Legendary Rock Band Scored Their First No. 1 Album After Losing Its Frontman

On March 24, 1986, the seventh studio album from legendary rock band Van Halen shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the first time.

5150 was a slight departure from the band's typical sound, including many more love songs and slow ballads in place of the hard rock Van Halen was known for. The reason for this major stylistic change is simple—less than a year before the album's release, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth left the band.

The reasons for Roth's departure have been disputed countless times over the decades, but there was clearly friction between Roth and his bandmates—particularly Eddie Van Halen, who was generally in charge of the group's creative direction. Roth officially quit in April 1985, leaving the band in search of a new frontman.

Sammy Hagar, previously of hit rock band Montrose, joined in July 1985 and immediately brought the group back together. He brought a much more laid-back aesthetic to the band's music, and 5150 was an immediate success that climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200—which Van Halen had never achieved before.

Their previous album, 1984, had been stalled at No. 2 behind Michael Jackson's Thriller, which dominated the charts that year. Ironically, Eddie van Halen also appeared on that album—he plays the guitar solo on Beat It, though his contribution is not credited as an official feature and he received no payment.

While critical reception for 5150 was initially mixed (Rolling Stone gave it just three stars), the album was a commercial giant that kept Van Halen in the cultural consciousness and allowed them to keep releasing hit singles for many years to come.

This new era of Van Halen was playfully refered to by fans as Van Hagar—incorporating the surname of new frontman Sammy Hagar. The singer reportedly even wanted to make this the band's official name for a period, but the Van Halen brothers refused, as he writes in his memoir.

5150 features hits such as "Why Can't This Be Love", "Dreams", "Good Enough", and the record's title track. It was the first Van Halen album to feature no instrumental songs, which contributed to the record's broader commercial appeal.

According to the RIAA, 5150 has reportedly sold over 6 million physical and digital copies in the decades since its release, making it 6x certified platinum. It remains Van Halen's most successful album to date, and proved that Sammy Hagar would be an invaluable addition to the band for many years to come.