David Lee Roth abandoned his post as the jump-kicking frontman of Van Halen on April 1, 1985. Having been with the group since 1974, Roth was beginning to form a new musical direction. Roth’s solo debut, an EP titled “Crazy From the Heat,” debuted earlier in 1985 and included his first two singles “California Girls” and “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody.” According to C.J. Chilver’s “Van Halen Encyclopedia” the idea for the project came about while Roth was vacationing in Mexico after Van Halen’s “1984” tour.The release raised widespread speculation that Van Halen were on the outs, though Roth routinely denied the allegations. Four months after the EP hit stores, however, Roth took his leave from the band. The EP went on to peak at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart fueled in part by state of the art videos shot for the first two singles.Van Halen replaced Roth with Sammy Hagar, who had had a hit as a solo artist with “I Can’t Drive 55.” His first album with the band was 1986’s “5150.”