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''Skyscraper'' is the second full-length studio album by
David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2006 to when ...
, released during his solo career after his departure from
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
. It was released on January 21, 1988, on
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
, shortly after the commercially and critically successful ''
Eat 'Em and Smile ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' is the debut studio album by former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, released on July 7, 1986. It follows his successful debut EP '' Crazy from the Heat'' (1985). The album was certified platinum in the U.S., selling over ...
'' 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 ''Passion and Warfare'' is the second studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on May 22, 1990, through Relativity and Epic Records. It has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Background ''Passion and Warfare'' was inspired by dreams that Va ...
'' 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 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular Album, music albums and extended play, EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an recor ...
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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Rock chart. ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' called "Stand Up" an "engaging, catchy rock song, with a funky danceable groove" and "Damn Good" a "satisfying and artistic effort".


Tour

In ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' 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 Monsters of Rock was a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as th ...
performance at
Castle Donington Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport. Etymology The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another su ...
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 ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' is the debut studio album by former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, released on July 7, 1986. It follows his successful debut EP '' Crazy from the Heat'' (1985). The album was certified platinum in the U.S., selling over ...
'' 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 Steven Siro Vai ( ; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a Transcription (music), transc ...
– guitar, horn (alto) * Billy Sheehan – bass guitar, backing vocals *
Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. Bissonette is known for playing and recording many different styles of m ...
– 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 Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
– mastering *Pete Angelus – concept, cover design *Galen Rowell – photography *Vigon Seireeni – artwork *Gina Vivona – artwork *Eddie Anderson – personal assistant


References

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