Skyscraper (album)

''Skyscraper'' is the second full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, released during his solo career after his departure from Van Halen. It was released on January 21, 1988, on Warner Bros. Records, shortly after the commercially and critically successful ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' Tour of 1986–1987.

Development

In a 2022 interview with ''Eonmusic'', Vai said that the song "Damn Good" was developed from a piece called "Scandinavian Air Solo", originally slated to appear on his ''Passion and Warfare'' album.

Reception

''Skyscraper'' received divided public and critical opinion. Although Roth's 1988 Skyscraper Tour was successful, many fans and critics were disappointed by Van Halen's post-Roth, keyboard-heavy sound and expressed similar dissatisfaction with ''Skyscraper''.

''Skyscraper'' hit No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 U.S. album chart during February 1988, toward selling one million copies in the United States. " Just Like Paradise" is one of Roth's most popular singles, reaching No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The acoustic ballad "Damn Good" reached No. 2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Rock chart.

''Cash Box'' called "Stand Up" an "engaging, catchy rock song, with a funky danceable groove" and "Damn Good" a "satisfying and artistic effort".

Tour

In ''Kerrang!'' magazine, Mick Wall reviewed a Worcester Centrum concert in 1987, saying, "There's nothing humourless and tense about a David Lee Roth show; it's just straight up, high times excitement! Nothing ever stops moving - the music, the band, the lights, him least of all ... Kid, you gotta be ready when this stuff comes at you, otherwise you'll miss something and get left behind!" Neil Jeffries reviewed the Monsters of Rock performance at Castle Donington in 1988, "This was the way to play Donington. Grab the audience by the lapels, get the band to play a killer set and then hit the crowd with the sucker punch - make 'em laugh."

In a retrospective review in 2012 of a Hirsch Memorial Coliseum concert in 1988, Fred Phillips said, "Sure, the singing wasn't perfect while he was doing all that stuff, but they never were. And nobody cared. With his flashy outfits and outlandish performance, he was a rock star in the fullest sense of the word for those couple of hours, and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand."

In 2024, former David Lee Roth bassist Billy Sheehan dispelled rumors of stage duct tape blocking instrumentalists away from Roth's space in the ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' tour, but: "It did exist on the ''Skyscraper'' tour. One of the reasons I wasn't there."

Charts

Weekly

Certifications

Track listing

U.S. release

European CD reissue

Personnel

* David Lee Roth – vocals

The band
*Steve Vai – guitar, horn (alto)
* Billy Sheehan – bass guitar, backing vocals
*Gregg Bissonette – drums, percussion, backing vocals
* Brett Tuggle – keyboards, programming, backing vocals

Guest musicians
*Gary Falcone – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 9
* Joe Pizzulo – backing vocals on track 1
*Tommy Funderburk, Tom Kelly – backing vocals on track 2
* John Batdorf – backing vocals on track 9
*Magic Moreno – backing vocals on track 10
*Dr. Funk, PhD – bass synthesizer
*Todd Grace, Richie Raposa – programming, keyboard programming

Production
*David Lee Roth – producer, concept, cover design
*Steve Vai – co-producer, engineer
*Magic Moreno – engineer, mixing
*Gary Wagner – engineer
*Doug Parry – engineer
*Paul Levy – engineer
*Steve Holroyd – engineer
*Marnie Riley – engineer
*Stephen Shelton – engineer
*Bob Cats – mixing
*Bernie Grundman – mastering
*Pete Angelus – concept, cover design
*Galen Rowell – photography
*Vigon Seireeni – artwork
*Gina Vivona – artwork
*Eddie Anderson – personal assistant

References

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1988 albums
David Lee Roth albums
Warner Records albums
Albums recorded at Capitol Studios
Glam metal albums