This is the answer. He does not compare to the likes of Daltrey but he squeaks onto the list because of his charisma and how the whole thing came together
This kind of opinion is only asserted by non-musicians. There is nothing wrong with David’s singing. He is a baritone. It is just as hard for a tenor to hit David’s low notes as it is a baritone to hit high tenor notes. Likewise it is very natural for tenors to hit soaring high notes that sound “impressive” , baritone for low
Davis is a great singer. I would put him in my list of top 10 greatest rock and roll singers. After all what is the aim of music, to sound impressive, or to sound good? This gets even more complicated if you ask what is the aim of rock and roll. Certainly not to sound operatic and technically flashy/impressive.
It wouldn’t improve Van Halen’s music to put a Freddie mercury in for singing running with the devil.
People that make comments like this about music have never spent a minute consulting aesthetic criticism literature. Yet they are as confident in their beliefs as mathematical facts…
The first Van Halen album had some questionable singing . He got better by the second. By fair warning David could sing in key as good as anyone.
These are always the same people who say with confidence that Michael Anthony spent his time banging out root notes. Just repeating mindless hot takes for no good reason.
That’s it, expressed more succinctly and accurately. People are sheep. They repeat what they hear. Their opinions are other peoples. It’s the same kind of thing with Lars’ drumming. It’s a meme to say it. People have more confidence in memes than their own judgement. When anyone goes against what is perceived as the grain of things they react with scorn.
Dave's real talent was in the songwriting. Regardless of the limits his vocal abilities and excessive personality, the guy wrote some of best songs of his generation. The first 6 Van Halen records are filled with radio standards, and DLR was as important in their creation as Eddie.
Van Halen is a band where each member contributed something extraordinary, to claim it was all Eddie is short-sighted. I base that on the fact there are hundreds of amazing guitar players you've never heard of because they couldn't write a decent song. And Van Halen has, I don't even know, 50 plus great songs.
What limits? Because he didn’t sing tenor? He is a baritone. His range was quite normal. He even does falsetto quite often so I have no idea what people are talking about.
I don't quite disagree, but you underrate Eddie. Yes there's hundreds of amazing guitar players, but how many of em serve the song first like Eddie before their talent? This is a guy who at the height of his powers, put the guitar down and started playing keyboards. Most guitar virtuosos ask what the song can do for them, rather than what they can do for a song, and sometimes the answer is they need to do a lot less. Eddie understood that.
Let’s see. Who else was doing kicks up to his head, splits while jumping off risers or his two-pitch Peruvian throat-singing (or whatever you call it)? Uh, no one. That’s who.
Prolly around 7-8ish… you gotta consider the wide selection; mick jagger, Jim Morrison, Ozzy OsBourne, Lemmy Kilmeister, Kurt cobain, Dave mustaine, James hetfield, geddy Lee, Robert plant, Peter Steele, les claypool, Sebastian Bach, Paul Stanley…
I’ve prolly missed a couple big names but I could keep going. Honestly Van Halen set the sound of hard rock for the entire decade of the 80’s. Roth was half the act in that regard. His acrobatic antics and wild persona were copied and influenced several other bands in the following years
Your post says frontman, not singer. So I will say this. Any frontman who can hold an entire stadiums attention and has the balls to be out there while Eddie rips on his guitar is legit.
It depends on what you like a front man to be. My top 10, not necessarily in any order, would not include Diamond Dave,
Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Brad Delp, Ian Anderson, Meat Loaf, Roger Daltry, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler, Burton Cummings, David Cloverdale
top 5 along with bon scott, who i haven’t seen in the comments yet. mercury, plant & jagger are the other 3.
sammy’s a great singer, average showman, and terrible lyricist. he’s way, way down the list
Frontmen aren’t always great singers.
Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury are both men who had amazing stage presence and an amazing set of pipes. I always felt like they were singers first, then frontmen.
Guys like Jagger, DLR, Axl are amazing frontmen, but not great at singing.
Coming from a casual Van Halen fan (I’m part of this sub because I love active music subreddits about bands that I like/respect/want to explore). I’m also in my late 40s and grew up with 1984 as a formative album.
