VAN HALEN - VAN HALEN II (180G LP)

Van Halen Van Halen II on 180g LP from Rhino Records

Dance the Night Away: 180g LP Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and Pressed at RTI

VH's 1979 Sophomore Set Is Even BETTER Than the Groundbreaking Self-Titled Debut

Van Halen, Women and Children First, and 1984 Also Available on 180g LP 

Van Halen set quite a precedent with its self-titled 1978 debut, one of the most landscape-shifting albums ever released. How does a band follow something like that? By making a record that's even better. And Van Halen II fits the bill. 

Granted, by the time this sophomore set appeared in late 1979, the world had already been introduced to Eddie Van Halen's pyrotechnic guitar skills and trick bags of jaw-dropping solos. And everyone knew about David Lee Roth's flamboyant singing, oversexed machismo, and vaudeville antics. But the quartet ups the quotient level throughout Van Halen II, which swaggers to a flawless batch of songs and phenomenal playing. There's not a weak moment or note here.

Moreover, as Eddie consistently delivers searing fills, acrobatic leads, and gravity-defying phrasings, Roth steps it up a notch, inserting himself in the role of the come-hither vocalist whose self-aware humor balances his glammed-up, spandex-clad, riser-leaping persona. Again proving itself deft with its choice of a cover (the lead-off "You're No Good"), Van Halen turns up the heat throughout, celebrating cheap and carefree sleaze, booze-soaked good times, and yes, the band's perennial favorite subject, women. There's no topping the soaring "Beautiful Girls." It, and many of the songs here were actually aired in demo form for Kiss' Gene Simmons before the group signed to Warner Bros.

So, okay, the blonde bombshell and six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon don't come with this gorgeous pressing, but all of the sonic fun does. Play this awesomely remastered and cleanly pressed LP on a hi-fi system, crank the volume to the level where your neighbor leaves their house, and be prepared to be flooded by late-70s indulgences and one killer riff after another.

Mastered by Chris Bellman from the original analog master tapes, Rhino's stunning 180g LP brings brings the dynamics, details, and punch of the music into supreme focus, and also magnifies the group's famous characteristics and personalities. Close your eyes and you'll both hear and see Roth's frenetic energy and bawdy yelps; Alex Van Halen's drum-til-you-drop bluster and oversized percussion kit; Michael Anthony's Jack Daniel's-inspired bass runs and karate-chop kicks; and Eddie Van Halen's fretboard wizardry, so ahead of its time no one has yet to catch up.

Bottoms up!

"All three albums sound dramatically better than the original pressings. Van Halen II has gone from being flat and compressed, with very little bass energy, to a sonic masterpiece. From the initial bass riff and long decay in the cymbal flanging at the beginning of “You’re No Good,” it’s evident that this is not the record you may remember from your younger days. Instead of the album having a completely lifeless soundstage, the performance now unfolds in the room and boasts three-dimensional sound, with Michael Anthony’s bass foundation playing out in full force."
--Jeff Dorgay, TONE Audio, Issue 34

Van Halen Van Halen II Track Listing:

1.  You're No Good
2.  Dance the Night Away
3.  Somebody Get Me a Doctor
4.  Bottoms Up!
5.  Outta Love Again
6.  Light Up the Sky
7.  Spanish Fly
8.  D.O.A.
9.  Women in Love
10. Beautiful Girls