Building the Perfect Beast

Don Henley's second solo album is the sound of Los Angeles singer/songwriter pop in the mid-'80s. A meditation on love, loss, and generational angst, it's as much a portrait of its time as the Eagles' Hotel California had been nearly a decade before. The album's breakout singles flaunt Henley's wide-ranging creative vision, from the achingly wistful "The Boys of Summer" through the snarky political commentary and rubbery synths of "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" to the chilling detachment of "Sunset Grill."