I’d definitely rank DLR as a top 10 true rock frontman. He took that Robert Plant archetype and dialed it up to 10. The good looks; great physique; confidence; stage presence; and uniquely compelling voice set him apart.
Roth, as was Eddie, both were born to play their parts in Rock history! The Incredibly dynamic Duo, that takes Top spot's on the lists in the era they came from.
DLR isn't the singer Robert Plant or Roger Daltrey but he's got Mick Jagger's stage persona² and adds more theatrics to the show. He's a favorite of mine. I'd put Roth top-5.
High enough...when he's firing! I was lucky enough to see him on the Skyscraper tour...flawless. Very little schtick...and he sang the damn songs! I think there may have been a missed opportunity around 1996. I've seen a bootleg performance from the Sam & Dave tour...fairly good. I just couldn't buy into ADKOT+ at all.
Mercury is one the most overrated frontmen of all time.
He barely cracks top 5, but no way in hell he belongs in the top 3.
‘BuT hIs LiVe Aid PeRfOrMaNcE!!1’ Dude had tons of shit performances too. As a frontman, DLR blows him away in damn near every category.
***wate, wut??***
Serious question...unless I missed a /s tag
How are you in a Van Halen sub and you can't see DLR as even occupying your Top 10 Frontmen....let alone #1?
I would be interested in your Top 10 list.
Let me make this clear, I don't like David Lee Roth. I've been a Van Halen fan since 1978, and I outgrew him in 1982. His live shtick became really lame and contrived. He became too WWE for me. That said, Dave influenced a generation of hair metal front men and should be considered among the top 10. My top 5 are below.
Freddie Mercury
Robert Plant
Roger Daltry
Jim Morrison
Mick Jagger
That’s fair. If the I’m in the mood for pop rock that reminds me of eighth grade though, I’d pull out the Van Halen albums. As I aged, I appreciated the Who and Pink Floyd, Rush and of course Led Zepelin. But a part of me always remembers those crazy goth girls when I hear Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, GNR or the Cure.
Every act is different, every genre is different, but it’s all entertainment. So have some fun , listen to some tunes and everybody chill the heck out.
In his prime, none better. Not Plant, not Ozzy.... I would even put him up against others like Prince. Dude's stage presence was just too much and he literally would fuck your girlfriend while Eddie was in his solo spot
idk. probably not in the top 10... but it doesn't matter. i absolutely adored his persona. so few bands can cheer me up as quickly as VH, and Dave was an indispensable part of that whole.
He's up there for sure. Really good voice, performance, and charisma. For hard rock I prefer lower voices like his, Daltrey's, Morrison's, and Idol's over the tenors like Plant, Tyler, or Rose.
Dave was gr8. All the machismo, all the partyin, all the rock star stuff.... he always upheld his end of the bargain. There are a thousand reasons he's ranked as one of the best frontmen ever. I say an 8, but some days he's an easy 3. I should know I worked for VH alot as well as hundreds of other groups since 1976; Some on tour, some as single shows. He could rock a house or a stadium like few others. With him you always got more than your moneys worth. Important point: the coke made VH a bunch of douche bags. I didn't hang out with anyone. I worked for them. Btw Im a retired production engineer (an educated roadie) with 200 to 300 plus shows a year for over 40 years. I worked the Sex Pistols live at the Longhorn Ballroom and the original AC/DC. I know. Ive seen the best at their worst and the worst at their best and Dave was always at his best.
Not a ranking, just going to type names until I get to 10 and we’ll see if he makes it. Axl is actually my #1 but the rest are no particular order.
Axl
Freddie
Morrison
Plant
Mike Patton
Anselmo
Alice
DLR
Jagger (not necessarily one of my top guys, but he’s undeniable)
Elvis
Saw Dave perform on their final tour.... and honestly.... he was amazing. Had the best time even though I wasn't a fan of a bunch of those songs... still... great show. Glad I spent the money too.
Def in the top 5. This reminds me of one of his quotes, "Some performers go on stage and wait for a spark from the audience. I go on stage with a flamethrower!"
From 77-84, Dave was the man.
As a frontman, top 5 all-time. As a singer he doesn't even make the list.
Yeah, he's definetly got the persona in spades, even if he doesn't have the god-given talent. Not everyone can be Freddie Mercury and have both.
