The List of Van Halen Albums in Order of Release Date

Van Halen Albums in Order showcases the career of one of the most influential American rock bands to emerge from Pasadena, California, in 1973. Taking hard rock into another dimension with visceral live performance and highly innovative guitar playing by Eddie Van Halen sealed something that was basically etched on the music scene.

Their self-titled debut album, released in 1978, reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200 and went Diamond. The original lineup of Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Michael Anthony cranked out a string of multi-platinum albums, firmly establishing them as a force in the early 1980s. Log in here with a shift to Sammy Hagar as lead vocalist in 1985, and then a new era was born that delivered four No. 1 albums, which helped broaden their legacy. Through lineup changes and a brief hiatus, Van Halen’s influence remained unabated, culminating in their final studio album, “A Different Kind of Truth,” in 2012.

Having sold more than 56 million albums in the U.S., their legacy is forever sealed by induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; it shows in the discography the lasting effect Van Halen had on rock music. So, if you are a die heart fan of Van Halen Albums then check out here we have list of Van Halen albums in order of release so far.

 

All Van Halen Albums Available on:  Apple Music 

Also See: Metallica albums in order

How many albums does Van Halen have?

The discography of Van Halen was an American hard rock band consists of 12 studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, and 56 singles.

Check Out The List of Van Halen Albums in Order of Release Here!

Here is the list of All Van Halen Album in Order of Release date:

1. Van Halen — February 10, 1978
2. Van Halen II — March 23, 1979
3. Women and Children First — March 26, 1980
4. Fair Warning — April 29, 1981
5. Diver Down — April 14, 1982
6. 1984 — January 9, 1984
7. 5150 — March 24, 1986
8. OU812 — May 24, 1988
9. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge — June 17, 1991
10. Balance — January 24, 1995
11. Van Halen III — March 17, 1998
12. A Different Kind of Truth — February 7, 2012

 

All Van Halen Albums List in Order

---

1. Van Halen (1978)

Tracks

1. Runnin’ with the Devil
2. Eruption
3. You Really Got Me
4. Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love
5. I’m the One
6. Jamie’s Cryin’
7. Atomic Punk
8. Feel Your Love Tonight
9. Little Dreamer
10. Ice Cream Man
11. On Fire

“Van Halen,” the eponymous debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen, was released on February 10, 1978, through Warner Bros. Records and made its claim within rock history—it is generally considered one of the greatest debut albums in rock. It also turned out to be a great commercial success, reaching the US Billboard 200 at number 19 and earning diamond certification from the RIAA. With over 10 million copies sold in just the United States, it becomes one of the best-selling albums there. This is a legendary album with many long-lasting hits: “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” and one of the most famous guitar solos ever written, “Eruption.” A really influential creation by guitarist Eddie Van Halen was introducing two-handed tapping techniques to the world.

 

2. Van Halen II (1979)

Tracks

1. You’re No Good
2. Dance the Night Away
3. Somebody Get Me a Doctor
4. Bottoms Up!
5. Outta Love Again
6. Light Up the Sky
7. Spanish Fly
8. D.O.A.
9. Women in Love…
10. Beautiful Girls

Their second studio album, Van Halen II, came out on March 23, 1979, reaching very quickly to number six on the Billboard 200. Two of the hits that really stamped their authority in the album were ‘Dance the Night Away’ and ‘Beautiful Girls.’ With the US sales closing on six million copies by 2004, it sealed its position in music history. It’s because of this that The Rolling Stone Album Guide would later praise the record’s ‘feel-good, party atmosphere,’ which really helped to cement its lasting critical appreciation. Van Halen II remains one of the defining albums of their discography, capturing them at their most energetic and genuinely memorable as a rock ‘n’ roll band.

 

3. Women and Children First (1980)

Tracks

1. And the Cradle Will Rock…
2. Everybody Wants Some!!
3. Fools
4. Romeo Delight
5. Tora! Tora!
6. Loss of Control
7. Take Your Whiskey Home
8. Could This Be Magic?
9. In a Simple Rhyme

Released on March 26, 1980, the third studio album by the American rock band Van Halen, ‘Women and Children First,’ marked somewhat of a real turning point. Produced by Ted Templeman and engineered by Donn Landee, this was the first of the band’s albums not to feature any cover songs. While it is marked by diversity, as critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine observes, ‘Women and Children First’ is far heavier both sonically and thematically. So, it made an important turn in Van Halen’s evolution, since the band continued to improve musically and compositionally. It is a milestone in the glittering discography of the band and one more reason they could carve their niche within the rock music scene.

