5017]

Only rocker to have 5 octaves in his arsenal! HIGHLY UNDERATED!!!

[@EJDoesEverythingBetter]

@@ronduckett5017This is a misconception, his vocal range is about 3 and a half octaves. His screams have overtones that are produced by the techniques mentioned in this video, but if you asked him to recreate the notes, he can’t do it. It’s just whatever he was able to blurt out at the time of recording. His “whistle” register is actually him singing a normal falsetto note, that his voice fails to produce and whistles out instead with about a hundred pounds of air. As Mr. Tamplin mentions, this is incredibly unhealthy and Dave hasn’t been able to do it for decades because he completely shredded his voice in making this a staple technique.

[@TheMightyVanHalen]

@@EJDoesEverythingBettersome decent points in there.

[@masque1313]

Diamond Dave is actually someone I love to hear sing. Does he sound like Steve Perry or Lou Gramm? Nope. Neither does Geddy Lee or Phil Lynott. To me, the way he sings songs like "mean street", "unchained" and "panama" is just so unique and perfect for how the music feels that it's just the absolute best marriage possible to what they were doing then. When you listen to the music Eddie was writing, in particular things like the pre-chorus to unchained, think about how hard it would be to come up with a melody and phrasing that would work........the music was bizarre at times, brilliant, but very different.....yet, dave found a way to write some brilliant melodies and phrases over the top of things like that, while also adding some of the most brilliant lyrics and images through those lyrics....I love the whole "thought you'd never miss me til I got a fat city address" section. just brilliant and not easy to write. dave gets a lot of praise for being a great frontman, which he deserves, but I think is often overlooked for being a good singer who wrote some great melodies over some difficult pieces of music to do it on.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening. Rock on!

[@petersvox9762]

Great analysis!!!

[@013bassman]

Being a bass player, I have to say that Michael Anthony is one of the most underrated bassist ever. He never got the accolades he deserved for his playing. The only area he got even less respect was for his singing. I think he's one of the best ever singing harmonies. He helped carry DLR imo, and sounded SO great with Sammy. Oh, and he's a class act to boot.

[@kentamplin]

Well said!

[@BrolitoBroskavitch]

Definitely. Michael Anthony's backing vocals were a huge part of what made Van Halen sound like Van Halen. Alex Van Halen is also pretty underrated as a drummer. Really distinctive sound you could recognize right away.

[@ianmason2003]

@@jbird4754 he did it to be with his son. More so then to slight mike.

[@Pimp-Master]

Good point; the bass and drums of Van Halen were rarely if ever mentioned. It's almost like they didn't exist.

[@OpenRoader]

100% with ya, If you search YT for The Circle doing a cover of Highway Star from Deep Purple and you get the full magnitude of MA.

[@miguelfitzsimmy5610]

Diamond Dave kicks ass. That's all you need to know.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@SirManfly]

Runnin' With The Devil always amazed me because Diamond Dave really brutalized his voice on that song!

[@LordBackuro]

David has a kinda soulful kinda singing, he definitely got influence from old mo town kinda stuff

[@SteveKaynan]

Glad you did DLR. Songs like "Mean Streets," "Atomic Punk," "On Fire" really show the attitude and higher baritone/ tenor range he actually had that a majority don't take note of!

[@kentamplin]

Rock on, Steve!

[@RenePeraza]

We finally went DLR!!! Absolutely on the mark with the American Idol comment! Attitude goes a loooong way! And, in my view, there are vocalists and there are singers, and DLR is definitely a vocalist with a whole lotta attitude to sell it.

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@richardbelisle7626]

Come on Ken if your doing DLR. do something from the first two albums when his voice when in it prime with that Janis Joplin multi octave Scream and unique crooner style being pushed to metal....thank you

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@SonnyGTA]

*you’re

[@JohnProph]

totally agree. Do a note for note copy of "Outta Love Again" then get back to use about Dave's limitations

[@MushroomVortex]

I think it takes quite a lot of skill to be a character voice at the caliber of DLR. There’s a reason not everyone can do it. He really was special in how he pulled it off like no other, plus he actually did have a pretty wide range.