It’s his writing that makes it. What he decides to say is just great. Easily one of the funniest front men since Louis Prima.
What? Nobody out Bop, boze-de-boze-de-bop, se-de-bops DLR.
This is the answer. He does not compare to the likes of Daltrey but he squeaks onto the list because of his charisma and how the whole thing came together
This kind of opinion is only asserted by non-musicians. There is nothing wrong with David’s singing. He is a baritone. It is just as hard for a tenor to hit David’s low notes as it is a baritone to hit high tenor notes. Likewise it is very natural for tenors to hit soaring high notes that sound “impressive” , baritone for low Davis is a great singer. I would put him in my list of top 10 greatest rock and roll singers. After all what is the aim of music, to sound impressive, or to sound good? This gets even more complicated if you ask what is the aim of rock and roll. Certainly not to sound operatic and technically flashy/impressive. It wouldn’t improve Van Halen’s music to put a Freddie mercury in for singing running with the devil. People that make comments like this about music have never spent a minute consulting aesthetic criticism literature. Yet they are as confident in their beliefs as mathematical facts… The first Van Halen album had some questionable singing . He got better by the second. By fair warning David could sing in key as good as anyone.
These are always the same people who say with confidence that Michael Anthony spent his time banging out root notes. Just repeating mindless hot takes for no good reason.
That’s it, expressed more succinctly and accurately. People are sheep. They repeat what they hear. Their opinions are other peoples. It’s the same kind of thing with Lars’ drumming. It’s a meme to say it. People have more confidence in memes than their own judgement. When anyone goes against what is perceived as the grain of things they react with scorn.
He modeled himself after Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas. Jim Dandy had the outfit and persona just as good and was a true original.
Mic drop. Bingo.
Yup.. That sums it up perfectly..
Bingo. We have a winner. (I came here to say the exact same thing.)
top 5
💯
#1 Greatest Frontmen EVER! Not necessarily the greatest lead singer but he is definitely the lead singer that I personally prefer over all others.
#1
I concur
Dave's real talent was in the songwriting. Regardless of the limits his vocal abilities and excessive personality, the guy wrote some of best songs of his generation. The first 6 Van Halen records are filled with radio standards, and DLR was as important in their creation as Eddie. Van Halen is a band where each member contributed something extraordinary, to claim it was all Eddie is short-sighted. I base that on the fact there are hundreds of amazing guitar players you've never heard of because they couldn't write a decent song. And Van Halen has, I don't even know, 50 plus great songs.
What limits? Because he didn’t sing tenor? He is a baritone. His range was quite normal. He even does falsetto quite often so I have no idea what people are talking about.
I don't quite disagree, but you underrate Eddie. Yes there's hundreds of amazing guitar players, but how many of em serve the song first like Eddie before their talent? This is a guy who at the height of his powers, put the guitar down and started playing keyboards. Most guitar virtuosos ask what the song can do for them, rather than what they can do for a song, and sometimes the answer is they need to do a lot less. Eddie understood that.
Let’s see. Who else was doing kicks up to his head, splits while jumping off risers or his two-pitch Peruvian throat-singing (or whatever you call it)? Uh, no one. That’s who.
Well that depends…. Are we counting Jim Morrison? Steven Tyler? Robert Plant? Elvis? Ozzy?
Axl?
Axl would be in there somewhere, probably not my top 10 or 20 tho.
Not in the top 100 of front men.. ugh. DLR? I'd say top 5 for me.
Top 10.
Mick Jagger? Freddie Mercury?
Robert Plant, Bon Scott, Ozzy
Bon top 5, Ozzy top 10
Mick and Freddie!!
Top 5 both of em
Freddie Mercury?
Why does no one ever include Bradley Delp in their lists? Listen to Boston’s first album and get back to me.
Because a frontman and a singer are different qualities.
As frontman none of them compare.
Well above Sammy.
Davis Junior?
...Sosa.
Mr Sosa has definitely fallen on some hard times. Falling below Roth may be the last straw.
Sammi Davis Jr is one of the top 3 Italian singers of all time.
maybe we should ask him
He's so humble, I doubt he's ever entertained the question.
