Skyscraper
by David Lee Roth
eBay
Condition: Brand New
eBay
Condition: Brand New
David Lee Roth bestography
Skyscraper is ranked as the best album by David Lee Roth.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Skyscraper track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 78 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Skyscraper rankings
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Skyscraper ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 58 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/19/2025 05:00 | SeventhOne | 162 | 67/100 | |
| 02/28/2025 19:47 | fabm0 | 6,859 | 59/100 | |
| 05/22/2024 04:52 | Proto | 4,091 | 33/100 | |
| 01/21/2024 22:06 | DJStuart79 | 5,908 | 58/100 | |
| 07/03/2023 22:53 | BorderFreeAndrew | 14,913 | 74/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album has a Bayesian average rating of 72.9/100, a mean average of 72.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 73.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.6.
Skyscraper favourites
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Skyscraper comments
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rockinsteve 10/10/2018 22:27 | #222331
This one is a pleasant surprise! The wonderful guitar work of Steve Vai highlights this album. Dave's vocals are also quite good. The song "Damn Good" IS damn good and is probably the best song I've heard by Dave. If you're a fan of early Van Halen or Dave's solo work, pick this one up.
David just had to get out of Van Halen. Just Like Paradise is amazing! Wow!
Not quite as coherent and consistent as, eat em and smile, skyscraper, is still a very enjoyable album. Just like paradise, the bottom line, and, damn good, are the standouts on a record where David Lee Roth was at the peak of his career. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from here.
Creative. The only '80s hit, hard rock album I've heard get trippy. WTF is going on during "Skyscraper," "Hina" and The Bottom Line?!" Whatever it is, it's unexpected. I love it!
Songs like "Just Like Paradise," "Perfect Timing," "Hot Dog and a Shake" sound like homages to "Sunflower"-era Beach Boys. I also love that.
An overlooked gem.
“Skyscraper,” (1988, US #6) David Lee Roth’s 2nd post-Van Halen solo LP, features impressionistic, sonic tapestries that sound utterly dissimilar to the aggressive “Eat ‘em and Smile,” (1986, US #4) despite being recorded with the same eclectic, all-star band. Featuring avant-garde guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, (who also demoed, produced, and co-wrote most of “Skyscraper;”) bass innovator Billy Sheehan; and big-band jazz drummer Gregg Bisonnette, original Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth expressly created the multi-tracked studio-craft of “Skyscraper” to challenge his audience. Songs like “Hina,” “The Bottom Line,” “Skyscraper,” and “Damn Good” are all among Roth’s most creative and ambitious.
On its release, many fans were disappointed by “Skyscraper,” wishing that it sounded more like the gonzo “Eat ‘em And Smile” and ’78-‘82 Van Halen. While “Skyscraper” features arguably David Lee Roth’s most expertly-crafted batch of songs, the album’s clean, multi-tracked production removes much of its hard rock bite (it sounds more like jazz fusion) and dates it to the period around 1990.
The critical estimation of “Skyscraper” – likewise, its perception by musicians – has risen since its release. Despite debuting in the thick of the "hair metal" era, “Skyscraper” has little in common with the genre - and sounds refreshingly creative and experimental in retrospect.
Although imperfect – “Skyscraper” features arguably the worst song Roth ever released (“Stand Up,”) and the sugary-sweet pop hit, “Just Like Paradise,” (#6 US,) fans of Steve Vai and of jazz fusion will likely enjoy “Skyscraper” - more so than, e.g. fans of Poison, (the band that opened for David Lee Roth during the '88-'89 "Skyscraper Tour.")
covecove 10/24/2012 21:14 | #53330
I wanted something trashly like Posion or the Crüe and this turned out to be a bot more ecclectic and missed the hole point. It has 3 or 4 songs that are fun bit in general it wasn´t what I was expecting...
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