OU812

OU812
A black-and-white photo of the band members seated next to one another
Studio album by
Van Halen
ReleasedMay 23, 1988 (1988-05-23)[1]
RecordedSeptember 1987 – April 1988
Studio5150 Studios, Studio City, California
Genre
Length50:41 (CD)
46:50 (vinyl)
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Van Halen chronology
5150
(1986) 		OU812
(1988) 		For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
(1991)
Singles from OU812
  1. "Black and Blue"
    Released: May 1988
  2. "When It's Love"
    Released: June 1988
  3. "Finish What Ya Started"
    Released: September 1988
  4. "Feels So Good"
    Released: January 1989[4]

OU812 (pronounced "Oh You Ate One Too") is the eighth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in 1988 and is the band's second album to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. Van Halen began work on the album in September 1987 and completed it in April 1988, one month before its release.

Like its predecessor 5150, OU812 hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the second of four consecutive #1 studio albums for the band.[5] Spurred by four Billboard Hot 100 top-40 singles ("Black and Blue", #34; "Finish What Ya Started", #13; "When It's Love", #5; and "Feels So Good", #35), the album eventually sold over 4 million copies.[6]

The album was remastered by Donn Landee and released on October 6, 2023, as part of The Collection II; the four studio albums with Hagar, plus an extra disc of eight rarities from this era.[7]

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 28.
  2. ^ "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1988". Loudwire. January 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Duffy, Thom (June 3, 1988). "'Monsters' Tests The Metal Of Van Halen & CO". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 866. ISBN 9780862415419.
  5. ^ "Van Halen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "American album certifications – Van Halen – OU812". Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^ Irwin, Corey. "Van Halen Revisits Sammy Hagar Years With 'The Collection II' Set". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media, Inc. Retrieved October 5, 2023.