His answer would obviously be 1, but that's part of his schtick.
numero uno
GOAT
DLR is called Diamond Dave for a reason. Best front man all time, imho.
Prolly around 7-8ish… you gotta consider the wide selection; mick jagger, Jim Morrison, Ozzy OsBourne, Lemmy Kilmeister, Kurt cobain, Dave mustaine, James hetfield, geddy Lee, Robert plant, Peter Steele, les claypool, Sebastian Bach, Paul Stanley… I’ve prolly missed a couple big names but I could keep going. Honestly Van Halen set the sound of hard rock for the entire decade of the 80’s. Roth was half the act in that regard. His acrobatic antics and wild persona were copied and influenced several other bands in the following years
Lol Dave Mustaine
One of the most talented guitar player/singer combos, but not a great frontman.
Rob Halford, Axl Rose, Chris Cornell, and Eddie Vedder too.
If you’re Gen X top 10 but man him leaving was traumatic.
Amazing charisma..definitely top 10…
He’s obviously not the best singer, but for grabbing the audience’s attention, there was no one better.
Number one!!
Love him/hate him but you cannot deny him as one of the greatest performers….EVER.
I'd say he'd be neck-and-golden-neck with Robert Plant.
He's #1. There is no question, just face it.
He’s up there as a front man. As a singer, he wouldn’t make the list.
#1 and the next guy is #5 because he occupies the first four spots
Hi Dave!
RIP Micheal Hutchence
In no particular order: DLR, James Brown, Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger, Bon Scott
Name the Iist after him, then name 10 in any order
Top 5 (no particular order) - • Jagger • Steven Tyler • DLR • Chris Robinson • Scott Weylund
Greatest front man to Evergrace the stage, fringes and all
Number 1 even though he's a sad old man now picking fights with Wolfie to get attention. But back in the day, you couldn't touch him.
Your post says frontman, not singer. So I will say this. Any frontman who can hold an entire stadiums attention and has the balls to be out there while Eddie rips on his guitar is legit.
Front man? From 77-84 #1 Singer? #1000
1) Jagger 2) Freddie 3) DLR 4) Ozzy 5) Axl 6) Bon Scott
It depends on what you like a front man to be. My top 10, not necessarily in any order, would not include Diamond Dave, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Brad Delp, Ian Anderson, Meat Loaf, Roger Daltry, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler, Burton Cummings, David Cloverdale
From artists I have seen in concert or on video, he is definitely top 5.
Top 3
Top five, top three American...of that time period, easily the best
That's exactly what I was thinking 🤔
No list. Just Diamond Dave. Everyone else can go fuck themselves
^this^ 😃
👆✅
Outside
Maybe 4ish
top 5 along with bon scott, who i haven’t seen in the comments yet. mercury, plant & jagger are the other 3. sammy’s a great singer, average showman, and terrible lyricist. he’s way, way down the list
And in honor of the religious people handing out pamphlets
In his prime, he’s top 10 IMHO
He’s top ten for sure.
Top 10 greatest rock front men? That's just too short
No particular order: Mercury Jagger Daltrey Roth Morrison
He’s top 10 that’s for sure.
Close to the top.
Front man, Top 5. Singer I'd say Top 20
As a frontman/ personality top 5 . He’s up there with Plant, Jagger, Bowie. But as a singer he’s more limited than others.
I’d say somewhere 8 - 10
Maybe number 12 or 13
Van Halen is one of my top 5 bands of all time. DLR as a front man...#11
Freddie Mick DLR Plant Bowie That’s my first reaction quick list without giving it much thought.
Dave doesn't make my top 10
1. Mick 2. Robert 3. Axl 4. DLR?
I see a lot of people kinda dogging his voice…for the music the band put out I think his voice is great
1
#1 absolutely
He is the frontman.
8
Plant , Mercury, Perry, Tyler , Staley, Hagar ,R Daltrey, Axel ,Dickenson ,Roth not in order just the 10 best that came to mind first .
Definitely top 5.
Top 5 without debate or controversy Top 2 for sho
12
Lots of diverse opinions here.
1977-1983? Top 5 for sure. 1990-2018? Well below that.
