‘5150’: the album that turned Van Halen into dad-rock
Never for a second did Van Halen try to mellow themselves out during their prime. No matter whether Eddie picked up an acoustic guitar or stepped behind the keyboard for a song during the David Lee Roth, everything was about having a good time at the world’s biggest party whenever they went in to make a record. While the good times didn’t need to stop once Sammy Hagar joined the group, there’s something about 5150 that feels a lot more middle-aged than what had come before.
Because when Van Halen first started, they were still nothing but a bunch of kids looking to have a good time. Eddie could already shred like no one else in the business, but once Roth got onstage, he held the audience in his hand and became a glorified circus performer half the time with his crazy sword skills and insane stage banter.
Although that might be fun to watch, it probably isn’t that much fun for the musicians. Eddie was always about making the best music he could, and even though his guitar solos became a signature part of the show whenever they played, he probably wasn’t as interested in watching ‘Diamond Dave’ soak up applause.
It didn’t matter when it came to the records, though. Their debut is still one of the finest pieces of hard rock ever, Women and Children First is the best album Led Zeppelin never recorded, and despite the pressure and in-fighting, 1984 is still a good time from start to finish. But once Hagar entered the fold, he had some gigantic shoes to fill.
It would have been impossible for him to have reached the same charisma style as Roth, so ‘The Red Rocker’ didn’t bother trying. He knew he couldn’t be anyone other than himself, and that meant making songs that sounded a lot more thoughtful, like on ‘Dreams’ or not being afraid to get goofy on tracks like ‘Good Enough’.
There’s nothing with drastically changing direction, but 5150 is also the start of Van Halen becoming a bit of a dad band. Because looking at the qualifiers that dad rock is comprised of, the Hagar years check off all the boxes. Writing genuine love songs? Check. Having the ability to mellow things out? Check. Making music that sounded like it could be coming out of a beat-up stereo during a barbecue? I’m pretty sure that’s why ‘Good Enough’ exists.
While the group didn’t start getting into full-on geezer rock territory until songs like ‘Finish What Ya Started’, 5150 is ground zero for them being a more adult-oriented act. Then again, is dad rock necessarily an insult in that context?
Yes, they did have some lower moments with Hagar, but this phase of their career has their fair share of highlights like ‘Right Now’ and ‘When It’s Love’. Even this very album has some genuinely great moments, whether that’s hearing them make great harmonies on ‘Love Walks In’ or going full-on metallic on tracks like ‘Get Up’, even if the lyrics do sound like Hagar being a disgruntled dad who had to deal with one too many reps at the gym.
And for dad rock, one could certainly do worse. ‘Van Hagar’ might be polarising for some people, but looking at the other bands that had tried to make their living off of dad rock, they are still head and shoulders above the likes of Styx or REO Speedwagon in terms of songwriting. 5150 might still mark a turning point in their sound that would mellow out over the years, but maybe growing up isn’t the worst thing a rock band could do if it meant making songs like ‘The Best of Both Worlds’.