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@lilianmaher2809]

Amen and was acrobatic

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

QUESTION...What singer had a COOLER voice than David Lee Roth? Struggling for an answer right? Only James Brown is a rival to Roth in the COOL voice department. 😁😁😁

[@kentamplin]

James Brown always reminds me of a SNL skit with Eddie Murphy. "Hot Tub". It's hot... I mean cool... I mean thanks for listening. 🤣

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

@@kentamplin You are welcome Ken! 👍

[@steverherb]

I'm not a singer, but I enjoyed your analysis. DLR was clearly a major part of Van Halen's success. He proves that attitude means a lot, and his vocals were accepted because they were believable and totally fit the music.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@tomitoikka367]

Ken, maybe you should also do one of the songs from Sammy-era and invite him to studio to talk about it 👌😎👍

[@kentamplin]

That would be fun!

[@SonnyGTA]

Great idea!!

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

What singer has a better, cooler, more unique vocal "trick" than Roth's screams/ yelps? Could you imagine those Van Halen songs without them? Halford, Dio and Dickinson etc all had/ have excellent scream technique but they're all similar. Advantage....ROTH. 😁🎸👍

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@markn3936]

Dude, Dave transcends vocal critique. It is exactly what it was supposed to be. But, I know you know that.

[@jrockoplenjohnkoplen5063]

D.L.R. Definition of COOL.

[@ES-us9om]

Imagine those songs without DLR’s voice? It’s called Van Hagar and it’s boring as hell

[@ChrisP3000x]

I love Dave's tone, and he is belting up to Bb in this one. Not bad.

[@kentamplin]

👍

[@FrankieLovesElvis]

Is that considered a “High” note ?? I love the guy !!! 😊

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

POINT... A lot of vocalists sound similar to each other. Lou Gramm sounds similar to Paul Rodgers, John Lennon like Paul McCartney, Sammy Hagar sounds a little like Robin Zander, on down the line. Who sounds like David Lee Roth? Answer... David Lee Roth Advantage... ROTH 😁🎸👍

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the visit!

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

@@kentamplin Thanks for your excellent channel Ken! 👍

[@Doudlidoudlida]

For me, a real inimitable genius, a unique voice, and so much expressiveness. He invented his style and it was magic with this band!

[@joequintana5546]

Guys like David Lee Roth and Mick Jagger and many others inspired me to be an entertainer first and a singer second. This doesn't mean I don't try to sing well however. My influences are guys like Paul Rogers, Lou Gramm, and Sammy Hagar, who in my opinion were great rock singers, but I also wanted my audience to have fun. Now, I don't think I'm a great singer... I know I'm not (but I try to be), and I usually feel awkward getting praise for my singing. When people tell me they love my singing it makes me wonder. Is it my actual "singing" that they love? Probably not. I think it might be the vibe that I project as a singer and not the actual "singing". I think they just have so much fun hearing me sing that they think I'm actually good at it. When I was young I thought DLR was a GREAT singer, but later on I discovered that what I really liked was the vibe I got from the whole band that made me like them so much. As I became a better singer I realized that DLR was not as great as I thought he was. Yet my favorite VH was with Roth even though I'm a huge fan of Hagar's singing. Interesting.

[@kentamplin]

Great frontmen, for sure!

[@benbaird2129]

Keith Richards says Mick is much more Vaudville than he is. I think same goes for David. No denighing it's all about the art.

[@DrTomoculus]

@@kentamplin But Mick Jagger was just doing his best Don Covay impression.

[@hhasslinger9601]

Gotta love DLR Van Halen. I always wondered how he did that with his voice in songs like "Runnin' With The Devil" where it sounds like multiple voices. Now it finally makes sense. Thanks for the explanation!

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening, H!

[@nicholasmancuso2481]

Love your videos but you’re way off on this. He did the whistle register stuff in 76 and earlier. Had nothing to do with copying 80s metal singers. If anything he invented that style! Also everyone says the were commercially more successful with Sammy. More bs. Sold a ton more records with dave. A TON. Just had more #1s Sammy because they made it easier to have a #1 right around 85.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the listen, rock on!

[@bardicdad]

DLR has this jazz/blues flair that got drunk and rolled off a bus headed for Las Vegas and got lost in the desert. I would love to hear some commentary on Michael Anthony sometime.

[@kentamplin]

Hahaha!