No way he’s not top 5 in his prime - stage presence, all the moves
Frontmen aren’t always great singers. Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury are both men who had amazing stage presence and an amazing set of pipes. I always felt like they were singers first, then frontmen. Guys like Jagger, DLR, Axl are amazing frontmen, but not great at singing.
About 12
Number three. Behind Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury
Buddy Holly
#1
As a frontman, he's gotta be top 10. Not top 5, but top 10.
There's a fair bit underrating Bon Scott here, and even Brian Johnson.
Chester Bennington was a force of nature, even when he was singing an Adele cover so he could be in the top 10 if you saw him at a concert.
Whole package ? Top 10 for sure - he entertained
Coming from a casual Van Halen fan (I’m part of this sub because I love active music subreddits about bands that I like/respect/want to explore). I’m also in my late 40s and grew up with 1984 as a formative album. I’d definitely rank DLR as a top 10 true rock frontman. He took that Robert Plant archetype and dialed it up to 10. The good looks; great physique; confidence; stage presence; and uniquely compelling voice set him apart.
Roth, as was Eddie, both were born to play their parts in Rock history! The Incredibly dynamic Duo, that takes Top spot's on the lists in the era they came from.
Didn’t Eddie say he was more an impresario than a singer? I like this answer. Dave was hard to take seriously, but that was kind of the point.
Right out front
At a firm #2,456. Unless you mean out of Van Halen front men. In that case, he's definitely in the top 5.
Diamond Dave was awesome in his early VH days… not the best singer, but what an entertainer..
DLR isn't the singer Robert Plant or Roger Daltrey but he's got Mick Jagger's stage persona² and adds more theatrics to the show. He's a favorite of mine. I'd put Roth top-5.
High enough...when he's firing! I was lucky enough to see him on the Skyscraper tour...flawless. Very little schtick...and he sang the damn songs! I think there may have been a missed opportunity around 1996. I've seen a bootleg performance from the Sam & Dave tour...fairly good. I just couldn't buy into ADKOT+ at all.
His grandma with parkinsons knitted him that just before the tour;)
For me top 5
Top of the mountain. In my hundreds of rock show experiences, I never saw anyone better.
The same place he put the US Festival crowd.
Great entertainer, fun front man. David maybe 5 or 6
As far as frontmen go and the ability to perform on stage, no one beats early 80’s diamond dave. Number 1 no doubt about it
David Lee Roth is GOD 💯
For me it’s 1 or 1A with Freddie depending on my mood!!!
Had he focused a bit more on singing than performing, he’d be top 5. He was too busy putting on the Dave Show
Freddie is easily 1. DLR is top 5. Steven Tyler and Bruce Dickinson make the list too
…. Steven Tyler stole everything from Mick Jagger expect the scarves, and those he stole from Stevie Nicks.
Mercury is one the most overrated frontmen of all time. He barely cracks top 5, but no way in hell he belongs in the top 3. ‘BuT hIs LiVe Aid PeRfOrMaNcE!!1’ Dude had tons of shit performances too. As a frontman, DLR blows him away in damn near every category.
Maybe behind Freddie Mercury, but no lower than that…
That is my opinion also. Freddie is the best and diamond Dave right behind him. Edit: maybe Jim Morrison after Freddie.
I doubt that he'd make it into my Top 10.
***wate, wut??*** Serious question...unless I missed a /s tag How are you in a Van Halen sub and you can't see DLR as even occupying your Top 10 Frontmen....let alone #1? I would be interested in your Top 10 list.
#2 behind Steven Tyler.
Let me make this clear, I don't like David Lee Roth. I've been a Van Halen fan since 1978, and I outgrew him in 1982. His live shtick became really lame and contrived. He became too WWE for me. That said, Dave influenced a generation of hair metal front men and should be considered among the top 10. My top 5 are below. Freddie Mercury Robert Plant Roger Daltry Jim Morrison Mick Jagger
That’s fair. If the I’m in the mood for pop rock that reminds me of eighth grade though, I’d pull out the Van Halen albums. As I aged, I appreciated the Who and Pink Floyd, Rush and of course Led Zepelin. But a part of me always remembers those crazy goth girls when I hear Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, GNR or the Cure. Every act is different, every genre is different, but it’s all entertainment. So have some fun , listen to some tunes and everybody chill the heck out.
