It is clearly evident after reading a few recent articles from DAVID LEE ROTH, and now reading the liner notes in Hagar's Hallelujah, that the two former VAN HALEN singers DO NOT get along. Period. End of discussion. What does that have to do with the review of a live Hagar disc? Well, not much, other than his performance is a lot more on target with any recorded material than anything Roth has ever released.
Sammy doesn't lean too heavily on Van Halen material; there's a nice mix of his solo material (pre and post-VH solo material) as well as five songs from his days with Ed and the boys. Of course, the obligatory "Mas Tequila" is thrown in so Sam can hawk his Cabo Wabo brand of tequila...which I will personally endorse as being one of the finer brands out there.
The songs are taken from a number of shows on the "Sam and Dave" tour, as well as some solo gigs. He claims he didn't dub any audience noise in, nor did he do any overdubs (who knows? he could be full of shit), but if that IS the case, Sam and the Waboritas do a damn fine job of reproducing these songs live. "Right Now" is done especially well, and Hagar's voice holds up very well through every song.
"Halleluliah" is the only studio track on the disc, and it's OK as far as Sammy Hagar songs go. Quite frankly, I like the live tracks better than "Halleluliah", and I would have liked to see something like "Stand Up" included than this song, which sounds like it rips off a DOORS keyboard solo.
A solid offering from a guy who spends a lot of time making tequila and playing golf in Cabo San Lucas...and occasionally plays a rock show.