[@TheStacanova]

I could be wrong, but I’m not sure you “get” David Lee Roth? I thought Diamond Dave was going for a Cab Calloway meets Ray Davies thing? David Lee Roth is the Singer, Dancer, Entertainer, Master of Ceremonies, for a Burlesque show, in a zoot suit, with Sam Spade on his tail. You may think I’m reading too much into Dave, but there is something to Henry Rollins calling him “the peroxided Mark Twain“, his lyrics are a lot more clever than one might think. Reducing Dave to just an “80’s party singer”, is superficial & ignores all of the depth to what he was doing. Not every vocal line has to stand on it’s own. There are tons of Jazz Horn parts that make no sense on their own, but with the band, the phrasing is brilliant. It can show someone, who’s part is interacting with the other musicians, instead of someone just singing their part on top, regardless of how the band is playing the song. I also believe Dave would have done his weird signature falsetto, regardless of what note he could hit full voice. It seems like “a choice” to me.

[@montierobertson3449]

Love these isolated vocals Ken! I think David lee Roth is way underrated he had a unique approach matching his voice to EV’s guitar (This not his best song for sure) Please listen to his blues styling on “Take your Whiskey Home”, “The full Bug” , Feel your love tonight” or even like “Jamie’s Crying” he’s got real soul and jazz deep in him. As everyone knows Eddie never really playing straight-ahead chord progressions. So DLR Was really creative on his melodies and phrasing Although he doesnt have the total vocal range of Sammy Hagar or guys like Robert Plant , he does have a whistle register that neither of them had. Add skills attuned to a “Apex predator” like entertainer and this creates an “almost super human style” persona that’s hard to beat in my opinion

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the thoughts, Montie.

[@HangsLopsided]

Agreed. Not his best song.

[@TheJpep2424]

He's overrated. Not a great singer. No versatility or range.

[@marklinkous219]

@@TheJpep2424 lol take off my van halen shirt before you jinx the band and they break up ! Go listen to when it's love again and stfu

[@mariabronn6628]

I m getting bored with people rambling on the fact that DLR 's singing was a caricature, that he had no real range or commandl, lost his voice, bla bla... Easier said than done. His voice is unique, like a trade mark, and so is his singing style. I feel there was nothing improvised in his vocals, that everything came from the guts but was well shaped and controlled. I guess his huge personnality and talent as a front man sort of downplayed his vocal ability in the eyes of the public.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for weighing in, Maria!

[@victorp.2041]

Never knew you were Sammy’s cousin, that’ makes you even more awesome! Great video as always; waiting on that Andre Mattos (Carry on) isolated vocals vid! Hahaha! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@pellmj1]

This analysis made me realize why I like rock and roll in general. The joy that emanates from this recording .the performance . The premise I always found a little adolescent and lecherous but executed with a nearly ignorant innocence. And even though you know you're a far superior and studied vocalist, and have probably seen many students pass through your classes that are technically better than Dave, we know that there are many more dimensions to it. And why we enjoy this early Van Halen so much.

[@RetroGamingNook]

That's the problem with music now, you nailed it! Unfortunately, "Attitude" has been canceled.

[@kentamplin]

God forbid you go against the flow. Everything has been cancelled.

[@ineffable1129]

The two aren't related at all. It's never been easier to be heard as musician\performer today. Paradoxically it's never been harder to be noticed either. The short reason is because the vast majority have access to a platform to be heard on, social media in all its forms. To actually get noticed many someone’s have to listen and collectively agree in some quantifiable group. Otherwise you have a following that just isn't very marketable. By that I mean something other people can profit from by being a part of. Corporate music needs a repeatable formula, quantifying "it" factor is easier said than done. You can't easily make a formula that would accurately find the DLR's or even the EVH's, but you can with just 4 chords find 24,576 unique combinations, millions by altering several other factors needed to make a song, truth in jest. Business follows information based decisions, and that’s means predictive modeling. That’s why music seems to have stagnated or sounds very similar. Cancel culture is just modern moderation, as in what is acceptable in a public forum, with tech augmenting the decision making process. It's not new and it's not censorship either. What is new is that governments, aren't the ones who decide, it's everyone collectively based on interaction with content. Algorithms are collating the data and that is what influences the decisions. It's actually far more democratized than a political solution.

[@Pimp-Master]

Ha! Good comment. I much prefer Dave and singers like Bob Dylan, who most everyone else can't stand. It must be my cross to bear.

[@brentj.peterson6070]

Michael Anthony was essential to VH's sound. High harmonies were sick! Dave was a master showman.

[@kentamplin]

👍👍

[@432b86ed]

Cogent stuff, Ken. Roth has/had a great natural vibrato. To my ears it's a big part of what it takes to be convincingly "cool" and "in control". This shines through, for example, on the last line of "Ice Cream Man".

[@kentamplin]

Cool!

