Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve (HSAS) was a hard rock supergroup composed of lead singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Kenny Aaronson, and drummer Michael Shrieve. The ensemble rehearsed for fewer than thirty days prior to their live debut. Their sole release, a partially live album titled Through the Fire, was captured during two performances at The Warfield in San Francisco. This album includes a rendition of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
Formation
After Journey issued Frontiers in early 1983, guitarist Neal Schon aimed to collaborate with vocalist/guitarist Sammy Hagar, who had released Three Lock Box in late 1982 and then taken a three-month safari break. Schon and Hagar began assembling additional musicians to complete their lineup. Initially, drummer Denny Carmassi and bassist Tom Petersson joined but both left due to conflicting obligations.
Once Journey concluded its Frontiers tour (February–September 1983), Schon reunited with Hagar and brought in Kenny Aaronson on bass and Michael Shrieve on drums—Shrieve and Schon had previously worked together in Santana during the early 1970s.
Through the Fire
HSAS delivered live performances across the San Francisco Bay Area from November 9 through 21, 1983. Two shows at the San Jose Civic Center (November 14–15) were recorded and aired by MTV, although they were never officially issued on video. The Through the Fire album was edited to minimize audience noise but otherwise retained the live recordings intact.
A complete concert was also broadcast via radio through Westwood One. Several songs performed during these concerts did not appear on the album, including "Movin' In for the Kill" and "Since You Came"—the latter was later reimagined by Hagar as "The Love" on his 1999 record Red Voodoo.
The group's debut single, their cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1984. The promotional single "Top of the Rock" achieved No. 15 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, receiving considerable airplay across U.S. radio stations. Another promo single, "Missing You," reached No. 37 on the same chart.
In 1984, HSAS conducted a brief California tour, incorporating rhythm guitarist Nick Sciorsci for live performances.
Subsequent endeavors
HSAS produced only one album before Neal Schon returned to Journey, while Sammy Hagar recorded his VOA album and later became a member of Van Halen. Nearly two decades afterward, Hagar and Schon collaborated again in the short-lived Planet Us project, which featured former Van Halen bassist and future member of Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Michael Anthony.
Albums
- Through the Fire (1984)
Singles
- "Whiter Shade of Pale" (1984)