#17: "Three Lock Box" by Sammy Hagar

#17—Suckers walk, money talks...

Favorite Song: Your Love is Driving Me Crazy
Notable Tracks: Three Lock Box, Remote Love, Remember the Heroes, I Don't Need Love
Released: 1982
Chosen over: Rematch, Standing Hampton, Sammy Hagar (self-titled)

This was a really difficult selection for me just because there are great songs on the other three albums I own, notably: "I've Done Everything For You" on Rematch (written by Sammy but made famous by Rick Springfield); "Give to Live" and "Eagles Fly" on his self-titled album; and "I'll Fall in Love Again," "There's Only One Way to Rock," and "Heavy Metal" on Standing Hampton (which came in a close, close second in my selection process).

When it's that close, it's really all about which album is the first to get pulled out and laid upon the turntable, and when it comes to Sammy, it's always been Three Lock Box first and foremost for me. The thing I've always loved about Sammy is his complete lack of pretention. He plays guitar and sings and drinks and has a freaking great time doing it.

I thought Sammy was a perfect choice to replace David Lee Roth as the lead singer for Van Halen for that very reason; Diamond Dave's picture is in the dictionary next to the word "pretentious." When Sammy joined the band, they became one of the most fun bands to listen to and to see live. I finally got to see "Van Hagar" in the early nineties at Mizzou, and it's still one of the best shows I've every seen. It's a shame that personalities almost always eventually clash, and bands end. If there's any consistent message to be found in popular music, that lesson is one the most persistent.

Three Lock Box is the kind of album that you can play almost anywhere—in the car, at a party, on a date, hanging out with your buds on the weekend. All the songs are straightforward and uncomplicated, but never simplistic or insulting. I picked as my favorite "Your Love is Driving Me Crazy," the only hit single from the album, peaking at #13 on the Billboard charts, but in reality, the entirety of side one of the album is really my favorite. It's just a perfect blend of songs, and like so many others already visited on this countdown, it all sounds just as good on my stereo tonight as it did in my teenage bedroom in the early eighties.