Van Halen II
| Van Halen II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Van Halen | ||||
| Released | March 23, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | December 11, 1978[1] – January 1979 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 31:36 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Ted Templeman | |||
| Van Halen chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Van Halen II | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [4] |
Van Halen II is the second studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released on March 23, 1979. It peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts and spawned the singles "Dance the Night Away" and "Beautiful Girls". To date, it has sold over five million copies in the United States. Critical reaction to the album has been positive as well, with the The Rolling Stone Album Guide praising the feel-good, party atmosphere of the songs.
Background and recording
Recording of the album took place less than a year after the release of the band's eponymous debut album; the process was completed in three weeks.[5] Many of the songs on Van Halen II are known to have existed prior to the release of the first album, and are present on the demos recorded in 1976 by Gene Simmons and in 1977 by Ted Templeman, including an early version of "Beautiful Girls" (then known as "Bring on the Girls") and "Somebody Get Me a Doctor".
In the band's licensed game, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, four of the ten tracks of this album are available for play: "Dance the Night Away", "Somebody Get Me a Doctor", "Spanish Fly" and "Beautiful Girls".
Artwork
The black-and-yellow guitar on the back of the album is buried with Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was killed on December 8, 2004. Eddie Van Halen placed it in his casket at his funeral because Darrell had said it was his favorite.[6] However, Eddie himself stated in interviews that the guitar itself was not actually used on the Van Halen II album, as it had only been completed just in time for the photo shoots for the album. David Lee Roth is shown in a cast in the inner liner notes, as he allegedly broke his heel making the leap also seen in the picture on the back cover art.[7]
Track listing
All songs written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're No Good" (Clint Ballard, Jr.) | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Dance the Night Away" | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Bottoms Up!" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Outta Love Again" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Light Up the Sky" | 3:13 |
| 7. | "Spanish Fly" (instrumental) | 1:00 |
| 8. | "D.O.A." | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Women in Love..." | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Beautiful Girls" | 3:56 |
Personnel
- David Lee Roth – lead vocals
- Eddie Van Halen – guitar, backing vocals
- Alex Van Halen – drums
- Michael Anthony – bass guitar, backing vocals
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
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[9] | Gold | 100,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
Charts
Album
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Billboard 200 | 6[11] |
Singles
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Dance The Night Away" | Billboard Hot 100 | 15[11] |
| 1979 | "Beautiful Girls" | Billboard Hot 100 | 84[11] |
References
- ↑ Rosen, Steven. Record Review Interview. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ↑ Van Halen II at AllMusic
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Van Halen". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ↑ "Van Halen: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ↑ Halen, Van. "Van Halen Interviews 2 on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ↑ "Pantera". VH1: Behind the Music. 38 minutes in. VH1.
- ↑ "Van Halen II". Classicvanhalen.com. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen II". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen II" (in French). InfoDisc. Select VAN HALEN and click OK
- ↑ "American album certifications – Van Halen – Van Halen II". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- 1 2 3 "Awards". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
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