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5150 is the seventh studio album by the American hard rock band Van Halen, released March 24, 1986 on Warner Bros. Records. The album is best known as the first of the group's recordings to feature lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, who replaced founding vocalist David Lee Roth. 5150 was a critical and commercial success, and became the first Van Halen album to reach #1 on the U.S. charts. The album produced the hit singles "Why Can't This Be Love," "Love Walks In," and "Dreams."

The album is just as notable for the lineup change as it is for the reinvention of Van Halen's established hard rock formula. Like its predecessors, 5150 features guitarist Eddie Van Halen's signature style of guitar playing-although this time the band also made greater use of synthesized keyboards, electronic drums, and sequencers to produce a slick and melodic arena rock sound. In an attempt to keep the lineup change from overshadowing the music of 5150, the band chose not to produce any music videos for the album's singles.

The album's title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Section 5150, a California law which allows the involuntary admission of an individual to a psychiatric facility for a "72 hour period of treatment and evaluation," and it is also the name of Eddie Van Halen's home studio where the album was recorded. Through the years, the title 5150 has also become a commercial trademark for the guitarist, who has endorsed electric guitars and amplifiers bearing the name. Although Hagar's replacement of David Lee Roth was controversial for a band of Van Halen's stature, the band retained its popularity and launched a successful North Amercian tour. As a Rolling Stone reviewer wrote: " It's a Van Halen world with or without David Lee Roth, and 5150 shoots off all the bombastic fireworks of a band at the peak of its powers. The Van Halen brothers are back in business." As of 2017, 5150 has sold six million albums worldwide.

Background
Van Halen had achieved mainstream superstardom with their smash album 1984, number one hit single "Jump.", and several heavily-aired music videos. But long-standing creative differences arose when the band attempted to write and record their follow up album, setting the stage for one of the most infamous (and least understood) breakups in rock history.

Years of non-stop touring and recording and had taken their toll on Van Halen, and the conclusion of the 1984 tour found vocalist David Lee Roth increasingly out of sync with his exhausted band. Eager to sustain momentum, Roth pushed guitarist Eddie Van Halen to write and demo new material, but his efforts ultimately proved fruitless due to the guitarist's lack of availability and unwillingness to work. With the band apparently on a self-imposed hiatus, Roth grew frustrated with the situation and in late 1984 began work on a solo album and film development project. He released his first solo recording, an EP-length collection of cover songs entitled Crazy From The Heat, in late Jaunuary, 1985. The album was an immediate success, with Roth's covers of the Beach Boys' "California Girls" and Louis Prima's "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" reaching #3 and #12 on the U.S. Charts, respectively.

Although Crazy From The Heat was a personal and professional success for Roth (who also conceived and directed music videos for the songs, which received heavy rotation on MTV), the project fueled media speculation concerning his future with Van Halen. In early 1985, when asked by comedian David Letterman if the band was "breaking up," Roth replied, "No, no. I've got very strong tribal instincts, and we'll be going back in the studio in the middle of this month to start arguing again."

Track Listing

 * 1) "Good Enough" - 4:00
 * 2) "Why Can't This Be Love" - 3:45
 * 3) "Get Up" - 4:35
 * 4) "Dreams" - 4:54
 * 5) "Summer Nights" - 5:04
 * 6) "Best Of Both Worlds" - 4:49
 * 7) "Love Walks In" - 5:09
 * 8) "'5150'" - 5:44
 * 9) "Inside" - 5:02

Personnel

 * Sammy Hagar - vocals
 * Edward Van Halen - guitar
 * Alex Van Halen - drums
 * Michael Anthony - bass guitar