Van Halen endured a very messy patch following the release of 'Balance' in 1995, and by the time they re-emerged with the oddly-titled 'III' in 1998, they had yet another lead singer, Gary Cherone from Extreme.
Sammy Hagar left the group in highly disputed circumstances in 1996, perhaps due to the band's brief reunion with original singer David Lee Roth.
That pairing resulted in two new songs for a greatest hits album, but not the full-length studio album or tour many fans had been dreaming about since 1984.
Instead, we got a rather unfocused, long-winded set of songs with less than memorable melodies. Asking for lightning to strike three times in terms of lead singers -- and songwriting chemistry -- turned out to be too much for even the mighty Van Halen.
They parted ways with Cherone without finishing another record, and didn't complete another full-length album for over a decade, although they did reunite with both Hagar and Roth for new tours.
The band's least successful album by any measure, 'III' has largely been forgotten in the band's history. Still, there are songs worth a second look here, including the winding lead single 'Without You,' the yearning and Latin-influenced ballad 'Once' and the propulsive, layered 'Dirty Water Dog.' Is one of those your favorite tracks from 'III?' Let us know below!