The 20 best Van Halen and solo songs of the 90s

The 90s were a turbulent time for Van Halen.

After taking off as arguably the most popular rock band in the world over the previous decade, the group hit rockier ground in the ’90s. Although they released two multi-platinum albums in the first half of the decade, they also endured ugly public feuds, two more lineup changes, the genre-changing revolution of grunge, and their first outright commercial failure.

Aside from a very brief reunion in 1996, which produced two new songs, a very awkward joint public appearance and an ugly war of words in the press, the band’s former lead singer, David Lee Roth, spent the entire decade as a solo artist, releasing three solo albums while watching his commercial success fall further and further behind that of his former bandmates.

After spending half a decade with Van Halen, Sammy Hagar left the band in 1996 – just like Roth, very publicly and bitterly – and was replaced by Extreme singer Gary Cherone. When his former bandmates had a major flop with their first album after Hagar, the singer confidently restarted his solo career and released two albums in the second half of the 1990s.

In total, Van Halen, Hagar and Roth released eight studio albums during this decade, as well as a handful of new songs from various best-of or soundtrack albums. Here are the 20 best Van Halen and solo songs of the 90s, chosen by the UCR editorial team:

20. “Without You” (Van Halen)
Out of: Van Halen III (1998)

Van Halen’s first and only album with third singer Gary Cherone is unfocused and overlong, which strongly suggests that former frontmen David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar played a major role in shaping the arrangements on earlier albums. But watching Eddie Van Halen belt out a whole box of riffs and licks in this nearly seven-minute song is still worth the price of admission.

19. “She’s my machine” (David Lee Roth)
Out of: Your dirty little mouth (1994)

Although his post-Van Halen solo career had lost almost all of its momentum by the time he released his fourth solo album, David Lee Roth did not give up without a fight. He recruited Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers (who also recorded Madonna’s early records and David Bowie’s let’s Dance) to set the stage for genre hopping Your dirty little mouth. The results were mixed, but the swaggering “She’s My Machine” proved that Diamond Dave could still conjure up his unique brand of magic.

Read more: The most underrated track from any David Lee Roth album

18. “Fire in the Hole” (Van Halen)
Out of: Van Halen III (1998)

Van Halen takes a break from overreaching and throws a fastball straight down the middle of the most straightforward song from third chapter. Aside from the enhancement of Eddie Van Halen’s singular genius, “Fire in the Hole” sounds like something Motley Crue or Kiss could have released in the ’80s. That’s a weight class below where the group at its best should normally be fighting, but it counts as a win here.

17. “People are people” (Van Halen)
Out of: Twisters Film music (1996)

Although the dispute over the recording led directly to Sammy Hagar’s departure from the group, “Humans Being” at least ends his era on a strong note. The turn to seriousness in tone and lyrics that began in 1995, balance is nearly perfected here, with Eddie Van Halen delivering a powerful riff and setting aside his usual shine for an equally impressive monotonous guitar solo.

16. “High and Dry Again” (Sammy Hagar)
Out of: Red Voodoo (1999)

Sammy Hagar’s second solo album after Van Halen marks the beginning of his period as a party host for Jimmy Buffett. “Mas Tequila” got a lot more attention, but the real highlight is the sultry “High and Dry Again.” Over a haunting organ riff, Hagar delivers one of his most soulful vocal performances – and it’s great to hear him back on guitar.

15. “On the way up…” (David Lee Roth)
Out of: DLR band (1998)

The brief and disastrous reunion with Van Halen in 1996 seems to have deeply depressed David Lee Roth, because he reappeared in 1998 with a back-to-basics album. DLR band album. He worked with his new guitarist and songwriting partner John 5 on a collection of riff-based rock songs like “Slam Dunk!” and “Wa Wa Zat!!.” But it’s the wistful, mostly acoustic “Going Places…” that makes the most lasting impression.

14. “Great Hopes” (Sammy Hagar)
Out of: Unpacked (1994)

While still fronting Van Halen, Sammy Hagar agreed to contribute two new songs to a best-of album celebrating his ’80s solo output. This angered his bandmates considerably; looking back, Hagar said it was the beginning of the end of his time in the band. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying this happy little ditty about staying up late, getting high and coming up with wild ideas that don’t come out in the morning light.

13. “Take Me Back (Deja Vu)” (Van Halen)
Out of: balance (1995)

Sammy Hagar admitted that the grunge revolution shook even the mighty Van Halen. “I think it messed everyone up a little bit,” the singer told UCR in 2023. The earnest and somewhat spotty 1995 album balance confirms that, with very few mentions of pound cakes and perhaps a bit too much navel-gazing. But there are strong highlights, like this sentimental and impressively structured burst of childhood nostalgia.

