10 Bands That Saved Their Career With One Album

Replacing a lead singer of your band seems like a near-impossible feat once you hit it big. With many people singling out the vocalist as the mouth of the group, it's almost unthinkable for a band to continue on without their star behind the mic. That kind of blow would be rough for any band, but David Lee Roth leaving Van Halen should have meant death.

Roth was one of the most charismatic vocalists in the rock sphere whose presence would be felt in every aspect of the band's new material. On the other hand, Eddie Van Halen knew the band would have another life after Sammy Hagar came down to jam with the guys. Not only could Sammy write and play guitar, but he also had a searing vocal delivery that stood apart from Roth's bluesy territory. Ducking into the studio, the band forged ahead with 5150, which became one of the biggest resurgences of the decade.

Across just nine tracks, Hagar proves to be the right guy for the job on songs like "Why Can't This Be Love" and "Dreams," which are some of the most emotional songs that the band had ever written up to that point. Any other band should have been finished after Roth's departure, but Van Halen were a much different beast than anyone could have imagined.