![]() Nonsense, but good nonsense every once in a while, perhaps. The extent to which you enjoy the rest of the album really does depend upon your tolerance for sub- Top Gun type keyboards and guitar trilling of the finest eighties variety. So much for the songs that have stood the test of time. Hina was another interesting and quirky track – perhaps the highlight of the album for me – in which Vai sounds like he has used a delay pedal / effect to harmonise with himself. It also borrows an acoustic riff from Stairway To Heaven. The acoustic Damn Good is a classic tune that holds up well – it is laid back, reflective and dreamy. Title track Skyscraper is a measured and crafted keyboard-based song splattered with a crazy guitar solo. Vai formed a real partnership with Roth in addition to providing the guitar histrionics as the punch-line to Roth’s jokes. Vai had played with Frank Zappa before joining Roth and he co-produced Skyscraper. What lifts the album is the increasing influence of Steve Vai on the record. It gave Roth a huge hit in Just Like Paradise, which now sounds as cheesy as a tramp’s sock. Skyscraper was a more polished, commercial and keyboard-based record than the debut. ![]() So sit back, grab a bag of M&Ms (with all the brown ones taken out of course) and have a listen… Given that a quarter of a century is the average age of some of Roth’s more topical jokes, perhaps it is time for a re-appraisal of the album that gave Roth his biggest hit, but which remains under the shadow of his debut Eat ‘Em and Smile. I mention this just in case you weren’t feeling old enough already. The 21st January 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Skyscraper – David Lee Roth‘s second solo album following his acrimonious split from Van Halen. ![]()
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