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Episode 2 covers the 1979 sophomore album Van Halen II by rockers Van Halen. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the album. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this monumental album as well as share personal stories of discovering Van Halen II.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark Probably the best example of a band that topped themselves after exploding out of the gate.
Chris More fun-sounding, but a worthy follow up to their debut.
Alex Maybe a bit more focused front to back than VH1. A very strong overlooked album in the VH catalog. Hop in the convertible, slap this on and head down to the beach! Fav tracks: “Light Up the Sky”, “Women in Love…”
Kevin Everyone talks about the first album, but this one shouldn’t ever be overlooked.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "You're No Good" | 3:16 | L | L | T | L | |
| 2 | "Dance the Night Away" | 3:06 | L | L | B | L | |
| 3 | "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" | 2:52 | B | B | L | L | |
| 4 | "Bottoms Up!" | 3:05 | F | F | F | T | |
| 5 | "Outta Love Again" | 2:51 | L | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Light Up the Sky" | 3:13 | L | L | L | L | |
| 7 | "Spanish Fly" | 1:00 | T | L | L | F | |
| 8 | "D.O.A." | 4:09 | L | T | L | L | |
| 9 | "Women in Love..." | 4:08 | F | L | L | L | |
| 10 | "Beautiful Girls" | 3:56 | L | L | L | B |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
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 200 and spawned the singles “Dance the Night Away” and “Beautiful Girls“. As of 2004, it has sold almost six million copies in the United States. Critical reaction to the album has been positive as well, with The Rolling Stone Album Guide praising the feel-good, party atmosphere of the songs.
Recording of the album happened at Sunset Studio less than a year after the release of the band’s eponymous debut album.[2] Recording of the album began on December 10, 1978, just one week after completing their first world tour, and was complete within a week.[3] The band used a Putnam 610 console to record the album, similar to the console Eddie would later install in his home studio in 1983.[3] 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.”[4]
