Van Halen - Van Halen II
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Free Music Notes for Van Halen II
Free Music Review: Side B of the debut album
Hit: 4 Stars
I said it 25 years ago and I still say it today - if you don't own this album, you don't know Van Halen!
Van Halen II is the quintessential "side b" of their debut album. A second helping of the same smokin' guitar riffs, whimsical vocals and high energy good times that made this band the toast of the rock music world.
A bit under-produced by some standards, Van Halen II is unadulterated by synths or MIDI technology. This is pure no-nonsense artistry and raw power.
Hungry to make their lasting mark, the band exudes energy from the pop-friendly radio staple "Dance the Night Away" to the hard driving rock anthem "Light Up the Sky". David Lee Roth's trademark screams along with a powerhouse rhythm section spin the cover tune "You're No Good" into a metal classic. Eddie debuts his acoustic prowess with "Spanish Fly" and unleashes a fury of scorching riffs on "Somebody Get Me a Doctor". The ballad "Women In Love" showcases the dynamic abilities of this versatile ensemble as "Outta Love Again" betrays their heavy metal roots.
Chemistry like this cannot be duplicated. Van Halen II is a must for any VH fan.
Free Music Review: Little disappointing after VH1
Hit: 3 Stars
This album is not well produced and song set is made of too gentle and radio-friendly tracks.
1 You're no good - good mid tempo blues rock song(cover of Linda Rondstadt's song - but who the hell heard about her??) Great guitar - vocal dialogue at the end, beautiful solo. 8/10
2 Dance the night away - pop oriented song, 6/10
3 Somebody get me a doctor - it's rocker but nothing special 7/10
4 Bottoms up - funny rocker, sounds like recorded live, lot of laughs can be heard there 8/10
5 Outta love again - intro reminds... Hendrix, then it's strange rock song but weird vocals ruin this song- 7/10
6 Light up the sky - Good vocals, guitars, nice climat and finish -10/10
7 Spanish fly - eruption on acoustic guitar - less impressing for me - 8/10
8 D.O.A. raw rock song, nothing special - 7/10
9 Women in love - great semi ballad, beautiful guitar intro, song is really nice -10/10
10 Beautiful girls - simple rock song with pop flavoured chorus -7/10
Free Music Review: Perhaps better than Van Halen I
Hit: 5 Stars
From the beginning of the album to the very end, this is flawless Eddie and Dave perfection. One of the best things about the music is that you can sense the excitement of having suddenly entered the world of the highest degree of fame. This is what Dave was born to do. Eddie doesn't falter in his newly elected position of Best Guitarist on the Planet Earth or otherwise as millions of screaming fans now know him. There is magic burned inbetween the grooves of this remastered CD. Etchings of pure golden scripture that no mortal man can decode. The details of Eddie's rig are so secret that even he no longer knows how he did it. Alex Van Halen plays beneith a ring of fire and preforms female fan sacrifices before and after the show. Michael plays his bass militantly and squeels in such a way that maidens clutch for their bossoms. And Dave, the lion man, the god of all strutting heavy metal singers to come, the knight of good will and truth bellows in all halls and stadiums a mighty cry that means all to those that know of his kingly power. Free Music Review: Not as revolutionary as the debut, but still a classic
Hit: 4 Stars
Van Halen's second album II is no where near as revolutionary as their eponymous debut, but it still burns with passion of the highest order. Coming out only one year later, it is packed with some of the most energetic and fired-up rock songs the genre has ever seen. Almost all tracks are within the three minute mark and therefore very easy to enjoy. David Lee Roth delivers big sing-along choruses with backing harmonies provided by Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, while Eddie is still as shocking a player as he was on the 1978 debut. The album immediately resonated with the fans and went gold within a week and platinum within a month.
The first CD highlighted Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing all the way. Even the mix propelled the impeccable guitar work there, so there was a conscious effort to bring the band's tight rhythm section forward on II. This album also marks Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen's indestructible rhythmic power. The bass is full and heavy - check out "Outta Love Again". That song is almost completely driven by Michael Anthony's bass, until Roth steals the show with the infectious chorus and Eddie comes in ripping with a "what the hell was that?" type of solo. There are several drums solos on the songs as well. The drumming in the beginning of "Bottoms Up!" came as a shock to Van Halen fans when they discovered Ed's brother was equally killer. On this tour, Alex was instoppable. He started lighting his drum kit during the shows and would play with burning drum sticks that would make the crowds lose it. The best drumming on the album is "Light Up the Sky" though. Alex gets a solo spot on this piece and thrashes the skins madly. During the classic era of the Van Halen, he was among the hardest hitting drummers in the world, and II is one of his finest performances.
David Lee Roth shows significant improvement over the debut on II. He is more confident which makes up for his deficiencies as a singer. DLR was always more of a frontman than a vocalist anyway. Still, some of the choruses on this disc are totally gripping, not to mention Roth's unique screams. His sappy vocals on "Women in Love" are simply hilarious. "Dance the Night Away" was the biggest hit off this album though. Roth's majestic hooks, the great percussion, and danceable bass groove all embraced Eddie's sick whammy-dives and solo, which despite being rather complicated, has a very catchy melody that anyone can follow easily. Eddie's guitar playing is still as good as the debut. The solo in "Light Up the Sky", the tapped intro of "Women in Love", the killer riffs on "D.O.A." (this album features some of Eddie's best riffs ever), and of course the cover of "You're No Good" prove that Ed was getting better with each album. The nylon-string acoustic guitar on "Spanish Fly", a song less than a minute, shows how prolific a player Eddie was and what he could do without hooking his guitar up the amp. Kudos to producer Ted Templan, the man who made Eddie put "Eruption" on the debut, for asking him to write a little acoustic instrumental on the album, for it became a guitarists' favourite.
II is a great second release that proved Van Halen was here to stay for many years, if not decades. Brian May of Queen recently said, "Eddie Van Halen is the absolute pinnacle of guitar playing in our lifetime". I couldn't agree more.
Free Music Review: An excellent sophomore effort from Van Halen
Hit: 5 Stars
In March of 1979, California based rockers Van Halen unleashed their sophomore effort Van Halen II.
The album was produced by Ted Templeman whom helmed the first six albums for the band and this album has all but one track written by Eddie and Alex Van Halen(guitar and drums respectively), David Lee Roth(vocals) and Michael Anthony(bass).
The album kicks off with a rocking version of the 1974 Linda Ronstadt hit You're No Good with Diamond Dave screaming during the chorus as Eddie and Michael sing the chorus and a superb remake which kicks ass. The hit Dance the Night Away follows and was the song that got most attention from this album. Somebody Get Me a Doctor and Bottoms Up are next and are excellent hard rockers. The frantic rocker Outta Love Again ends the second half on a rockin note.
Light Up the Sky is a kick ass rocker that starts the second half which has a small Alex Van Halen drum solo section. Spanish Fly follows and showcases Eddie's talents on classical guitar. D.O.A.(which stands for Dead Or Alive) is an awesome rocker. Women in Love starts sounding to be a ballad in its guitar intro before rocking out. The closing Beautiful Girls is another rock radio staple and a kick ass rocker.
This was the band's first US Top 10 album and second million seller. I first got this album on cassette in March of 1985 and loved it immediately and the remastered CD catalog buries the original issues by a longshot!
Highly recommended!