 

4. Fair Warning (1981)

Tracks

1. Mean Street
2. ‘Dirty Movies’
3. Sinner’s Swing!
4. Hear About It Later
5. Unchained
6. Push Comes to Shove
7. So This Is Love?
8. Sunday Afternoon in the Park
9. One Foot Out the Door

“Fair Warning,” the fourth studio album from Van Halen, was released on April 29, 1981. It sold more than two million copies but represented the poorest sales by any Van Halen album featuring vocalist David Lee Roth. An interesting fact is that although this work had the poorest sales compared to the previous ones, it received quite good reviews. Esquire recognized this importance and placed “Fair Warning” in its list of “75 Albums Every Man Should Own.” It will epitomize the artistic legacy that was to be left behind in the Van Halen discography, showing the world this: success is not about sales but the impact it leaves on rock music.

 

5. Diver Down (1982)

Tracks

1. Where Have All the Good Times Gone!
2. Hang ‘Em High
3. Cathedral
4. Secrets
5. Intruder
6. (Oh) Pretty Woman
7. Dancing in the Street
8. Little Guitars (Intro)
9. Little Guitars
10. Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)
11. The Full Bug
12. Happy Trails

“Diver Down,” the fifth studio album by the legendary American rock band Van Halen, was released on April 14, 1982. This became another hit since it proved once more the perennial charm of a Van Halen album, as it remained on the United States album chart for 65 weeks. By 1998, it had become multi-platinum with sales of four million in the United States. That album just proved to be another benchmark of their musical excellence, cementing their legacy as one of the greatest and most successful acts in rock music ever, to forever stamp their authority within the music fraternity.

 

6. 1984 (1984)

Tracks

1. “1984”
2. Jump
3. Panama
4. Top Jimmy
5. Drop Dead Legs
6. Hot for Teacher
7. I’ll Wait
8. Girl Gone Bad
9. House of Pain

1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is the sixth studio album of American rock band Van Halen, which monumentally premiered on 9 January 1984. The record was really the end of an era, as it became the final one to include famous frontman David Lee Roth until their 2012 reunion. With all original members on board—Van Halen brothers, Roth, and Michael Anthony—it created timeless classics. Another number one single was “Jump”, and the album itself sold over 10 million copies. It was also critically acclaimed by being mentioned in the top 100 albums of the 1980s. Although overshadowed by Michael Jackson’s Thriller in the charts, 1984 has still been certified diamond.

 

7. 5150 (1986)

Tracks

1. Good Enough
2. Why Can’t This Be Love
3. Get Up
4. Dreams
5. Summer Nights
6. Best of Both Worlds
7. Love Walks In
8. “5150”
9. Inside

“5150” is the seventh studio album by American rock band Van Halen and presents a serious turn in their history. The album was released on March 24, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records, becoming the very first album with a new lead singer, Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth. The title of the album was “5150,” named after Eddie Van Halen’s home studio, which bore the name from an equally interesting twist: a California law enforcement code for a mentally disturbed individual, Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Noticeably, the album climbed to number one on the Billboard 200, topping their previous album “1984,” peaking at number 2, due in no small part to Eddie’s work on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album.

 

8. OU812 (1988)

Tracks

1. Mine All Mine
2. When It’s Love
3. A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)
4. Cabo Wabo
5. Source of Infection
6. Feels So Good
7. Finish What Ya Started
8. Black and Blue
9. Sucker in a 3 Piece

OU812 is the eighth studio album of the famous American rock band Van Halen, released in 1988. It was the second national effort that the band had undertaken with vocalist Sammy Hagar. The album was created from September 1987 to April 1988 but was finalized just a month before it hit the market. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, ‘5150,’ OU812 hit no. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it the second of four consecutive studio number-one albums for Van Halen. With four singles in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including ‘When It’s Love’ and ‘Finish What Ya Started,’ the album has been certified with sales of over 4 million copies.

 

9. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)

Tracks

1. Poundcake
2. Judgement Day
3. Spanked
4. Runaround
5. Pleasure Dome
6. In ‘n’ Out
7. Man on a Mission
8. The Dream Is Over
9. Right Now
10. “316”
11. Top of the World

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth studio album of American rock band Van Halen. Released on June 17, 1991, through Warner Bros. Records, it was the third album to feature lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. This album had a run at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart for three weeks at the top end. This was further underlined by the record-breaking fact that seven of this album’s eleven tracks were released as singles. It was also something of a reunion because producer Ted Templeman—who hadn’t been involved since 1984—came back to work on the record with the band.

