Album of the Day

We'll kick off March Metal Madness with VAN HALEN II; released in March 1979, the Warner Bros. collection treads similar ground as the band's debut but with even greater confidence. Producer Ted Templeman is back behind the boards as the SoCal quartet serves up 10 hard rock anthems with deceptive ease, including “Beautiful Girls,” “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” and the irresistible “Dance the Night Away.” Eddie Van Halen's fretwork is dazzling throughout (in particular on acoustic instrumental “Spanish Fly”), and frontman David Lee Roth's humor and energy give the collection appeal far beyond headbangers. A Top 10 hit that eventually went 5x platinum, VAN HALEN II remains a near-perfect party record.