I'm in the middle of a work crunch, and am consequently listening to a lot of AC/DC, Van Halen, and Joan Jett--I find that straightforward rock without a whiff of art gets me through projects with lightning speed.
As a result of this immersion, I have decided something:
The softening of Van Halen's RAWK is not the fault of Sammy Hagar.
While it is indisputable that the average rock quotient of the Roth years exceeds that of the Hagar years, this is a case of correlation without causality. "Jump", with its synth solo, already brought far less rock than "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", and that has one source: Eddie van Halen's increasing synth focus. I'm not saying that "When It's Love" would've happened on Roth's watch. But "Dreams" (with different words) would have. (Provided the other band members didn't eventually choke him to death on the tour bus.)
To blaspheme and give full disclosure: readers should bear in mind that in CCD, I would get angry when they said that God was Jesus' father; Joseph, after all, stuck around and raised him. So, I seem to be predisposed not to give much reverence to the ones who leave. I value fidelity over might.