Sammy Hagar recently opened up about his alternative career aspirations before joining Van Halen. He revealed his deep admiration for Pink Floyd in an interview with Louder Sound.
The rock legend discussed his ambitious plans for a progressive concept album that never came to fruition due to record label interference.
“When I left Montrose I wanted to be in a band like Pink Floyd so bad. I was gonna call myself ‘Sammy Wilde And Dustcloud’ and I was gonna do a concept record about outer space and aliens and all of that,” Hagar said. “I wrote songs like Crack In The World, Someone Out There, Hot Rocks and Silver Lights – that one was about the second coming of Jesus in a spaceship. They had a real progressive feel. But my producers and my record company wouldn’t let me do it, so I had to sprinkle these songs through my first few solo albums.”
Hagar also shared his personal connection to Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. He recalled their studio encounters.
“I really relate to David Gilmour as an artist. He’s a singer and a guitarist, and so am I. And Comfortably Numb has to be the greatest guitar solo ever. I’ve only met him once. Pink Floyd were making A Momentary Lapse Of Reason in the same studio as I was making my solo record Never Say Goodbye,” he continued. “I had seven Ferraris at the time, and I’d drive a different one to the studio every day. David and Nick Mason, who is a Ferrari collector, would be waiting outside to see what I would drive.”
The former Van Halen frontman concluded by drawing parallels between his relationship with Alex Van Halen and Gilmour’s situation with Roger Waters.
“I heard David Gilmour say he would never work with Roger Waters again. I feel the same way about Alex Van Halen. They’re just negative people. I think Dave Gilmour’s just like me – we’re positive guys,” Hagar said.
Hagar’s departure from Montrose in 1975 marked a pivotal moment that would eventually lead him to both his solo career and his later success with Van Halen. The circumstances surrounding his exit from the band provide crucial context for understanding his subsequent artistic ambitions.
Ultimate Classic Rock reported that Hagar left Montrose in February 1975 after mounting tensions between himself and guitarist Ronnie Montrose reached a boiling point during the band’s European tour. The conflicts centered around creative differences and the band’s musical direction. Both musicians had strong opinions about songwriting and artistic control.
Classic Rock Review noted that the fractious state of band relations was reflected in the songs written and recorded for their second album “Paper Money.” This was influenced by Ronnie Montrose’s desire to broaden the band’s musical scope beyond their hard rock origins.
The original Montrose lineup had achieved significant success. Sammy Hagar’s official website confirmed that their debut album went platinum and has been recognized as one of the first American heavy metal albums. This success made the band’s eventual implosion all the more significant in rock history.
Despite the acrimonious split, Hagar has reflected positively on Montrose’s legacy. He called their first album “one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time” in interviews about Ronnie Montrose’s life and career impact on the genre.
