Skyscraper (album)

This article is about the David Lee Roth album. For the 2018 film soundtrack, see Skyscraper (soundtrack).

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1988 studio album by David Lee Roth

Skyscraper

Studio album by

David Lee Roth

Released| January 21, 1988[1]
Recorded| Spring – Autumn 1987
Studio|

* Capitol (Hollywood)
* Stucco Blue (Los Angeles)
* Smoketree (Los Angeles)

Genre|

* Hard rock[2]
* glam metal[3]

Length| 41:23
Label| Warner Bros.
Producer| David Lee Roth, Steve Vai
David Lee Roth chronology
| Eat 'Em and Smile
(1986)  | Skyscraper
(1988)  | A Little Ain't Enough
(1991)

|
|

Singles from  Skyscraper

1. "Just Like Paradise"
Released: December 1987[4]
2. "Stand Up"
Released: April 1988[5]
3. "Damn Good"
Released: July 1988[6]

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

[edit]

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.[7]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [8]
Christgau’s Consumer Guide| C+[9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal| 8/10[10]
The Daily Vault| C−[11]
Kerrang!| [12]
Los Angeles Times| [13]
Rolling Stone| [14]

Skyscraper received divided public and critical opinion.[11] 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,[15] 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.[16] 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"[17] and "Damn Good" a "satisfying and artistic effort".[18]

### Tour

[edit]

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!"[19] 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."[20]

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."[21]

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."[22]

### Charts

[edit]

#### Weekly

[edit]

Chart performance for Skyscraper Chart (1988–1990)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[23] | 14
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] | 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] | 39
European Albums (IFPI)[26] | 31
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] | 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] | 28
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] | 7
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] | 12
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[31] | 9
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[32] | 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] | 13
UK Albums (OCC)[34] | 11
US Billboard 200[35] | 6

### Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Silver  | 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Track listing

[edit]

### U.S. release

[edit]

All tracks are written by David Lee Roth and Steve Vai, except where noted.

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Knucklebones"|

* Gregg Bissonette
* Matt Bissonette
* Roth

| 3:18
2.| "Just Like Paradise"|

* Roth
* Brett Tuggle

| 4:03
3.| "The Bottom Line"|  | 3:38
4.| "Skyscraper"|  | 3:40
5.| "Damn Good"|  | 5:49

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Hot Dog and a Shake"|  | 3:19
2.| "Stand Up"|

* Roth
* Tuggle

| 4:39
3.| "Hina"|  | 4:41
4.| "Perfect Timing"|

* Roth
* Tuggle

| 3:41
5.| "Two Fools a Minute"|  | 4:29
Total length:| 41:23

### European CD reissue

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "California Girls" (The Beach Boys cover)|

* Brian Wilson
* Mike Love

| 2:51
2.| "Medley: Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (Louis Prima cover)|

* Irving Caesar
* Leonello Casucci

* Roger A. Graham
* Spencer Williams

Sam Butera (arrangement)| 4:42
3.| "Knucklebones"|

* G. Bissonette
* M. Bissonette
* Roth

| 3:18
4.| "Just Like Paradise"|

* Roth
* Tuggle

| 4:03
5.| "The Bottom Line"|  | 3:38
6.| "Skyscraper"|  | 3:40
7.| "Damn Good"|  | 5:49
8.| "Hot Dog and a Shake"|  | 3:19
9.| "Stand Up"|

* Roth
* Tuggle

| 4:39
10.| "Hina"|  | 4:41
11.| "Perfect Timing"|

* Roth
* Tuggle

| 3:41
12.| "Two Fools a Minute"|  | 4:29
Total length:| 48:56

## Personnel

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

1. ^ "RIAA". Retrieved January 28, 2025.
2. ^ "David Lee Roth : Skyscraper".
3. ^ "Top 50 Glam Metal Albums". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
4. ^ "The Best" CD liner notes (1997)
5. ^ "Roth singles".
6. ^ "Roth singles".
7. ^ "Steve Vai eonmusic Interview January 2022".
8. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "David Lee Roth - Skyscraper review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
9. ^ Christgau, Robert. "David Lee Roth - Consumer Guide Reviews: Skyscraperkyscraper review". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
10. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 295\. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
11. ^ a b McVicker, Ben (November 29, 2011). "Skyscraper - David Lee Roth". Daily Vault.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
12. ^ Zell, Ray (January 30, 1988). "David Lee Roth - 'Skyscraper'". Kerrang!. No. 172.
13. ^ Willman, Chris (January 24, 1988). "Havin' a Ball With David Lee, Megadeth and Metallica : Check List **** Great Balls of Fire *** Good Vibrations ** Maybe Baby * Running on Empty- Skyscraper review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
14. ^ Frost, Deborah (March 24, 1988). "David Lee Roth - Skyscraper". Rolling Stone. No. 522\. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
15. ^ "David Lee Roth Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
16. ^ "David Lee Roth Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
17. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. April 16, 1988. p. 8. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
18. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. July 30, 1988. p. 15. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
19. ^ Wall, Mick (June 18, 1987). "Greet 'Em and Smile". Kerrang!. No. 192\. pp. 24–26.
20. ^ Jeffries, Neil (September 3, 1988). "...And the Bands Played On". Kerrang!. No. 203\. p. 45.
21. ^ "Shows I'll Never Forget: David Lee Roth, June 24, 1988". somethingelsereviews.com. January 14, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
22. ^ "Band Members Were Not Allowed Full Stage Access on David Lee Roth Tour, Billy Sheehan Says: 'One of the Reasons I Wasn't There'". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
23. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 259\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
24. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0946". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
26. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. February 13, 1988. p. 20. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
27. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
28. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
29. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
30. ^ "Charts.nz – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
32. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
35. ^ "David Lee Roth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
36. ^ "British album certifications – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". British Phonographic Industry.
37. ^ "American album certifications – David Lee Roth – Skyscraper". Recording Industry Association of America.

* v
* t
* e

David Lee Roth

Albums|

* Eat 'Em and Smile
* Skyscraper
* A Little Ain't Enough
* Your Filthy Little Mouth
* DLR Band
* Diamond Dave

EPs|

* Crazy from the Heat

Compilations|

* The Best
* Greatest Hits: The Deluxe Edition

Songs|

* "California Girls"
* "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"
* "Yankee Rose"
* "That's Life"
* "Tobacco Road"
* "Just Like Paradise"

Former guitarists|

* Eddie Martinez
* Sid McGinnis
* Steve Vai
* Jason Becker
* Steve Hunter
* Joe Holmes
* John 5

Former bassists|

* Willie Weeks
* Billy Sheehan
* Matt Bissonette
* Marco Mendoza
* James LoMenzo
* Todd Jensen

Former drummers|

* John Robinson
* Sammy Figueroa
* Gregg Bissonette
* Ray Luzier
* Pat Torpey
* Jimmy DeGrasso

Former keyboardists|

* Brett Tuggle
* Edgar Winter

Related articles|

* Discography
* Crazy from the Heat
* The David Lee Roth Show
* Van Halen
* Manny Roth
* Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen
* "Diamond Dave"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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