Van Halen had one collective talent above anything else. They could make themselves unavoidable. Whether it was through Eddie van Halen’s guitar playing or David Lee Roth’s showmanship, this heavy metal band could not be ignored.

Today I’m pitting Roth’s sung records against Hagar’s, reevaluating “Van Halen III,” sharpening my lacking double-tapping technique and ranking Van Halen’s discography from their worst albums to their very best.

Van Halen Albums Ranked

12. “Balance” (1995) – The worst Van Halen album

Van Halen had, essentially, been making the same album for a while. But with “Balance,” the fans finally realized it. Still, while it’s Van Halen by numbers, “Balance” includes some fine moments from Eddie.

These instants are available as they are on all of the band’s previous Van Halen albums. But this time, I think, they’re buried under a rubble of half-baked ideas.

“Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” and “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” were moderate hits. However, from the title to the execution, they feel like the kind of songs Hagar had written many times before. They were still occasionally featured on MTV or Rolling Stone Magazine, but rarely in a bid to bring young viewers or readers to the party.

Despite this, the band remained successful, albeit unfriendly to each other. Hagar was ousted from the band nearly a decade after they began collaborating.

In the following decades, he and Roth would be in and out of the bands for small pockets of time. But few fans could contest that the band’s best work was that made before 1984.

11. “Van Halen III” (1998)

While Gary Cherone is a fine vocalist, “Van Halen III” often feels like a scattershot of radio-friendly ideas that don’t coalesce enough to make this album a strong comeback.

Still, the reputation of “Van Halen III” as a horrendous release may be unfair. There are moments when the band sound energized for the first time in years. And, footage of the band playing live proves that Cherone could do justice to both Hagar’s singing and Roth’s showmanship.

“Without You” and “Josephina” aren’t bad tracks. But the terrible reviews and fan reaction that the album received meant that Van Halen’s third incarnation would be short.

10. “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” (1991)

Whatever music Eddie van Halen played guitar on for most of his career became a hit. “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” is no exception, despite the fact that Hagar hasn’t been pushing original ideas for a while.

This means that, like the silly pun of the album’s title, most of the songs are predictable allusions to sex. “Poundcake” might be the best tune here, but it also feels like something Spinal Tap might have concocted.

Then again, this is the same man responsible for “Can’t Drive 55” and Chickenfoot. I admire his spirit and singing ability, but it’s hard to like the songs.

When Hagar is not talking about sex, he is encouraging his audience to have a positive mindset. “Right Now” became a pro-voting anthem, another hit for the Van Halen organization.

9. “OU812” (1988)

On “OU812,” Van Halen continued their easy-going hard-rock style and produced a handful of new hit singles. While as technically advanced as ever, many of the songs are beginning to sound predictable.

Much of this may well have to do with singer Sammy Hagar. While Hagar is clearly a more advanced vocalist than David Lee Roth, his vision for song lyrics rarely extends past the themes of love, cars, and girls.

“When It’s Love” and “Finish What Ya Started” are relatively strong singles, however, and maintained Van Halen’s popularity long after Roth had lost his.

8. “5150” (1986)

Eddie van Halen always simply wanted to play his guitar without dealing with the music industry’s hassles. “5150” allows the band to pair up with a competent singer, Sammy Hagar, and deliver a strong collection of pop-rock songs.

“5150” was named after Eddie van Halen’s studio. But to mistake this for the sole creation of Eddie would be unfair. Hagar, a veteran of the hard-rock scene, instantly contributes songs and helps change the band’s sound.

“Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Dreams” showcased Hagar’s powerful vocals but also took the band down a tamer, more predictable direction than their previous records.

In fact, throughout most of the 1980s, Eddie seems to be happy playing his guitar regardless of the material being presented to the public. It’s a conundrum many virtuoso musicians have faced, sure.

But the Hagar-sung love songs had commercial appeal. Very few bands have achieved global success with two different singers. Van Halen managed this and kept Eddie’s guitar solos in place but lost some of the party-animal edge of their early records.

7. “Diver Down” (1982)

“Diver Down” was a hastily assembled album meant to accompany the successful “Oh, Pretty Woman” single. While still fun, the band’s rush to put out a product before the deadline can’t be missed.

The majority of the songs are also cover songs. Most of them are, most likely, picked by David Lee Roth. “Dancing in the Street” and “Where Have All The Good Times Gone!” are a blast. But they also leave many fans wondering if the band’s not phoning it in. The answer is “yes.”

“Diver Down” would also mark the first serious rift between Roth and the rest of the musicians. Van Halen’s intense touring schedule did not help the tensions.

While the touring and the covers had taken their toll on the band members’ relationships, they had also helped Van Halen become one of the world’s biggest bands. “Diver Down” is a souvenir of that era rather than a rock album.

And, indeed, at their peak, in a live context Van Halen was a thing that had to be experienced to be believed. The band that had grown up and developed playing covers at backyard parties were masters of jamming out songs in front of tens of thousands of people.

But, while these jams, in the hands of most other bands, would leave the audiences clapping politely, in Van Halen’s case, usually resulted in jaws dropping to the floor. Mind you, by the point of “Diver Down,” the band was only a few years into their recording career and only a few years away from dismissing their singer. Still, the impact of their performances had and would not soften.