 

10. Balance (1995)

Tracks

1. The Seventh Seal
2. Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
3. Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)
4. Amsterdam
5. Big Fat Money
6. Strung Out
7. Not Enough
8. Aftershock
9. Doin’ Time
10. Baluchitherium
11. Take Me Back (Deja Vu)
12. Feelin’

Released on January 24, 1995, ‘Balance’ is the tenth studio album by the legendary American rock band Van Halen, issued through Warner Bros. Records. This was the end of an era because it turned out to be the last studio album by the band to feature Sammy Hagar as lead vocalist and the last one where bassist Michael Anthony contributed entirely. This opus soared up to the top of musical success, where it occupied the number 1 place in the U.S. Billboard 200 back in February 1995. Showing its undying popularity, it further got triple platinum status on May 12, 2004, with over three million sold copies in the United States alone. Another remarkable point is that ‘The Seventh Seal’ was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

 

11. Van Halen III (1998)

Tracks

1. Neworld
2. Without You
3. One I Want
4. From Afar
5. Dirty Water Dog
6. Once
7. Fire in the Hole
8. Josephina
9. Year to the Day
10. Primary
11. Ballot or the Bullet
12. How Many Say I

Van Halen III was the eleventh studio album by the American rock band, hence very different from what the fans were used to. It was released on March 17, 1998, after a three-year break, and it was special in the sense that it was the first and final collaboration between the band and Gary Cherone from Extreme. Noticeably, it was also the final outing for bassist Michael Anthony, who only played on three tracks, while Eddie Van Halen handled bass elsewhere. At over 65 minutes, it was to be their longest album. While it reached No. 4 in the U.S. and went Gold, be a commercial and critical departure from the band’s earlier successes, it would have had the effect of influencing Cherone’s departure and a long hiatus until their 2012 return with ‘A Different Kind of Truth.’

 

12. A Different Kind of Truth (2012)

Tracks

1. Tattoo
2. She’s the Woman
3. You and Your Blues
4. China Town
5. Blood and Fire
6. Bullethead
7. As Is
8. Honeybabysweetiedoll
9. The Trouble with Never
10. Outta Space
11. Stay Frosty
12. Big River
13. Beats Workin’

“A Different Kind of Truth” is the twelfth and final studio album by Van Halen, which is one of the serious steps in the development of the band. It was released to the general public for the first time on February 7, 2012, by Interscope Records. It marked the reinstatement of the lead vocalist, David Lee Roth, who had been away since 1984, while it also introduced Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, as the bassist, replacing Michael Anthony. Recorded at Henson Recording Studios and 5150 Studios, the disc features seven re-recorded songs from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The album was accepted as a nod to form, and received much critical acclaim. It was also commercially successful: it charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling over 411,000 copies in the U.S. during 2012. It was, however, pulled off streaming platforms in October 2022.

All Van Halen Tours in Order by Year

Van Halen Tours in Order showcase what really is the incredible journey of one of rock’s most influential bands. Their first big tour was the “1978 World Tour,” which prepared the path for them to finally hit really big. Then there was the “World Vacation Tour” in 1979, and finally, the “World Invasion Tour” in 1980, which fixed their reputation for live performances. At the beginning of the ’80s, there was the “Fair Warning Tour” in 1981 and the “Hide Your Sheep Tour” from 1982-1983.

Then came the legendary “1984 Tour,” behind some of the smashes off the number one album “1984.” It was the beginning of the Sammy Hagar era, and it continued with the “5150 Tour” in 1986 and gained further momentum with the “OU812 Tour” in 1988-1989, the “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour” throughout 1991-1992, and the “Right Here Right Now Tour” in 1993. The mid-’90s were represented by the “Balance Tour” in 1995 and the “III Tour” in 1998. After a short hiatus, they returned with the “Summer Tour 2004” and followed this up with the “North American Tour” in 2007-2008. They have had their last major tours with the “A Different Kind of Truth Tour” in 2012-2013 and the “North American Tour” in 2015.

Here’s a chronological list of Van Halen’s tours by year:

1. 1978 – World Tour
2. 1979 – World Vacation Tour
3. 1980 – World Invasion Tour
4. 1981 – Fair Warning Tour
5. 1982–1983 – Hide Your Sheep Tour
6. 1984 – 1984 Tour
7. 1986 – 5150 Tour
8. 1988–1989 – OU812 Tour
9. 1991–1992 – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour
10. 1993 – Right Here Right Now Tour
11. 1995 – Balance Tour
12. 1998 – III Tour
13. 2004 – Summer Tour
14. 2007–2008 – North American Tour
15. 2012–2013 – A Different Kind of Truth Tour
16. 2015 – North American Tour

Van Halen’s tours showcase their dynamic evolution, from classic hits to reinventions, reflecting their enduring influence and legendary status in rock history.

Conclusion:

A rather eventful and long career has sealed Van Halen’s status as one of the most powerful and successful bands within the genre of rock. The band did not stop moving the Lafayette Mountain of hard rock from their first explosion onto the scene in 1978 to the release of their last studio album in 2012. Their impressive discography is laden with multi-platinum records and chart-topping hits, showing the evolution and adaptability of the group amid a fast-changing music business. In chronological order, the Van Halen album legacy speaks to an incomparable energy, technical facility, and lasting influence. While the band itself may be no more, its music lives on to delight and influence listeners worldwide.

---

Thanks for Visit!