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van halen,2 their second album was released in 1979.after a debut as strong van halen[1] it would be hard for any band to come up with a second album half as good as the first.however van halen 2 in my opinion is almost as good.from the somewhat mellow first track you,re no good[which is a cover song]the album for the most part is strong.for me.the best cuts are;somebody get me a doctor,bottom,s up,light up the sky,the cool acoustic guitar piece;spanish fly,d.o.a.beautiful girls and outta love again as a fan of the david lee roth era of van halen this album belongs in a van halen fans collection.
The second record is every bit as good as the first, with some killer guitar, rockin' bass and heavy drums. Not to mention, good songs and vocals, as well.
The guitar riff in "Light up the sky" is one which just has to be listened to again and again, and as loud as you can make your speakers go. Previous reviewer giving this 3 stars and saying VAN HALEN is boring is really beyond the pale.this is a definite bonafide 5 star release.This album demonstrates perfectly, that the original Van Halen line up was the best all round rock band to have ever recorded in the same studio. Brilliant muscianship throughout, and a vocalist who managed to keep a sense of humour, whilst rocking your socks off. This album allowed each band member a chance to show their individual talents, from the bass guitar intro on "You're no good", the drums on "Light up the Sky", Diamond Daves lyric's and vocals on "Bottoms up" and Eddie Van Halens amazing guitar sounds throughout.
I don't get the appeal of this version. None of those things come to mind and catch my attention when I hear Van Halen II, and instead I feel bored, VERY bored in fact. I really don't get the appeal of the supposed "classic" Van Halen late 70's/early 80's period- these albums are quite lackluster to me, as far as songwriting, pop hooks, guitar riffs and solos, and that influential guitar style goes. "Beautiful Girls" is a great song, along with the exciting "Light up the Sky", and "Dance the Night Away" USED to be a good song until classic rock radio beat it to death. What's so great about this album. It starts off with a horrible cover of "It's No Good" with terrible vocals. Other than that, I'm not really that impressed with the music on this album, or Van Halen's supposed classic years for that matter. The band comes up WAY short for me.
Just a perfect rock performance, which I originally bought as an LP back in the day when I was in seventh grade or something. Here's my sequence for what I consider to be the perfect 'set':1) You're no good2) Somebody get me a doctor 3) Dance the night away4) Bottoms up5) Outta love again6) Spanish fly7) D.O.A.8) Light up the sky9) Women in love10) Beautiful girlsThat's about 30 minutes of absolute hard rock bliss. Definitely some of Eddie's best solos, riffs and melodic progressions to be found. Van Halen wasn't VH without David Lee Roth. I've got the remastered version now, and of course it makes Van Halen sound as fresh and vital as ever. It's loaded with energy just like the first album, and I personally don't consider any of it fluff or filler. I have been totally crazy for this killer record ever since it came out. Forget about it.
Anthony has a distinctive voice which absolutely made the backing vocals. These days. He also has a singular and highly accomplished style of bass playing. Now that I can reorganize the tracks, I've developed my own favorite sequencing. I've never forgotten it and never gotten over it. He's back now, and that's great.
Of course this was originally sequenced for two sides of a record. I think it makes for better pacing, which is important, since this is one of only a few CD's I will listen to from start to finish in one sitting. But Van Halen isn't VH without Michael Anthony, either, and he's AWOL. So it's a no-go now, as in no dollars for new CD's or shows, because it just ain't what it should be, or could be.
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