6. “A Different Kind of Truth” (2012)

“A Different Kind of Truth” delivers what most fans of Van Halen wanted. It features David Lee Roth, a classic Van Halen sound, and songs written primarily during the band’s peak.

This album marked the reunion of Han Halen with David Lee Roth after several failed and well-publicized attempts at getting the group back together.

However, what allowed the band to consider burying the hatchet didn’t involve any original members. Rather it was Wolfgang van Halen, Eddie’s son, who campaigned for this to happen.

This means that Wolfgang replaces long-time bassist Michael Anthony. But, for the most part, bar Anthony’s trademark backing vocals, the band sounds as it did at its best.

Songs like “Tattoo” or “She’s the Woman” are short, fun, and to the point. They allow “A Different Kind of Truth” to be a pleasant walk down memory lane without ever delving too deep into dark melancholy for the past. It’s a pretty nice way for the mighty Van Halen to go out.

5. “Van Halen II” (1979)

David Lee Roth and the rest of the band are not messing with a good formula for their second release. “Van Halen II” picks up where the debut left off, pleasing the band’s newfound legion of fans.

To be fair, only one year had elapsed since the band had released its first album. Besides, they were now amid grueling touring commitments that would soon become the norm.

“Dance the Night Away” and “Beautiful Girls” feel written for the live stage, and the celebrations came along with Van Halen concerts.

“Spanish Fly” allows Eddie van Halen to showcase his incredible skill, this time on acoustic guitar.

And songs like “D.O.A.” or “Women in Love” show that no other band quite matched Van Halen’s balance of pop and loud hard rock.

4. “Fair Warning” (1981)

Eddie had his name on the band logo and was known to have revolutionized the electric guitar. On “Fair Warning,” he pulls rank and delivers a dark, menacing hard-rock album, the kind he wished to make for a long time.

Fans may have been surprised, but this heavy metal direction was in the band’s DNA. The band had, after all, often covered bands like Black Sabbath early in their career.

“Unchained” and “Mean Street” are the highlights here. And even though this was hardly the commercial success of their debut, fans who want to dig deeper into the band’s musical gifts have a soft spot for this. I know that I do!

3. “Women and Children First” (1980)

On “Women and Children First,” Eddie exerts a more powerful influence, injecting many of the songs on the tracklist with menacing, moody guitar riffs.

But, at this stage, the guitarist is also looking to keep the peace in the Van Halen camp. This means that David Lee Roth is allowed to maintain the party atmosphere with songs like “Could This Be Magic?”

The two worlds come together the best on hard-rocking singles “And the Cradle Will Rock…” and “Everybody Wants Some!!”

“Women and Children First” just about succeeds in showing that there’s more to Van Halen than party-rock AC/DC heirs.

2. “1984” (1984)

The “1984” album did the seemingly impossible and provided Van Halen with an album even more successful than their debut and a sound that would define a new era for musical entertainment.

The album featured their biggest hit, “Jump.” The song was born out of Eddie van Halen’s restless experimentation. The restless musician had recently started working with keyboard sounds. While Roth initially vetoed this direction, Eddie’s synth lines helped make “Jump” a global hit.

“Panama” and “Hot for Teacher” were nearly as successful as singles. They allowed Eddie room to showcase his trademark guitar skill. And the music videos allowed Roth to express his cartoonish, surreal vision.

Meanwhile, album closer “House of Pain” offered lovers of the band’s heavy-metal roots proof of the band’s quality at crafting giant riff-driven rock.

It was no accident that “1984” became a colossal hit. Van Halen are energized and fully confident here. During the year prior, they’d become the best-paid group in the world after their performance at the US Festival.

To many observers’ surprise, Roth left the band after this album. The singer used similar tactics for his solo career, one that started out promisingly but quickly and unexpectedly was eclipsed by his previous band’s enduring success.

1. “Van Halen” (1978) – The best Van Halen album

Everything about “Van Halen” was cartoonish in the best way possible, including Eddie van Halen’s ridiculous playing ability. The band’s debut reinvented the guitar and hard rock and made a band that no label wanted to sign into global superstars.

“Van Halen” is, like all classic rock albums, well-known and highly praised. However, beyond the many famous songs on the record, there’s a manic, punk-like energy here that can’t be denied.

If Eddie and Alex van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth sound seasoned pros here, it’s because they were. The band had started in the 1970s, calling themselves Mammoth (or Rat Salade).

What they initially lacked in finesse (all but Eddie), they made up in work ethic, playing hundreds of concerts and backyard parties before being signed with the help of KISS’ Gene Simmons.

As a consequence, there are no missteps here, only carefully planned quirks, such as the way the blues rendition of “Ice Cream Man” leads into a whirlwind of guitar solos.

Songs like “Runnin’ With the Devil” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” established their signature sound and set the stage for their future success, of course.

“Jamie’s Cryin'” and “Little Dreamer” showed that Roth’s vocals possessed great character if not range.

“You Really Got Me” begins a trend of covering songs that could be played to large, drunk, enthusiastic crowds. Van Halen would rival Led Zeppelin‘s success.

And Eddie van Halen’s ” Eruption ” guitar solo was practically the most revolutionary moment for the electric guitar bar Jimi Hendrix’s debut.

“Van Halen” has sold nearly 12 million copies, and it’s often ranked as the band’s best album. I doubt many people have ever expressed dissatisfaction with their purchase.