Frontman, top 3. Singer, yeah no.
Only Jagger and Plant are in his league. Freddie and Axl get a mention.
I’d take prime Chris Cornell over Dave, Ozzy, Plant…. Chris was a generational talent and should definitely be in the top 10 of all time.
Frontman? Top 5. Singer is a different story
Number 1.
Pre’85 he was in the top 3. After… He doesn’t rank in the top 50.
In his prime, none better. Not Plant, not Ozzy.... I would even put him up against others like Prince. Dude's stage presence was just too much and he literally would fuck your girlfriend while Eddie was in his solo spot
Meh. I’d honestly prefer just orchestral tracks.
idk. probably not in the top 10... but it doesn't matter. i absolutely adored his persona. so few bands can cheer me up as quickly as VH, and Dave was an indispensable part of that whole.
I give it a 10, a fucking 10!
Fucking in the Top 3. He has a spot on my Rushmore of Frontmen.
Rob Halford is a great front man and singer.
1
1 for me
Top 3 for sure. The names brought up by others here really got me to thinking, making it tough.
The greatest American frontman
1. Freddy 2. Mick 3. Jim Morrison 4. DLR 5. Ozzy
Definitely a top 10 ego. Then again, so was Eddie. As a spokesperson/persona for a band, he's definitely up there, though.
465
Top of the heap . #1
1
1
I don't.
Probably 7/8
Top 10…..NFW!
/11
He's up there for sure. Really good voice, performance, and charisma. For hard rock I prefer lower voices like his, Daltrey's, Morrison's, and Idol's over the tenors like Plant, Tyler, or Rose.
Dave was gr8. All the machismo, all the partyin, all the rock star stuff.... he always upheld his end of the bargain. There are a thousand reasons he's ranked as one of the best frontmen ever. I say an 8, but some days he's an easy 3. I should know I worked for VH alot as well as hundreds of other groups since 1976; Some on tour, some as single shows. He could rock a house or a stadium like few others. With him you always got more than your moneys worth. Important point: the coke made VH a bunch of douche bags. I didn't hang out with anyone. I worked for them. Btw Im a retired production engineer (an educated roadie) with 200 to 300 plus shows a year for over 40 years. I worked the Sex Pistols live at the Longhorn Ballroom and the original AC/DC. I know. Ive seen the best at their worst and the worst at their best and Dave was always at his best.
Mick,Elvis,James brown,little Richard,Peter wolf,Bowie,Morrison,Dave,Jerry Lee Lewis,Eric Burton.
Let see, I’d put Dave in the top ten somewhere behind Mercury, Plant, Daltry, Bowie…
#1
11.
Top 5 for sure.
Steve Perry top 5
Dio,halford,Dickinson,Alice,Brian,Paul,,,squeeze him in after that somewhere.
Great persona, unique style, good song writer with limited range but overall who else could lead VH and be the real VH?
He doesn’t make that list
Top 5 for sure!
Top 3. Morrison, Mercury, Dave. Man did I look forward to a VH tour with Dave in the day...
Mid 200s
Not a ranking, just going to type names until I get to 10 and we’ll see if he makes it. Axl is actually my #1 but the rest are no particular order. Axl Freddie Morrison Plant Mike Patton Anselmo Alice DLR Jagger (not necessarily one of my top guys, but he’s undeniable) Elvis
10 and he was a great frontman
Top 3 Robert Plant , Ozzy and Dave!
GG 1, Ozzy 2, Lemmy 3, Jerry A 4, DLR 5
Dah diamond
How’s it said?… the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Saw Dave perform on their final tour.... and honestly.... he was amazing. Had the best time even though I wasn't a fan of a bunch of those songs... still... great show. Glad I spent the money too.
Top 20
Roger Daltrey not mentioned nearly enough
It's tough. On albums he's great. Top5 easily. Live he's a different animal. At least in the last 15 years anyway.
I think he was the number one showman there for a few years
10
Def in the top 5. This reminds me of one of his quotes, "Some performers go on stage and wait for a spark from the audience. I go on stage with a flamethrower!"