In the midst of uncertainty, guitarist Eddie Van Halen got a tip from an unlikely source: The mechanic working on his Lamborghini shared another rock ‘n’ roll client, singer Sammy Hagar, whom the band knew from Hagar’s days fronting Montrose. Although Hagar had gone on to become a solo artist in his own right, the idea proved too intriguing not to explore.

Hagar and Van Halen quickly hit it off, and after playing with Eddie and fellow VH co-founders Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, he knew he needed to join what he’d later refer to as “the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll band.” After being jilted by Roth, Hagar’s new bandmates took a quick shine to their freshly appointed singer’s powerful vocals — not to mention the fact that he could play guitar, adding another component to their live show. The overall effect, as Alex liked to quip in the days after Hagar’s arrival was announced, was like driving a Porsche after years of owning a Volkswagen.

“There was no real camaraderie [with Roth],” Alex told Creem. “I’m not saying that we fought all the time or anything like that, or that we hated each other, because that’s not the truth at all. It was basically a cut-and-dried, black-and-white situation. We looked at the structure and said, “Hey, this works – okay, so let’s do it.” Well, now we have something that feels right. And works.” “Dave is a very creative guy and working with him was no problem,” Eddie told Rolling Stone. “It was living with the guy.”