Band:	David Lee Roth
Album:	Skyscraper
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	January 26, 1988
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Knucklebones
02. Just Like Paradise
03. The Bottom Line
04. Skyscraper
05. Damn Good
06. Hot Dog And A Shake
07. Stand Up
08. Hina
09. Perfect Timing
10. Two Fools A Minute

It's a long way to the top.

The follow-up to the well-received Eat 'Em and Smile, Skyscraper saw several innovations both mechanically and musically that were to have mixed results. While Roth is oft overlooked as a musician, what he lacks in raw talent he makes up for in charisma and nous, two attributes that are woefully underrated in a musician. Here is probably one of his high profile errs; though it was still a success, it did not shine in the same way his other work had.

While Roth may not be as experimental in terms of pushing the envelope in the same way Eddie Van Halen did, Roth cast a broad net himself, taking in genres like rockabilly ("The Bottom Line"), rock 'n' roll ("Hot Dog and a Shake"), pop rock ("Just Like Paradise") and blues ("Two Fools A Minute"). It makes for an album that holds your attention and offers you up fresh ideas in quick succession; like throwing a cluster of darts at the board simultaneously, some are bound to hit the target.

The biggest innovation Skyscraper can lay claim to is that it is supposedly the first album recorded solely on digital technology. While this had benefits for the band, for the listener it mostly has a negative impact. This took the form of the album's production and mix, which showcased the then-limitations such technology had in its embryonic form.

So how is the production so bad? Well for a start, it is so wafer thin that it is almost transparent. The album has no depth, like the Star Wars opening text producing the illusion of distance; Skyscraper is the musical equivalent of this. The album sounds flat and two-dimensional' if you tried to grab the song to listen with more intent then it would slide through the gaps in your fingers. It is compounded by the fact it means what is great musicianship by the band not having the same compelling effect on you. Tracks like the opening "Knucklebones" feel compressed rather than free-flowing like they should be, giving this song a handicapped start before it can begin to try and win you over.

On the flipside, I will give credit to "Hina", which mirror's Vai's guitars to create the illusion that he is rebounding licks and riffs between your speakers, with you sitting in between them. It gives what is otherwise an ok track a hook to stand out amongst the rest of the album, let alone other artists.

One of the musical twists is the addition of synthesizers, one addition that would come to be a contentious issue for many reasons. However, the main issue isn't that they are included, rather that they are added to an already crowded fight for room in the mix, more often than not winning out at the expense of the rest of the band, who play their asses off in the background while the synths do little more than colour and shade the atmosphere, save for the odd moment like "Just Like Paradise", where they take a proactive role of adding something meaningful. Take a song like "Stand Up", where Vai and Sheenan are playing some interesting riffs and rhythms on their respective instruments, and are then immediately shunted to the back as the synth jumps to the fore playing something fairly pedestrian.

So how good are the rest of the band then, given that smothering their input hinders the album so much? Just listen to "Two Fools A Minute" and "Stand Up" and hear for yourself. The band just throw in little nuggets here and there with apparent ease that add so much to the songs yet sound like an afterthought to them with the talent at their disposal. It is like a musical workshop that doesn't wave its obvious talent in your face but shows you how fun it can be to be that talented.

Is it a good album? Well if you can persevere then yes, you will find that Skyscraper is a fun listen despite its flaws. If you want something good to listen to that is easy and fun to listen to, you could do far worse.