II (IEX) [CD], Van Halen, CD

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY WITH MOBILE FIDELITY'S ULTRA-TRANSPARENT HYBRID SACDHow do you follow up one of the most groundbreaking albums ever made? For Van Halen, the answer was obvious. Treading the same path the band took to stardom on it's debut, and upping the fun factor and musicianship, Van Halen II extinguished any possibilities of a sophomore slump. Leveraging it's years of experience as a tight-knit live band, and drawing on material initially recorded for it's professional demos with Kiss leader Gene Simmons, the quartet completed the 1979 set in under a month while inviting fans to 'dance the night away.' Did they ever. Van Halen II's brilliance continues to resonate today. Mastered from the original analog tapes, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD of Van Halen II let's it all hang out.