[@Goal-2-Go]

David Lee Roth reminds me of the rock and roll version of Al Jolson.

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@Mick-Dempsey]

That’s pretty much what he wanted,he loved soul singers too.He blended them all together perfectly,There’s only one DLR and it can be much more difficult to be unique as apposed to technically perfect.

[@Paul-dw2cl]

@Risk On I never had until now

[@cymro6537]

Purely as a vocalist ,Dave wasn't the best - but as you said , to the listener ,he delivered something unique : his confidence , swagger ,sass, charisma and humour somehow seemed to embody the vibe of the music. And as a live performer ? *Peerless*

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@typingarchetypes]

Have a good day! I wanna see you making isolated vocals till the wheels come off dude. God bless

[@kentamplin]

Noted!

[@shotgunrebels]

Very cool to see so many comments praising Roth for doing his thing with what he had to work with rather than knocking him for not being a great technical singer.

[@kentamplin]

Indeed.

[@JudieBoBoodie]

Before MTV I had no idea what he looked like (high school). I loved this band so much played it LOUD in my MGB Roadster with the top down and with as many friends as we could pack inside. (I bought and paid for the car myself BTW). And then MTV happened and let me tell you - He's my type! LOL!

[@kentamplin]

How cool were you, Judie! 😉

[@JudieBoBoodie]

@@kentamplin I was happy chaotic! Not proud because I put myself in danger over and over... Let's just say I believe in angels.

[@mattyc.9332]

I prefer the Dave era of Van Halen. No diss to Sammy, but they sound totally different....even more pop orientated. Not that the songs Sammy did with Van Halen was bad, but like you said.....different vibe.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for weighing in, MAtty@

[@rbruggeman7722]

I prefer the Dave era by far, but I also prefer Sammy solo I love some of his post Van Halen stuff. I have finally come to realize the main reason I prefer the Roth era is probably EVH he decided to explore musical directions I liked less than his early stuff. The one Sammy Van Halen song I truly love is FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED perfect fun super catchy song with the classic Van Halen vibe.

[@marklinkous219]

They went from ain't talking bout love to when it's love and love walks in smh commercial sell out if I ever seen one

[@marklinkous219]

Eddie started playing a steinberger square body and the songs just lacked in the raw material and it was no longer the crazy party because there was no more mean street or hear about it later it became too delay reverb ish and I still listened because of the music that was Ed AL and Mike but I just didn't like the material they chose as much as the original line up

[@SuperDachshund]

Totally appreciate this take! I haven't met anyone who says DLR is their favorite singer but lots of people say he's their favorite "front man." I get it. And he never called himself a singer but an "entertainer." Having said that I'm wondering how you make that unhealthy multi-tone, cougar "Wow!" sound but from a healthy undamaged set of vocal cords.

[@kentamplin]

He's definitely a great entertainer!

[@m0nstaman]

I've been able to do it quite a bit after I learned how to get into whistle register. I noticed people who have more natural rasp to their voice can do it much more easily, so I began messing around with it after getting more into singing with distortion. What Ken is saying is definitely right, it's your vocal folds literally just having a mishap and "breaking" into whistle register. Although, generally in whistle register, you can only really get that one note out and not two at the same time. My best recommendation is to just try to listen to the placement, you can tell it's farther back in the throat, as he has that very croony bluesy timbre to his voice. It's really tough because you're riding the fine line between singing in whistle and trying to sing a regular note at the same time. But I'd recommend learning how to sing with distortion (safely ofc) and just mess around with it a bit, as that's what helped me get there. Mike Patton also has quite a few live performances where you can clearly hear that happening, and he's still singing fantastic today, so there's definitely a "safe" way to do it, although as Ken said, DLR most likely had nodules from his natural rasp, straining too hard, and the drugs.

[@fredcampbell4536]

Dave's playbook was 100% Louis Prima......Watch any old footage, and its all showman/vaudeville/entertainer with some singing talent. Obviously one of his faves....enough to actually do some of his covers...

[@kentamplin]

Rock on, Fred!

[@fredcampbell4536]

@@kentamplin All these isolated vocal breakdowns you do are super informative.....breaking down the minute subtleties is amazing. Ive been a fan of isolated tracks of musicians for years.....

[@tammyevans7333]

Very high energy!

[@kentamplin]

Yeah!

[@joebadgley3630]

Love singers who have soul in their vocal rather than technical note hitting! Dave hit those hi notes with that squeamish scream, which is so unique and I love!!!

