12 Most Divisive Rock Albums Of All Time
4. 5150 - Van Halen
After 1984, Van Halen were left with a big problem. With their previous effort 1984 putting them on top of the charts, fans were taken aback when frontman David Lee Roth decided to strike off on his own. Finding someone to fill Roth's place behind the mic seemed near impossible, but 5150 showed the band putting their best foot forward with Sammy Hagar.
How did it pan out? Well...really good actually. Upon further inspection, 5150 is actually one of the band's more consistent releases, with Hagar putting his all into songs like "Dreams" and "Why Can't This Be Love." Some songs do sound like they could be leftovers from the Roth era, but the amount of effort Hagar puts into these tracks makes them feel like a fresh take on the Van Halen sound.
Most fans nowadays would put this album near the top of the band's discography, but at the time, many fans were not ready to let go of Roth's voice just yet. Though it did end up winning over many fans, 5150 was the album that marked a sea change in Van Halen's sound where the band could either sink or swim. They may have been pulled under, but the staying power of this record proved that they had their sea legs firmly intact.