Van Halen II is an awesome listen, though perhaps not as consistent as the first Van Halen album.

Van Halen were on a roll by 1979 after the release of their phenomenal debut album.

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It contains a little more variety than the first Van Halen album, featuring some more interesting and more subtle guitar work with Eddie’s new Charvel created guitar. Incidentally this was the only album that Eddie played that particular guitar extensively on.

The album begins with a cover, “You’re No Good” which is an exciting listen in itself. It follows with two excellent songs, “Dance the Night Away” and “Somebody Get Me a Doctor”. Both are great listens.

The VH2 “Bumblebee” guitar is in full swing on Van Halen II.

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Midway through the album there are a few good, but not great songs which largely suggest that this was the second round of helpings of songs that Van Halen had been working on earlier in their career and not exclusively their best. Still, “Bottoms Up!” is largely humorous and “Outta Love Again” and “Light Up The Sky” do feature interesting uses of effects although both seem somewhat weaker than the other songs on the album.

The most underrated piece in the Van Halen cannon comes next. “Spanish Fly” is a masterpiece of acoustic guitar work with Eddie’s signature style of playing persistent throughout. It is most definitely worth a listen.

Following this, there is “D.O.A.” which is a nice, catchy piece of work. “Women In Love…..” is not very consistent and drags on a little, despite some excellent guitar work from Ed. The last song “Beautiful Girls” however, doesn’t fail to please and is a good listen.

All in all, despite the fact that this album is somewhat weaker than the first album, it is still a joy to listen to today, and is a worthy addition to your collection.