[@NZLatic]

I think that Van Halen with DLR worked so well because you had the technical brilliance of Eddie Van Halen completely contrasting with DLR’s loose, party style, talkie-singie vocals. The reason I struggled with the Hagar era was that the band became technically way more proficient but seemed to lose all its personality. You were right when you said it sounded more corporate or commercial. It was too perfect. In the mid-80’s I fronted a band that was very much based on Judas Priest and Halford, along with Dickinson were my idols. DLR, however, was right up there with them in my eyes, not because of his technical brilliance, but because his vocals fitted the VH songs of the time perfectly. He was a rock star through and through and I had so many great times thrashing out the DLR era Van Halen tunes back in the day!

[@kentamplin]

😀

[@zfrmusic6663]

A singer is only a singer if they watch Ken's ISO series!!

[@kentamplin]

Haha!

[@LucidStew]

It's really funny hearing it this way because there almost isn't a song there. It's kind of 3 choruses and Dave screwing around for a couple minutes. Pure Diamond Dave. Everybody Wants Some is like that, too.

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@pennwoman]

Isolated vocals request: Steve Perry’s vocals for Faithfully

[@kentamplin]

Great suggestion!

[@jcguitarcovers8444]

And After All These Years Arnel Pineda isolated vocals

[@paulmenard6219]

I was actually quite stunned when i heard Perry sing because he is almost whispering. Very very little volume and power. Nice Smokey tone to his singing but truly i think people would be shocked at how quiet he really sings. Wheel in the Sky honestly is a strong whisper

[@krisscanlon4051]

Hey Ken, long time no see...good work man! Love me sum VH. Didn't VH lose their swing when DLR left? The music changed...Michaels work with DLR was akin to Clayton's bass playing in U2...taking a negative making it positive.

[@Ellexis]

SO CRAZY! I was just thinking this morning as I was listening to this song “ I need to make a request to Ken and ask him to break down and review this song.“ Next thing I know I get the notification that you’ve already done it! Thank you so much Ken! I love how you give background information and insight that we would probably never ever hear otherwise. And of course you make me smile all the time and a good example of that is at 7:42! Lots of love from Corpus Christi Texas, the new frozen tundra!

[@kentamplin]

Love that!

[@SonnyGTA]

Ken is listening to our thoughts!!

[@dechamo]

Love that quote. “A Singer is only a singer only because they have the guts to be one” nice one Ken

[@kentamplin]

It's true!

[@dechamo]

I stopped singing for a longtime as I felt inadequate to sing. I focused on writing music and playing guitar and didn’t focus on my singing. In the last few years I said to myself I am telling my story with my songs who else to interpret them than me. So I decided f@ck it. I’ll just start singing them.

[@ericstrat3579]

I always though DLR didn’t have great range - he was not Brad Delp or Bruce Dickinson- but his ‘rap’ like lyrics, acrobatics & frontman antics made up for it.... and what I called the ‘mountain lion’ scream he did made for great entertainment... combined with memorable songs that came along with the incredible talent: Eddie on guitar (RIP to one the all-time greats...) and Alex on drums along with Michael’s epic vocal backups & steady bass in Van Halen. “Cant get this stuff no more”... indeed.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening!

[@JACKPAVAL]

David Lee Roth may not have been the greatest singer in the world, but he had what we wanted to hear.

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@ms.lisamurphy269]

Little Dreamer - you don't even need to isolate the vocals , his mesmerizing voice dominates that whole song. The backup vocals beautifully accent with those "oooooh ooooh's". DLR will always be the most B-A-D-A-S-S front man and voice of any band ever. Period. ☮️ Lisa

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening! Rock on!

[@brockpinson949]

Absolutely what was playing in my head during this discussion. So glad you mentioned it.

[@scottf1555]

When you analyze Dave you don’t analyze his singing. You analyze how he was able to hang with one of the greatest rhythm sections of all time and totally change how front men were defined.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@anthonymitchell2354]

I don't know of ANY singer that could captivate an audience like DLR in his prime. His vocals were just an added benefit of his performance.

[@privatepenguin3137]

One reason for the "corporate sound" for the Van Hagar era...was that they were BOTH big established artists (and therefore 'corporations') by the time they met up. Whereas, Van Halen (or any band starting out) has that garage band/small smelly club vibe to them for a few years. I think that's why a lot of people gravitate to the DLR era. Just for the record...I loved both eras...very different, but both great. Also, Michael Anthony was the vocal backbone throughout VHs history. Just my random thoughts 😉 Great analysis here and great listening to the track!

