David Lee Roth-Eat 'Em and Smile (Warner
Bros.) 1986David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth-Eat 'Em and Smile (Warner
Bros.) 1986
1. "Yankee
Rose" (3:47)
2. "Shy Boy" (3:23)
3. "I'm Easy" (2:03)
4. "Ladies' Nite in Buffalo?" (4:08)
5. "Goin' Crazy!" (3:21)
6. "Tobacco Road" (2:27)
7. "Elephant Gun" (2:23)
8. "Big Trouble" (3:56)
9. "Bump and Grind" (2:42)
10. "That's Life" (2:29)
In my opinion, David Lee Roth was a big part of the charism of Van Halen. However, despite my loving Roth's showmanship and charisma, I didn't care for David's first solo outing "Crazy From the Heat". It was a ridiculous comedy send up full of show tunes and show off rock star nonsense. After leaving Van Halen, David must have realized that this wouldn't keep him in the lime light very long, so he decided to beat Van Halen at their own game. David hired guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Gregg Bisonette, all veteran musicians and well known names for this disc. . .and what a disc it is!. Without a doubt, "Eat 'Em and Smile" is Roth's greatest solo album as it contains the most solid songs and the least lounge pieces. "Shy Boy" is re-recorded version of Billy Sheehan's track from Talas. Personally I feel this version blows away the original. Other standout cuts are "Yankee Rose", "Tabacco Road" and "Big Trouble." "That's Life" unfortunately showcases Dave's lounge singer persona, but even this track seems to work on this CD.
I was fortunate enough to see this line-up at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, NY. They put on quite a performance. Too bad it was short lived as David and his ego decided he was better suited for red velvet and lounge tunes. I still have the tour book from this show.
David Lee Roth - Skyscraper (Warner Bros.) 1988
1. "Knucklebones"
(3:18)
2. "Just Like Paradise" (4:03)
3. "The Bottom Line" (3:37)
4. "Skyscraper" (3:38)
5. "Damn Good" (5:49)
6. "Hot Dog and a Shake" (3:19)
7. "Stand Up" (4:39)
8. "Hina" (4:40)
9. "Perfect Timing " (3:41)
10. "Two Fools a Minute" (4:28)
I loved "Eat 'Em and Smile". To this day, two decades later I still think it's a great record and is equal, if not better, than much of Van Halen's catalog. "Skyscraper" was the follow-up and despite a good single in "Just Like Paradise", this album just didn't have the same momentum. Something lacks here, despite the presence of super-talents like Vai, Sheehan and Bissonette. I suppose the fact that all these guys had mega-egos had something to do with it. Sheehan was gone before the album even hit the shelves to form Mr. Big. Vai sounds like he is flying on auto pilot. The urgency is not longer present. Whereas Roth had something to prove on "Eat 'Em and Smile" he too seems to be on autopilot here, despite some relatively good vocal performances. However, despite the disappointment, there are some shining moments. "Hot Dog and a Shake" would have fit perfectly on a Van Halen record. This song also features one fine guitar solo from Vai. Also, "Stand Up" is a good track. I think this song would have been even better with a heavier, more raw production. Unfortunately the entire CD suffers from overpolished production, something that killed many albums in the late 80's. What's worse is that things would only get worse from here on out. Never again would Roth touch the greatness of his Van Halen days or "Eat 'Em And Smile."
David Lee Roth - A Little Ain't Enough (Warner Bros) 1991
1. "A Lil' Ain't
Enough" (4:41)
2. "Shoot It" (4:13)
3. "Lady Luck" (4:41)
4. "Hammerhead Shark" (3:34)
5. "Tell the Truth" (5:18)
6. "Baby's on Fire" (3:22)
7. "40 Below" (4:54)
8. "Sensible Shoes" (5:09)
9. "Last Call" (3:22)
10. "The Dogtown Shuffle" (4:58)
11. "It's Showtime!" (3:46)
12. "Drop in the Bucket" (5:07)
Blues, horns, red velvet and coctail lounges. That's the image I get when listening to this CD. To be quite honest, Dave's solo material has never been of any real interest to me, except for "Eat 'Em and Smile", which is basically a Van Halen record without Alex, Eddie and Micheal Anthony. However, when I found a cheap used copy of this I decided to snag it just because Jason Becker (Cacaphony) was the guitarist. Certainly Jason shines, especially in his guitar solos (esp. "Showtime"), but overall it is Dave's show and I don't think he was at his best here. Good guitar solos aside, the songs are just not of that outstanding calibur that made "Eat 'Em and Smile" or even "Crazy from the Heat" so energetic and memorable. I think Bob Rock may have polished all the grit and grind out of 'ol Dave as well. With a bit more edge this disc might have been better. Otherwise, for me at least, this is a lukewarm CD.