Dave Lee Roth - Skyscraper (1988)

Despite featuring the guitar shredding talents of Steve Vai, Dave Lee Roth's 'Skyscraper' (like all of his albums in fact!), is one of those rather lightweight, heavily commercial "I'll do what I want" type of records, that features an atrocious copy of 'California Girls' and several more pompous, showy numbers perfect for the time, but not to the taste of every metal head. I was never a van Halen fan, so Roth as the archetype frontman does little for me. Steve Vai steals the show, plucking the strongs of Heaven on the sweeping 'Damn Good,' and cranking up the volume...well, only slightly on the dreamy, stardust sprinkled 'Hina' and moreso on 'Hot Dog And A Shake; with its funky jitters. All too goofy if you ask me, Roth revelling in his own lycra-stretched ego as Sheehan pumps that dizzy bass. Roth wears thin on me, rarely stepping into metal territory, instead churning out a summery pop-rock that irritates just as much, if not more, as Van Halen. Awful album cover too. 5/10