Van Halen II

Description

While its tough to follow up a classic, VAN HALEN II comes close to matching the brilliance of the bands debut. Once again, the record begins with a fat bass line from Michael Anthony, and his piercing background vocals are featured on Youre No Good, an explosive cover of the Linda Ronstadt tune. While the groups early material was slightly too heavy for Top 40 airplay, here they take a commercial stab with the brilliant Dance the Night Away and Beautiful Girls. Somebody Get Me a Doctor features the trademark wails of David Lee Roth, and Eddie Van Halens magical soloing. Alex Van Halens playing takes a slightly complex turn on Outta Love Again with some funky drum fills. Eddie shows his versatility with the gorgeous, flamenco-styled solo Spanish Fly. The band kicks it full throttle once again on D.O.A., which accelerates to a mighty finish. Women in Love features lessons from Mr. Roth on dealing with female fickleness. VAN HALEN II would go on to be a huge success, reaching the U.S. Top 10. This remastered album leaves the band sounding better than ever.