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for weighing in!

[@mitchellbaxter6314]

I saw Van Halen open for Black Sabbath at the Hollywood (FL) Sportatorium in '78. You're right about the energy; Van Halen had the Sabbath crowd standing on their chairs, jumping and dancing, with DLR jumping off the speakers and doing splits on his way down. He's in the top tier of showman-style front men with Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger. This was near the end for Ozzy, who was drunk and falling over, and it got so bad that the crowd started yelling "bring back Van Halen."

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the thoughts!

[@michaelloder5150]

Hi ken you are a great singer.... I have rolled though many singers comparing DLR too and to be honest - he was not a right fit for the band for his style....never liked his antics wearing skin tight pants with the Ass hanging out......having said that the brothers are real musicians Eddie and Alex playing are awsome but not for Dave.....Ken , your a better singer than DLR...when Sammy came around that is when they took off...Sammy is a real vocalist a real musician and he elevated this band, eddie played better, alex played better and so did michael Anthony....

[@QVAlfista]

Ken your cousin Sammy is technically a better singer than Dave, but Diamond Dave was the better fit / frontman IMO for VH. He was the ultimate frontman, he had swagger, crazy personality plus and a lower register bluesiness that fit some of the tunes like "Take your whiskey home", "Ice Cream Man", "The Full Bug" and other bluesy tunes they did PERFECTLY! But his high pitch "OWW"s were also legendary! Don't get me wrong, VH were great in BOTH eras, but I prefer the DLR era better. It's more than the "party" vibe, it's the BLUESINESS!!

[@michaelthorne209]

DLR can never sing this song as its intended..he butchers it in performance..and lets face it,his vocals are about as bad as you can get and still be a vocalist.In studio he was ok,but live its like a cat set on fire..

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@BaronMcCausland]

Hey Ken, that was really great, fun, and very informative! Would you mind doing an additional one on Dave where he is less loose and less boisterous in his delivery; perhaps, something like 'Women in Love' or 'You're No Good'? I think doing so would offer a great contrast to pair with this lesson; and, present a more complete idea of David's style, techniques, strengths and weaknesses - Thanks, either way; love your work!

[@OpenRoader]

8:50 is the most important part of this video, the fact that by today's ridiculous "The Voice/American Idol" standards we would be (and probably are) missing some amazing bands. By todays standard, you would never have Bon Scott (early AC/DC) and certainly never have Motorhead. On top of that, today's music has ZERO instrumentation. It is a synthetic drum beat, used by everyone and a vocal track that has been pitch corrected and quantized within an inch of it's life. Any other instruments, like keyboards, guitars, ect are all pushed way back in the mix and the problem with that is, since the drum beat is now playing LEAD, there are only so many drum patterns that can be considered "Popular Music". So what you end up with is, everything sounds exactly the same. Then you have Ed Sheeran who isn't so much as writing songs as he is playing the most basic chord structures that are like day one of a guitar lesson and he ends up with lawsuits against him for plagiarism because the guy can't write a riff. It's a sad time for "Popular" music.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@johnnybrown9581]

Ken, I think you’re right about Michael Anthony writing those melodic song parts. Because listen to the album A Different Kind of Truth when Mike was gone, those parts significantly decreased. And there’s also less structure to song lyrics and more of Dave rambling. It’s quite an interesting thing to think about

[@kentamplin]

Glad you think so!

[@vansabbath5127]

Love meeting Cali peeps who saw & followed VH in the early 70s.. love the battle of bands stories too. I would assume montrose w/SAM was established by 74/75?....a couple of years ago with some friends, with a boom box..I phone's..pandora. Spotify & you tube...we absorbed as much montrose & sam solo as we could...then listened to van hagar..alot if talent but no shock...like I was shocked when I 1st heard elvis..hendrix..Aerosmith..kiss(well I sucked into it)...& of coarse VH....we couldn't listen no more of montrose..or Sam...trying to figure who was better...no one is better its all subjective...but we did smoke a bowl & the rest of the night listened to SABBATH..& we felt better...

[@josephwaters2792]

Ken proves the point that rock is a deceiving genre Roth has a great tone and sells the song. Other people trying to sing the same song sound horrible. A better singer will not make the song sound better.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening!

