Editing Van Halen (section)

===1985–1996: Sammy Hagar era===
[[File:Sammy Hagar.jpg|alt=Hagar playing guitar|thumb|The introduction of Sammy Hagar (pictured in 2005) as vocalist continued the band's worldwide popularity.]]
Eddie invited [[Patty Smyth]] of [[Scandal (American band)|Scandal]] to replace Roth, but she declined.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hillis |first1=Roger |title=Patty Smyth and Scandal returning to Dewey Beach |url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/02/13/patty-smyth-and-scandal-returning-to-dewey-beach/5444265/ |website=[[Delaware Online]] |access-date=August 18, 2019}}</ref> [[Daryl Hall]] was offered the lead vocal position in 1985, but also declined. Hall verified to Hagar, his musical guest in the May 2015 season premiere of ''[[Live from Daryl's House]]'', that he was approached after a [[Hall & Oates]] concert.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Sammy Hagar |series=[[Live from Daryl's House]] |network=Palladia |date=May 15, 2015 |number=69 |minutes=33 minutes in |transcript=DARYL HALL JOINING VAN HALEN? |transcript-url=http://mikesdailyjukebox.com/daryl-hall-joining-van-halen/}}</ref>

Eddie was introduced to [[Sammy Hagar]] in 1985, via their mutual car mechanic. Hagar was the former frontman for the hard rock group [[Montrose (band)|Montrose]], and a solo artist coming off a very successful year. His hit single "[[I Can't Drive 55]]" came from his 1984 album [[VOA (Sammy Hagar album)|''VOA'']], produced by [[Ted Templeman]], who had produced Montrose's first album [[Montrose (album)|''Montrose'']], as well as all of Van Halen's albums up to that point. Hagar agreed to sing as well as play rhythm guitar.

When Warner Bros. president Mo Ostin came to the band's [[5150 Studios]] to hear the band's progress, Hagar said the band played "[[Why Can't This Be Love]]" live with Eddie on keyboards, after which Ostin proclaimed: "I smell money."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Van Halen's '5150': Sammy Hagar Looks Back |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/van-halens-5150-sammy-hagar-looks-back-97736/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=April 17, 2019 |date=March 24, 2016}}</ref>

The 1986 Van Halen album ''[[5150 (album)|5150]]'' was a huge hit, becoming the band's first No. 1 album on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] charts, driven by the keyboard-dominated singles "Why Can't This Be Love" (#3 U.S.), "[[Dreams (Van Halen song)|Dreams]]", and "[[Love Walks In]]" (Top 30 U.S.). To further introduce the new era for the band, a new Van Halen logo was put on the cover. It retained elements of the original, but with lines extending from either side of 'VH' wrapped around and formed a ring.

Following the release of the ''5150'' album, the [[5150 Tour]] was launched to support it across North America. Footage was released on [[VHS]] and [[Laserdisc]] as ''[[Live Without a Net (Van Halen video)|Live Without a Net]]''. The band minimized the use of pre-Hagar Van Halen songs in the set.<ref>{{cite web |title=Van Halen: Sammy Hagar reflects on 5150 album anniversary |url=http://www.hennemusic.com/2019/03/van-halen-sammy-hagar-reflects-on-5150.html |website=Hennemusic.com |access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref>

All four studio albums produced during this period reached No. 1 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] pop music charts and 17 singles breached the top 12 of the mainstream rock tracks chart. During that era, a single taken from 1988's ''[[OU812]]'', "[[When It's Love]]", reached the Top Five, peaking at No. 5. In addition, Van Halen was nominated for two [[Grammy Award]]s. The band won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for the album ''[[For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-26-ca-2742-story.html|title=34th Annual Grammy Award Winners|date=February 26, 1992|via=LA Times}}</ref> Van Halen continued to enjoy success throughout the mid-1990s. They recorded a live album and concert film at two 1992 F.U.C.K. tour shows in Fresno, California called ''[[Live: Right Here, Right Now]].'' During the F.U.C.K. and the live album supporting Live: Right Here Right Now tour, [[Night Ranger]]'s [[Alan Fitzgerald]] played keyboards offstage every night allowing Eddie to concentrate on guitar. Fitzgerald returned to play-offstage keyboards on the 2004, 2007, and 2012 tours.

