BROTHERS IN ARMS: You're Fired. "Right Now."

With all the drama over Van Halen's revolving door of lead vocalists, it's easy to forget the band actually has a couple of guys named Van Halen in it. Actually, now there are three: Alex Van Halen, brother Eddie Van Halen, and Eddie's son Wolfgang just joined David Lee Roth for a hugely successful tour, with an album possibly to follow. Unlike most of the families we've talked about this week, the Van Halen clan is more united than ever. Their relationships with their singers, however, have been a little rockier.

The band's classic lineup featured Eddie on guitar and Alex on drums, plus Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. This quartet, the "real" Van Halen, became one of the biggest bands in the world. From 1978 to 1985, they made hard rock history with "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love," "Jamie's Cryin'," and "Runnin' With the Devil." The band's sound was heavy but hooky, earth-shaking but radio-friendly, with Eddie's frenetic fingertapping and Roth's flamboyant antics as instantly recognizable hallmarks.

I'll skip to the turmoil that followed: Roth left, to be replaced by the more tasteful but less fun Sammy Hagar. Hagar either left or was fired a decade later (nobody seems to agree), Roth rejoined for about a day, then Gary Cherone signed on, then Hagar again, then Roth again. For the latest tour, the Van Halens fired Michael Anthony and replaced him with 16-year-old Wolfgang.

What's more interesting to me than Van Halen's human resources issues is their influence. Van Halen is a great band that had a terrible effect on rock music. They did something very, very well, which inspired a lot of other bands to do the same thing badly. Eddie's guitar squeals, the fat keyboard riffs, Roth's lovable stupidity; all of these things were fine and dandy when done by VH, but pretty soon, we had to endure Motley Crue and Def Leppard. The hair just kept getting bigger, the lyrics kept getting dumber, and the '80s quickly became the worst decade for rock and roll so far. I can't think of another band that cast such a damaging shadow while actually making good music themselves.

But every silver lining has its cloud. Van Halen have sold over 80 million records, and not just to the people you'd think. Deep down, we all like our rock and roll a little stupid sometimes.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Beautiful Girls" by Van Halen
AVAILABLE ON: Van Halen II; iTunes