Van Halen II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Van Halen II | ||
 |
||
| Studio album by Van Halen | ||
| Released | March 23, 1979 | |
| Recorded | 1978, Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA | |
| Genre | Hard Rock, Classic Rock | |
| Length | 31:14 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. | |
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Van Halen chronology | ||
| Van Halen (1978) |
Van Halen II (1979) |
Women and Children First (1980) |
Van Halen II is the second album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music).
In an enthusiastic review of the album in Rolling Stone of July 12th 1979, Timothy White noted that "Van Halen is the latest rock act to fall out of a family tree of deadbeats whose ancestry includes slave drummers on Roman galleys, Ginger Baker's Air Force, and the street crews of the New York Department of Sanitation." This, more in recognition of the unhip status of hard rock in the mainstream media of the day, did not prevent White from ultimately giving in to the zest and charms of the album, as he added: "the LP retains a numbing live feel, with Roth's repertoire of deft 'Uh-huhs' and train-whistle exhortations ('Whoa-whoa whooooo!') occasionally segueing into impromptu snickers that are shared by the entire group ... Like the Stone Age, these flawless thud rockers will probably be around for a long time - and they deserve any notice they get. Dig it or not, I've had this amazing thirty-one minute artifact on my turntable for hours, and after almost one careful listening I'm utterly convinced that the members of Van Halen must have been up half the night creating it. What an effort."
The black and yellow guitar on the back of the album is buried with Dimebag Darrell. Eddie Van Halen placed it in his casket at his funeral because Dimebag had said it was his favorite.
[edit] Track listing
The original album credits all songs, except where noted to Edward Van Halen/Alex Van Halen/Micheal Anthony/David Lee Roth. However, it seems that after a dispute over publishing credits in the mid-1990s that credits for Van Halen original songs in the David Lee Roth era have been revised to exclude Michael Anthony. Thus, songs on the Greatest Hits, Vol.1 album appeared credited to David Lee Roth/Alex Van Halen/Edward Van Halen
- "You're No Good" (Holland/Dozier/Holland) – 3:12
- "Dance The Night Away" – 3:04†
- "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" – 2:51
- "Bottoms Up!" – 3:04
- "Outta Love Again" – 2:49
- "Light Up The Sky" – 3:09
- "Spanish Fly" – 0:58
- "D. O. A." – 4:07
- "Women In Love..." – 4:05
- "Beautiful Girls" – 3:55†
† denotes a single
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Production
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Engineers: Corey Bailey, Jim Fitzpatrick, Donn Landee
- Assistant engineers: Corey Bailey, Jim Fitzpatrick
- Remastering: Gregg Geller
- Project coordinator: Jo Motta
- Art direction: Dave Bhang
- Design: Dave Bhang
- Artwork: Dave Bhang
- Photography: Elliot Gilbert, Neil Zlozower
[edit] Miscellaneous
- At 1:51 in the song Bottoms Up!, David Lee Roth can be heard laughing in the middle of singing.
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Pop Albums | 6 |
[edit] Singles
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Dance The Night Away" | Billboard Hot 100 | 15 |
| 1979 | "Beautiful Girls" | Billboard Hot 100 | 84 |
| Van Halen |
|---|
| Eddie Van Halen | Alex Van Halen | Michael Anthony | David Lee Roth | Sammy Hagar |
| Gary Cherone |
| Discography |
| Albums and extended plays: Van Halen | Van Halen II | Women and Children First | Fair Warning | Diver Down | 1984 | 5150 | OU812 | For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge | Balance | Van Halen III | Live: Right Here, Right Now | Best of Volume I | The Best of Both Worlds |
| Videos and DVDs: Van Halen - Live Without a Net | Van Halen: Right Here, Right Now - Live | Van Halen: Video Hits, Vol. 1 |