[@DeanSoloGuitarist]

Eddie too was very raw and wrote with a jazzy/blues type relax with jabs which enabled DLR to shine and fit with what he did. It worked, and that’s what many missed when Sammy came. But I’m a Sammy fan and I believe Eddie realized Sammy was more of a singer and thus the music because more rounded and frankly musical in many ways.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for sharing, Dean!

[@hybridamerica]

I don't know... I think David had a singular voice... I've never heard anyone else - hands down - who could do what he did vocally. Sammy, had a great voice, but one that was very similar to say, Bob Seger or even Michael Bolton and others. Roth, in my mind is one of my top three vocals in history. But then again, I prefer Peter Criss (Black Diamond) singing over Paul Stanley as well...

[@glenncoleman6253]

Roth wasn’t an amazing vocalist but unsurpassed as an entertainer. What he has ( as you rightly pointed out) is feel and groove. His vocals were never detrimental to the band or the songs. When ‘magic’ happens in music it rarely makes sense.

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening. Rock on!

[@kenlong4616]

Michael was definitely under rated. It was Eddie's genius and a collective effort from the fellas to make some kick ass Rock and some of the best ever, one Off and no one could touch that.

[@kentamplin]

Indeed!

[@FrankieLovesElvis]

I don’t care what anyone says, there’s a hundred singers that sound like Hagar, (not necessarily a bad thing), but no one sounds like Diamond David Lee Roth !!! A Diamond in the ruff. 😊

[@jasonmatthews806]

I miss that whistle register but i really dig the lower register he started using around 96 on Me Wise Magic. Well really bout 94 he started belting notes he used to hit in falsetto on Your Filthy Little Mouth. It became apparent he had more range than he ever showed im VH around 98 om songs like Slam Dunk! He sounded really good on that album.

[@GordianKnotProject]

Alright, one second, you're saying that his singing in the first part makes no rhythmic sense. I'm a drummer and all the Plosives and Hard Sounds fall on the 1 - you can literally bob your head to those vocals.

[@MissRubySFO]

I’ll probably be beat up for this, but I was never really a fan of Van Halen. Mainly because I didn’t appreciate David Lee Roth’s vocals. Instrumentally they were fabulous!

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for listening. Rock on!

[@adrianlee3497]

Groovy Gal; I didn't either lol. :)

[@Art-ks6uh]

Hello Mr Ken Thanks for your video, your explanation is really good. That was a great band with your cousin Mr Sammy and that was also a great band with Mr David. We were lucky to have both in the band

[@Fuel2Fireband]

Great analysis once again Ken, my opinion DRL was a great frontman and entertainer but his voice not so good but what he lacked in the vocals he certaintly made up for with his stage presence. For me Sammy was better an alround singer and musician. I want to see a collab between you and your cousin Sammy doing There's only one way to rock.

[@kenlong4616]

The Rock Today Sucks, its horrible. They need to stop making so much dark S#@$ Today unless it's mandatory from the big exex it's horrible Nothing like good old Rock and VH boys were the Best in that field.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on, Ken!

[@kenlong4616]

@@kentamplin thanks sir and you as well

[@garse70]

DLR has more range than Sammy.you know it, I know it. I respect the Sammy stuff, but c’mon. Diamond Dave is more original

[@hannanurmhein4097]

Hi. just cheked this out. Interesting toughts you have here. And it just so hapens that I was suggested by youtube to see this video after an interview of DLR where he himself points out that his talent as a singer is questionable but he makes his living out of making people smile.

[@EsteemHisWord]

I never liked David Lee Roths singing, I only listen for the lead guitar parts Eddy performed

[@mikeholmed7029]

DLR's, l aint got nobody showcases DLR's crooner voice. your talking about Ken. And on that song DLR is scatting also. It pays tribute to the past crooners.

[@raymondpilarczyk2773]

You can say what you want, but Ken you don't sing Dave as well as Dave does. Mick Jagger has the same unique voice

[@BrianOates]

American Idol and others like it have skewed many young people to think that being a good singer equals success. In rock or pop the voice has to have something unique and memorable, not just ability to hit notes. So many talent show winners fall back into obscurity when they don’t have songwriting to back them up or something that separates them from the crowd of nameless good singers that work in the industry. People will argue about why some kid should have won a talent show but within a year or so he or she will be old news. Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Sting, and all the singers with long careers know how to tell a story in their songs so it sticks in our memories.

