The nickname was so ubiquitous that, as Hagar points out in his book, Warner Bros. asked them to consider renaming the band as such; the Van Halen brothers refused.

Bolstering criticism was the absence of Ted Templeman, who having produced every previous album for the band, left to helm Roth's solo Eat 'Em and Smile.

Templeman would return to produce Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge several years later, for which Andy Johns had originally been tapped.

The back cover of the album depicts the Atlas character collapsed, with the sphere dropped and broken open, revealing the band inside.

Where Van Halen previously had years of material to work with, even on tour supporting the first album, Hagar was uncomfortable performing a large number of songs from the original lineup.

The Village Voice's Robert Christgau rated the album a C+, which signifies "a not disreputable performance, most likely a failed experiment or a pleasant piece of hackwork."

He wondered how "the guitar mavens who thought Eddie equalled Van Halen are going to like his fireworks displays and balls-to-the-wall hooks now that video star David Lee Roth has given way to one of the biggest schmucks in the known biz."

He noted that "part of Eddie Van Halen's cheeky genius [...] lies in his ability to think in terms of both complex orchestration and rock banalities".

Even when he takes a stab at humor on the closing 'Inside' - joshing around about why the guys chose him as a replacement - it never feels funny, probably because, unlike Dave, he's not a born comedian."