Van Halen - 5150 (Expanded Edition) [2LP]

Van Halen started over with 5150, and this Expanded Edition stretches the 1986 album across two 140 gram LPs, adding a full disc of edits, extended versions and live cuts.

The record followed David Lee Roth's exit and introduced Sammy Hagar as frontman, a gamble that paid off when it became the band's first album to top the Billboard 200. Recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Studios and co-produced with Foreigner's Mick Jones and engineer Donn Landee, it kept the guitar fireworks while leaning into big, bright melodies made for arenas.

Why Can't This Be Love rides Eddie's synth stabs into a hook that refuses to leave your head, while Dreams turns that keyboard shimmer into something close to a hymn. Best of Both Worlds stomps along on Alex Van Halen's drums and Michael Anthony's high harmonies, with Hagar belting over the top like a man with nothing left to prove.

The second LP gathers single edits, extended versions of two of the hits and a trio of live recordings, including a charging take on Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.

Forty years on, it's the sound of a band reinventing itself without losing an ounce of swagger, and the extra material fills out the Hagar era's opening chapter.