[@philipbottomley2537]

I’d rather have the rock and roll attitude David Lee Roth brings to the band over a trained vocalist. Instrumentally, everyone is so tight and in the pocket and technically proficient. I feel that David Lee Roth was good enough but also made Van Halen more appealing to a wider range of listeners because he didn’t take himself too seriously.

[@highlighted_reply]

My opinion for years on Dave's presentation is that he would like to be a singer like Robert Plant, but being realistic he looked to Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas for inspiration to get the most entertainment value out of the voice and ability he has. The isolated track really reminds me of Jim Dandy.

[@TurboBuRick]

Right you are Ken But I have to tell you, he sounds better than you brotherman. LOL Back then anyways. Hahahahaha! You smoke him now though !

[@joebadgley3630]

You can see how much you love what you do, very cool! IMO Diamond Dave was VH, as great as Ed and Sam were and are Dave made what VH was and what made it so to speak! The unique sound and style not great by singing standards but great for a rock singer and this band.

[@anz2441]

DLR was the master of his own domain...pure and simple....can or could Brian Johnson sing, lol....how many other rock singers could actually sing ? Its about attitude, personality, rawness, and again...Attitude and, add a healthy dose of Swagger. Yes Sammy could "sing" .. but that era cant hold a candle to the Roth era...Great videos and explanations along the way as well. You are incredibly gifted and very knowledgeable in your craft. God Bless

[@kentamplin]

Rock on! 😊

[@ged6975]

Yup...all personality and attitude for sure!! But it works!! It's Rock!

[@ronduckett5017]

Dave could hit 5 octaves and 3 notes. Very few rockers had that ability!!! They weren't cool as Dave either!!!

[@aldefleppardbangkokcrispyc3623]

David is unlike no other???? 😕 😕 he different he's special alright unique 😕 😕 🇬🇧 Dave put some real pants 👖 😳 on live ok you special guy you 😉 👌

[@W1NGXER0]

early VH was all about that swing. Dave was no exception. Dave is swinging through that whole song.

[@dampcarpet2607]

i read in david book that when they recorded jamie's cryin he didnt smoke or drink for a few days and when they started to record vocals his producer, said what's wrong with your voice and told him to go smoke a cigarette. he also talked about his aproach to singing, that he tried to get it in the first or second take or otherwise he'd overthink it try too hard to make it perfect.

[@kentamplin]

Wow.

[@theshapeexists]

I like Dave. He fit the band and created the fun, but he's the least talented member of the band. Even Eddie sang better. Mike and Sammy were absolute gold together when Sam joined

[@TwinCitiesOxygen]

Do you have any videos on whistle range? Love those DLR squeals.

[@kentamplin]

I don't

[@michaelondrusek3768]

This track doesn’t really highlight this, but DLR was an awesome and clever lyricist and had great phrasing as well.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@Eddie-In-Las-Vegas]

That's probably why live when Roth performs this song in concert he never re-produces this "ad-libbing" stuff that the audience is waiting to hear like it sounds on the record. He really can't because when it was originally recorded it was all just off the cuff what he was doing and saying that to him it isn't something he would naturally repeat, but for the songs sake and for the recordings sake we as fans who have heard it a million times like it was recorded, want to hear Roth doing that rant that he does so well in this song and other songs where he is doing stuff like this. You kinda feel jipped as a concert goer and fan of the music when you aren't seeing or hearing what you have experienced listening to on the recorded track being done live on stage watching these guys do it in person.

[@joshuaachaibor1568]

Dave's voice was okay should have stopped doing all that coke

[@kentamplin]

But. it was the 80s in L.A....

[@elluchadoresrojo5098]

Please do one of Michael Starr from Steel Panther, I love your videos

[@kentamplin]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[@alecunkel2471]

i personally think roth was every bit as good as sammy in the studio, they were both s+ tier, absolute best with different styles. as far as singing on stage sammy was clearly better

[@ahs314]

How about earth song by Michael Jackson?

[@kentamplin]

😀👍

[@stefanreiman3527]

Dave is Dave Diamond Dave Not the best singer but great show men and what a character He once said in an tv interview We are having a huge party backstage after the show We love our Fans So we gonna flip over the Stage So everbody can join the Party Lol What a guy

[@whataboutrob442]

I might have liked VH more if they had a more legitimate type of singer.

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@Motleymick]

You should do the DLR of today.... LMFAO!!!

[@kentamplin]

Rock on!

[@FrankieLovesElvis]

Ken, Do you think with some lessons, Dave could sing again?