In 1995, Van Halen released the album ''[[Balance (Van Halen album)|Balance]]'' and supported [[Bon Jovi]] on their [[These Days Tour|European Summer stadium tour]]. The [[Balance Tour]] was nicknamed the "Ambulance Tour" by the band due to an amount of physical ailments, as Hagar had throat problems during the first concerts, Eddie suffered a hip injury caused by [[avascular necrosis]], and Alex wore a [[neck brace]] due to ruptured vertebrae.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilkening |first1=Matthew |title=25 Years Ago: Van Halen Chronicle Balance Tour With Pay-Per-View |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-1995-toronto-pay-per-view/ |access-date=April 18, 2022 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=August 22, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|isbn=9781493062102|page=162|publisher=Backbeat|author=Christopher, Michael|title=Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock|date=October 6, 2021 }}</ref>

During the recording of songs for the film ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'', escalating tension between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers boiled over<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morse |first1=Steve |title=No Regrets Sammy Hagar Vigorously Bounces Back From Van Halen Rejection With 'Marching To Mars' Sun., May 25, 1997 |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/may/25/no-regrets-sammy-hagar-vigorously-bounces-back/ |website=The Spokesman-Review |access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref> and Hagar departed June 1996.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whiting |first1=Sam |title=Sammy Hagar quits Van Halen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MORNAAAAIBAJ&dq=van+halen+sammy+hagar&pg=PA2&article_id=6455,4623336 |access-date=April 18, 2022 |publisher=Lakeland Ledger |date=June 28, 1996 |location=Lakeland, Florida |page=A2 |language=en}}</ref> Hagar claimed he was fired, and Eddie claimed Hagar quit. The band had recorded "[[Humans Being]]", a song for which Eddie, unhappy with Hagar's lyrics, retitled the song and wrote the melody.<ref name="GWHuff">{{cite news |last1=Huff |first1=David |title=Ain't Talking' 'Bout Love |url=http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/sh/gw0497.php |access-date=April 28, 2019 |work=[[Guitar World]] |date=April 1997}}</ref> This upset Hagar,<ref name="GWHuff" /> and when they were to record a second song for the soundtrack, Hagar was in Hawaii for the birth of his child.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vhnd.com/old/press/sh970615.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411225659/http://vhnd.com/old/press/sh970615.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2015|title=Van Halen News Desk|date=April 11, 2015}}</ref> With Hagar back in Hawaii and against the idea of doing the project,<ref name="GWHuff" /> but having another song left to contribute, the Van Halen brothers alone recorded the instrumental "Respect the Wind". The performance, which featured Eddie playing guitar and Alex playing keyboards, was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance]] at the [[39th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Complete List of Nominees |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-08-ca-16471-story.html |access-date=April 28, 2019 |newspaper=LA Times |date=January 9, 1997}}</ref>

The band was working on a compilation album. This led to conflicts with Hagar and the group's new manager, [[Ray Danniels]] (Ed Leffler's replacement and Alex Van Halen's former brother-in-law), even though it was Leffler who had renewed their contract with Warner Bros. Records and had added of a greatest hits album option years before. Hagar was reluctant to work on a compilation album before a new album came out, but if the rest of the band and Danniels insisted on going forward with one at that time, his preference was that it should include only Roth-era songs, or as a third choice, that two volumes should be released, one of Roth-era songs and one of Hagar-era songs. During this same period, competing personal priorities and creative differences contributed to increasing interpersonal tensions within the band, particularly between Eddie and Hagar. The relationship between Hagar and Van Halen broke down.<ref name="GWHuff"/>