12. “A drop in the ocean” (David Lee Roth)
Out of: A little is not enough (1991)

With Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan both leaving his solo band, David Lee Roth was forced to start from scratch on his third solo project. Fortunately, he had the good taste to recruit guitarist Jason Becker, who consistently delivers excellent solos. A little is not enough and co-wrote the album’s particularly strong final track.

11. “Right Now” (Van Halen)
Out of: For illicit sexual intercourse (1991)

In a major change from Van Halen’s previous three albums, 1991’s For illicit sexual intercourse almost completely dispenses with keyboards and instead delivers their most guitar-heavy hard rock album since 1981. Fair warningThe only major exception was the atmospheric, piano-based live-for-today anthem “Right Now,” which became a major hit thanks in part to its innovative music video.

10. “Marching to Mars” (Sammy Hagar)
Out of: March to Mars (1997)

On Sammy Hagar’s first solo album since Van Halen, he goes through the various stages of a breakup and lets his former bandmates have more than a few outbursts of anger. After getting rid of all that, his normal joie de vivre resurfaced, emerging in the hopeful and anthemic title track, which features Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead on clattering percussion.

Read more: Sammy Hagar’s solo and band albums ranked from worst to best

9. “Little White Lie” (Sammy Hagar)
Out of: March to Mars (1997)

As already mentioned, before Sammy Hagar could reach the optimism March to Mars‘ title track, he needed to let off some steam. OK, quite a lot. In the swampy “Little White Lie,” he attacks dishonesty in all its forms, with guitar backing from Slash and harmonica from none other than Huey Lewis.

8. “The Seventh Seal” (Van Halen)
Out of: balance (1995)

Van Halen kicked off their fourth (and unknowingly final) album of the Sammy Hagar era with the progressive rock-tinged epic “The Seventh Seal.” Chanting monks appear at the beginning of the song and during its dramatic mid-song breakdown, giving it an air of mysticism that harmonizes perfectly with Eddie Van Halen’s exotic guitar parts.

7. “I Know Magic” (Van Halen)
Out of: Best Of – Volume 1 (1996)

The Van Halen that David Lee Roth left in 1985 was not the same one he returned to in 1985. By all accounts, it was not easy for either side to agree on the two new songs they recorded for their brief and ultimately doomed reunion. While the six-minute-long “Me Wise Magic” sounds more like a late Hagar-era song overall, the chorus is pure original lineup magic, with Roth countering Michael Anthony’s soaring backing vocals like a champ.

6. “Big Train” (David Lee Roth)
Out of: Your dirty little mouth (1994)

Your dirty little mouth is far from David Lee Roth’s most consistent album, but he hits the nail on the head with the stormy, bouncy and perfectly titled “Big Train.” Opening with a slightly off-mic rant like a mad barker, Roth quickly switches to a rocking and swaying rhythm over a dazzling guitar riff and biting leads from Terry Kilgore, and seals it all with a big horn-backed chorus.

5. “Runaround” (Van Halen)
Out of: For illicit sexual intercourse (1991)

Sammy Hagar played a major role as a songwriter during his time with Van Halen. Many of the songs on their third album For illicit sexual intercourse sound like extremely souped-up cousins ​​of tracks from his 1982 solo album Standing Hampton. “Runaround” is a perfect example with its gigantic, arena-worthy chorus.

4. “A little is not enough” (David Lee Roth)
Out of: A little is not enough (1991)

Someone forgot to tell David Lee Roth that the ’80s are over. Which is perfectly fine, because it gave him time to crank out one last batch of blatantly cheeky, keyboard-fueled hard rock bubblegum before grunge came along. If “A Little Ain’t Enough” had been on the 1988 album, skyscraper it would have been ten times as popular.

3. “Don’t tell me (what love can do)” (Van Halen)
Out of: balance (1995)

Speaking of grunge: Van Halen adapted to this phenomenon very well, with the first single from their first post-No matter Album. Eddie Van Halen drains all the sunlight from his playing but none of its brilliance, while Hagar tackles some serious topics, including the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994.

2. “Judgment Day” (Van Halen)
Out of: For illicit sexual intercourse (1991)

Opening for Metallica on the Monsters of Rock tour apparently awakened something new and unruly in Eddie Van Halen, as he delivers an unholy hybrid of thrash and surf rock on this blistering For illicit sexual intercourse Rail.

1. “Poundcake” (Van Halen)
Out of: For illicit sexual intercourse (1991)

Although the screaming drill gets all the attention at the beginning, Eddie Van Halen says Poundcake really took off when producer Andy Johns suggested he play the rhythm parts on a 12-string guitar. That otherworldly note threw everything off balance in a completely wonderful way. Sammy Hagar, meanwhile, sounded more confident and playful than ever, fully embracing his role as the singer of one of rock’s most powerful bands. Big changes would soon roil him and his bandmates, but they began the ’90s on a very high note.